Aryan Patriarchy and Dravidian Matriarchy
I’ve recently discovered the work of Giti Thadani, an Indian lesbian academic. In her books ‘Sakiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India’ and ‘Moebius Trip’ she describes an India quite different to the India of the modern conservative politician concerned about morality and preserving Hindu traditions.
WHICH HINDU TRADITIONS?
In previous articles I’ve examined Islam and Christianity. Now I feel ready to tackle Hinduism. But first let me make an admission. I’m very sympathetic to what I call Advaita Tantra, nondual Tantrism, particularly as expressed in Kashmir Shaivism (KS) and some schools of Vajrayana Buddhism. This does not mean I’m not critically aware of what can only be described as the mumbo-jumbo of Tantric esotericism. Any scholar of Tantra will tell you that many of the texts are obscurantist and difficult. Yet, such esotericism gave rise to some remarkable philosophy, both Hindu and Buddhist.
Another admission: I spent five years living in an ashram where I had a number of profound experiences. It doesn’t matter if these were ‘real’ or not. I’m actually still undecided about there being a metaphysical reality distinct from physical reality. Modern techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) have shown conclusively that meditation changes the brain. When Buddhist monks say meditation makes them happier they are not ‘imagining’ it. The work of Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin at Madison has shown more activity in the left prefrontal cortex of meditators than non-meditators – the left prefrontal cortex is where feelings of wellbeing are located (activated). Other studies have shown how meditation affects the areas of the brain that deal with notions of self and other. As these studies continue FMRI will no doubt reveal that we have considerable control over our own thoughts and mental and emotional ‘states’. In other words – meditation works. (What I would like to see is FMRI studies of fundamentalist Christians in prayer and a comparison with serious meditators, now that would be interesting!).
If meditation can make people happier then it has value in its own right, independent of whether or not it proves one or other metaphysical theory. In fact we may be seeing the beginning of a science based, rational philosophy of meditation. If we seek pleasure for pleasure’s sake then why not meditate because it is good for us? Forget all the religious accretions.
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Ray is a Melbourne based writer. He has completed two novels and is currently going through the process of getting them published. Read his Biography
Bliss is a young hippie girl with an extraordinary, untamed mind: a guitar prodigy, a synesthete, but can she tame her wild talent?
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Nice summary. I have to point out though that the idea of the singularity is not at all at odds with Abrahamic religions. The Kabbalistic Jews call that singularity the “ein sof” — the point-source of life and the emanations of awareness (roughly translated from the original Hebrew: boundless infinite). It is the heart of the Tree of Life mentioned in the Torah/Bible.
Non-religiously, one must understand that something conscious organizes that light into a singularity — physics would demand it, otherwise there would be only heat and chaos. Please consider this carefully.
I can tell you from my own experience, that that singularity is none other than YHVH Him and Herself — a perfect union of male and female principles that creates, sustains, and protects the Tree of Life.
Cosmologically, that singularity has been through at least 6 cycles — each with that same sacred name — it is the name, from our perspective outside it, which holds the singularity together. Lao Tsu didn’t know that it had a name and just called it the Tao.
In any case, these cycles are interesting back-story that wasn’t told in Genesis and happened before YHVH created our present story of Eden.
In a way that Tree of Life awaits Mankind’s completion from embarking upon/with the Tree of Knowledge — that journey that is near completion here in the Information Age — which will reflect the original Tree and allow all of Mankind and the planet herself to be brought back to beauty and perfection.
Mark Janssen
I should clarify that I mean orthodox Abrahamic faith, or ‘mainstream’. I do not include Kabbalah, Gnosticism or Sufism. I accept what you say about ‘ein sof’ and recognize that Gnosticism and Sufism reached similar conclusions (without going into a long explanation).
However, I do not accept that “physics would demand” that “something conscious organizes” it. I would ask you instead to carefully consider the physics of chaos and the principle of self-organization.
Hello Mr.Ray Harris
I am K.Sathiyaraj from Tamil Nadu, India. I am working as an Asst.Professor in dept of MBA. Article is really good, I request you to do more research on the mith of aryan invasion in India. Now a days linguist are proving the same hypothesis with the etymological studies.
All the best.
Regards,
K.sathiyaraj.