The original science and key to our survival as a species

Any science is a step-by-step process producing measurable or verifiable results be it within physics, chemistry or all life sciences fall come under the umbrella of Dharma. There was a time when Dharmic traditions governed humanity and there is currently a determined drive by rampant forces to extinguish them in their homelands, yet they are appearing as if self sown in the most unlikely places because to the educated mind, they represent sanity in an insane world.

Dharmic traditions all recognise that we exist and that we are unique within the animal kingdom, yet we have the same rights as all other life, we are part of life and interconnected. Conversely, believers objectify themselves as superior with an ordained right to dominate life which has given rise to the destructive self-centredness evident in all cultures today.

Within Dharma there is a recognition that we cannot specify our exact origins or purpose in any physical sense, yet within our complexity, it is recognised that we should seek to maintain ourselves in a most pleasant way. This pleasantness includes our physical well-being, our need for shelter and nutrition, yet our mental and emotional state is far more important. Dharmic traditions teach that by creating an internal harmony and discovering joy within ourselves, we foster a symbiosis with our external world causing peace and prosperity. Conversely belief systems teach that happiness comes from controlling the external environment including other people.

One frequently quoted Bible passage is that one should 'build one's house upon the rock' implying that if you are building a physical structure, should have a good foundation so it won't fall down, likewise one should develop one's own consciousness with a solid foundation (belief in god) so that the personality can endure the hardships that most of us are familiar with today. People believe they must be firmly in control and to maintain this control sociopolitical structures have been created to give social and political freedoms to some yet cause much of our population to be denied the physical necessities of life.

Belief systems to a certain extent provide an economic and political umbrella or perhaps we should say 'a leaky boat'? They provide a temporary shelter yet they have no basis in reality and in the history of humanity have never endured because they cater to the whims of individuals without any real foundation. Belief systems (religions) and the core of Western philosophy believes that the reality we perceive with our eyes is real and permanent, and our fate is in the hands of the gods. In terms of our ecological footprint, we are coming close to extinguishing all life on earth including our own. The modern religions abdicate our responsibility in this matter because God is going to save us and should we extinguish all life on earth, this is God's will and nothing to do with us. In contrast this lack of responsibility, this casting aside of our own intellectual and spiritual faculties is the greatest of all atrocities.

In contrast to belief systems, Dharmic traditions show that the world that we perceive is an illusion, constantly in flux representing factual knowledge and that we are entirely responsible for our own destiny. Dharma recognises that in comparison to all life on earth, we humans are newcomers and still learning to find our way. Dharmic traditions recognise that pain is sometimes inevitable because we live on a living and sometimes volatile planet, yet suffering is something we inflict on ourselves.

In contrast to believers, the followers of Dharma take heart in knowing they do not know the ultimate truths yet celebrate what is known of existence as they/we make conscious choices - experiments that yield predictable and positive results/best outcomes for all life. Non believers practise harmlessness, observe their actions and reactions, are forgiving often to their own detriment as believers have a tendency to take advantage.

Within Yoga, Buddhism and Sanatana Dharma, we are taught that certain actions reduce certain outcomes with results as clear as any physics or chemistry in experiment but unlike modern (Newtonian) science which objectifies the physical elements of the cosmos, dynamic traditions are subjective and the individual becomes the experiment working to generate specific results within themselves and local environment.

In the modern world this knowledge has been replaced by belief and this is a key difference between dharmic traditions and belief systems. Our modern world is governed by beliefs/desires/economics and backed up by the military power of those with a self-centred ideology seeking happiness outside of themselves and they have flexible moral codes. As an example it's okay for the USA to drop bombs and destroy entire communities whereas it's not okay for individuals in many communities to take reasonable actions to defend themselves. This of course produces a bigotry of the highest order and mass social injustice.

It has been shown within belief systems that following the presiding moral code does not free one from karma and in fact it buries one deeper within it whereas within the Dharmic traditions the action of getting to know life and increasing one's respect for life aligns one with a path of cooperation with life and releasing the joy from within. This is the original science against which the modern physical sciences can be seen as quackery and ultimately delusional because in many instances they create further separation, hardship and suffering due to the inherent imbalance and misconception of what life is.

Yoga, Buddhism and Sanatana Dharma are scientific processes, not religions because they do not require belief, all that is required is the application of certain actions from which results can clearly be seen and thus the steppingstones are created to greater joy and harmony yet we should avoid being carried away by this word scientific as that in itself can create more belief systems.

The self-centredness generated as a consequence of belief systems is driving the destruction of the environment along with a major economic and political drive to extinguish the dharmic traditions. If anyone truly wants to have peace, if anyone truly wants to be happy, it will not be found in any belief system. Belief systems only provide a temporary panacea whereas the Dharmic traditions not only show us how to be more peaceable and joyful, the resultant insights show us the way to the material sciences and the stars.