Thirty years or more ago the
historian Arnold Toynbee and Daisaku Ikeda,
head of the Japanese Buddhist
Soka Gokkai International, discusses at length
various pertinent issues, trying to discern the future direction that our world
must take if it is to survive these "times of the end". Toynbee
remarks, "...The question of
mankind''s future
religion arises because all the current religions have
proved unsatisfactory... A future religion that is to bring into being, a new
civilization will have to be one that will enable mankind to contend with, and
to overcome, the evils, that are serious present threats to human survival. Among
the most formidable of these evils are the oldest: greed, which is as old as
life itself, and war and social injustice, which are as old as civilization. A
new evil that is hardly less formidable is the artificial environment that
mankind has created through application of science and techno logy in the service
of greed". Echoing similar views Ikeda said: …The religion that we need must
inspire mankind''s scientific and philosophical spirits and must be able to meet
the needs of a new age. It must be a religion that can
go beyond the differences between
East and West and, binding all mankind into a unified body, save the
Occident from its present crisis and the Orient
from its current hardships. Discovering this kind of
religion is the greatest task before mankind today". The enduring legacy
of the 20th century is that it has compelled the peoples of the world to begin
seeing themselves as members of one human family and of the Earth as its common
homeland. Indeed, ''humanity''s urge to live in harmony and especially to
establish peace among religions is not new. The passion invested in the
struggle, despite its disheartening results, testifies to the depth of the need.
Without
a common conviction about the course and direction of human history, it is
inconceivable that foundations can be laid for a global society to which the
mass of humankind can commit themselves. Recognition of the fundamental
spiritual principle of our age, the oneness of humanity, must be at the heart
of any new civilization. Universal acceptance of this principle will both necessitate and make possible
major restructuring of the world''s educational, social, agricultural, industrial,
economic, legal and political systems. This is the only way the dream of ‘Vasudhaiva, Kutumbakam’ (the world as
one united, family) can be fulfilled.
"That which God hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest
instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal
Cause, one common Faith", Baha''u''llah proclaimed over a century ago. World
spiritual leaders should strive to not let crises to cast doubt on the ultimate
outcome of the process that is occurring. The way to go is to nurture faith and
resolve, so that we can overcome all the hardships and anxieties that are bound
to arise during any period of great change. While the old order gives way to
the new, as individuals, we have an important, role to play: To stand stead
fast in the face of adversity and believe in the unity of humankind. (The
Parliament of World Religions will meet in Barcelona, Spain, July 7-14, to discuss issues of peace, diversity and
sustainability. The author is director, Bahai''s office of external affairs
& peace with each other and inter-faith activities.)
Historical materialism is the Marxist
theory of history and society that holds that ideas and social institutes
develop only as the superstructure of a material economic base, and thus
philosophy and ethnology are examined through this concept to access the
evolutionants. On the other hand Marxists also suggest dialectical
materialism, according to this concept, it is claimed that reality itself goes
through a process of constant change as the human intelligence developed, and
the thoughts developing in the mind take backseat and make room for
materialism. British
historian Arnold Toynbee died in 1975. He began his book "A
study of History" in 1920, published the twelfth and final volume of the
original edition in 1961 and, up to the time of his death still regarded it as
a work in progress. He tried to look at Mankind''s history as a whole; he claims
he was looking at it globally.
He was aware, whatsoever you do, it is
bound to be put out of date by the new knowledge becoming available, and old
knowledge ignored thus far. Human activity began much earlier than the western
philosophers and thinkers are prepared to believe. "Neither history for
any other human activity can be definitive so long as the human race continues
to exist"- Thus wrote Toynbee.
Toynbee says. "Our first occasion
for taking account of universal churches was in connection with the
integrations of civilizations. Since the Christian Church was the first example
of this species of institutions that we examined, we have used the Christian
word "Churches" as a general label for the species. The word
"Church" implies a unified ecclesiastical government, and this is
possessed by perhaps no more than two of the extant currently or actually
existing) higher religious of which the institutions we have called churches
are the social vehicles. The Tantric Mahayana and the Roman Catholic
denomination of Christianity are incorporated in "Churches" that are
effectively unitary. It can be proved here that original Sanskrit roots are
hidden, which provide elaborate sense of meaning appealing to the intelligence:
Church: akin to OHG (old high German)-"krishha"-GK-kyrios-lord, kyriakos-of
lord.
Skt-
temple, idol. ecclesiastical-GK-ekktesiastes-church as a formal and established
institution. Skt- aklib - apt, true,
bold speech, astakaḥ - salvation, astva
- place for gathering in praise of the divine. Astika - believer in divine
power. In an elaborate sense, it means a place where worshipers meet and accept
religious "totem" after discussion and apt-thinking. There is a
hidden shade of Brain, in the sense thinking. "aasthikruta"
I
am enclosing few pages I scribbled after reading the book titled “Science and
Technology in Ancient India". My Australian friends have poor opinion
about the book. Perhaps faculty-less person has unused senses tinkering his
mind. I have my comments on the marked topics. My interest in history in any form
is infectious and it stimulates me. I have also written about my observations,
particularly of Maoris. The historian
Arnold Toynbee was brought up with a great-uncle who had been a sailor. This
great uncle of Toynbee had been the captain of an East-Indiaman (a three masted
square-rigged sailing-ship), and his stories of his voyages to India and China excited
young Toynbee. What Toynbee learnt
about India in particular was how mighty British vanquished
Indians; the story of British
Empire sunk in his mind. He
did not know any thing about true India. It was subdued to the will of Britain. He knew Indians as physical and mental slaves of Great Britain. To him the world was rational, orderly and peaceful
because the British people labored to make it so. He lived in that illusion
until his death in 1975. Irish-born English author and socialist George Bernard
Shaw (1856-1950) said, of course in different context: British people think
that God only knows English; the other people are the children of lesser god.
He was taunting the aristocrats of Britain.
Toynbee''s
guru was Greek historian Thucydides (died approx.401 B.C.). So, history lessons
of Toynbee could not go deepe