Hinduism as “Open-Source” Faith – viewing through the lens of computer science

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Hinduism as “Open-Source” Faith – viewing through the lens of computer science
Josh Schrei

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[Naina_Marbus]

The God Project: Hinduism as Open-Source Faith | Josh Schrei

Hinduism as “Open-Source” Faith – viewing through the lens of computer science

Trying to explain … "Hinduism" to an interested observer can be challenging to say
the least. ….(a word that) …basically refers to the sum total of spiritual and religious
thought and practice that has taken place on the Indian subcontinent over the past
5,000 years. And ….. it's been a busy 5,000 years.

The sheer volume of spiritual literature and doctrine, ….the breadth of distinct philosophies
and practices that have emerged, and the total transformation over time of many of the
core Indic teachings and beliefs can be disconcerting to those raised in (the) monotheistic
cultures, (with) each faith bringing with it a defined set of beliefs that …stay pretty much
consistent (and fixed) over time.

However, the key point of differentiation between Hinduism and these other
faiths is not polytheism vs. monotheism. The key differentiation is that "Hinduism"
is Open Source and most other faiths are Closed Source.

(In computer science jargon )…"Open source is an approach to the design, development,
and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software's source code."

If we consider god, the concept of god, the practices that lead one to god, and the ideas,
thoughts and philosophies around the nature of the human mind (as representing) the
source code, then India has been the place where the doors have been thrown wide open
and the coders have been given free rein to craft, invent, reinvent, refine, imagine, and
re-imagine to the point that literally every variety of the spiritual and cognitive experience
has been explored, celebrated, and documented.

Atheists and goddess worshipers, heretics who've sought god through booze, sex, and
meat, ash covered hermits, dualists and non-dualists, nihilists and hedonists, poets and
singers, students and saints, children and outcasts ... all have contributed their lines of
code to the Hindu string.

The results of (this) India's God Project -- as I like to refer to Hinduism -- have been
absolutely staggering. The body of knowledge -- scientific, faith-based, and
experience-based -- that has been accrued on the nature of mind, consciousness,
and human behavior, and the number of practical methods that have been specifically
identified to work with one’s own mind are without compare. The Sanskrit language itself
contains a massive lexicon of words -- far more than any other historic or modern
language -- that deal specifically with states of mental cognition, perception, awareness,
and behavioral psychology.

At the heart of the Indic source code are the Vedas, which immediately establish the
primacy of inquiry in Indic thought. In the Rig Veda, the oldest of all Hindu texts (and
possibly the oldest of all spiritual texts on the planet), God, (or Prajapati) is summarized
as one big mysterious question and we the people are basically invited to answer it.

"Who really knows?
Who will here proclaim it?
Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.
Who then knows whence it has arisen?"

While the god of the Old Testament was shouting command(ment)s, Prajapati was
asking: "Who am I?"

Since opening the floodgates on the divine question, Indic thought has followed a
glorious evolutionary arc from shamanism, nature worship and sacrifice through
sublime and complex theories on mental cognition, the nature of consciousness,
and quantum physics.

Through tracing the subcontinent’s relationship with the deities of the Vedas, we
can trace the course of Indic thought over the centuries. One of the first things we
notice is that not only does the people's relationship to god change over the centuries,
the gods themselves change. Shiva, for example, appears in the Vedas as Rudra, the
god of storms. Reappearing over the centuries as Bhairava -- he who inspires fear --
Pashupati, lord of beasts, the god of yogis, and the destroyer, Shiva finally…… achieves
status …..as the fundamental (cosmic) energetic building block of the entire universe..

But as much as the gods change and the evolution of Indic thought leads us to increasingly
modern and post-modern views of the nature of reality, the old Vedic codes still remain
front and center. One of Hinduism's defining factors is that the historic view of god, the
nature worship and shamanism, never went away, so that god , as currently worshiped,
exists simultaneously as symbol and archetype as well as literal embodiment. That Shiva,
for instance, could simultaneously be the light of ultimate consciousness and an ash-smeared
madman who frequents cremation grounds is a delight to us spiritual anarchists, while
mind-numbing to most western theologists.

Western and Middle Eastern monotheistic faiths have simply not allowed such liberal
interpretation of their god. They continue to exist as closed source systems.

"Generally, [closed source] means only the binaries of a computer program are
distributed and the license provides no access to the program's source code. The source
code of such programs might be regarded as a trade secret of the company."

One of the defining facts of Christian history is that access to god has been viewed --
as in most closed source systems -- as a trade secret. The ability to reinterpret the
bible, or the teachings of Christ, or the Old Testament, or to challenge the basic
fundamental authority of the church has been nonexistent for most of the church's
history. Those who dared to do so were quite often killed.

In Indic thought, there is no trade secret. The foundation of yoga is that the key
to god, or the macrocosm, or the absolute ... lies within the individual and can be
accessed through a certain set of practices. It's a beautifully simple but ultimately
profound concept that has been allowed to flourish unchecked for millennia. The
process of discovering and re-imagining the divine is in your hands.

(That is ) The God Project.

Josh Schrei

 

[JR]

There are 4 aspects or concepts of Hinduism that are really worthwhile exploring, namely:

1. No eternal damnation for 'non-believers' - As stated in the above paragraph by Josh Schrei, one could be a heretic, a non-believer, a goddess worshiper, an athiest and anyone for that matter, all is expected is that one 'behaves'. There is no eternal hell.

2. One need not go through a 'medium' to get to know god. There is no need or compulsion for a 'middle man' who will 'show us the path' to tread on. One can tread the path of spirituality on one's own, listening to one's inner conscience and with one's own effort as guide.

3. The concept of ahimsa for all, including 'animals'. Sibhi Chakravarthy, the great king, tried to mutilate and sacrifice himself for a bird! Such are the golden teachings of Hinduism.

4. Concept of 'Avatar'. Though not all of Hinduism believes in it, this is one important concept worth exploring. In other religions, humans are considered 'sinners'. Whereas in Hinduism (in some sects), the essential nature of man is not that of a 'sinner' but that he is 'glorious' and 'eternal' -- an aspect of himself (god)! The purpose of the avatara then becomes more of a guide that one could follow in order to lead a pure and austere life rather than to accrue followers, in order to save them from 'damnation'.

Perhaps there are many such golden concepts within Hinduism that are worth open-sourcing.

By open sourcing, I mean that once other faiths have access to these concepts, they can utilize it for their own purpose as well as add their own insights and foundational improvizations and customizations which will benefit them!