THE MAVERICK RELIGIOUS movement of India was a major historical event. It attracted millions of adherents and had a strong civilizing effect on Asia. The movement brought about the creation of the so-called "Six Systems of Salvation." These were six different methods, developed at different times, for achieving spiritual salvation. Perhaps the most significant of the Six Systems, because of its similarities to Buddhism, was the system known as "Samkhya." The word "Samkhya" means "reason." The precise origin of Samkhya teachings is unknown. Samkhya doctrines are usually attributed to a man known as Kapila. Who Kapila was, where he came from, and exactly when he lived are still topics of speculation. Some people place Kapila around 550 B.C., during the lifetime of Buddha. Others believe that Kapila may have lived earlier. Some people contend that he did not exist at all because of the extraordinary mythology which arose around him. Whoever Kapila was, or was not, some of the teachings attributed to him laid significant groundwork for later maverick philosophies. For example, the Samkhya system correctly taught that there were two basic contrasting entities in the universe: the soul (spirit) and matter. It taught further: Souls are infinite in number1 and consist of pure intelligence. Each soul is independent, indivisible [cannot be taken apart], unconditioned, incapable of change [alteration], immortal. It appears, however, to be bound in matter.* Samkhya teaches that each person is such a soul, and that every soul has participated in the creation and/or perpetuation of the primary elements which constitute the material universe. Souls then created the senses with which to perceive those elements. People therefore had only themselves, not a "God" or Supreme Being, to applaud (or blame, depending upon one's perspective) for the existence of this universe and for all of the good and bad within it. The soul's liberation from captivity in matter, according to the Samkhya, comes about through knowledge. Author Sir Charles Eliot describes the Samkhya belief this way: Suffering is the result of souls being in bondage to matter, but this bondage does not affect the nature of the soul and in one sense is not real, for when souls acquire discriminating knowledge and see that they are not matter, then the bondage ceases and they attain to eternal peace.
2 Several questions arise from these Samkhya teachings. First, how could all spiritual beings have helped create the universe? One peek at a physics book tells us that the universe is an enormously complex affair. Even the great scientist Albert Einstein did not have it all figured out. How, then, is it possible that all of us "lesser mortals," including drunken winos sleeping off stupors in downtown alleys, could have once had something to do with creating this world? The answer may lie in the fact that matter is built on
* Common sense tells us that there would be a limit to how many souls existed. "Infinite" may mean a number so large so as to be uncountable.
simple arithmetic and is far less solid than it appears. The basic building block of physical matter is the atom. An atom is made up of three main components: "protons," "neutrons," and "electrons." Protons and neutrons are joined together to form the nucleus (core) of the atom. Electrons orbit at tremendous speeds around the nucleus and thereby form the "shell" of the atom. The entire arrangement is held together by electromagnetic force. What makes one type of atom different from another? Nothing more than the number of electrons and protons. For example, hydrogen has only one electron and one proton. Add one more electron and proton to an atom of hydrogen and, voila!, you now have helium. Add 77 more electrons and protons, along with a generous helping of neutrons, and you suddenly own gold. Take some away to get cobalt and then add some more to form zinc. There are 105 basic elements, each existing simply because they have a different number of electrons and protons! As we can see, physical matter is built upon idiotically simple arithmetic which anyone can do. The reason this arrangement seems to work is that the addition and subtraction of electrons and protons causes a change in the energy created by the atom. Since matter is just condensed energy, a change in an atom's energy through this simple arithmetic will cause a change in the physical substance which the atom produces. The universe only gets complicated after the substances start interacting. Another point is that physical matter is far less solid, and much more ephemeral, than it appears. Atoms consist almost entirely of empty space. If the nucleus of a hydrogen atom were to be enlarged to the size of a marble, its single electron would be a quarter of a mile away! The heaviest atom with the most neutrons, protons and electrons is uranium with 92 electrons. If a uranium atom were enlarged to a half-mile in diameter, the nucleus would be no larger than a baseball! This reveals that atoms are composed almost entirely of empty space and that matter, even the heaviest granite, is therefore surprisingly ephemeral. Our physical perceptions do not detect the almost illusionary nature of matter because the physical senses are constructed to accept the illusion of solidity caused by the extremely rapid motion of atomic particles. (Move something back and forth, or around and around, fast enough and it will appear solid.) If we could see matter for what it truly was, we would see the most solid object as a piece of whispy fluff. As time went on, many incorrect tenets were added to the basic Samkhya teachings, causing the Samkhya system to eventually decay. The other maverick systems suffered the same fate. In the system of "Yoga," for example, people reverted back to "god" idolatry as part of their road to spiritual freedom. In another of the Six Systems, "Mimamsa," an attempt was made to maintain the Aryan creeds and to incorporate them into the new maverick tenets. This did not work because one cannot mix doctrines aimed at enforcing rigid obedience with teachings designed for spiritual freedom and expect to achieve the latter. To be successful, true spiritual knowledge seems to require the same precision demanded of any other science. Diluting successful spiritual knowledge with erroneous teachings will destroy that precision. The Indian maverick movement eventually came to a grinding halt as more and more of the Aryan ideas it sought to replace became incorporated back into the movement. At the same time, many maverick teachings were taken out of context and absorbed into the Hindu religion. The result has been a hopeless spiritual mishmash in India ever since. Before its ultimate decay, the Indian maverick movement brought about one of the largest single religions in history: Buddhism. Founded around the year 525 B.C. by an Indian prince named Gautama Siddharta (who was later known as the "Buddha," or "Enlightened One"), Buddhism spread rapidly throughout the Far East. Like the Samkhya