EPISTEMICS OF DIVINE REALITYThe Dynamics Behind Claims to Knowing God

BY DOMENIC MARBANIANG

 Questions regarding what the universe ultimately is have often puzzled humans.

The Greek philosopher Archytas once asked the question: “Suppose I stood at the edge of the universe and hurled a spear outwards of it, where would it go?”Of course, it couldn’t go outwards because if it did, that would not be the edge of the universe. On the other hand, if it did bounce back, the question still remained, what lay beyond. In other words, the edge was conceptually impossible; at the same time, an infinite extension of space or the universe was also conceptually impossible. That constituted the ultimate paradox of reality.

ETERNITYTRANSCENDENTALIMMUTABLEABSOLUTEGOD THE DIVINE REALITY

Throughout the ages of history, philosophers have battled over such ultimate paradoxes, and many felt these were functional concepts bridging the now to eternity, to the transcendental, to the immutable, to the absolute, to God the Divine Reality.

However, the resulting conclusions differed; some consummating in Monism, while

others in pantheism, polytheism, or one of the many variants of religious philosophies.

Many also rebelled against these transcendental concepts and chose the way of either skepticism or just pragmatism, some saying that reality cannot be known as it is…

while others contending that all knowledge is only pragmatical in nature, ie. It is merely a matter of workability – if something works for us, we believe it is true. In other words, we do not know what ultimate reality really is.

This in other way, was also an attempt to expel the

transcendental categories from human vocabulary.

ETERNITYTRANSCENDENTAL

IMMUTABLEABSOLUTE

GOD THE DIVINE REALITY

If we take in our hand any volume of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance, let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion

David Hume

David Hume the Scottish critic who rebuffed almost every traditional argument for the existence of God laid the anti-metaphysical rule that rules modern scientism. He said:

God is Dead!Bible Will Be Extinct

Science=Truth

In modern times, Voltaire had predicted the extermination of the Bible and Nietzsche had announced the death of God among humans. Science was filling the gaps and absorbing into its fold both the philosopher and the

theologian.

However, the two World Wars brought the question of absolute ethics to the forefront.

Wasn’t there something intrinsically evil about the Concentration camps? Wasn’t there a difference between the perpetuators of crime and the exterminators of crime? Wasn’t there a difference between the traditional hero and the villain? Somewhere, the issue of absolutes had to be addressed.

And, if absolutes did exist, there must be a way of accounting for them, a way which was not merely empirical, i.e. based on experience alone, but a way that was rational.

But, the rational and the empirical are in perpetual conflict; and the conflict still remains.

THE RATIONAL CATEGORIES ARE

• UNITY• NECESSITY• IMMUTABILITY

• INFINITY (UNIVERSALITY)• TRANSCENDENCE

THE EMPIRICAL CATEGORIES ARE• PLURALITY• CONTINGENCY• MUTABILITY• FINITUDE• IMMANENCE

This results in a clash of categories as can be seen in the famous Zeno’s

Paradoxes

Gaudapada, the teacher of the advaitin Sankaracharya wrote a Karika, a rational treatise that demonstrated the impossibility of experience being the source of truth and the rationality of reality as being truly non-dualistic in nature – where the subject and object cease to exist along with the perception. However, there needed to be something to account for why there is any experience of plurality at all, and the theory of Maya was postulated to solve this complexity.

GAUDAPADA KARIKA

• UNQUALIFIED CONSCIOUSNESS

•UNCAUSED ABSOLUTE

•MAYA HYPOTHESIS

It seemed that the see-saw of the sources only threw off each other. When reason went to the edge, experience was

thrown off

when experience went to the edge, reason was thrown off.

The only salvation now rested in something that came and restored

the balance between the two.

Philosophers such as Anselm, Pascal, and Kierkegaard asserted that the balance

could only be struck by FAITH.

Blaise PascalReason is Based on

Faith

St. AnselmFaith Precedes Understanding

Soren Kierkegaard

Faith=Meaning

SABDA PRAMANAThe 3-Fold Criteria•ALAUKIKA (TRANSCENDENCE)•ABADHITA (CONSISTENCE)•APEKSHITA (ANTICIPATION)

In India

Faith does play some role in either of the approaches; so, one must find a criteria by which faith can be able to

both harmonize reason and experience, without the undermining of any, while at the same time be able to

provide the answer to the question, What is Truth?

Mind, Matter, MeaningIntellect, Emotions, Will

Substance, Eternity, Relation

REVELATION

Epistemics of Divine Reality addresses these questions and looks in detail at the various dynamics involved in the processes that drive conclusions about the universe, about man, about meaning, and about God.

Faith

Reason

KNOWLEDGE

TRUTH

Experience