Introduction for Teachers

This painting, The Assumption of Mary, by C.15th Italian artist Francisco Botticini shows the followers of Jesus gathered around the grave of Mary, Jesus’ Mother. Hovering above the little group on the Earth is the three tiered sphere of the spiritual domain in which nine orders of angels mediate between the Godhead and the human realm.

Designed and written by Dr Nicholas Coleman for Wesley College, Melbourne 2008 2 3

Introduction for teachers Salvation. Students consider that “Big Picture” and discuss how religions might help 1. Changing focus them find the meaning of life here-now and Long gone are the days when children here-after. Year 9 students spend their simply had to learn a fixed body of lesson time thinking and talking about the knowledge in order to become adults who possibility of a universal consciousness. They could find a comfortable place in the wonder what thoughts God’s mind might think prevailing mono-culture. Following the and how to find a way to think those thoughts information revolution, the World Wide themselves. Web provides virtually instant public With diligent effort, good luck and God’s access to more information than any grace, today’s Middle Years students will human being can possibly comprehend. acquire the factual knowledge, thinking skills Practically every community is a and spiritual sensitivities to be tomorrow’s microcosm of different cultures, each well informed, successful and happy adults. with distinct ways of seeing the world and behaving accordingly. With so much 2. Living in the spirit available information and so many options REE has its centre of gravity in “Learning in for action, no single body of knowledge the Spirit”, the College philosophy of religion. can hope to qualify students as informed The goal of Learning in the Spirit (LITS) is to citizens. educate young people at school for “living in To help our young people find their way the spirit” as mature adults in the world. To to success and happiness in the option- implement LITS does not involve teaching saturated global village they inhabit today, specific curriculum content deemed to be education needs to acquaint them with “spirituality”. Rather, it calls for teaching more than some set body of information. spiritually, that is, with an awareness of how Students need a Big Picture world-view the subject-matter (whatever that happens to within which to make sense of a range of be) relates to other disciplines and to the interpretive value-systems. They need wider world and how it serves to advance research skills for evaluating evidence and students (and teachers) in their journey finding out what they don’t know. They towards finding meaning and truth in life and need skills of critical and creative thinking peace beyond understanding. for testing authority and for making their The “how” of teaching REE is more own sound judgments. important than the “what”. With permeable To meet those needs, Religious boundaries between all curriculum areas, a Education and Ethics (REE) in the Middle global perspective, openness to new Years introduces students to three knowledge, and a bias towards hope, some real different ways of looking at religion and connections can be made between students shows them how each perspective relates and the inner spiritual life of mind. LITS to a corresponding view of reality. teaching shows students how to think Students are encouraged to use ICT differently, how to dare to be wise, how to authoring and graphics skills to record make links of meaning and truth across their understanding. arbitrary boundaries. LITS directs students Year 7 students are familiarised with (and staff) towards personal experience of the historical reality of the world’s five how all things converge into one in a spiritual major religions, as well as Aboriginal vision of the universe and themselves. spirituality in this country. They reflect Essential to LITS and underwriting the on and talk about conscience, prayer and entire REE program is the faith-belief that the spiritual life. In Year 8, students the universe, part and whole, owes its learn how virtually all faiths have stories existence to the creative activity of a and teachings about Creation, reality and transcendent spiritual power. The universe is 4 more than a lucky accident of bits of the ordinary human world. Religious adherents matter in random motion. It is understood have a vision of the world within which they as the intentional creation of the spirit of find a sense of meaning in life here-now and a God. That spirit is present in all things and way to salvation in a life hereafter. The lives and minds as the energy that drives essential narrative of all religions has two the universe. The mechanical forces that parts to it; the first part of the story deals bind together the bits of cosmic dust, the with how human beings find themselves vital energies that power natural estranged from the ultimate origin of their processes and the self-activity of existence, while the second part explains how consciousness that manifests in human creatures can make their back to reunion with thought are all expressions of the one that original and ultimate reality. Religions divine spirit that creates and sustains typically include beliefs about the nature and each and everything in existence. meaning of existence, and oral or written The teachings of Christianity and the codes of behaviour that give their followers other religions of the world are treasure ethical guidance through everyday life houses of wisdom for the life-journey in towards the highest goals. The consequences search of truth and meaning here-now and of religious faith shape understanding of the here-after. The aim of LITS REE is to world, ethical decision-making and social encourage students to think critically and interaction. creatively about the history, beliefs and REE is an academic and sympathetic study practices of the World’s religions. The of how religious faith develops in its final goal is to clear away some of the interaction with society and the individual. obstacles to a spiritual perspective on life, The aim of the study is to familiarise or to strengthen that faith-perspective in students with how the major religions relate those who already have it. the present material world to a higher spiritual life. For the purposes of this study, 3. The universe of religions “religion” may be understood as any form of From earliest times, people have found belief and practice that comes from and leads themselves in the world and marvelled at to human experience of the ultimate reality or the fact of existence. In every age and ‘God’. every culture people have wonder about Religions differ in many important ways the truth and meaning of life, the universe from one another. Yet, what they have in and everything. Who are we? Where are common with each other as “religions” we? Why are we here? Where have we distinguishes them all from other forms of come from? Where are we going? How is it human activity. What makes religions best to live? Religions provide positive “religious” is their devotion to an ultimate answers to such great questions by reality or sacred origin of existence that is relating the constant flux of life, death believed to operate both within and beyond and destiny to an enduring, transcendent the world of ordinary human experience. All reality within and beyond ordinary human religions offer ways of life and thought that experience. As religions see it, the claim to lead to reunion with that sacred perfection of that ultimate spiritual origin. reality is what gives truth and meaning to life here-now and here-after. Religion is the only human activity that directly addresses issues to do with life after death. Religious beliefs and practices are systems of meaning that orient their followers towards a reality that exists before, beneath and beyond, 5

Aim: to foster the flowering of faith awareness and spiritual appreciation

Overarching idea: The Spirit of God is immanent within and transcendent beyond all things and lives and minds in the physical universe of space and time, including ourselves.

Essential questions: What is the Spirit of God? Is there evidence of God’s Spirit in the human world? How might spirit impact on human behaviour? How might we seek spirit in the world? What might it mean to live the spiritual life? Are we free to believe in the existence of spirit as a metaphysical entity? Can we choose to affirm that all of reality shares one essential spirit? Can we suppose that the presence of spirit may be known in human experience? Are we free to accept activities of consciousness are expressions of spiritual reality?