system, Buddhism in its original form did not worship the Vedic gods. It opposed the caste system and it did not support Brahminical (advanced Hindu) doctrines. Unlike many modern Buddhists, early Buddhists did not worship Buddha as a god; instead, they respected him as a thinker who had designed a method by which an individual, through his or her own efforts, might achieve spiritual freedom by way of knowledge and spiritual exercises. It is difficult to determine how successful early Buddhists actually were in achieving their aims, although Siddharta did claim to have personally attained a state of spiritual liberation. Buddhism, like the other maverick systems, underwent a great deal of change, splintering and decay as the centuries progressed. This caused the loss of most of Siddharta's true teachings. In addition, many teachings and practices not created by Buddha were later added to his religion and mislabeled "Buddhism." A good example of this decay is found in the definition of "nirvana." The word "nirvana" originally referred to that state of existence in which the spirit has achieved full awareness of itself as a spiritual being and no longer experiences suffering due to misidentification with the material universe. "Nirvana" is the state striven for by every Buddhist. "Nirvana" has also been translated as "Nothingness" or the "Void": horrible-sounding concepts which have come to imply to many people today that "nirvana" is a state of non-existence or that it involves a loss of contact with the physical universe. In truth, the original maverick goal was to achieve quite the opposite state. Buddha's true state of "nirvana" included a stronger sense of existence, increased self-identity, and an ability to more accurately perceive the physical universe. If we compare maverick religion to Custodial religion, we discover a number of very distinct differences by which a person may distinguish between them. A chart comparing the key philosophies by which they most strongly differ might look something like this:
Maverick Religion Source or inspiration of teachings is said to be an identifiable human being. Belief in a Supreme Being is usually tolerated, but is a minor or nonexistent part of doctrine. Emphasis is placed on the role of the individual spiritual being in relation to the universe. Custodial Religion Source or inspiration of teachings is said to be a god, angel, or supernatural force; not a human being. Belief in a single Supreme Being, or God, is a principle cornerstone of faith. (In earlier times, worship of many humanlike "gods.")
Custodial Religion Physical immortality is an important or desired goal in many Custodial religions. Adherence to doctrine, based upon faith or obedience alone, is stressed. Severe or fatal physical punishments are sometimes employed or advocated during the religion's history to deal with nonbelievers or backsliders. Belief that being born in a human body, either once or many times through reincarnation, is part of a broad spiritual plan which will ultimately benefit every human being. Belief that there are "higher forces," "gods," or supernatural entities which control people's individual or collective fates. Human beings have no control over those forces and can only yield to them. Belief that only one Supreme Being alone created the physical universe. Maverick Religion Spiritual freedom and immortality are sought. Endless existence in the same physical body is deemed unimportant or undesirable. Observation and reason are held to be the proper foundations for adhering to a doctrine. Physical punishments or duress are very mild to nonexistent. Severest punishment is usually formal exclusion of an individual from the religious organization. Belief that there is no hidden spiritual purpose to human existence and that the process of death-amnesia-rebirth causes spiritual decay. Belief that all people are ultimately responsible for having created their own conditions in life, good and bad, by then own actions and inactions, and that all people can ultimately control their own destinies. Belief that everyone has something to do with the creation and/or perpetuation of the physical universe. Maverick Religion Human suffering, toil, and enslavement are social ills that have no constructive purpose and stand in the way of spiritual salvation and freedom. Spiritual recovery and salvation are entirely up to the individual to achieve through his or her own selfmotivated effort.
Some readers will observe that many Custodial and maverick elements listed above are mixed together in some religions. A good example of this is Hinduism. Such mixtures are usually concocted when maverick ideas are incorporated into a Custodial religion, or when Custodial doctrines are added to maverick teachings. When either happens, the full benefits of the maverick teachings are lost. This is especially clear in modern Buddhism where rituals, idolatry and prayers to Buddha have almost entirely supplanted the practical system Buddha had tried to develop. Although Buddhism did not free the human race, it left the hope that freedom would one day come. According to Buddhist legend, Gautama knew that he had not accomplished his goal of creating a religion that would bring about full spiritual liberation for all mankind. He therefore promised that a second "Buddha," or "Enlightened One," would arrive later in history to complete the task. This promise constitutes the famous "Mettaya" ("Friend") prophecy which has become a very important element of modern Buddhist faith. Because Buddhism did not originally express a belief in a Supreme Being, the Mettaya legend did not suggest a messenger or a teacher from "God." Mettaya would simply be an individual with the knowledge and ability to get the job done.
Custodial Religion
Human suffering, toil, and enslavement are part of a broader spiritual plan which will ultimately lead to salvation and freedom for those who obediently endure it. Spiritual recovery and salvation depend entirely upon the grace of "God" or other super-natural entity.
Precisely when in history "Mettaya" was to arrive is hotly debated in some circles. Many Buddhist sources say that Mettaya would come five thousand years after Buddha's death; others have said half of that. Many Buddhist leaders have come along in history claiming to be Mettaya. None of them were successful in bringing about the world promised by Buddha, so most Buddhists still wait. As time went on, the Mettaya prophecy decayed with the rest of Buddhism. The legend was slowly absorbed into a very destructive doctrine being spread by Brotherhood sources in the Middle East and elsewhere: the doctrine of the "End of the World," also known by such dramatic names as the "Day of Judgment," the "Final Battle," "Armageddon," and others. End of the World teachings have had a catastrophic effect on human society. It is therefore of paramount importance to understand more about where, and why, those teachings began.
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