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Post by jmagallon on Aug 1, 2015 6:59:17 GMT
WEEK SIX
1. Why is Faqir Chand's experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?
In the note to the reader, The Unknowing Sage said “no experience could capture or contain the transcendental mystery of beings” and continue to reveal that our existence and experience are “infinite in all directions. The note to the reader in The Unknowing Sage goes on to say that in order to understand the Power for what it is, the only way is to live it. Thus, Faqir Chand’s experiences are important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles because he has 75 years of experiences in which he left his body at will and experienced exalted states of awareness (Page iii). For example the story Chand shares of volunteering to serve in the military during War World I. In 1916 he went to go see Hazur Shiv Brat Lal. Who instructed him to devote himself to “simran” and “bhajan,” which he “wholeheartedly” did so. Then came a time in a battle when he had a vision and saw his Guru Hazur Data Dayal Ji who instructed him to not shoot his enemies while the recovered their dead. Later he found out his fellow soldiers also had a vision but it was that of Faqir Chand who in turn was a blessing for them. Faqir Chand concluded that, “Whosoever remembers God in whatever form, in that very form He helped His devotee (Page 15)." Meaning our consciences will reveal whomever we considered our savior in our time of need. This coincides with the near death experiences covered in The Cerebral Mirage. Faqir Chand is recorded proof of man’s consciousness serving as a survival response via our consciousness. Everyone has their own experience and for them they may deem them as religious visions or miracles.
Source: The Unknowing Sage
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."
Science is an organization of knowledge and facts that can be explained and predicted. For it to become fact it first must undergo a series of steps in an attempt to classify it false. Once it has with stood the test and resulted in being true it then becomes fact. Finally it becomes accepted by the scientific community because it now has been tested, tried and reproduced to be true. The quote, "philosophy done well is science . . .,” describes the trials science must go to become a solidified fact. If philosophy goes through rigorous process is will stand to be a solid statement such those of the science community. Therefor it will evolve into a scientific one. However, if philosophy is done poorly, it will remain an arguable point of view. It cannot become a tangible scientific statement. It will remain in a state of theory and continued to be discussed. Hence, “. . . philosophy done poorly remains philosophy." Which is not a bad thing. Somethings take longer to explain. Somethings cannot be explained. To quote The Unkowning Sage, “Up to a certain extent to which man's mind has access, one can say something. But nobody can tell about the entire universe.” There is a lot in the universe the human mind cannot comprehend. It is in these areas that philosophy may help to at least have some grasp and understanding of the subject at hand.
Source: The Unknowing Sage
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Post by ggonzalez170 on Aug 1, 2015 7:08:39 GMT
WEEK SIX:
Mystical Philosophy and Transcendence
TWO REQUIRED ESSAY QUESTIONS:
1. Why is Faqir Chand's experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?
Faqir Chand's experiences are important because he explains what happened during some of the experiences and gives us a better understanding of the projective nature of religious visions and miracles. In our textbook “The Unknowing Sage: The Life and Work of Faquir Chand” By David Christopher Lane. The book explains that Sri Bhgavan had an experience when he was lying down and he felt like he rose from his body while he was awake. His temple appeared and he entered his temple. “It is a characteristic that the distress or devotion of one of his people should call forth an involuntary response and intervention in a form that can only be called miraculous” (28 ). Our book also explains that people have projections of our minds and have nothing to do with so called “reality check” with the world or a person’s religion. There are two factors that are what makes a transpersonal encounter “The Unknowing Sage: The Life and Work of Faquir Chand” says: “1) the overwhelming experience if certainty (ganz andere/ mysterium tremendum) which accompanies religion ecstasies; and 2) the subjective projection of sacred forms/ figures scenes by a meditator/devotee without the conscious knowledge of the object/ person who is held as the center of the experience.” Faquir also says he had a religious vision where his guru appeared to him and gave him some instructions to follow while at war.
He was told not to waste the limited amount of ammunition that they had. He informed the Major about the vision and the instructions that were given to him. It turned out that the other people they were fighting just wanted to pick up their dead and they were safe. He came to the conclusion that “Who so ever remembers God in whatever form, in that very form He helped his devotee” (44).
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."
