4HE 5NIVERSAL 'RAMMAR OF 2ELIGION (USTON 3MITH WITH A 2ESPONSE BY (ENRY 2OSEMONT *R
'IVEN AS THE &IFTH !NNUAL 6ENERABLE -ASTER (SÓAN (UA -EMORIAL ,ECTURE
SPONSORED BY THE )NSTITUTE FOR 7ORLD 2ELIGIONS "ERKELEY #ALIFORNIA -ARCH
)
T IS USUAL TO SAY IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES h) AM HONORED v "UT ) AM THROUGH WITH BEING HONORED ) AM HAPPY ) AM HAPPY TO BE WITH SO MANY FRIENDS ) DO WANT TO BEGIN BY REMINDING YOU THAT THIS IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF #HINA S INVASION OF 4IBET SO IF ) MAY ) WOULD JUST LIKE TO PROPOSE A MO MENT OF SILENCE AS WE JOIN OUR HEARTS WITH (IS (OLINESS AND THE 4IBETANS IN THIS TIME OF THEIR ORDEAL 4ONIGHT S UNSEEN GUEST IS .OAM #HOMSKY WHO HAS DESCRIBED A UNI VERSAL GRAMMAR THAT IS BUILT INTO THE HUMAN MIND AND STRUCTURES EVERY HUMAN LANGUAGE 7HAT FOLLOWS IS MY ATTEMPT TO DO THE SAME THING WITH RESPECT TO RELIGION ! BRIEF QUOTATION FROM THE #HANDOGYA 5PANISHAD WILL PROVIDE AN INTRODUCTION h!S BY KNOWING ONE LUMP OF CLAY ALL THINGS MADE OF CLAY ARE KNOWN THE DIFFERENCE BEING ONLY IN NAME AND ARISING FROM SPEECH AND THE TRUTH BEING THAT ALL ARE CLAY v ) AM PROPOSING TO LAY OUT VERY BRIEm Y WHAT ) CALL THE UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR OF RELIGION UPON WHICH ALL RELIGIONS STAND ) HAVE NUMBERED MY POINTS TO MAKE IT EASIER TO FOLLOW /NE 2EALITY IS INl NITE 4HE )Nl NITE IS THE ONE INESCAPABLE METAPHYSI CAL IDEA FOR IF YOU STOP WITH l NITUDE YOU FACE A DOOR WITH ONLY ONE SIDE
AN ABSURDITY 4WO 4HE )Nl NITE INCLUDES THE l NITE OR WE WOULD BE LEFT WITH INl NITE PLUS l NITE AND THE )Nl NITE WOULD NOT BE WHAT IT CLAIMS TO BE 4HE NATURAL IMAGE TO TOKEN THE )Nl NITE S INCLUSIVENESS IS A CIRCLE 4HE )Nl NITE IS THAT CIRCLE OUT OF WHICH NOTHING CAN FALL >HHJ: D8ID7:G
(USTON 3MITH
4HREE 4HE CONTENTS OF l NITUDE ARE HIERARCHICALLY ORDERED !RTHUR ,OVEJOY TITLED HIS IMPORTANT STUDY IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 4HE 'REAT #HAIN OF "EING AND ARGUED THAT ITS UNDERLYING IDEA WAS ACCEPTED BY MOST G EDUCATED PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD UNTIL MODERNITY MISTAKENLY ABAN DONED IT IN THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 4HE 'REAT #HAIN OF "EING IS THE IDEA OF A UNIVERSE COMPOSED OF AN INl NITE NUMBER OF LINKS RANGING IN HIERARCHICAL ORDER FROM THE MOST MEAGER KIND OF EXISTENCE THROUGH EVERY POSSIBLE GRADE UP TO THE BOUNDLESS )Nl NITE 4HE ASCENT MAY BE A SMOOTH CONTINUUM BUT FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES IT HELPS TO DIVIDE IT INTO CATEGORIES !RISTOTLE S CATEGORIES OF MINERAL VEGETATIVE PLANTS AND RATIONAL IS A GOOD START BUT IT ENDS TOO SOON BECAUSE WE HUMAN BEINGS RATIONAL BEINGS THAT WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING ARE ONLY HALFWAY UP THE CHAIN &OUR #AUSATION IS FROM THE TOP DOWN FROM THE )Nl NITE DOWN THROUGH DESCENDING DEGREES OF REALITY &IVE )N DESCENDING TO THE l NITE THE SINGULARITY OF THE )Nl NITE SPLAYS OUT INTO MULTIPLICITY 4HE /NE BECOMES THE MANY 4HE PARTS OF THE MANY ARE VIRTUES FOR THEY RETAIN IN LESSER DEGREE THE SIGNATURE OF THE )Nl NITEˆOF THE /NE S PERFECTION AT THE TOP 4HE FOUNDATIONAL VIRTUE IS EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN l GMENTS OF THE IMAGINATION VIRTUES MUST EXIST )N THE SCHOLASTIC ˆ DICTUM hESSE QUA ESSE BONUM ESTˆBEING AS BEING IS GOOD v )T IS GOOD SIMPLY TO EXIST !S FOR WHAT THE VIRTUES OTHER THAN EXISTENCE %VERYTHING THAT IS OUTSIDE ARE )NDIA BEGINS WITH SAT CHAT ANANDAˆBEING CON A SCIOUSNESS BLISS 4HE 7EST S TERNARY IS THE GOOD THE US IS ALSO INSIDE US TRUE AND THE BEAUTIFUL AND THESE BEGINNINGS OPEN OUT INTO CREATIVITY COMPASSION AND LOVE UNTIL WE ARRIVE AT )SLAM S .INETY .INE "EAUTIFUL .AMES OF 'OD 4HE HUNDREDTH NAME ON THE -USLIM ROSARY IS ABSENT BECAUSE IT IS UNUTTERABLE 3IX 2EVERSING THE DRIFT OF DOWNWARD CAUSATION AS WE LOOK UPWARD FROM OUR POSITION ON THE CAUSAL CHAIN WE l ND THAT AS THESE VIRTUES ASCEND THE CAUSAL LADDER THE DISTINCTIONS FADE AND THEY BEGIN TO MERGE 4HIS REQUIRES THAT THE IMAGE OF THE LADDER AND CHAIN BE REPLACED WITH A PYRAMID &LAN NERY / #ONNOR TITLED ONE OF HER SHORT STORIES %VERYTHING 4HAT 2ISES -UST #ONVERGE AND THIS IS SO 'OD KNOWS LOVINGLY AND LOVES KNOWINGLY AND SO ON UNTIL IN THE )Nl NITE DIFFERENCES WHICH SYMBOLIZE SEPARATION COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR IN THE DIVINE hSIMPLICITY v h3IMPLICITYv HERE IS A TECHNICAL TERM THE IDEA CAN BE LIKENED TO A MATHEMATICAL POINT THAT HAS NO EXTENSION 4O REFER TO THAT POINT ANY VIRTUE WILL SERVE AS LONG AS THE WORD IS CAPITALIZED WHEREUPON THEY ALL BECOME SYNONYMS 'OD IS THE CONVENTIONAL %NGLISH WORD FOR THE )Nl NITE BUT 'OOD 4RUE !LMIGHTY /NE AND SO ON ARE ALL EQUALLY APPROPRIATE
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4HE 5NIVERSAL 'RAMMAR OF 2ELIGION
3EVEN 7HEN THE VIRTUES CONVERGE AT THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID THE RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEW MAKES ITS MOST STAGGERING CLAIM ABSOLUTE PERFECTION REIGNS )N (EGEL S DICTUM DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE WORLD IS IN ABOUT THE WORST SHAPE IMAGINABLE IN THE EYE OF THE CYCLONE ALL IS WELL 4HIS BRINGS US FACE TO FACE WITH THE PROBLEM OF EVIL (UMAN BEINGS ARE CAPABLE OF GREAT NOBILITY AND HORRENDOUS EVIL /UR PRIMARY MISTAKE IS TO PUT OURSELVES AHEAD OF OTHERS 7E CANNOT GET RID OF THAT ERROR BUT WE CAN AND MUST WORK TO RESTRAIN IT %IGHT 4HE 'REAT #HAIN OF "EING WITH ITS LINKS THAT INCREASE IN WORTH
NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED BY THE (ERMETIC 0RINCIPLE h!S ABOVE SO BELOW v %V ERYTHING THAT IS OUTSIDE IS ALSO INSIDE USÂ&#x2C6;hTHE +INGDOM OF 'OD IS WITHIN YOU v 7E INTERSECT INHABIT ALL THE ECHELONS OF THE CHAIN OF BEING !S 3IR 4HOMAS "ROWNE RECORDED IN HIS 2ELIGIO -EDICI h-AN IS A MULTIPLE AMPHIB IAN DISPOSED TO LIVE NOT ONLY LIKE OTHER CREATURES IN DIVERSE ELEMENTS BUT IN DIVIDED AND DISTINGUISHABLE WORLDS v 7HEN WE LOOK OUT IT IS NATURAL TO VISUALIZE THE GOOD AS UP !NGELS INVARIABLY SING ON HIGH AND GODS LIVE ON THE MOUNTAINTOP "UT WHEN WE LOOK INWARD THE IMAGERY m IPS AND THE BEST THINGS LIE DEEPEST WITHIN US 4HE COMPLETE PICTURE SHOWS THE INEFFABLE UNUTTERABLE APOPHATICÂ&#x2C6;WHICH Â&#x2C6; IS TO SAY UNSPEAKABLEÂ&#x2C6;'ODHEAD AT THE TOP DESCENDING TO THE PERSONAL DESCRIBABLE CATAPHATICÂ&#x2C6;WHICH IS TO SAY SPEAKABLEÂ&#x2C6;'OD TO ANGELS AND FROM THERE DOWN TO THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE "UT WITHIN US VALUE INVERTS AND THE DIVISIONS INCREASE IN WORTH -IND IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BODY OUR MULTIPLE SOULS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR MIND AND 3PIRIT WHICH IS IDENTICAL IN US ALL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOUL .INE (UMAN BEINGS CANNOT FULLY KNOW THE )Nl NITE )NTIMATIONS OF IT SEEP INTO US OCCASIONALLY BUT MORE THAN THIS WE CANNOT MANAGE ON OUR OWN )F WE ARE TO KNOW CONl DENTLY THE )Nl NITE MUST TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND SHOW ITSELF TO US )T HAS TO BE REVEALED TO US BECAUSE THERE IS NO COMMENSURABILITY BETWEEN THE l NITE AND THE )Nl NITE .ATURE DOES THE SAME THING BY BUILDING THIS UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR OF LANGUAGES INTO OUR HEADS 7E DID NOT CREATE THAT )T CAME FROM OUTSIDE 4EN 2EVELATIONS SUCH AS THE "IBLE HAVE TO BE INTERPRETED HENCE THE SCIENCE OF EXEGESIS THE CRITICAL INTERPRETATION OF RELIGIOUS APPEARANCES AND TEXTS TO DISCOVER THEIR INTENDED MEANING 4HESE INTERPRETATIONS PROGRESS THROUGH FOUR STAGES OF ASCENDING IMPORTANCE THE LITERAL THE ETHICAL THE ALLEGORICAL AND THE ANAGOGIC &IRST THE LITERAL 7HAT DOES THE TEXT EXPLICITLY ASSERT Â&#x2C6;*ESUS WAS CRUCIl ED OR THE "UDDHA WAS ENLIGHTENED UNDER THE "ODHI TREE .EXT THE ETHICAL 7HAT DOES THE TEXT EXPLICITLY TELL US WE SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT DO 4HIRD THE ALLEGORICAL MEANING *ESUS SPEAKING IN PARABLES &INALLY AND MOST IMPORTANT THE ANAGOGIC 7HAT IS THE CAPACITY OF THE TEXT TO INSPIRE >HHJ: D8ID7:G
(USTON 3MITH
