An Alliance of Civilization: A Perfect Match Between the West and the East Part III

K.Wong

Alliance of Civilizations

This article is a continuation from part I and II which appeared in the April and May editions of Deer Park respectively. In part I and Part II, I touch on the stark reality that the current modern human civilization is a melting pot of the alliance of civilizations between the west and east. In other words, the current modern human civilization is the fusion of eastern spirituality and western secularism. In other words, the current world civilization is the conglomeration of the icons of both western and eastern cultures or civilizations.

Divine Unity

The relationship between the west and the east is reciprocally beneficial if the icons of both civilizations are applied for a win-win situation. Pantheistically put, the wholesome alliance or unity is sacred and divine. Sincere and truthful alliance or unity which produces harmony is God is itself. Wherever there is harmonious alliance or unity, it is the mind or Truth of God. It is the Path of God. It is the Life of God. This is what Jesus preaches. That God is immanent and pervasive everywhere implies that unity is the universal principle or law of nature evident all dimensions of human and non-human life. In Chinese Taoist philosophy, this first principle or Nature is designated as Tao. Zen Buddhism also designates ‘The entrance into Non-duality or Unity’ as entrance into Tao. The entrance into non-duality is living the knowledge of Buddha-mind.  Unity brings forth perfection, harmony and peace. When the Buddhists  worship the Buddha they actually worship harmonious unity.

World and Absolute

Nāgārjuna expounds this dependently co-arisen unity as Emptiness. Whoever perceives Emptiness perceives the emptiness of self-centric ego and the illusory nature of the empirical world. Therefore, Buddha can be equated with God in terms of two-fold esoteric dimensions. Firstly Buddha or God pertains to the pure, luminuous, infinite consciousness of the human mind. This pure consciousness is the inner Heart in which the mind of Buddha or God indwells. Secondly, Buddha and God are identical in the sense of the relationship between the phenomenal world and Absolute. In monotheism, the phenomenal world are designated as the creatures or creations of God and the Absolute is the God. In Buddhism, phenomenal world refers to the conventional truth of reality and the Absolute is the ultimate Truth of Buddha-nature. In Hinduism, the phenomenal world is the world of multiplicity and the Absolute is the Brahman. In Islamic Sufism, the phenomenal world is the exoteric or outward dimension of Allah ; the Absolute is the esoteric or inward dimension of Allah. In Neo-conficianism, the phenomenal world is the phenomena ; the Absolute is the principle. Neo-confucianism and Hue-yen Buddhism concur on the relationship between the phenomena and the principle.

Inner Heart

That inner heart is designated as Nirvāṇa in Buddhism. Nirvāṇa is actually the complete silence of the chatter of the human mind. When one has silenced the noisy mind, one dwells in the spirit or mind of God. Nirvāṇa is the universal Self while the intellectual mind is the false self operating egoistically, ignorantly and perversely.

Universality

The Hindus of Vedānta philosophy is perfect wise to admit and declare that  God is synonymous with the eternal Truth of Tao, Buddha, Brahman, Jesus, and Allah. Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, Christianity and Taoism also acknowledge the universality of religions. Philosophically, God is defined as the eternal, immutable truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Psychologically, God is the universal Self. Self is pure, infinite consciousness devoid of self-centric ego. Pantheistically, everything or every phenomenon is God. Buddhistically put, everything has an intrinsic Buddha-nature. Pantheism is not confined to monotheists alone. Philosophically, the concept of God is universally applicable to both monotheistic religions as well atheistic religions because God is eternal Truth. Taoism, Buddhism, Vedānta of Hinduism, Sufism and Bahaism categorically advocate that Oneness of the world is the Ultimate Reality. The Ultimate Reality is God. This is the communal Truth by which all religions are reconciled. This eternal Truth is philosophically non-dualistic but religiously monotheistic. Monotheism connotes that there is only one eternal Truth called God. Buddhism may be either regarded as philosophy or religion. Hence, Buddha is parallel to God. Psychologically, Buddha and God are synonymous because both refer to the absolute Essence of the pure, infinite consciousness of Man. This Essence is called the universal True Self. This true Self is the Non-self or Insubstantiality, Emptiness or Dependently co-arisen Unity. ‘Self’ refers to God and ‘self’ refers to ego. Self is the manifest of the inner Heart ; self or ego is the manifest of the intellectual mind which falsely imagines.

