144.  System of the World. Part Two

 

We were discussing the Materialistic Theory 

The trouble with string theory is its lack of data. However, if we disregard this problem and discuss it just as a possibility, still there are at least three problems with Materialistic Theory: 

(a). How did the universe come into existence? Scientists did not follow Sherlock Holmes dictum, because they did not consider all the possibilities. They should have considered the possibility of a Creator, and then refuted it, if they could. It cannot be refuted. The philosopher Bertrand Russell, in a debate with a bishop, conceded that he cannot disprove the existence of God.

(b). Where did string/brans come from? You see the scientist believe that universe was created out of nothing. But their nothing is not really nothing (an absolute vacuum, where nothing is present). The nothing of scientists is full of positive energy and an equal amount of negative energy, cancelling each other.

Thus we are led to the next question, where did all these particles, fields and energy come from? If there were precursors of them, where did they come from? And so on.  At some point the process has to start from absolutely nothing.

 

 That brings us to the point where we started. Can this huge, infinite universe or for that matter anything start from nothing? Prove it. Create one particle in an absolute vacuum.

 

(3). How do you explain miracles, answering of prayers, foretelling the future, and the existence of the spirits of dead persons who once inhabited earth, without a God. I have dealt with these phenomena, in great detail, in my eleven blogs; 102-112 in part three. If I narrate them here again, it will be needless repetition.

However, who, except God (or His deputies) could transform sandy soil into candy (blog 104)?

Who, except God ( or His deputies ) could answer the prayer of Mr Shevani’s to meet the greatest Qalander of present time, or for that matter Giri Bala’s prayer to learn the way to live without food or drink (blog 111)? Who, except God (or His deputies) would have inspired Swami Vivekananda to tell Mr Dickenson, 43 years in advance, that his guru will give him a silver cup? Who, except God (or His deputies) could provide proof of life after death, in the form of spirit of Bimla Kumari haunting a house in Cuttack, India?

 

A logician will say, where did this Creator come from?

The answer is that this mote does not know. This is an unanswerable question.  Our small mind is not capable of answering this question, just as a cow cannot learn to read.

 This mote has offered his arguments (blog 113). I will repeat them in an abbreviated form for purpose of continuity:

 

1. God can be conceptualized as energy, or something even more subtle than energy, with a supermind.  Human brain is an example. It is made, mainly, of nerve cells, created and fed by our daily food. These cells have the power to think, feel, and create movements and store as memory. These cells communicate with each other instantaneously, at the speed of light. If our brain, a collection of billions of cells, made of atoms, and atoms made of subatomic particles, such as electrons and protons and neutrons, can have thoughts of pain, pleasure, compassion, jealousy, and anger, why not God, a collection of pure energy, have a mind?

               2. How can such supermind arise, out of sheer nothing? The answer is that the same process of evolution, which caused the atoms to combine with each other and make chemicals such as amino acids, which led to the formation of a cell, and then to man, in 3-4 thousand million years( blog 99), could have created God ( I shudder at my own temerity ) in a limitless amount of time.  It may have happened with the same two engines of mutation and natural selection. There is no logical or biological reason for evolution to stop at a certain point. If not mutation, then deliberate experimentation, by the supermind, on the leptons and quarks, to continue its improvement.

 

Religious theory. God created this universe. He runs it. He is responsible for all the happenings in the world and universe, because everything happens by His divine will. I have discussed this theory in great detail in four blogs; 134-137. There is no need to repeat it. But, let me reiterate the points against it. 

Now, let us discuss the arguments against the Religious theory: 

1. It does not explain evil

2. It does not explain injustice

3. Makes God, indifferent, cruel and unjust

4. Why is God hidden?

5. If everything is preordained by God, then what is the purpose of creation?

6. It flies against our daily experience of events happening due to free will.

7. Does not explain the cruelty of predator animals to prey.

8. All human effort is completely useless.

Each of the above mentioned points are examined in detail in blogs 135-137. 

This theory is not valid

 

To be continued.

114. God  part eighteen 
 

 Please read blog 113 for continuity

Science has no explanation for prophecies, miracles, spirits, and granting of prayers.

               How can anybody tell the future which has not been made yet? To have my grandfather buried in the same grave with his son, required a colossal event to happen, in which millions suffered. For Swami Vivekananda to see the event of the silver cup 43 years in advance, only a Divine power had to be involved. How did Swami Yukteswar know that the veterinarian will fall ill soon, recover, and die 6 months later? How did he know that Yogananda will be fed strawberries in America? And Kasha did die, as predicted.