Textbook: Nicholas Coleman (2006) Studies of Religion Prelim.; Science Press: Sydney 6

CONTENTS

1: Introducing students to the World of Religion 7 2—3: Global Consciousness Project 9 4—5: The Song of God 13 6—7: Axial Era (pp.2f, 12) 15 8: Eight characteristics of religion 18 9—11: Welcome to the real world – “I  Huckabees” 19 12—13: Core Hindu beliefs 22 14—15: Heroes of Social Justice 23 16: “King of Kings” 24 17—18: Social Justice and Ethics 25 19: Reality and illusion 26 20—21: Global consciousness and Cosmic law 28 22—23: Plato’s allegory of “the Cave” 29 24: Text: theme of Light & Darkness in John’s Gospel 34 25: The World-Soul in Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy 35 26: Thinking about thoughts: a Stairway to Heaven 36 27: The Problem of Meaning in life 38 7

1. Introducing students to the World of Religion

Spiritual realm – the Ordinary secular/physical world Real, The One – source of existence, life & mind

Directly above is a rough depiction of the ordinary world of human existence. It is the realm in which people – you & I, all of us – move, think & have our daily life.

Some people are curious about how and from where the world came to be. All religions teach that the ordinary physical world was created by something else apart from itself. Different religions give that creative source different names. Some call it God; others call it The Dreaming, or the Tao, or The One, or Allah, or Brahma. Let us term it the Spiritual realm, or the “Real” – it is depicted by the circle, above right. Whatever name we give it, it stands for the source of all existence and life.

Now, naturally, having created the ordinary world, the Real would wish to be known by the people and things in it. Yet, the physical world and the Spiritual realm are different and apart from one another. So, the question is: how can the Real make its existence known to people in the ordinary physical world? Task: in small groups, discuss the possibilities.

Three functional and fruitful answers are: 1. By revealing itself to people in some way – how would that work? 2. By putting something of itself into people – what would that do? 3. By itself entering into the ordinary human world – how might that happen?

In terms of ordinary human experience, the presence of the Spiritual or Real would evoke feelings of wonder and responses that find no adequate fulfilment within the ordinary secular/physical world. In that way, people would be lured to wonder.

Clearly, this would lead people with special sensitivity or spiritual experience of the Real to communicate in symbols, myths and stories. They would formulate beliefs, texts and rituals. Then ethics and social structures would develop. In this way, as larger groups form and endure, the various institutions of “religion” round the world are born. (Bold terms, see “Characteristics of Religion” – pp.6—7).

Lesson: in Yr 9 (name) REE.doc, write out the Overarching Idea: “The Spirit of God is immanent within and transcendent beyond all things and lives and minds in the universe of space and time, including us” – See textbook p.10 Diagram (= spirit within/beyond us) – write out Guiding Questions for this semester (above p. ) – Read text p.135 “Humankind”: spirit/soul and matter/body produce mind/ego which can direct attention in either or both directions – physical eyes see physical things; mind’s eye sees spiritual things – essence of REE is THINKING ABOUT IDEAS – create Yr 9 (name) Ideas.doc – every lesson type in some new idea you’ve heard/learnt during that class. 8

The emergence of religions

Most religions have Creation stories that say the ordinary human world of space, time and physical things was originally produced by a pre-existent power or creative force. That original creative reality that has no limits or name of its own brought into existence the finite universe of things that do have limits and can be named. Having caused the finite world to come into being, the infinite power or ultimate reality would naturally want to be known by the creatures it had created. Yet, the finite world of things with names is very different from the infinite realm that produced it. So: how could the ultimate reality make itself known to the people who inhabit the world it created? Three ways are by itself entering into the finite human world, by revealing itself to people through signs, or by putting something of its infinite being into its finite creations. Some religions teach that the creative origin made itself known directly by taking on an incarnation (human form) and living the human life. In Hinduism, Krishna is a human form of the great god Vishnu the Preserver; in Christianity, Jesus is the incarnation of the creator God the Father. Some religions believe that the ultimate reality makes itself known indirectly by providing signs of its existence. Many religions attach special significance to dreams, omens and miracles, which seem to suggest the presence of a spiritual source of value, meaning and purpose within and beyond the ordinary world. Some religions also hold that the ultimate reality makes itself known by putting into creatures something of itself. That presence of the infinite within the finite could be felt as a “God-shaped hole”, so to speak. No amount of the limited things of the ordinary physical world would be adequate to fulfil that limitless presence– it would feel like an unscratchable itch, as it were. To account for the inexplicable feeling they encounter at the depth of life, finite creatures would be lured to the idea that all things owe their existence to an infinite creative origin beyond the ordinary world. The quest for the deepest reasons of existence and final meaning of life leads to the idea that everything in the ordinary world arises from some original reality that is beyond the ordinary world. In the course of affirming that belief and developing practices to enhance experience of the highest reality, all the world’s traditions of religion gradually emerged. Individuals with special sensitivity to, or spiritual experience of, the creative origin would need to give names to it so as to communicate their intuitions of it through common aspects of religion such as symbols, myths and stories. These names include The One, The Real, God; ha-Shem, Allah, Brahman, The Tao, and The Dreaming. Regardless of what it is called, the original reality beyond name is believed to be the ground of being – the one original source from which the whole of life, the universe and everything arises. In line with their different histories, cultures and languages, people in religious communities formulated beliefs, wrote texts and devised rituals. By means of these aspects of religion, adherents could worship and grow closer to experience of the ultimate reality of their God. Eventually, as larger groups of followers formed and endured, further aspects of religion developed, such as ethics and social structures. In this way, the various institutions of religion round the world came into existence. Virtually all religions have symbols, myths and stories, beliefs, texts, rituals, spiritual experiences, ethics, and social structures. These eight aspects provide starting-points for exploring the diverse worlds of religion. 9