The Whole

Philosophically, God is the cosmic wholeness ; every person is part and parcel of this Wholeness. Man is never separate from this cosmic Wholeness. Therefore, Man is never separate from God. Whoever behaves in a manner which obliterates the Wholeness or Unity opposes the universal Principle or Law of Nature called Dharma or Tao. Correspondingly put, destroyer of Unity rebels against God. Such violation of the Law of Nature is retributive. Such violation is rooted or motivated by self-centric ego. As long as self-centric ego directs and empowers human activities, the law of moral accountability operates righteously. The boomerang returns to the evil doer.

The universal Principle or Law of Wholeness is fondly designated as the God. The Mahāyānists designates it as the Buddha. Whoever perceives the Buddha perceives the Wholeness. The Wholeness or Totality is the law of Dependent co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Therefore, any form of wholeness, unity or oneness is God. It is thus divine. In short, unity, which engenders harmony, must be worshiped in order to avoid retribution. The divine relationship between parts and wholeness is the central theme of all esoteric religions.

Divinity Everywhere

The alliance of civilizations in any event, enterprise, endeavour, project or programme, big or small is the truth of God or Wholeness. Every alliance or dependent co-arising  is thus divine. Hence, we can infer that the international body of the United Nations Organization is divine; the human family of Olympic Games is divine ; a democratically elected government is divine; an opposition party is divine; a business organization is divine, civil service department is divine, a family is divine, and so forth. Pantheistically, each and everyone of these united bodies of organization is divine as the essence of God is present in it. Every part of the Wholeness contains the essence of God and the wholeness itself is also God. Hence, every individual and every organization of individuals is divine. If this innate divinity is discerned, mutual respect and mutual love in terms brotherhood and sisterhood are exercised naturally. God is actually the truth of Unity of existence.

Globalization

The western economic model of globalization and borderless world is compatible with religious wisdom of the east. In fact, many of the modern personal motivational programes marketed globally by the modern motivational gurus are compatible with divine or religious message. There is no wonder that the motivational gurus become instant millionaires through their marketing of large-scale conferences of personal motivational programmes in most cities of the world. I participated in a few of these expensive programmes when I was young. I must admit that they had indirectly motivated me to learn and self-improve myself through religious study. 

Mahāyānists advocate that non-discrimination generates boundless lovingkindness; oneness of humanity engenders compassion. Truth and love are mutually inclusive. Whoever breaches unity or wholeness of individuals or things is sinful or evil as destruction of unity is the obliteration of its intrinsic divinity. Human suffering or anguish originates from the annihilation of the innate human divinity due to unrestrained ugly human behavior. The human body or organization is the temple of God.

Likewise, globally, the alliance of civilizations between the west and the east is evidently divine. Any clash of civilization between the west and the east is evil or sinful. The current modern civilization is moulded from the fusion of secularism from the west and spiritualism from the east. Intuitive discernment by the seers or sages unveils that secularism (phenomena) and spiritualism (principle) are interpenetrative as the illusive conventional truth of diverge beings is merely the image of God. Likewise, the reflected moon in the water is the image of the moon in the sky. Individual beings and God are hence inseparable. In fact, individual beings or things are linked up by the energy of Unity called God or Divine Spirit. The conventional truth and the ultimate Truth are never separate. In fact, secularism supports spiritualism and vice versa. They are dependently co-arisen and are empty of inherent existence.

Compassion

In the recent catastrophes in which Myanmar was severely struck by a massive cyclone and mainland China was hard hit by earthquake in May, 2008, there were enormous outpours of altruistic compassion from the donor countries to help the victims. The caring act of philanthropy and charity of social welfare in terms of rapid, huge humanitarian aids is both spiritual and secular. It is spiritual in terms of the altruistic compassion of the donors. It is secular in terms of the rescue and relief aids in requisites and fundings. Here, it is evident that there is a perfect marriage of spiritualism and secularism. The unity between secularism and spiritualism perfects human life. The phenomena and principle interpenetrate and co-exist. Secularism and spiritualism are integral parts of the unity engendering harmony and happiness. Their combination is manifest in the form of great compassion or universal love for others.

Conclusion

The stark reality is that the haves help the have-nots. If the world is lack or deficient of wealth owned by the haves, who are going to help or save the vast number of victims of severe natural disasters of unprecedented scale? In this sense, the super-economic powers or the affluent nations are indispensable in times of major crisis or catastrophes. They are the golden gooses which lay the golden eggs to share the eggs with the needy or the victims of massive natural disasters.  If the haves are many but are not empathic, compassionate, and generous or are not willing to render help, the have-nots or victims will further be impoverished and suffer incessantly. This mirrors that spiritualism is an important dimension in humanism. Therefore, we perceive that the complementary pair of secularism and spiritualism brings relief, happiness and hope to the victims of unexpected catastrophes or the economically disadvantaged or impoverished.

To be Continued)