               How can one explain the vision of the teacher putting a garland of flowers on the president’s neck and receiving a check; Baroda Babu’s telling Dilip Kumar Roy, 12 years in advance, that he will have to wait for Indra Devi to join him as his disciple for his real progress,, and also telling him about what Sri Aurobindo advised him regarding his hernia.

               One does not have any explanation of Indra Devi’s vision of the pilot dying in crash one year in advance and then his spirit coming to Indra.

               As for as miracles are concerned, Indra Devi transformed sandy earth into sweets, Sri Yukteswar appeared in flesh and blood, twice, to Yukteswar, once when he was waiting for him to come by train from Calcutta, and once when he was resurrected from dead. I have narrated Data Gunj Bakhash’s miracles: protection from rain and mud, appearance of dates and out of season grapes, talking to a pillar in the mosque and getting the answer, and the mystic knowing what the three dueveshes had in mind.

               The episode of ‘Ninety’ and appearance of letters from thin air, are miracles. Beyond scientific explanation.

               Finally, Dilip Kumar Roy gets his wish, and the lamp lights up, and then is extinguished.

               Levitation of St Teresa of Avila was a miracle, and so was Christ restoring vision to the blind and taking away the severe pain of the sick man.

               The Yogi created the perfumes out of thin air, both for Paul Brunton and the young Yogananda.

               What powerful miracles of Therese Neumann not eating and drinking for twelve years and Giri Bala for fifty-six years! Do you need any other proof, it shows the power of God

               The great yogi Pranabananda assumed another replicate body and thus had two bodies at the same time, when young Yogananda visited him (I think it was for Yogananda’s education).

               The raising from dead of Rama, by Lahiri Mahasaya, was a powerful miracle (I think it was for Sri Yukteswar’s education)

               The proof of spirits of people who once inhabited earth, is, in the end, a proof of a Divine system, and God. We were made aware of the restless spirit of Bimla Kumari in the haunted house. In blog 108, Prophets Jesus, Muhammad^pbuh Krishna, visited the devotees. Data Gunj Bakhash, an eleventh

Century mystic, cured 3 brothers suffering from plague, in twentieth century.

               The resurrected Sri Yukteswar talked not only to Yogananda but also to his disciple, Ma

               The spirit of Yogananda came out of his picture and helped Sri Daya Mata.

               St Teresa of Avila saw the spirit of Jesus and Fray Peter of Alcantara many times.

               The spirit of St Mira came hundreds of times to Indra Devi, and dictated her songs, sometimes in a language which Indra did not know.

               Paul Brunton, became his own spirit, and saw his own motionless body lying on the stone slab in the Great Pyramid of Egypt. 

As I have said before, nothing convinces me more about the existence of God, than His granting the prayers. I have narrated seven examples. Three prayers were unique, and the other four had the quality of last appeal. Shahab’s prayer to God, to allow the spirit of Fatima^pbuh to talk to her father, and getting his permission for Shahab to travel in search of God, through a particular path, was unique. And what a way of confirmation; a letter from Germany! Mr. Shevani’s prayer to meet the greatest Qalndar of this era, and his spending his life with him was also unique. Who would ask for such a thing? Giri Bala’s prayer, wanting not to eat anything, was so unique, that even the guru remarked that God was touched by its extraordinary nature.

               God listened to Mufti Sahib (even Mufti Sahib himself told it to a friend, that God listens to him) and came to his help, twice. This is the same Mufti Sahib (I have mentioned it in Foreword to book two) who did not have the courage to enter Kaaba for several days, and sat outside. He prayed to Allah “make me Yours”

               The prayer of the man for debt relief shows that God has compassion. Not Spinoza’s passionless, inaccessible, remote God. 

At the end, let me answer the question: is God personal or impersonal? Let me explain, by personal God, it is meant that God is approachable. He listens to you, and helps you, if He deems it fit. A friend once said, “I tell God, even if my shoe lace breaks, and ask Him to give me one”. On the other hand,  impersonal God is not approachable. He does not have human feelings like joy, anger, compassion.

               The answer, according to this mote’s understanding, is, Both.     Part of God is remote and inaccessible and part of it is personal and approachable

 

The End.     

www.afnta-questforallah.blogspot.com

Collection of chants at: mkadk.afnta

 “On a dark night…………without light or guide, save that which burned    in my heart”

                                                                          St. John of the Cross 

Email address; mkadk2012@gmail.com

 

 

102. God. Part six

 

2. Prophecy or foretelling the future.  What is so special about prophecy? Why is it an argument in support of God or a divine system run by His assistants by His sanction?