CLASSES 2—3: Global Consciousness Project http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=126649 DEEP in the basement of a dusty university library in Edinburgh lies a small black box, roughly the size of two cigarette packets side by side, that churns out random numbers in an endless stream. At first glance it is an unremarkable piece of equipment. Encased in metal, it contains at its heart a microchip no more complex than the ones found in modern pocket calculators. But, according to a growing band of top scientists, this box has quite extraordinary powers. It is, they claim, the 'eye' of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events. The machine apparently sensed the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre four hours before they happened - but in the fevered mood of conspiracy theories of the time, the claims were swiftly knocked back by sceptics. But last December, it also appeared to forewarn of the Asian tsunami just before the deep sea earthquake that precipitated the epic tragedy. Now, even the doubters are acknowledging that here is a small box with apparently inexplicable powers. 'It's Earth-shattering stuff,' says Dr Roger Nelson, emeritus researcher at Princeton University in the United States, who is heading the research project behind the 'black box' phenomenon. 'We're very early on in the process of trying to figure out what's going on here. At the moment we're stabbing in the dark.' Dr Nelson's investigations, called the Global Consciousness Project, were originally hosted by Princeton University and are centred on one of the most extraordinary experiments of all time. Its aim is to detect whether all of humanity shares a single subconscious mind that we can all tap into without realising. And machines like the Edinburgh black box have thrown up a tantalising possibility: that scientists may have unwittingly discovered a way of predicting the future. Although many would consider the project's aims to be little more than fools' gold, it has still attracted a roster of 75 respected scientists from 41 different nations. Researchers from Princeton - where Einstein spent much of his career - work alongside scientists from universities in Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. The project is also the most rigorous and longest-running investigation ever into the potential powers of the paranormal. 'Very often paranormal phenomena evaporate if you study them for long enough,' says physicist Dick Bierman of the University of Amsterdam. 'But this is not happening with the Global Consciousness Project. The effect is real. The only dispute is about what it means.' The project has its roots in the extraordinary work of Professor Robert Jahn of Princeton University during the late 1970s. He was one of the first modern scientists to take paranormal phenomena seriously. Intrigued by such things as telepathy, telekinesis - the supposed psychic power to move objects without the use of physical force - and extrasensory perception, he was determined to study the phenomena using the most up-to-date technology available. One of these new technologies was a humble-looking black box known was a Random Event Generator (REG). This used computer technology to generate two numbers - a one and a zero - in a totally random sequence, rather like an electronic coin-flipper. The pattern of ones and noughts - 'heads' and 'tails' as it were - could then be printed out as a graph. The laws of chance dictate that the generators should churn out 10 equal numbers of ones and zeros - which would be represented by a nearly flat line on the graph. Any deviation from this equal number shows up as a gently rising curve. During the late 1970s, Prof Jahn decided to investigate whether the power of human thought alone could interfere in some way with the machine's usual readings. He hauled strangers off the street and asked them to concentrate their minds on his number generator. In effect, he was asking them to try to make it flip more heads than tails. It was a preposterous idea at the time. The results, however, were stunning and have never been satisfactorily explained. Again and again, entirely ordinary people proved that their minds could influence the machine and produce significant fluctuations on the graph, 'forcing it' to produce unequal numbers of 'heads' or 'tails'. According to all of the known laws of science, this should not have happened - but it did. And it kept on happening. Dr Nelson, also working at Princeton University, then extended Prof Jahn's work by taking random number machines to group meditations, which were very popular in America at the time. Again, the results were eye-popping. The groups were collectively able to cause dramatic shifts in the patterns of numbers. From then on, Dr Nelson was hooked. Using the internet, he connected up 40 random event generators from all over the world to his laboratory computer in Princeton. These ran constantly, day in day out, generating millions of different pieces of data. Most of the time, the resulting graph on his computer looked more or less like a flat line. But then on September 6, 1997, something quite extraordinary happened: the graph shot upwards, recording a sudden and massive shift in the number sequence as his machines around the world started reporting huge deviations from the norm. The day was of historic importance for another reason, too. For it was the same day that an estimated one billion people around the world watched the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey. Dr Nelson was convinced that the two events must be related in some way. Could he have detected a totally new phenomena? Could the concentrated emotional outpouring of millions of people be able to influence the output of his REGs. If so, how? Dr Nelson was at a loss to explain it. So, in 1998, he gathered together scientists from all over the world to analyse his findings. They, too, were stumped and resolved to extend and deepen the work of Prof Jahn and Dr Nelson. The Global Consciousness Project was born. Since then, the project has expanded massively. A total of 65 Eggs (as the generators have been named) in 41 countries have now been recruited to act as the 'eyes' of the project. And the results have been startling and inexplicable in equal measure. For during the course of the experiment, the Eggs have 'sensed' a whole series of major world events as they were happening, from the Nato bombing of Yugoslavia to the Kursk submarine tragedy to America's hung election of 2000. The Eggs also regularly detect huge global celebrations, such as New Year's Eve. But the project threw up its greatest enigma on September 11, 2001. As the world stood still and watched the horror of the terrorist attacks unfold across New York, something strange was happening to the Eggs. Not only had they registered the attacks as they actually happened, but the characteristic shift in the pattern of numbers had begun four hours before the two planes even hit the Twin Towers. 11

They had, it appeared, detected that an event of historic importance was about to take place before the terrorists had even boarded their fateful flights. The implications, not least for the West's security services who constantly monitor electronic 'chatter', are clearly enormous. 'I knew then that we had a great deal of work ahead of us,' says Dr Nelson. What could be happening? Was it a freak occurrence, perhaps? Apparently not. For in the closing weeks of December last year, the machines went wild once more. Twenty-four hours later, an earthquake deep beneath the Indian Ocean triggered the tsunami which devastated South-East Asia, and claimed the lives of an estimated quarter of a million people. So could the Global Consciousness Project really be forecasting the future? Cynics will quite rightly point out that there is always some global event that could be used to 'explain' the times when the Egg machines behaved erratically. After all, our world is full of wars, disasters and terrorist outrages, as well as the occasional global celebration. Are the scientists simply trying too hard to detect patterns in their raw data? The team behind the project insist not. They claim that by using rigorous scientific techniques and powerful mathematics it is possible to exclude any such random connections. 'We're perfectly willing to discover that we've made mistakes,' says Dr Nelson. 'But we haven't been able to find any, and neither has anyone else. Our data shows clearly that the chances of getting these results by fluke are one million to one against. That's hugely significant.' But many remain sceptical. Professor Chris French, a psychologist and noted sceptic at Goldsmiths College in London, says: 'The Global Consciousness Project has generated some very intriguing results that cannot be readily dismissed. I'm involved in similar work to see if we get the same results. We haven't managed to do so yet but it's only an early experiment. The jury's still out.' Strange as it may seem, though, there's nothing in the laws of physics that precludes the possibility of foreseeing the future. It is possible - in theory - that time may not just move forwards but backwards, too. And if time ebbs and flows like the tides in the sea, it might just be possible to foretell major world events. We would, in effect, be 'remembering' things that had taken place in our future. 'There's plenty of evidence that time may run backwards,' says Prof Bierman at the University of Amsterdam. 'And if it's possible for it to happen in physics, then it can happen in our minds, too.' In other words, Prof Bierman believes that we are all capable of looking into the future, if only we could tap into the hidden power of our minds. And there is a tantalising body of evidence to support this theory. Dr John Hartwell, working at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, was the first to uncover evidence that people could sense the future. In the mid-1970s he hooked people up to hospital scanning machines so that he could study their brainwave patterns. He began by showing them a sequence of provocative cartoon drawings. When the pictures were shown, the machines registered the subject's brainwaves as they reacted strongly to the images before them. This was to be expected. Far less easy to explain was the fact that in many cases, these dramatic patterns began to register a few seconds before each of the pictures were even flashed up. 12

