Self Knowledge and Four Key Points of World Religions
William O'Meara (c) copyright 1997
1. How do the various world religions view self-knowledge?
2. What does the instructor mean by self-knowledge in this material?
3. Why is a commitment to self-knowledge needed? Explain.
4. How is the ideal of self-knowledge exemplified in the Hindu view of evil and its cure?
5. How is Buddhism related to the idea of self-knowledge?
6. How is Luther's view of the Old Testament related to the ideal of self-knowledge?
7. How does Taoism exemplify the ideal of self-knowledge?
8. How does Confucianism exemplify the ideal of self-knowledge?
9. What does a commitment to the ideal of self-knowledge lead a person to discover?
10. How does Hinduism exemplify this discovery?
11. How does Buddhism?
12. How does Christianity?
13. How does Taoism?
14. How does Confucianism?
15. What leads to the discovery of a universal world order and a unified concept of the divine reality?
16. How do the world religions exemplify this insight?
17. What is the insight of Euripides about the connection between God and morality?
18. What is the summary statement about God and morality for this matter? Also, what in general do Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity say about the divine reality and the moral ideal?
19. How does Christianity exemplify the third point? What are three consequences of this third point? (Answer is found in i, ii, and iii. )
20. How does a new idea of happiness follow from the previous essential points?
21. How does Hinduism exemplify this new idea of happiness? Buddhism? Christianity? Taoism?
I have found the general theme of self-knowledge to be central in the world religions. All emphasize that self-knowledge is a fundamental moral-religious ideal. By self-knowledge, I refer to knowledge of the actual self in relation to knowledge of the ideal self. Dante expresses how fundamental self-knowledge is in the beginning lines of the Divine Comedy:
Midway in our life's Journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood. How shall I say
What wood that was! I never saw so drear, so rank' so arduous a wilderness! Its very memory gives shape to fear.
Death could scarce be more bitter than that place! But since it came to good, I will recount all that I found revealed there by God's grace.
Many of us have had the sensation of being lost, not knowing where we were or where to go. Life has moments also when we feel lost on life's journey, not knowing where we are or what we are, not knowing where we are to go or what we are to become. I have found that the world religions acknowledge this experience of ignorance of actual self and of ideal self and that the world religions insist that an individual make a commitment to finding out what the ideal self is to be and how the actual self stands in relation to this ideal self. A commitment is needed because this knowledge is not easy to attain.
Examples of the Commitment to Self-knowledge in Some World Religions
Hinduism: All evil arises in our lives because we do not know that we are one with the divine self. We live in a world of illusion, called maya by the Hindus; we think we are separate selves; we think we have separate goals and fulfilments. We must meditate for a long time to discover that our human self is in fact one with the divine self and that we should live with the love that follows from this realization of out oneself in God. A dialogue in a Upanishad states: ''VeriIy, a husband is not dear, that you may love the husband; but that you may love the Self, therefore a husband is dear. Verily a wife is not dear that you may love the wife; but that vou may love the Self, therefore a wife is dear."
Buddhism: Buddha searched for seven years for enlightenment, for the truth that brought love and peace and the cessation of suffering. For seven years, he sought, trying different ways. Finally, he found his own way and stated his insight into life, his truth about his actual self in relation to his ideal self, in four noble truths:
Christianity: Luther summarizes the Old Testament as teaching both the Moral Law to humans and the fact that humans cannot live up to the spirit of the law by thelr own effort. Humans can, for Luther, live the letter of the law by their own effort. Luther writes:
Therefore, familiarize yourself with the idea that it is one thing to do what the law enjoins, and quite another to fulfill the law. All that a man does or ever can do of his own free will and strength is to perform the works required by the law. Nevertheless, all such works are vain and useless as long as we dislike the law and feel it a constraint.
To fulfill the 1aw, unbelief or lack of love of God in our hearts must be replaced by belief or the presence of love of God in our hearts. This we cannot do by ourselves. The lack of love, or in other words, selfishness, must be replaced by the presence of God's free gift of love, of unselfishness.
Taoism: The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.