%LEVEN !LL THESE FACTORS WERE TAKEN FOR GRANTED UNTIL THE RISE OF TWEN TIETH CENTURY FUNDAMENTALISMS AND THE LITERALISM THEY ARE l XED ON 4HIS HAS GENERATED SO MUCH CONFUSION THAT IT JUSTIl ES A LITTLE EXCURSUS TO INDICATE WHAT THE MISTAKE WAS !ND HERE SCIENCE GIVES US A CLUE 3CIENCE HAS SHOWN US THAT THERE ARE THREE GREAT DOMAINS OF SIZE THE MICRO WORLD OF THE INl NITELY SMALLÂ&#x2C6;QUANTUM MECHANICS THE MACRO WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN WHERE WE MEASURE DISTANCES BY FEET YARDS AND MILES AND THE MEGA WORLD WHERE THE MEASUREMENTS ARE IN LIGHT YEARS 3CIENTISTS KNOW THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO TALK CONSISTENTLY ABOUT THEIR DOMAIN OF THE MICRO WORLD AND THE MEGA WORLD USING ORDINARY LANGUAGE 9OU RUN INTO CONTRADICTIONS AT EVERY POINT
LIKE THOSE THAT CARTOGRAPHERS RUN INTO WHEN THEY TRY TO DEPICT THE GLOBE ON THE TWO DIMENSIONAL PAGES OF A GEOGRAPHY BOOK 9OU CAN T DO IT ACCURATELY .OW THE )Nl NITE 'OD WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL HIM HER OR ITÂ&#x2C6;PRONOUNS NEVER WORK FOR THE )Nl NITE WHICH IS BEYOND GENDERÂ&#x2C6;IS AT LEAST AS DIFFERENT FROM OUR EVERYDAY WORLD AS ARE QUANTUM MECHANICS AND RELATIVITY THEORY FOR THE SUFl CIENT REASON THAT THE )Nl NITE INCLUDES BOTH OF THOSE 3CIENTISTS RECOGNIZE THAT THEY CANNOT DESCRIBE THESE DOMAINS CONSISTENTLY IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE BUT THEY CAN GET TO IT THROUGH TECHNICAL LANGUAGE WHICH IN SCI ENCE IS MATHEMATICS NUMBERS AND EQUATIONS 4HE SAME GOES FOR RELIGION 4HE ONLY WAY WE CAN ACCESS THE UPPER LEVELS OF REALITY LEADING UP TO 'OD IS THROUGH OUR TECHNICAL LANGUAGE WHICH CONSISTS OF POETRY MUSIC DANCE ART AND PROSE 4HROUGH THESE WE CAN GET A GRASP ON 'OD 4WELVE 4HERE ARE TWO DISTINCT AND COMPLEMENTARY WAYS OF KNOWING THE RATIONAL AND THE INTUITIVE 4HE LIFE AND CAREER OF "LAISE 0ASCAL THROW THE TWO INTO EXCEPTIONALLY SHARP RELIEF 7HEN HE EXCLAIMED WHAT WAS TO BECOME HIS FAMOUS APHORISM h4HE HEART HAS REASONS THE MIND KNOWS NOT OF v THE MIND HE WAS THINKING OF WAS HIS SCIENTIl C MIND THROUGH WHICH HE ACHIEVED FAME FOR HIS THEORY OF PROBABILITY IN MATHEMATICS AND HIS WORK ON HYDRO DYNAMICS IN PHYSICS !ND HEART WAS HIS WORD FOR THE ORGAN THROUGH WHICH T BURST THE EPIPHANY THAT TURNED HIS CONCERN FROM SCIENCE TO RELIGION (E WROTE h&IRE 'OD OF !BRAHAM )SAAC *ACOB .OT THE PHILOSOPHERS AND THE LEARNED TEARS OF JOY MY 'OD LET ME NOT BE SEPARATED FROM 4HEE FOREVER v "UT THAT HE NEVER INTENDED TO DISMISS PHILOSOPHY AND LEARNING IN TOTAL IS AMPLY EVIDENCED BY HIS EIGHTEEN CLOSELY REASONED ,ETTRES 0ROVEN½ALES IN WHICH HE EXAMINED THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE AND BY THE FACT THAT HE TITLED THE ENTRIES INTO HIS NOTEBOOK 0ENS£ES IN WHICH HE SPELLS OUT HIS CONVICTION THAT THE TRUE FUNCTION OF REASON IS TO ATTAIN THE TRUTH OR SUPREME GOOD !LL OF THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD SPELL OUT THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE RATIONAL AND THE INTUITIVE CAREFULLY )N THE 7EST INTELLECT INTELLECTUS GNOSIS