It was as though Dr Hartwell's case studies were somehow seeing into the future, and detecting when the next shocking image would be shown next. It was extraordinary - and seemingly inexplicable. But it was to be another 15 years before anyone else took Dr Hartwell's work further when Dean Radin, a researcher working in America, connected people up to a machine that measured their skin's resistance to electricity. This is known to fluctuate in tandem with our moods - indeed, it's this principle that underlies many lie detectors. Radin repeated Dr Hartwell's 'image response' experiments while measuring skin resistance. Again, people began reacting a few seconds before they were shown the provocative pictures. This was clearly impossible, or so he thought, so he kept on repeating the experiments. And he kept getting the same results. 'I didn't believe it either,' says Prof Bierman. 'So I also repeated the experiment myself and got the same results. I was shocked. After this I started to think more deeply about the nature of time.' To make matters even more intriguing, Prof Bierman says that other mainstream labs have now produced similar results but are yet to go public. 'They don't want to be ridiculed so they won't release their findings,' he says. 'So I'm trying to persuade all of them to release their results at the same time. That would at least spread the ridicule a little more thinly!' If Prof Bierman is right, though, then the experiments are no laughing matter. They might help provide a solid scientific grounding for such strange phenomena as 'deja vu', intuition and a host of other curiosities that we have all experienced from time to time. They may also open up a far more interesting possibility - that one day we might be able to enhance psychic powers using machines that can 'tune in' to our subconscious mind, machines like the little black box in Edinburgh. Just as we have built mechanical engines to replace muscle power, could we one day build a device to enhance and interpret our hidden psychic abilities? Dr Nelson is optimistic - but not for the short term. 'We may be able to predict that a major world event is going to happen. But we won't know exactly what will happen or where it's going to happen,' he says. 'Put it this way - we haven't yet got a machine we could sell to the CIA.' But for Dr Nelson, talk of such psychic machines - with the potential to detect global catastrophes or terrorist outrages - is of far less importance than the implications of his work in terms of the human race. For what his experiments appear to demonstrate is that while we may all operate as individuals, we also appear to share something far, far greater - a global consciousness. Some might call it the mind of God. 'We're taught to be individualistic monsters,' he says. 'We're driven by society to separate ourselves from each other. That's not right. We may be connected together far more intimately than we realise.'

Written responses, please: What is the project called? Explain what you think the aim of the project is. Explain how you think how it works. What is the full name of the black boxes? What is the nick name of the black boxes? Do you think what is suggested is possible? – give an extended written explanation of why or why not. 13

4—5: The Song of God (p.11—13, 14, 98) REVIEW Guiding Questions: What evidence is there of spirit in the human world? How might spirit impact on human behaviour? How might we seek spirit in the world? What might it mean to live the spiritual life?

When you use or hear the term “God,” what images come to mind?

Watch Rob Bell’s short film “Rhythm” in Nooma series (No.13). Take note of the moral qualities of life that are valued in the film – e.g.: compassion, truth, forgiveness, wisdom, generosity, sacrifice, faith, hope, mercy, justice, beauty, goodness.

Do you believe that any one religion has an exclusive monopoly on these values?

Do you think that only one religion teaches these values as the best way to live in tune with the universe?

All the values/virtues/characteristics listed are easily familiar to you. You could readily write several lines to describe each and give 2—3 examples. So: the idea of what the spiritual life is and how to live it isn’t new. You’ve already heard it numerous times. But what does it mean, how seriously do you take it, and what difference/s does it make?

Write 150—200 words explaining what the “Song of God” means to you

5: The Song of God

What was Song of God about? – how to live in tune with Body consciousness the Song Mind/self consciousness Subconscious awareness Global consciousness What way to live is that? – truth, compassion, God-consciousness justice, etc

What happens when we live in turn with Song? – we connect to global consciousness

What happens when we connect to global consciousness? – find happiness and meaning of life

So: turn to textbook p.13, col.2 – read quotes in shaded boxes, starting with the Catholic Pope John Paul II (last box) – Hindu Upanishad (sacred writing) (top box) – Gnostic Christian Theodotus (middle box) 14

What does JPII tell us? – what the questions are

What does Upanishad tell us? – where to look for the answers

What does Gnostic tell us? – what knowledge the answers provide

The earliest non-Christian writer who refers to Christ is the Jewish historian Josephus (37—94 CE), who was a contemporary of the Apostles. Josephus was well-informed about the history of the Jewish people. In his book Antiquities (XVIII, iii, 3 – XVIII.63-64 ) he writes a brief yet informative description of Jesus.

About this time appeared Jesus, a wise man (if indeed it is right to call Him man; for He was a worker of astonishing deeds, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with joy), and He drew to Himself many Jews (many also of Greeks. This was the Christ.) And when Pilate, at the denunciation of those that are foremost among us, had condemned Him to the cross, those who had first loved Him did not abandon Him (for He appeared to them alive again on the third day, the holy prophets having foretold this and countless other marvels about Him.) The tribe of Christians named after Him did not cease to this day.

Elsewhere (Antiquities XX.200), Josephus makes a passing mention of 'Jesus, the so-called Messiah'.

How does Josephus characterise Jesus? – as a teacher of those who “receive the truth with joy” – discuss how that relates to Global Consciousness

Write up an idea in your Ideas.doc

The Song of God has always been going on. Some people hear it. Others don’t. Some even deny it. Yet the Song keeps right on going. By listening to the Song of God we can learn things about ourselves, others and the universe. People have heard and listened to the Song and got to know the meaning of life for thousands of years. 15

