Some Issues

[Thatte, Uday (NM IT)]

1. Religion is subjective, science is objective and universally accurate.
2. Religions have a purpose but do not have rules, science is a collection
of rules but has no purpose.
3. Science is about tangibles, religion is mostly about intangibles.
4. Science tells us not to believe without reason, religions tell us to
believe and then reason (if you want to).
5. Although some scientific facts may be propogated or explained under the
name of religion or some so-called religious practices (such as Yoga) may
have scientific basis and references, the religion is not about those facts
(it is much more).

It is extremely difficult to define or confine the word 'Religion'
especially in Sanskrit i.e. 'Dharma'. I am not able to understand why we
should attempt to compare, differentiate or bridge any gaps between these
two. They are like Earth (science) and Universe (religion). One very finite
and the other infinite.

Uday.
 ----------
From: Jonathan Bricklin
To: ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU
Subject: Re: Some Issues
Date: Monday, September 29, 1997 3:40PM

Jaldhar Vyas writes:

> > > you are correct
> > > that Religion is not scientific as it is based on faith not
observation.
> >
> > This would be news to practtioners of Vipassana, for whom observation
is
> > the basis of their religion.
>
> Amend that to observation of material phenomena according to the
> scientific method.  Of course people observed things long before there
> were scientists.
>
> My point was Science has one method determining truth and religions have
> different ones.


I understand.  My point is that practices like Vipassana and Hatha Yoga are
something of a bridge between science and religion.  One guru, in fact, has
gone as far as to claim that the Patanjali of the Yoga sutras made
religion a science of bare laws.  I don't know if I would go that far (my
sister, incidentally, teaches Hatha Yoga at Satchidananda's Integral Yoga
Institute in New York) but it's worth noting that the reason the practice
of Vipassana and Hatha Yoga have become the spiritual practice of many
Westerners precisely because their protocols are similar to science.  And
these protocols are, as well, an aid to understanding Advaita.

Jonathan Bricklin