BUDDHII IS NOT MANES IN )SLAM SAPENTIA IS NOT REASON RATIO IN 3ANSKRIT
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4HE 5NIVERSAL 'RAMMAR OF 2ELIGION
MA RIFAH SITUATED IN THE HEART IS NOT AQL SITUATED IN THE BRAIN )N (INDU ISM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT EFFECTS UNION WITH 'OD IS NOT DISCURSIVE IT HAS THE IMMEDIACY OF DIRECT VISION OR SIGHT 4HIRTEEN 7ALNUTS HAVE SHELLS THAT HOUSE KERNELS AND RELIGIONS LIKEWISE HAVE OUTSIDES AND INSIDESÂ&#x2C6;OUTER EXOTERIC FORMS THAT HOUSE INTERIOR ESOTERIC CORES 0EOPLE DIFFER IN THE WAY THEY RELATE TO THE TWO 4HE DIFFERENCE COMES DOWN TO HOW ADEPT THEY ARE WITH ABSTRACTION %SOTERICS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH ABSTRACTIONS WHILE EXOTERICS NEED IDEAS TO BE CONCRETE AND REPRE SENTATIONAL TO BE CLEAR )T FOLLOWS THAT EXOTERICS LIKE TO THINK OF THE )Nl NITE IN PERSONAL TERMS WHEREAS ESOTERICS WHILE SUBSCRIBING TO THE IDEA OF THE )Nl NITE CLOTHED IN HUMAN ATTRIBUTES ARE AT THE SAME TIME AWARE OF THE DANGER THAT THIS CAN EASILY TURN INTO ANTHROPOMORPHISM INTO MAKING 'OD TOO HUMAN 3O IT NEEDS TO BE SUPPLEMENTED BY ESOTERISM 7E NEED 'OD TO BE LIKE US OR WE COULD NOT CONNECT WITH HIM BUT WE ALSO NEED 'OD TO BE UNLIKE US BECAUSE WE CANNOT WORSHIP OURSELVES &OURTEEN &INALLY WHAT WE KNOW IS RINGED ABOUT WITH DARKNESS )T IS A NUMINOUS DARKNESS THAT LURES FOR WE KNOW THAT 'OD SEES IT AS LIGHT AND AT TIMES WE SENSE A KIND OF TWILIGHT ZONE AROUND ITS EDGES "UT TO COGNITION THE DARKNESS REMAINS 7E ARE BORN IN MYSTERY WE LIVE IN MYSTERY AND WE DIE IN MYSTERY )N RELATION TO THE INl NITE WE STAND AS LESS THAN A SIMPLE PROTEIN IN A SINGLE CELL ON A HUMAN 7HAT WE KNOW IS RINGED l NGER 4HOUGH IT IS ALIVE THAT PROTEIN CANNOT KNOW THE CELL IN WHICH IT LIVES (OW THEN CAN IT CONCEIVE OF THE ABOUT IN DARKNESS SKIN THE KNUCKLE OR THE l NGER S ARTICULATING JOINTS THE INTRICACIES OF THE LIGAMENTS NERVES AND MUSCLES THE ELECTRO BIOCHEMICAL PROCESS OF THAT l NGER OF WHICH IT IS A NEGLIGIBLE PART !ND EVEN IF IT COULD CONTAIN ALL THAT UNDERSTANDING IT COULD NEVER CONCEIVE OF THE WHOLE HAND OF WHICH IT IS A PART THAT CAN l ND EXPRESSION IN THE l NGERING OF A GUITAR THE l ST CLENCHED IN ANGER THE DELICATE TOUCH NEEDED FOR SURGICAL REPAIR OF THE HEART )T IS ONLY A SIMPLE PROTEIN AN AMINO ACID BUILDING BLOCK 3O MUCH LESS ARE WE IN THIS MASS OF THE UNIVERSE AND BEYOND IT THE )Nl NITE 7E ARE AGAIN BORN IN MYSTERY WE LIVE IN MYSTERY AND WE DIE IN MYSTERY s
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