6—7: The Axial Era (pp.2f, 12) One of the most remarkable coincidences in the history of ideas is that most of the world’s great religions found their fundamental and enduring forms at about the same time. In the short span of a few centuries (approximately 800 to 400 BCE) a new calibre of religious consciousness became established in the traditions in China, India and the Middle East. All over the world, almost simultaneously, without any region knowing of the activity in other regions, religious traditions everywhere secured a new depth and clarity of insight into the biggest questions of life, the universe and everything. With this advance of consciousness, most of the great religions crystallised into the basic forms they continue to maintain today. In China, Lao-Tzu and Confucius began the traditions of Taoism and Confucianism and all the schools of Chinese philosophy came into being. In India, the Upanishads were written by the great Hindu sages of the forests; Siddhartha Gautama found his own way to Enlightenment and began the religion of Buddhism, and Mahavira the Conqueror founded the faith known as Jainism. In Iran, Zarathustra began teaching an ethical monotheism which viewed the world as a cosmic struggle between the Supreme Good God, Ahura Mazda, and the Evil Spirit, Angra Mainya. (This was more than 2500 years before a similar story was told about the battle between Light and Darkness in the Star Wars trilogy.) Further West, in Palestine, Judaism became defined as a prophetic monotheism, through such great figures as Elijah, first-Isaiah, Jeremiah and second-Isaiah. In Greece, Homer wrote his great epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey; Western philosophy was born with the teachings of Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus and Plato; and the tragedians, Sophocles and Aristophanes, wrote plays that remain topical and are still performed today. All over the world, wherever people were writing, suddenly they began to make sense of human life and death in the light of a higher and more enduring reality. In that period around 500 BCE, human consciousness passed over a threshold and reached into the realm of universality in every sense. Karl Jaspers, who coined the phrase ‘Axial Period’ to refer to this extraordinary time, says (p.2): ‘What is new about this age, in all three areas of the world, is that man becomes conscious of Being as a whole, of himself and his limitations’, and in the face of those limits ‘he strives for liberation and redemption’. The Axial Era was of great importance for the worlds of religion. Religious beliefs and practices seek to solve the deepest problems of life by answering questions of meaning. These questions are the raw material with which religion works. Questions of meaning generally arise in relation to the self or ego; other selves and the universe; the ultimate reality, often felt and even dreaded long before it is recognised; and the most worthwhile values. In the Axial Era, human thought secured a transcendent perspective beyond the surface phenomena and accidents of life. That perspective revealed perennial answers to the questions of basic meaning; and the answers found then, so long ago, have never lost their relevance. 16 p.13f: Basic questions & Show me the way What use is religion to the individual? The contribution of religion to the individual (p.11f) If one has never thought about the meaninglessness or unfairness of life or the pointlessness of death, then it may be difficult to relate personally to the quest for meaning that motivates religion. Without some feeling for the religious search, spiritual journeys will probably not seem particularly relevant or believable. Nevertheless, some awareness of how religion plays a part in the lives and minds of other people will help explain why they think and behave the way they sometimes do. The origin of religion comes from an awareness of our own being and how our kind of awareness is different from that of the non-human world. One senses a feeling being unfinished and an ability to move into new possibilities. This awareness or inner dimension is the ‘spirit’. Our spirit is that which is creative in us and, in its search for meaning, soars above the ordinary to a power greater than ourselves or to a wisdom through ourselves as in Indian religions. Religion acts to remember the presence of spiritual life that underpins and empowers the material world. The practice of religion contributes to the development of an individual in helping the individual with those fundamental questions of identity and purpose and meaning in life and death, and provides guidelines and rules through which one can live one’s life to the spiritual betterment of oneself and to the cultural benefit of others.

Basic questions of life Some study of religion is vital for understanding the roots of our own civilization and values, and those of other societies. Yet there is more to it than cultural knowledge. As soon as we start exploring the beliefs and goals that shape people’s lives, we have an opportunity to ponder some of the enduring responses to the grandest questions humans can ask about the meaning of ‘life, the universe and everything’. Religions all tackle the same great questions: Who are we? Why do we exist? Is there life after death? How is it best to live? But more than simply raising those perennial questions of meaning, religions give positive answers to them. There is even something quite similar and distinctive about the kind of answers that religions offer. We can identify a system of beliefs and practices as being ‘religious’ when it relates the constant flux of life, death and destiny to an enduring, transcendent reality within and beyond ordinary human experience. Religion is committed to the timeless search for what is most real, good and true. It is about seeking the ultimate truth of existence in order to discover the deepest meaning of human life. Religions, in their own characteristic ways, make sense of the human world by showing it in the light of some higher or more important reality that underlies, sustains and fulfils ordinary human life and experience. This quest for the wisdom of self-knowledge has driven thinking people in all ages and all cultures. Such perennial wisdom was sought by the Hindus (c.500 BCE) as the Svetasvatara Upanishad begins: Students of Brahman [the Godhead] inquire within themselves: What is the cause of this universe? Is it Brahman? Whence do we come? Why do we live? Where shall we at last find rest? Under whose command are we bound by the law of happiness and its opposite? Similarly, the 2nd century CE Gnostic Theodotus claimed to know: who we were, what we have become, where we were, into what place we have been thrown, whither we are hastening, whence we are redeemed; what is birth, what is rebirth. More recently, in his encyclical, Faith and Reason (1998), the late Pope John Paul II acknowledged that the religions of India and China and the philosophies of the ancient Greeks, no less than the Christian tradition, are all seeking 17 answers to: the fundamental questions which pervade human life: Who am I? Where have I come from and where am I going? Why is there evil? What is there after this life? All religions gain their shape and direction from efforts to answer these basic questions about the meaning of life. While particular answers may vary from one religion to another, it is the quest for ultimate meaning that is shared by all.

Show me the way to God If religion is the quest for meaning in relation to a transcendent reality, then the ultimate religious question is: what is the way to God? Each religion seems to offer a different answer to that common question. They all provide suggest ways of finding what is ultimately most real, good and true. Yet, if people of different eras, speaking different languages and possessing different cultures, have different needs and temperaments from one another, then it is quite understandable that their ideas of the transcendent and how to find it will reflect those differences. Hence, each religion’s characteristic account of how to find the way to God need not be taken to embody the whole of religion, any more than one preferred path up a mountain need be seen as the only way to the top. If we regard each religion as specialising in some part of the journey (following its own path, so to speak) then other faiths can be respected as dealing with other parts (and offering other paths). In that way we need not deny the special domain of any religion. To illustrate the point: in the practice of science each special discipline has its own particular field of inquiry and emphasises its own branch of knowledge. Yet the various branches of science do not deny the validity of the others; rather, they are all integral to one and the same whole of knowledge. Similarly, we might say that each tradition of religion tells some part or version of the religious story. By putting together the best of all traditions we may approach a whole comprehension of that story. In principle, the complete story of religion casts light on present human existence, final spiritual destiny and best interim behaviour. Thus the grand narrative includes everything to do with achieving the fullness of meaning within this life and in the next. In this way, religious traditions can all be seen to work together in offering forms of belief and practice that come from and lead to human recognition of the divine, or whatever is ultimately real, good and true. The study of religions at their best may be a way (as it were) of consulting the echoing congregation of voices that constitute the human soul. If that congregation were to join voices in a spiritual choir, then its song might tell a story. The story it told might be that existence was brought into being by an ultimate and benign power which is present in all things and lives and minds as the source of their deepest nature and the goal of their most noble strivings. If the universe and human beings were the creations of a ‘good and loving God,’ then that would go a long way to accounting for how virtually all the world’s faith affirm the “Golden Rule’, which enjoins us to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves. For if God is good and loving, then by being good and loving ourselves we conform to the way God is and so are likely to come closer to God. As the C.17 th philosopher-priest, Rev. Dr Benjamin Whichcote says: ‘We are absent from God not by being other-where than He is, who is everywhere, but by being other-wise than He is [rather than like-wise], for He is all Good.’ If something like that were the story, then to embark on the religious adventure of realising the ultimate truth of reality and goodness within ourselves (and serving that truth and goodness in the world) would be the most real effort we could make and the most worthwhile end we could reach. ‘Check it out for yourself,’ the Buddha would say. 18

Activities 4 & 9 You have been granted a ten-minute interview with one of the great gurus of the Axial Era. What two questions about the meaning of life would you most like to ask the guru?