I think that “philosophy done well is science ; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy” means that one is explained with science and proved and other is not. When philosophy is done well it is backed up by science whether it is biology, sociology, with mathematics or proof that backs the research up. I think that philosophy done well is also when a subject or theory has been studied until all the probabilities have been exhausted until there are no more questions or until the answer is unprovable. In the book “The Oceanic Metaphor Meaning Equivalence (M.E), Probability Theory, and The Virtual Simulation Hypothesis of Consciousness” by Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD. Professor Lane says: “My own hunch is that the most fruitful avenue for the scientific study avenue for the scientific study of awareness is to fully exhaust a physical explanation of it first”(48). The philosophy done poorly remains a philosophy maybe the study of consciousness it cannot fully be explained in the book it is said that is kind of like quantum mechanics. Professor Lane says: “Perhaps the study of consciousness has an inherent limitation, similar in import to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics or Godel’s theorem in mathematics”(47). But in the end it comes down wanting to believe in something to keep us going. It really does not matter if it was proven scientifically or if it is a person’s religion or belief. The book had a quote right at the start and it says “Any meaning (even if nonsensical is better than no meaning provided such meaning makes one want to live an extra day”(3). I love science and knowing that it is like winning the lottery to be living. I love knowing that we are here to pass on our genes and DNA to future generations and that we are here by natural selection. It is very interesting to know that there are people in this world that are immune to HIV. That was incredible to me but scientific proof shows that there are people who have passed on that immunity to their family. I know that there are instances when the scientific answering to questions have gotten to a limit because there is no more evidence that can be given. But I am sure that in future time there will be more evidence that will allow others to further the theories and questions that can’t be answered just yet.
Extra Credit Response.
Hello Vanngo,
I agree with you that Faqir Chand was just showing that people tend to envision things that they already have in their mind. Just as he explains when he had the religious vision and saw his guru. The guru gave him some instructions which he followed and he and all of the people at war in Iraq were safe. He said that having that vision and following the orders kept everybody alive and that helped him in reinforcing his religious beliefs. In the book textbook “The Unknowing Sage: The Life and Work of Faquir Chand” By David Christopher Lane . It says that Faquir Chand came to the conclusion that“Who so ever remembers God in whatever form, in that very form He helped his devotee” (44).
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Post by Gajinda Fonseka on Aug 1, 2015 13:40:39 GMT
Week 6, Question 1:
Faqir Chand's experiences are important in understanding the projective nature of visions and miracles because those experience led Faqir Chand to understand the true cause and mechanism behind projective visions and miracles which he in turn revealed to the rest of the world. Most Gurus exalt these projective visions and miracles and seek to experience more of them but Faqir Chand instead attempted to understand them and in due time came to realize that these visions and miracles were a result of the person's own beliefs and inner development. As it is stated in 'The Unknowing Sage', page 19, "Faqir's startling insights show that that most religious visions are , in fact, products of one's own mind". Faqir Chand may not have been the first to realize this but he was the first to to expose this realization in Sant tradition (The Unknowing Sage) and therefore greatly expanded the research into visions and miracles.
Week 6, Question 2:
It means that philosophy is done well when a philosophical theory is considered viable (though evidence, research, lack of evidence to the contrary etc.) enough that it ceases to become philosophy and is instead identified as science. Philosophy done poorly on the other hand, does not have enough evidence or logical thought behind it to become identified as science and so remains a 'theory', an 'approach', a 'way of looking at things'. In other words, poor philosophy remains arbitrary in a sense instead of a focused field of study. As Patricia Churchland, in an interview in 'The Circle of the Wise', says "...as theories develop, and as hypotheses become confirmed, they sort of 'hive-off' the mother body, they 'hive-off' philosophy, and they become a specialized discipline, like chemistry, or physics, or cosmology, or what-have-you". Patricia Churchland also indicates in the same interview, that current fields like psychology were once a part of philosophy and is a good example of 'philosophy done well' while topics that are still being labeled as philosophy can be thought as 'philosophy done poorly'.
