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Spiritual Materialism
Chogyam Trungpa and Jiddu Krishnamurti are two philosophers that have touched on a concept called "Spiritual Materialism".
In Krishnamurti's book "On Conflict", without mentioning Islam, there is a discussion on how many faiths can incentivise people to "do good" through promising rewards such that an environment is created where adherents have horseblinders on and become "greedy" for such points, losing the loftier goal of good for the sake of goodness, and not reward.
A good example would be, say, knocking someone over during Hajj b/c your own circuit needed to be completed before prayer time.
I see Islam filled with point-multipliers (e.g. 27 times more sawab for congregational prayers over individual prayers etc.).
What do you think of spiritual materialism?
Do you think we have a bit too much of it within Islam?
Is it just a phase through which the spiritual journey starts?
If so, has the bulk of the Ummah shown any signs of progressing through it, from spiritual caterpillars to spiritual butterflies?
In Krishnamurti's book "On Conflict", without mentioning Islam, there is a discussion on how many faiths can incentivise people to "do good" through promising rewards such that an environment is created where adherents have horseblinders on and become "greedy" for such points, losing the loftier goal of good for the sake of goodness, and not reward.
A good example would be, say, knocking someone over during Hajj b/c your own circuit needed to be completed before prayer time.
I see Islam filled with point-multipliers (e.g. 27 times more sawab for congregational prayers over individual prayers etc.).
What do you think of spiritual materialism?
Do you think we have a bit too much of it within Islam?
Is it just a phase through which the spiritual journey starts?
If so, has the bulk of the Ummah shown any signs of progressing through it, from spiritual caterpillars to spiritual butterflies?
Comments on this journal
Fasting and starvation is how Buddha neared nirvanna - that is a pervasive thought in most religions... give up what you cannot do without and you will be provided for and enjoy in a happiness that is not temporary....
One morning, the talawat sounded especially sweet, almost like the tape distorted, and I had this really warm, peaceful feeling. It was the 27th night that night, and I stayed up. I told my family and we put a little more emphasis on that night.
Several years later, I'd have similar experiences / premonitions. One year, a friend and I were driving back to Toronto from a weekend in Ottawa, late at night. We saw a driver whiz by us making crazy weaving motions to get ahead. I remarked to my friend, "That guys a lunatic. We'll probably see him in an accident in an hour."
My friend noted the time. Later that night, we slowed down as there were flashing lights. The cops were letting cars through one by one. We rolled down our window and talked to the cop. The car in the ditch was the one we saw earlier that night weaving around crazily. My friend noticed the clock on the dashboard. It was exactly one hour from when we first noticed the car earlier in our trip.
I've continued to have lots of these experiences in my 20's. Hence, I look back on the feeling I had about laylatul qadar when I was younger, and put even more credence into that feeling. Of course, that night has long passed! Guess I'll just have to do a good job praying all nights like everyone else.
I think it's more fair that way anyways.
Just because God writes out the laws for us to obey does not imply any rule of law He or She must abide by.
God is not like a judge who ought to follow the laws she may use against the public.
In order for religion to survive on a massive scale, it has to be quantifiable as to how to earn extra credit for the after life.... by doing this, it keeps imams in buisness - since they are supported by the community....
The concept of keeping score is not just limited to Islam, it happens in all religions....
But yes, I do agree and am quite disappointed that it is turning more into a game as opposed to an intrinsically rewarding act of faith....
i think its a difficult concept to strike out especially since the quran is replete with the terms 'earning' in the physical world (occurring around 67 times) and 'rewards' (occurring about 187 time) in the future - as long as people take the quran literally we will always run into issues with whores vs raisins and it being a misogynistically centered quran - for me i take the quran to be a sacred text but i also temper that with the idea that it was a politically motivated compilation after the death of in whom it was inspired and always wondered why he did not take on the task of compiling it all together while he was alive - didnt he think it would be a problem after he was gone - of course the shia's say that Ali did compile presumably with the prophets blessings - what ever happened to that compilation i wonder ...
But if that's true, why would Allah allow for such point multipliers?
If it is going to be a "game" in the end, should it not be a refined one with nobility?
- Shazia Mirza www.shaziamirza.org the famous comedian suggested it was an expensive price for a male suicide bomber to pay for a 'shag', however, she questioned as to what the female suicide bomber will get?
A DAY OFF!
(Now I remember spiritual materialism was the phrase I used in my 8th JE knowing someone had coined it but not who.)
I also am uneasy about the focus on female beauty and enticements of such. The pure / virgin connotation is also troubling. It can have negative connotations for divorced women and desirability for marriage to them b/c of this emphasis on virginity.
I've wondered the same about why the need to entice men in paradise in this manner...
Besides I think any married woman should be offended by such an enticement as it implies one can only enjoy such pleasures with a virgin!