8: the Characteristics of religion (pp.6ff) Religion is about the search for meaning. All religions make sense of human experience by putting it into the Big Picture of Life, the Universe and Everything. The Big Picture starts with an account for the origin of the Universe, it ends with an idea of life after death, and it links these two with an ethics or code of best behaviour. Because of their features in common, all religions can be studied with a single descriptive model of “eight aspects”. These eight Aspects are:

Beliefs Rituals Ethics Symbols Texts Social structures Stories Religious experience

Task 1: Write the name of one Aspect in each of the circle’s sectors below. Give an example or two of each Aspect – i.e. of religious Beliefs, of religious Ethics, etc

Task 2: Consider: What is it that unites all those Aspects in any one religion and keeps them together as a whole faith? 19

9—11: Welcome to the real world: “I  Huckabees”

“We live in a world that is happy with facts but confused about meanings.” Can you read the sentence above? What does it mean? – QED

What are the “facts” of life? – birth, reproduction, death – comfortable discussion

What is the “meaning” of life? – Change one key word & suddenly confusion

Who knows the “meaning of life?” – no one? only the wise? Everyone, unwittingly?

What’s the difference between “fact” and “meaning”?

Are facts and meaning related? What connects them? What gives facts their meaning?

Facts (about the world) are supposed to exist in the public arena, apart from interpretation and be equally available for all. Meanings (for the individual) draw subjective vales into the equation and become a private concern for an arbitrary view-point.

Facts are true, but they aren’t the whole truth. Facts are not an exhaustive description of the world of human experience. Facts describe a world without human experience. But how do we get the facts? By subtracting from human experience all that makes us human in the first place.

By manipulating facts we become physically superhuman beings yet morally subhuman beings. To get information that benefits only the cosmetics industry we torture small furry animals. To get energy that only benefits rich industrialised communities we pollute and destroy the air and water resources of the whole planet. To benefit a small proportion of privileged people we destroy large proportions of non-human nature itself, including that part of our own nature that is supposedly more than human –i.e. the soul or spirit in ourselves.

That’s how come the objective facts of the physical world (i.e. as evident to science) can’t tell us the meaning of life – because meaning includes ourselves as subjects of experience.

Is the universe a machine or alive? Is the universe a chaos or a cosmos? Is the universe mad or sane? – sad or happy? – bad or good? Is the universe spiritual as well as material? If there’s a possibility that the universe is only really material, then is there also a possibility that it might be only really spiritual? How do we KNOW?!!!! 20

Three sources of authority: tradition, reason and experience – see Yr 8 We also need skills – a recent billboard says: Seek and you will find – (Matthew 7: 7!) – but “seeking” & “finding” are different skills – pursuing and intercepting.

If you don’t know what you’re seeking, would you necessarily find it if it was right there in front of you?

In addition to knowledge and skills, we also need perspective. To get the meaning of facts we need to put the facts into a larger context. To get the meaning of whatever we’re doing in our life here-now, we need to see it in relation to something else there-then: perspective entails a bigger picture of before and after now. To get the meaning of the whole of life itself, from the Big Bang to the Big Crunch, we need to see it all from somewhere outside of space, time and physical things. Is there such a viewpoint?

Film-text: “I  Huckabees” (MA – occasional very bad language, for effect) Watch the opening few seconds of the film, disregarding the appalling language.

Identify three ways the film shows itself to be about seeking meaning. What does the opening scene show us about the “inner life of the mind”? How does Albert feel about his life? Why does he feel that way? What is he planning to do about his life? Why does he feel that plan will lead to improvement? What character-type does Albert represent? – the seeker of truth and meaning in life

The opening seconds of Huckabees depicts a person in a crisis of meaning. How might this related to the Buddha’s first Noble Truth: Life is unsatisfactory?

Watch the first 20 minutes, up to the end of the “Blanket Truth” scene in Bernard’s office.

In her office, Vivian gives a number of reasons for not looking deeply into life. Later on, Tommy asks his wife, Molly: Don’t you don't want to ask these questions?” and Molly replies: “O! I want to live my life!” Do you think life can be lived without asking (much less answering) the Big Questions? 21

Bernard says: “Our everyday mind thinks everything is separate and limited. I'm over here; you're over there – which is true. But it's not the whole truth… because we're all connected.” Which do you think are more basic to life and existence, connections or separations? Do you think reality is ultimately comprised of separate bits of matter in random motion or from everything connected into one integral whole?

Bernard says: “When you get the blanket thing then you can relax, because everything you could ever want or be you already have and are.” Does that sound good to you? How does Bernard view the nature of the universe? How does Bernard say the deep nature of the universe can be explored? What difference does he say will result from deep exploration?

Plotinus says: “To find the meaning of life, we must close our eyes and invoke a different way of seeing – a wakefulness that everyone has, but few people use.” How does Bernard’s “body bag” method of seeking meaning illustrate Plotinus’ idea? 22

12—13: Core Hindu beliefs Read and summarise, in 20—30 words each, the sections on dharma, karma, moksha, yoga (p.105—108) & Ahimsa (non-violence) (p.111)

Complete textbook Activities 1, 6, 7 (p.119)

1. Briefly describe the methods and goals of the four ‘yogas’. How do they differ from one another?

6. Indian art is full of splendid representations of Hindu gods and goddesses. Photocopy and study an illustration you like, and caption it with some of the deity’s characteristics – see example below.

7. Find a book or article on Indian culture that explains about the place of cows in Indian life. Identify some of the ‘sacred cows’ in our culture which it would be rash to challenge.

Ganesh wears the head-dress of royalty and is considered by his followers to be The four arms indicate that Ganesh is omnipresent and omnipotent. The axe the first among Hindu gods. in his upper right hand and the lotus in his lower hand signify that in order to Elephant Head: legend says Shiva cut off gain spiritual advancement one should Ganesh’s human head and his mother, cut worldly attachments and conquer Paravati, found an elephant head to replace emotions, just as a lotus remmains in it. The large head symbolises the wisdom water but is not affected by it. and discriminating intellect needed to attain perfection in life. Large ears signify a perfect person possessing great capacity to listen to others and learn new ideas.

Broken tusk: symbolises role as Lord of Learning. Ganesh allegedly broke off his own tusk in order to Ganesh’s sits with one write down the epic story knee raised, in the royal Mahabharata. posture called lalitasana.

