Worldview: Eastern Pantheistic Monism
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Okay, so in case you were wondering, YES I forgot to finish this series. So here you go, the next in worldviews.
Following is the 4th installment of a series on Worldviews. There are seven questions presented by James W. Sire in his book, “The Universe Next Door,” which he says every worldview must answer. This book is used in many colleges for philosophy curriculum, and Sire writes from a Christian perspective. Though influenced somewhat by Sire, what I proceed to give answers to comes from my own words and thoughts. No quotes. If you want Sire’s opinion, let me know and I’ll provide that for you.
1. What is prime reality⎯the really real?
Brahman is ultimate reality, the universal soul. Each person’s soul⎯Atman⎯is also Brahman. Even more, everything is Brahman in separate forms; nothing that exists is not Brahman. Brahman should be understood in the same reality as God, except that Brahman is God. Therefore, every person is God in separate forms. Brahman, though, is impersonal and holds no intrinsic good nature. In fact, Brahman has no particular “nature,” for it would then be considered a “self,” thus having personality. Brahman, however, knows no “self,” rather it simply is. Therefore, it is not good, not evil, not right, not wrong, not loving, not hating, not intelligent, not stupid, not wise, not dull, it is beyond all these things; there is no differentiating in Brahman.
2. What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us? Read more