               The reason is that, scientifically speaking, nobody should be able to tell that part of future which cannot be told by any scientific means, because it does not exist... Let me explain. Every day we watch on TV weather channel how the weather would be for the coming week. Similarly if a man boards an airplane going nonstop to Hongkong, we can announce that he will be in Hongkong next day (barring some unforeseen event). That is understandable, but some future events cannot be told in advance, because the future is not made yet, and nobody knows how it will turn out.

               At any given moment, there are trillions of events taking place. On earth, there are 6 billions humans, trillions of animals and plants, and innumerable inanimate objects capable of movement (like your watch). Every event takes place because something caused it and produced an effect.  First event is the cause, and the second event the effect, where the second event is a consequence of the first. Where there are so many intermediate events, between the first cause and final effect, the event cannot be predicted in advance by the known laws of nature. Suppose somebody tells me that I will develop cancer of brain and die 2 years from now, it will be really amazing, if it turns out true, because I have no symptoms of brain cancer and last CT scan of brain taken one month ago for an automobile accident was normal. How would anybody know that I am going to die soon?  How could anybody pinpoint the time of 2 years? How could anybody know that I  will die of cancer? How could anybody know that I will die of brain caner?... Here are few examples of prophecies.

               1. One day in 1940’s my grandfather, along with his two sons (my uncles), was sitting outside his home. A Fakir (either a common beggar or a mystic) passed by and asked for alms. My grandfather started talking to him. The Fakir said, you and one of your sons will be buried together in the same grave. Both sons, to show their love for their father, expressed their desire to be the one to have this honor. Many days and year (s) went by. The prediction faded from memory. Then came 1947, and the partition of India , along with terrible ethnic cleansing. More than 9 million people suffered from death, rape, and forced migration (largest human migration in history ). My grandfather and one of my uncles were killed. The killers dug a hole under a tree and threw them together in the grave.

               My other uncle, then remembered the prophecy of the Fakir. He lived over forty years after the  partition and told the story to dozens of people, including my mother. I asked my mother to repeat it to me very carefully. Two persons to be buried in the same grave is a highly unusual event. It just never happens in normal times. There is no scientific explanation of Fakir telling it in advance.

               2.  Swami Yogananda (blog 79-81) writes in his book: ‘During my visit to India and other countries, I was buying gifts for my disciples for the annual Christmas party in USA. As I was walking in Calcutta, I saw a silver cup. I bought it as a gift for one of my disciples, Mr. Dickinson. When I gave him the gift he said “ the silver cup!” he sat down some distance away, apparently in a daze.

               Later in the night, he said “ for forty three years I have been waiting for the silver cup”

He was five years old when he had a near-drowning incident. At the last minute he saw the vision of a saint with tranquil eyes and reassuring smile. There was a dazzling multicolored light which filled all space. He was rescued by his companions

               Twelve years later, in 1893,he was walking with his mother in Chicago. Again there was a mighty flash of light. Few paces away, a man was walking. He recognized him as the same man he had seen when he was near drowning. He and his mother followed the man to an auditorium. His name was Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Sri Ramakrishna (Blog 7). He gave a speech. Mr. Dickinson and his mother met him afterwards. He said “ young man, I want you to stay out of water”

               He hoped that he will be his guru. Yogi read his thoughts

“ No my son I am not your guru. Your teacher will come later. He will give you a silver cup”

               “One night in 1925 I prayed deeply that God would send me my guru. A few hours later, I was awakened from sleep by melody. Celestial beings were playing flutes and other instruments. After filling the air with glorious music , they went away.

               The next evening I attended your lecture for the first time, and knew my prayers had been answered.

               For eleven years now I have been your disciple. Sometimes I wondered about the silver cup. I had persuaded myself, that silver cup was just a metaphor.

               When you gave me the gift, for the third time in my life, I saw the same dazzling flash of light. I was gazing at my guru’s gift that Swami Vivekananda had foreseen 43 years earlier______a silver cup!”

               Mr. Dickenson died in 1969, and told this story many times, the last perhaps in 1967 when he gave a talk to SRF monks.

 

               3. Swami Yogananda writes: A veterinarian visited my guru. Afterwards, my guru said that he will die shortly. He was the father of my friend Santosh. I interceded on my friend’s behalf. My guru, Sri Yukteshwar, outlined the sequence of events that were going to happen.

“ The proud Doctor, picture of health now, will fall ill from diabetes, 2 weeks from now. His death would have occurred 6 weeks from today, but for your intercession, his life has been extended for another 6 months. He will recover from his illness. In order to live he has to fulfill certain conditions. He has to wear an astrological bangle and , after his recovery, not to eat meat

               The doctor won’t do that. After 6 months, he will suddenly drop dead.

               Everything happened as Sri Yukteshwar had predicted.

 

               To be continued