A mouse sits near the feet of Ganesh and eats the tray of Luddas, symbolising the ego that can nibble away all that Ganesh holds a Laddus (popular is good and noble in a person, snack) in a gesture of blessing and also that the perfect to show he bestows wealth and person has conquered his/her prosperity upon his followers ego. 23

14—15: Heroes of Social Justice: What is “social justice”? Research and write case Studies of Mahatma Gandhi (p.106) & Dr King – 200 words each Dates of birth & death Where did they live? What did they achieve? How did they achieve it? What motivated them? Did they achieve their goals? How did they die? What role did ahimsha play? How are Gandhi & King connected? Class 16: The Models, “King of Kings”24

16—18: Models “King of Kings” lyrics

The imagery in these lyrics is entirely drawn from global security, social justice and Biblical themes, both OT & NT.

Identify all the religious and political symbols in the lyrics and explain their meaning.

Find someone who has the song “Southern” by Orchestral Manouers in the Dark. Listen to the lyric-lines and background dubbing – they are all about and by Dr King.

What song do you like that comments on some social justice or religious theme? 25

17—18: Social Justice and Ethics

Select, research and report on ONE social justice issue from the list below

Social justice issues  Alcohol & Binge drinking  Censorship  Child labour  Civil and human rights  Genetic engineering  Global warming  Homosexuality  Organ & body donation  Bullying in schools  Capital punishment  Euthanasia  Homelessness  Other – specify

Research http://infodome.sdsu.edu/research/guides/hot/list.shtml http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.html

Write detailed answers to these questions about your topic Where, when and to whom is the issue a concern? What costs are involved and who will pay them? Who suffers what consequences for inaction?

Produce At least one page of writing and one page of pictures

Homework: Watch several hours of TV before next class. Count the total number of commercials you see Record how many use greed &/or fear to sell their product 19: Reality and illusion 26 27

Explain how some people come to “believe that the world of television is real and that their lives are the fantasy.” 20: Global consciousness and Cosmic law

Social Justice is about affirming a “fair & good world” – fair and good for whom?

Religion is about tuning into the spirit of God in a good world through life- affirming beliefs and behaviours

Discuss: What does it mean to “affirm life” in one’s beliefs and behaviours?

Affirmation of life in Hinduism Sanatana Dharma (p.98—99) – Atman and Brahman (pp.102f) – Karma, samsara, nirvana (p.53f) – 1)Summarise Sanatana Dharma in 2 sentences 2) Explain how “Atman is Brahman” 3) Describe the difference between Hindu and Buddhist views of karma 4) Does “samsara” mean eating photos of food”? What does it mean? 5) How does nirvana give meaning to life?

Science & religion – the facts of life & the meaning of life

(possible Film study: “What the (Bleep) do we know?”) 29

22—23: Plato: “The Allegory of the Cave” (Book VII, The Republic) http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/plato.html Plato, the most creative and influential of Socrates' disciples, wrote dialogues, in which he frequently used the figure of Socrates to espouse his own (Plato's) full-fledged philosophy. In "The Republic," Plato sums up his views in an image of ignorant humanity, trapped in the depths and not even aware of its own limited perspective. The rare individual escapes the limitations of that cave and, through a long, tortuous intellectual journey, discovers a higher realm, a true reality, with a final, almost mystical awareness of Goodness as the origin of everything that exists. Such a person is then the best equipped to govern in society, having a knowledge of what is ultimately most worthwhile in life and not just a knowledge of techniques; but that person will frequently be misunderstood by those ordinary folks back in the cave who haven't shared in the intellectual insight. If he were living today, Plato might replace his rather awkward cave metaphor with a movie theater, with the projector replacing the fire, the film replacing the objects which cast shadows, the shadows on the cave wall with the projected movie on the screen, and the echo with the loudspeakers behind the screen. The essential point is that the prisoners in the cave are not seeing reality, but only a shadowy representation of it. The importance of the allegory lies in Plato's belief that there are invisible truths lying under the apparent surface of things which only the most enlightened can grasp. Used to the world of illusion in the cave, the prisoners at first resist enlightenment, as students resist education. But those who can achieve enlightenment deserve to be the leaders and rulers of all the rest. At the end of the passage, Plato expresses another of his favourite ideas: that education is not a process of putting knowledge into empty minds, but of making people realize that which they already know. This notion that truth is somehow embedded in our minds was also powerfully influential for many centuries. Judging by Plato’s story (below), why do you think many people in the democracy of Athens may have been antagonistic to his ideas? What do the lights of the fire and the sun symbolize in the allegory? What theory of knowledge is depicted in Plato’s story? http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html Here's a little story from Plato's most famous book, The Republic. Socrates is talking to a young follower of his named Glaucon, and is telling him this fable to illustrate what it's like to be a philosopher – a lover of wisdom: Most people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance, because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the process may be frightening, and many people run back to their old lives. But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! It's true that many people around you now may think you are weird or even a danger to society, but you don't care. Once you've tasted the truth, you won't ever want to go back to being ignorant! [Socrates is speaking with Glaucon] [Socrates:] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and 30 you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. [Glaucon:] I see.

And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent. You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners. Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows? Yes, he said. And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? Very true. And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? No question, he replied. To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. That is certain. And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the 31 shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -- will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? Far truer. And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? True, he said. And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. Not all in a moment, he said. He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? Certainly. Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. Certainly. He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold? Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? Certainly, he would. And if they were in the habit of conferring honours among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honours and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer: Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, 32 and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner. Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? To be sure, he said. And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. No question, he said. This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you. Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted. Yes, very natural. And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conception of those who have never yet seen absolute justice? Anything but surprising, he replied. Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye; and he 33

who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the den. That, he said, is a very just distinction. But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes. They undoubtedly say this, he replied. Whereas our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of Being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of Being and of the brightest and best of Being, or in other words, of the Good. Translated by Benjamin Jowett

Look at this picture. At first glance, what do you think you’re looking at? What is most readily obvious? What do you notice that’s bothersome about seeing the picture that way? When you follow up that bothersomeness and think again about it, what do you suddenly realise? How do the perspectives of your first and second thoughts differ? How does this picture illustrate the point of Plato’s parable of the Cave? 34

24: Text: theme of Light & Darkness in John’s Gospel 1: 1—18

Creation according to the Gospel of John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

1) What parallels do you find between John and Genesis? 2) What roles do Sound (or Speech) and Light play in each account? 3) What might verse 3 suggest about a different kind of reality? 35

25: The World-Soul in Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy

The idea of nature as a single living creature is one of the oldest and most pervasive of humankind’s attempts to explain the universe. Ancients myths tell of Demeter, Ceres and Gaia herself, the Goddess of Nature who personifies life on earth. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras (born 570 BCE) taught of an immaterial and universal force in all things. The life-force of Pythagoras becomes the “World-Soul” in Plato’s myth of the Timaeus in which the universe is described as “blessed and alive”. In the fifth century CE the idea of the Soul of the World was carried from Greek philosophy into the Christian Middle Ages by the Roman thinker Boethius in his book The Consolation of Philosophy (III, 2, 9):