Confucianism: "The ancients when they wished to exemplify illustrious virtue throughout the empire, first ordered well their states. Desiring to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated themselves. Wishing to cultivate themselves, they first rectified their purposes. Wishing to rectify their purposes, they first sought to think sincerely. Wishing to think sincerely, they first extended their knowledge as widely as possible. This they did by investigation of things."
By the investigation of things, Confucius meant what we call in the West the commitment of Socrates to the examined way of life. Just as Socrates admitted some ignorance at the heart of all that he knew, so also Confucius acknowledged that investigation of things requires that one admit one's ignorance when it is reasonable to do so. Confucius said, "When you know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to acknowledge that you do not know it--this is knowledge." Self-knowledge is difficult. Those who act against the ideal self may not be able to recognize that they are acting against their ideal self. Consequently, Confucius held, "When you hear words that are distasteful to your mind, you must inquire whether they be not right; when you hear words that accord with your own views, you must inquire whether they be not contrary to right." For the superior human being is universal, able to hear all sides of an issue, whereas the ordinary person is partisan, unable to see matters from the other point of view [Frost, p. 104, Lu Yu 2:14]. "The purpose of the superior person is truth." See also Lun Yu 6:18 and 17,8,1-3 on pages 105 and 107 of Frost.
Essential Point # 1: Self-Knowledge Leads to a Universal Moral Ideal
The commitment to self-knowledge leads a person to discover a universal moral ideal. Early religious people restricted their love of and respect for people to their own tribe or nation, but the world religions have all discovered a universal love of and respect for the people of all nations regardless of religions belief or national origin. For example:
Hinduism: Since all human beings are one with the divine self, action based on this truth, on this self-knowledge, will be non-violent action. Love of others, of all others, even of all living beings, follows from the unity of all in the divine self.
Buddhism: Just as I discover that I suffer from selfishness, so also you can discover that you suffer from selfishness Just as I overcome selfishness through unselfish action, motivation, and meditation, so also you can do so too. when we discover that people who are our enemies also have deep suffering just as we do, then our hearts go out to them. We can understand them; we can love them.
Christianity: Just as God's love embraces all, both the good and the bad, so also human love should he all embracing. Just as God can find something good in every person, so also we can find something good in every person.
Taoism: The sage has no invariable mind of his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind. To those who are good (to me), I am good; and to those who are not good (to me), I am also good; -- and thus (all) get to be good. To those who are sincere (with me), I am sincere; and to those who are not sincere (with me), I am also sincere; -- and thus (all) get to be sincere.
Confucianism: The Confucian thinker, Hun Tsu, wrote, "Knowledge, humanity, and courage--these three are virtues which apply to all humanity and that by which they are practiced is one." (Theodore DeBary, Sources of Chinese Civilization, p. 134) The wise practice of the virtues of wisdom, courage, and humanity requires that all the virtues be practiced together. First, a person cannot be wise without being courageous in facing dangers to one's search for truth, and a person cannot be wise without loving consideration of ideal humanity in both self and other. Second, a person cannot be courageous without wise consideration of both the dangers one must face and of the true ideal of humanity in both self and other as a value of inherent worth which is more precious than mere physical life. Finally, a person cannot exercise the virtue of true humanity without a wise understanding of the value of wisdom and of autonomy (self-choice/self-guidance) and without a grasp of the inherent value and beauty of courageous actions on behalf of wisdom and true humanity. In summary, wisdom, courage, and humanity, and indeed all other virtues by extension, must be practiced together as one.
Student Essays on the Golden Rule in World Religions: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Essential Point # 2: A Vision of the Physical World as a Cosmos, an Ordered Whole, and of the Divine Source of this Cosmos as One
The commitment to self-knowledge and the discovery of a universal moral ideal leads to the discovery of a universal physical order, a view of the world as a cosmos, and the discovery of the divine reality as one. Early religious people believed that different nations had both their own moral values and their own rods. The gods of one people could be at odds with the gods of another people, just as the people of those two nations could be at odds with each other. But in the world religions, we may say that a universal moral ideal leads to a unified concept of God, or we may say that a unified concept of God leads to a universal moral ideal. The Greek dramatist Euripides expressed expressed this keen insight into the deep connection between Cod and morality as follows: "If the gods do anything that is base, they are not gods." God is not the source of evil. Since some Greek gods and goddesses were the source of evils according to Homer, Euripedes was rejecting the Homeric pantheon of gods and goddesses as unfit candidates for divinity. Just as there is one good God, so there is one moral ideal; Just as there is one moral ideal, there is one, good God. From what we have seen about Hinduism and Buddhism and Christianity, it is clear that all three affirm one divine reality and one universal moral ideal.
