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Dharmic Philosophies > Page1
Ever since late ancient times, the time of classical Greece, philosophy has been one of the greatest and most noble endeavors of the human mind. Human beings have struggled to create a true idea of the world or reality and to put into rational thought the order of the cosmos. Philosophical thinking has not been limited to the western world. India has perhaps given birth to more different philosophies than any other country. Yet in India philosophy was primarily oriented to the spiritual life, to the practice of Yoga, and made subordinate to it. It was not considered an end in itself nor to be the highest aim of the mind. It is considered to be a stepping stone in training the mind. In the West, philosophy has been gradually subordinated to science and for this reason pure philosophy has declined and is largely disappearing. True philosophy, profound thinking and inquiry about the meaning of life has always been one of the main ways of entering into the spiritual life. It is common to all people and all cultures though it may take a language other than that of reason.
The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, were written in a symbolic and mantric language. Hence they do not set forth any definitive philosophy or world-view. They consist of the raw energy of spiritual experience prior to any systematization. They exist on an intuitive plane and come from a time when the intellect had yet to dominant human thought. Hence they can be interpreted by the mind in many ways.
Author : David Frawley
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