Breaking Through the Barrier of Impersonal Philosophy

Harmony Cardenas
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In modern spirituality there are usually three established organic systems of liberation – Voidism, Impersonalism and Personalism. Voidism purports that there is no God, no existence and no worldly thought worthy of thinking. Non-dualistic Impersonalism asserts that there is no personal God but only mythical stories and images that aid in the quest for liberation. he vehicles used to attain these types of liberated states usually assume some aspect of meditation or yoga combined with renunciation of worldly ideals and pleasures. Within Impersonalism one may subscribe to a personal form of God that is speculated to manifest from the Impersonal energy of God known as Brahman, so the devotion to and stories of the incarnations of God may be considered an element of reality, but ultimately the goal is to merge one’s conscious awareness into the non-differentiated Oneness (Brahman). Some Impersonal philosophies also profess that the living entity is God, but has forgotten due to the illusions of worldly existence. This system of thought has become a very popular, especially within the New Age community. The vehicles used to attain this kind of liberation are usually different methods of meditation, singing holy prayers and possibly deity worship.

Since Lord Buddha appeared in India some 2500 years ago, the ultimate goal of many serious Buddhists, Taoists and Zen practitioners has been to realize a state of non-existence of all things or thoughts deemed as illusory or having any type of appearance in the mind or otherwise. Although, according to these religious systems, there are practically unlimited Buddhas, Bodisatvas or Immortals living in realms that span all of existence, the ultimate realization is the attainment to nothingness known as nirvana, or the extinction of thought bearing consciousness. No mind, no thought, no body, no pain, no pleasure – nothing, nada. This is commonly known as Voidism. There is a variety of meditation techniques used to achieve this type of liberation. For the serious aspirants, it is usually aided by a concerted effort to renounce material things, worldly pleasures and bodily relationships.

A popular approach to spiritual emancipation (liberation) stems from the teachings of the Indian saint Sri Shankaracharya, who was born about three hundred years earlier than Lord Gautama Buddha. The teachings of Shankara are known as Non-Dualistic Advaita or Vishishtadvaita (in Sankrit). Within these teachings, the ultimate state of liberation is that of merging one’s original pure consciousness with (becoming one with) the non-dual metaphysical substance known as Brahman. One may renounce worldly variety and pleasure in exchange for a formless existence of permanent bliss and knowledge. Although Brahman is a spiritual substance, for lack of a better description, it is albeit a formless one. According to the intensity and sincerity of practice, one may achieve these states of being while embodied, however the forms are completely negated after one quits the world. The system of non-duality professed by Shankara is commonly known as Impersonalism.

In most of the world today, Voidism and non-dual Impersonalism seem to have a very strong foothold, even within Christianity and Judiasm. This has been reinforced by contemporary philosophers such as Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti and others, who have very large followings. These apparently enlightened beings serve to wake people up from their deep spiritual slumber, even if for a short while. They usually appeal to materialistic individuals who have become dissatisfied or unhappy with their own lives and seek an alternative to mainstream religion or mundane earthly consciousness. This type of mentality encompasses a huge percentage of the population, so we can see why they attract so many followers.

There seems to be a less desirable alternative to Voidism and Impersonalism which is known as Personalism. Four famous Personalists in Indian thought and philosophy were Sri Madhava Acharya (12th century), Sri Ramanuja Acharya (13th century), Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (16th century) and Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur (19th century). These four spiritual stalwarts presented their progressive views of liberation which included not only knowledge of the formless Brahman, but also an additional element – that of the individual soul possessing an eternal blissful spiritual form, which forever serves the ultimate Godhead who is an eternal person. Throughout the world many religions and spiritual societies do not accept this proposal. However, in India today, after being brainwashed by the British, they still refer to the stories of God as mythology and the forms of God as being merely idols. Considering the position and erudition of the above spiritual teachers, Personalism should at least be explored, if not accepted as a viable form of self-realization.

It seems that when true spiritual teachers present a philosophy of one personal God that should be honored, adored and served before any other, they are usually hunted down, mocked, tortured or killed. Jesus was the most famous in this regard although there are many others who were either threatened or physically attacked and beaten, including Sri Ramanuja. Sri Chaitanya’s principal devotee Sri Nityananda, was physically attacked by while trying to teach the personal philosophy of God. Could it be that having a permanent personal relationship with God is so distasteful due to our own negative experiences of ordinary life, or that we just can’t imagine that form can also be expressed as a permanent reality. Or could it be that our own egos have become over-inflated and cannot accept the existence of an entity more superior than our own self. There may be many reasons to reject a Supreme Personality of Godhead but rejection is not necessarily a negation of the facts.

In Chapter Nine of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna, as the Supreme Godhead, speaks to Arjuna. He says, “This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed. (Chapter 9, Verse 2.) Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” (Chapter 9, Verse 11.)

There are those who do not like to hear quoted references and believe that the purest knowledge arises spontaneously from the heart of the speaker. This may be true to some degree, especially with very advanced spiritual teachers, but how do neophytes discriminate between truth and speculation, between a novice and an advanced spiritual teacher? Just as in school we trust the instructor because there are textbooks to back up his knowledge, so in the same way we have spiritual texts to back up the knowledge of the teacher. These texts can also be written by the teacher, but can be verified through previous teachers or from the analysis of peers. Then we not only verify the teacher’s knowledge but we can verify any teacher passing down this very important information. It is the same in scholarly spiritual circles. We should always be able to verify the teacher’s knowledge, even if it sounds legitimate or else we may be misled.

Consequently the Bhagavad Gita states that God is an eternal person and that is “Secret of All Secrets”. This information connotes that God has always been a person and could come to earth and reveal that they are an entity, unlike a human, but possesses an eternal blissful spiritual form. The second idea proposed is that we living beings are actually eternal blissful spiritual entities with permanent form but somehow or another our consciousness has temporarily become ensconced within a material body and mind. Part of the secret is that God’s and our true form are completely unlike the material body. Within Personalism, enlightenment is the realization of one’s consciousness/spirit being non-different from blissful form. One ascertains through spiritual practices that there is no death of the permanent but only that of the temporary which can never be dissolved within the Void or the formless Brahman. Hence, the final secret is that within the permanent spiritual realms there exist form and varigations not unlike the material world. It is non-material, nevertheless it is still resembles form – likened to formless form. Personal realization is like entering a vortex and coming out the other side, only to realize that life is the same except there is only peace, happiness and ceaseless life. No pain, no worries – no birth, no disease or old age, and no death. The materially formless soul now exists permanently within a state of existence serving God in full love, knowledge and joy – forever.

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