Taoism affirms the Tao, the Way, as the One source of all in the following scriptures:
In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the good man.
The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, the Tao is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.
Essential Point # 3: Spiritual Self as the True Self
The previous points lead to a concept of the spiritual self as the true self. Early religious people tend to think of the self as a quasimaterial reality. In many languages the word for soul originally meant 'breath,' identifying the process which most clearly marks the difference between a 1iving, breathing being and one which has died. In the world religions, there is a definite realization that the most real part of the human being is not the physical self, but the spiritual self, the self which knows and loves and has moral responsibility.
(i)This spiritual self is somehow immortal for it is to he reunited with the divine reality forever.
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the spiritual self is reborn into different forms of life, higher or or lower depending upon its moral life in previous births, until it reaches unity with the divine.
In Christianity, the spiritual self will rise from the dead just as Christ rose from the dead and be united with God forever.
A Taoist scripture affirms: " But I have heard that he who is skilful in managing the life entrusted to him for a time travels on the land without having to shun rhinoceros or tiger, and enters a host without having to avoid buff coat or sharp weapon. The rhinoceros finds no place in him into which to thrust its horn, nor the tiger a place in which to fix its claws, nor the weapon a place to admit its point. And for what reason? Because there is in him no place of death."
(ii)This spiritual self is not fulfilled merely by observing the external or physical requirements of morality. Early religious people emphasize mere following of taboos, of external laws. The world religions emphasize that the proper inward motive is more important than the keeping of external requirements. External requirements are important, but, the true inner attitude needs to inform all moral actions.
(iii) This spiritual self is not fulfilled in mere following of external religious rituals. Early religious people emphasized such rituals, but the world religions evaluate mere external performance of such ritual, ard teach that the proper inward attitude is more important than mere religious ritual. Religious rites of worship have no value in themselves; they are religiously significant only when performed in the spirit of the true religious heliever. Religious rituals are important, but the true inner spirit of religious worship needs to infdorm all religious rituals.
Essential Point # 4: True Happiness as Spiritual Happiness
A new idea of happiness or fulfilment follows from the previous points. True happiness does not consist in finding more successful ways of fulfilling natural desires; it consists rather in a transformation of these desires in accord with the reality of one's spiritual relationship to the One Divine Reality. For example:
Hinduism: Yoga is practiced to discipline the self and bring the self into harmony with the divine reality. "The person who has a good will for all, who is friendly and has campassion; who has no thoughts of 'I' or 'mine', whose peace is the same in pleasures and sorrowns, and who is forgiving; this yogi of union, ever full of my joy, whose soul is in harmony and whose determination is strong . . ., this person loves me and is dear to me. The one who feels neither excitement nor repulsion, who complains not and lusts not for things; who is beyond pood and evil, and who has love, this person is dear to me. The person whose love is the same for enemies or friends, whose soul is the same in honor or disgrace. . . ."
Buddhism: "We live happily indeed, not hating those who hate us! Among people who hate us we dwell free from hatred! We live happily indeed, free from greed anong the greedy! Among people who are greedy, let us dwell free from greed!"
Christianity: "You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and shalt hate thy enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, who makes his sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. . . You therefore are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect." "Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.;' "Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." See Student Essays on Love of Enemies
Taoism: "Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and manifests it to all the world. He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority. It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him. " "But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast. The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others. With that gentleness I can be bold; with that economy I can be liberal; shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become a vessel of the highest honour. Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold; economy, and are all for being liberal; the hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost; -- (of all which the end is) death. "
Chinese Sages: Lao-tzu, Confucius, Mo-tzu, and Mencius: The Way to Peace
"Whoever loves the world as his self may be entrusted to care for the world." Lao-tzu
"If men were to regard the states of others as they regard their own, then who would raise up his state to attack the state of another?" Mo-tzu
William O'Meara (c) copyright 1997