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Post by Tyler Van Voorhis on Aug 1, 2015 15:15:56 GMT
Week 6
1. Why is Fajir Chand’s experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?
Fajir Chand’s experiences over his lifetime have convinced many new followers of his practice and visions. He has seen and projected many situations that eventually followed true in real life. During his time in the war there was an attack on the Hamidia Railway Station in which he saw his first confirmed vision. Fajir was told the ammunition was running scarcely low and they would not make it till dawn if another attack came. It was then when he saw a vision that the enemy was coming back but not for an attack, but coming to claim their wounded and take them off the battlefield. It was then, the enemy did exactly that and the soldiers came to him and said, “on the battlefield we were in danger. Death lurked over our heads. You appeared before us in those moments of danger and gave us direction for our safety. We followed your instructions and thus we’re saved.” This was the first time Fajir realized of his help to those in need. Another vision he had convinced him of God. He said, “Once i wept for twenty-four hours continuously for a glimpse of the Lord. Doctors were called in. They administered medicine to me. At about 5 o’clock in the morning I saw in a vision form of Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal. He drew water from a nearby well and helped me take a bath, and then told me his address in Lahore. This convinced me that God had incarnated himself in the form of Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal.” (The Unknowing Sage page 107) These experiences have confirmed Fajir’s visions and proved a further understanding. His honesty is what set him apart from other spiritual leaders. As he believed, there was no guru, saint, or mystic that could know the secret of human existence. His experiences show the ability to pull through the times of fear.
2. What is meant by the phrase “philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy”?
The phrase ‘philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy” means that when making major claims within philosophy one must prove to be correct with methods of science such as biology, astrology, and physics. Many science discoveries stem from philosophical ideas that were tested. If you are making a philosophical claim yet it cannot be proved in any way, that claim remains a philosophical question. Examples are religious views of God and a higher force. No one can really prove if God exists yet many people spend their lives believing in such. Only when something can be tested is it completely accepted and understood.
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Post by nadinerichards on Aug 1, 2015 18:08:18 GMT
WEEK 5 AND 6
Week 5
1.
Artificial Intelligence is getting closer to replicating the human consciousness. In order to do this, a computer must pass the Turing test. To pass the Turing test, a person should be able to have a conversation with the machine without being able to tell the difference between a human and the computer. When this finally happens, "the dividing line between artificial and human intelligence will most likely be forever blurred." Although creating artificial intelligence would be a great feat for science, there could be moral issues that arise with it. Turing compared computers to children that absorb information, and the was aware of the possible ability " to have an actual conversation with it, better yet, perhaps the machine could become sentient." This is where the moral issue lies, as Turing believed at this point, turning off the machine could be murder. If consciousness is purely physical, then the computers could be capable of possessing one. With a complex consciousness such as our own, will these computers have to be given rights, and if they were denied them, how would they respond?
2.
In this age, many people don't know how to survive without technology. Everything we need can be at our fingertips. Whether you want to find a book, a ride home, sign up for a class, take a class, or meet new friends, you can find them online right from your smartphone. In a way everyone is becoming psychic, because of the intrusiveness of social media. "The individuals private psychic space is being outed."(7) We are all exposing ourselves to an audience of strangers. Technology has also drastically changed my life, when it ended the need for physical books. In my short lifetime, I have seen chalkboards turn into smart boards, textbooks turn into Ipads, and technology changing overall how the next generation is being taught. It is amazing to see the huge improvement and growth in technology in schools in only a few years.
Week 6
1. Faqir Chand's experience with miracles have clarified to him, what they truly are. Chand believed that "visions of religious personages are the products of one's own inner development." The visions are created by one's own mind, or a higher level of awareness, "which in turn, reveals not final or absolute truth, "but a growing awareness of how truly mysterious life really is." Faqir Chand came to understand that meditation didn't lead to becoming all-knowing, but to understanding not knowing. This realization led him to speak out against the mystics and gurus who deceived followers that they had become omnipresent. "Faqir's startling insights show how most religious visions are, in fact, products of one's own mind."(19) They are just part of a vivid imagination.
2.
Philosophy is connected to science, and helps to solve questions in science, which by doing so the philosophy can become science. When philosophy is "done well," there is scientific data backing the claims that have been made, and it can become science. Philosophy done poorly, "refers to ideas that have little proof, such as string theory. Even though string theory has many supporters it can still only be defined as philosophy, since it cannot be observed. Philosophy and science definitely have a direct connection, which is why there is a thin line between what is philosophy, and what is science.
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