What is scientific naturalism? Scientific naturalism is the view that, based on the evidence, the natural world is all there is, and that science is the best means of knowledge about this world. Scientific naturalism is the foundation on which Bodhidaoism is built. If you don’t agree with scientific naturalism, then Bodhidaoism is not the spiritual path for you. Bodhidaoism is the only systematic personal religion that is based on scientific naturalism which incorporates the best insights of various religions and philosophies.

Nature has a rhythm, and we should be in tune with it, by following the movement of the Sun. The Wheel of the Year has its roots in Paganism, celebrating the Winter and Summer Solstice and the Spring and Fall Equinox, and halfway points between these. These eight points match perfectly with the Eight Wisdom Traditions of Bodhidaoism. In the Bodhidaoist Wheel of the Year we celebrate one Wisdom Tradition on each of these eight solar points.

Bodhidaoist Wheel of the Year

Dec 25 - Christianity

Feb 2 - Jainism

Mar 21 - Daoism

May 1 - Epicureanism

Jun 21 - Buddhism

Aug 1 - Stoicism

Sep 21 - Confucianism

Oct 31 - Paganism

Simple Ceremony

(Need: a Candle and Grape Juice)

“I (we) take a moment to remember the teachings of _(Wisdom Tradition)_and the light it gives to me (us)."

[Light the candle, pause for reflection]

“I (we) drink in honor of _(Wisdom Tradition)_, May I (we) use its teachings wisely in my (our) path of awakening."

[Drink the Juice]

OPTIONAL:

[Sit down for a meal]

“I (we) give thanks to all beings for bringing this food to my (our) table, and vow to respond in turn to those in need with wisdom and compassion. May I (we) eat mindfully.”

[After the meal, blow out candle]

Psychospiritual growth is development “of, involving, or relating to the interrelation of the mind and spirituality” (OED). It involves two types of growth, personal growth and spiritual growth. Personal growth has three basic stages of dependence, independence, and interdependence. Interdependence has two substages, social and cosmic. Spiritual growth has to do with the growth of consciousness and it has three stages of subconscious, self-conscious, and superconscious. Superconscious is that awareness “transcending” what we would call “normal consciousness” (OED).

An introduction to transpersonal psychology and its amazing scope, as well as its pros and cons. Transpersonal psychology can be defined as “the psychological study of transpersonal experience and their correlates. These correlates include the nature, varieties, causes, and effects of transpersonal experiences and development, as well as the psychologies, philosophies, disciplines, arts, cultures, life-styles, reactions, and religions that are inspired by them, or that seek to induce, express, apply, or understand them.”1

Notes

1. Roger Walsh and Frances Vaughan, Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision (New York: Penguin, 1993), p. 3-4.

Psychology deals with flourishing, while spirituality deals with awakening. This week I share my deep dive into transpersonal psychology and share some of my impressions. I also share my conviction that a spiritual path must combine psychology and spirituality in order to produce a path that is worth pursuing. I also try to explain what flourishing is and why happiness is not what we should pursue. In fact, to pursue happiness is one of the surest ways to make sure you never experience it. For most people happiness is nothing more than a pleasurable or satisfying experience. Flourishing is much more than that.

The concept of God can be deconstructed into four aspects: fate, personal ideal, ultimate concern, and reality. For me, the word God does not stand for all of these. Specifically, I don’t believe in a personal God. I see God as more of a metaphor for the laws and rhythm and flow of the Universe. I think Tao is a better word for this than God. Reality is the Cosmos, the Cosmos is the Tao when referring to its significance and our relationship with it. Fate is the Tao, for the Cosmos is indifferent to us. The personal ideal then is turned into the hero and the hero’s journey.

Naturalistic Pantheism is now a part of Bodhidaoism. Pantheism is the belief that all is God and God is all. Looking at reality objectively, the natural world is all that exists (Naturalism). Looking at reality subjectively, the Cosmos is Divine. The first is a statement of ontology, the second a value statement expressed metaphorically. Because of this incorporation of God-talk, I have subtracted Existentialism and Humanism from the Eight Streams, and I have added Paganism and Christianity.

I don’t don’t believe in a theistic God. If there is anything that can be called “God”, it is the universe itself. This position is called pantheism. There are pros and cons to calling the universe God. I lay some of them out in this podcast and then ask the listening, should I use God talk or not in Bodhidaoism? And why? This is your chance to influence to outcome of Bodhidaoism. Please leave a comment below for email me directly (I give the email address at the end of the podcast). If you have never contacted me before, now is the time.

Jordan Peterson has written, “Something we cannot see protects us from something we do not understand. The thing we cannot see is culture, in its intrapsychic or internal manifestations. The thing we do not understand is the chaos that gave rise to culture. If the structure of culture is disrupted, unwittingly, chaos returns.” Postmodernism is disrupting or unraveling culture as we know it. I explain structuralism and Jacques Lacan application of it to schizophrenia, and then Fredric Jameson's application of it to late capitalism.

Robert Crawford notes that “there is no universally accepted definition of religion.” And John Hick thinks that “quite possibly there never will be.” Most definitions of religion say that religion involves "a belief in God or gods." But this doesn’t apply to Jainism, Buddhism, or early Daoism. Let me give you my latest definition of religion, “A religion is a comprehensive system of beliefs and practices, followed by a group of people, that is centered on an ultimate concern, and that gives meaning to life and the means for personal and social transformation.” Then we can further subdivide religion into natural or supernatural, and personal or communal.