My pleasure is to sing with pliant strings How mighty Nature holds the reins of things, And how she frames her laws in providence With which to stabilise the world immense; How all things singly she does bind and curb With such a bond that nothing can disturb

For a thousand years (500 to 1500 CE) virtually everyone in the Western world took for granted that Nature deserved respect as a living, thinking and sacred being. There are obvious differences between Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis (discussed above, p) and the theory of the World-Soul in classical philosophy. Yet, they both belong to the tradition of vitalism, which views the universe not as a machine but as alive. If nature and the universe do have a life and mind of their own, then they surely deserve our respect and cooperation to further their life goals as far as we can. According to Lovelock, if we don’t cooperate with Gaia then she may well even make life on earth very unpleasant for us indeed. So, cooperation with Nature would seem to have evolutionary benefits. 36

26: Thinking about thoughts: a Stairway to Heaven Francesco Botticini’s Assumption of Mary illustrates the nine Orders of Angels that correspond to the nine Levels of Consciousness that mediate between humanity and God. Critical thinking: How many levels of consciousness are shown? WWW research: Find the name of each order of angel. Identify the three roles the orders of angels perform in the mystical ascent to the Godhead. What is the specific role of each order?

First Sphere – Unification Second Sphere – Illumination Seraphim - "the burning ones" Dominions - Order and justice Cherubim – “fullness of Wisdom” Third Sphere – Purification Virtues - Grace and courage Thrones – “seats of God” Principalities – Leadership & service Powers – Authority and harmony Archangels – Agents of unity Angels - Messengers of revelation

The Christian theory of Angels was first developed in the C.5th C.E. by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and explained in his superb little book, Celestial Hierarchies. His treatise explains the stairway between heaven and earth this way:

“Through the outward ministry of the angelic hosts, the divine spiritual life unfolds from its ultimate source in the Godhead to all things, even to the remotest bounds of transiency, so that everything, from the innermost to the outermost, participates the divine life as it is capable. While the celestial hierarchies transmit the divine spiritual life to all below, they also constitute (for the aspiring soul which unites itself to them) a spiritual ladder for ascent from earth to heaven via the threefold way of all great mystics, by purification, illumination and unification of thought and existence.”

Thus, God’s spirit materialises into the physical universe. The mechanical forces that bind together the bits of cosmic dust, the vital energies that power natural processes and the self-activity of consciousness that gives freedom to human thought – these all manifest one Spirit that creates and sustains everything in existence. So, the Mind of God sings the Hymn of the Universe, which we hear in the deeper recesses of our own mind. The following exercises lead towards discovering the inner life of our mind. 37

The inner life of thinking Sit upright with your back straight Feet flat on floor Place one hand on top of the other Rest hands in your lap Notice your hands Look at one of your thumbs Study its length and shape and features Now single out a precise feature – a wrinkle, or pore, or freckle Focus on this feature only Keep looking at and thinking about it Concentrate your mind on thinking only about what your eyes are seeing When thought drifts off to something else, gently bring it back to the feature Think and see only that one precise bit of your thumb Try this for 30 seconds

Debrief What do we learn from this exercise? That thought drifts off That we can guide it back That we can look at one thing yet think of another thing That we can look at and think of the same thing That reflection and perception can have different objects or the same object That our perception of objects & our awareness of perception are two different things That who we are and what we are aware of are not the same That existence and awareness can be distinguished from one another

Silence and the spiritual world – from Anthony de Mello (1980) Sadhana: a way to God; p.3f Relaxation: sit quietly for a minute and just notice your breathing and heart beating. "Silence is the great revelation," says the Chinese Sage, Lao-Tzu (c.600 BCE). To grasp the revelation offered by silence we must expose ourselves to silence. This is not easy to do. Let us try a few exercises. First: sit in a comfortable position... Close your eyes... Now: let us keep silence for five minutes try to attain silence of heart and mind, as well as silence of speech having attained silence, enjoy the revelation it brings... After five minutes I'll ask you to open your eyes. Then, if you wish, you may share what you did and experienced... Talk sharing (10 mts) In sharing what happened and what you did, tell what efforts you made to attain silence and how successful you were. Can you describe the silence? What did you experience in the silence? What did you think and feel during the exercise? Let us try that silence again for another three minutes. Now WRITE your finding (6-8 mts) Note: Silence is a quality of experience. Hint: Feel the silence as a container rather than a content of your experience

Other Ways of Holiness for knowing God include: Perennial philosophy (p.13; p.229), Kabbalah (pp.167f, 169), Christian mysticism (pp.78, 84, 90), Sufism (p.129f) and Tibetan Buddhism (pp.44f). 38

27: The Problem of Meaning in life http://shrinkinguni.blogspot.com/2006/06/problem-of-meaning.html The Problem of Meaning is closely connected to two other problems, those of Identity and Death. Meaning is about the relationship of the individual to the surrounding world, and this presupposes that the individual actually exists as a personal Identity. The question of meaning gets much of its gravity in face of death: What is the point of it all when we are going to die anyway? But meaning is an aspect of life apart from identity and endliness, too. An activity, a relationship, an experience is perceived to be “meaningful” when it engages our true self. Meaning cuts through our superficiality and moves the core of our personality. When life is meaningful we feel that we are at home in our life, our identity is strengthened. But when we feel our life is meaningless we have lost sense of who we are. This is why it seems like nothing really concerns us. But it is not only the problem of identity that causes meaninglessness, it is also caused by a culture that does not foster meaning. It is a feature of our culture that it becomes ever more superficial - a trend that is most easily visible in entertainment and media. The trend is paradoxical: nobody really likes shallow entertainment, still it is very popular. This is not (only) about people being hypocritical: it is a tension in our existence in that we at the same time long for meaning and fear it, because meaning requires us to question our identity and confront our fears. This is not pleasant to do. Encountering meaning is a very powerful experience. I think most people have this experience, when a conversation suddenly feels important, real, true. Or when one in a relationship suddenly feels that one is more oneself when one is together with this person. And so on. This is what the Christian tradition calls the presence of the Spirit of God. We encounter it in other areas too, and in very individual ways. Creativity is another example. The Spirit is also the Spirit of Creation. It is present in all those moments when we feel alive. When the Church believes that this experience in its various forms is the presence of God, it is the affirmation that God is present in our day to day life. The Spirit is not something found primarily in worship or when we do other religious things. The Spirit is there whenever we are present in what we do.

Tasks:  How would you explain the “problem” of meaning?  What three understandings of “meaning” are given in this article?  Consider the final line: “Spirit is there whenever we are present in what we do.” When we are not present in what we do, where is Spirit then?  Does Spirit come & go from us, or do we come & go from it?  What is our relationship to spirit?