Beyond Logic and Reasoning

It was a while ago, that I had stumbled upon a book brought home by my roommate "Jenny", the one by the name of Beyond Illusion and Doubt. On its cover read, "A Vedic Perspective On Western Philosophy." Now, I have always been intrigued by religion or at least interested in understanding them, so every now and then I'd pick up the book and skim through some the chapters, each designated by its own thinker such as Sartre, Aristotle, and Freud, as well as Marx, Nietzsche, and Darwin. The format was simple enough, a discussion (I'm not sure if they were real) with a disciple of the thinker and His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, on the behalf of Vedic philosophy. Just yesterday I was perusing its pages when I found myself reading the chapter on Darwin. It started with the disciple describing his philosophy's platform. It seemed legitimate enough, and the reasoning behind it seemed sound. Then came His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, whom we will just call Swami. I'm sure Swami is a man of great wisdom and intelligence, but to respond against the disciple, every argument he used somehow came back to Krnsa and the Vedanta. Here's a quick example of how the discussion might have gone:

Srila Prabhupada:     So you are telling me, your theory is that humans come from monkeys?

Disciple:     No, I'm saying that are related-

Srila Prabhupada:     Related?! C'mon guy! Everything is related, since we all come from God, the same ancestor, the same father. How can monkeys and humans both exist if one is from another?

Disciple:     Humans and monkeys are branches of the same tree-

Srila Prabhupada:     Yes, yes. And yet both still exist! Anyway, getting back to the point, we say that humans have existed since the beginning of time.

Disciple:     How can that be when they find no evidence to support that?

Srila Prabhupada:     What do you mean, no evidence?

Disciple:     Well, take geological evidence for one. There is no proof.

Srila Prabhupada:     What are you talking about, no proof? Is the ground the only proof?

Disciple:     We can only accept the testimony of our senses.

Srila Prabhupada:     Senses, schmenses... you cannot prove that there was no human being at the time life originated.

Disciple:     From our research and excavations we have found ape-like men and man-like apes-

Srila Prabhupada:     But they don't exist now, if there is one the other must exist to exist, and yet the monkeys remain!

Disciple:     Scientist have dug deep into the earth and have examined the layer and find no evidence of humans. Surely if men were living million of years ago, they would have left
some tangible evidence that would have remained for us to find.

Srila Prabhupada:    If you dig in the dirt, then all you know is the dirt. They extent of your knowledge is merely the ground. As for evidence, dur! Haven't you ever heard of cremation?
They obviously just burned all the bodies. What will remain then?

Disciple:     Well that's possible, but-

Srila Prabhupada:     In the Vedic philosophy we always burn bodies.

Disciple:     All I'm saying is that biological forms seem to be logically evolving from more primative to more modern examples of man.

Srila Prabhupada:     But right now, there are both simple and complex forms. Do you know all forms? There are 8,400,000 species of life existing, do you know them all?

Disciple:     But all evidence shows otherwise. According to evidence there were no land form 500 million years ago.

Srila Prabhupada:     500 million years ago?! Who's the crazy one, now? You've obviously just made that up. Stop lying! You really are a rascal!

Disciple:     If we dig deep layer by layer-

Srila Prabhupada:     You're calculating 500 million years from just dirt? You probably don't know past 3,000 years so stop lying, you liar. The Padma Purana says that there are 8,400,000 species of life. And since the Padma Purana is the truth you can't deny it.

Disciple:     Let's take dinosaurs for example, Darwin says that they are extinct.

Srila Prabhupada:     What has he seen? Is he all knowing? Exactly, and since he isn't all knowing he is wrong and false, period. Have you check every square inch of this planet?

Disciple:     No.

Srila Prabhupada:     Ah-hah! THat's what I thought. How do we know dinosaurs don't exist now?

Disciple:     We don't see any dinosaurs existing.

Srila Prabhupada:     Just because you see them existing doesn't mean they don't. Maybe, they're just invisible or something.

Disciple:     But, dinosaurs-

Srila Prabhupada:     Why are you only talking about dinosaurs? What about all the other animals?

Disciple:     There are many extinct animals.

Srila Prabhupada:     Alright, let's just say that I accept their extinction. Even so, it's because when an animal changes the previous animals disapear; however, monkeys still exist!

Disciple:     You say have millions of years ago there were horses, elephants, and civilized men, and yet there have been many sources all over the world and in every case we find the same thing-

Srila Prabhupada:     I say they are existing now-men, horses, snakes, insects, trees. So why not millions of years ago?

Disciple:     Because there is no evidence.

Srila Prabhupada:     That doesn't mean...! It doesn't count when you only include this planet.

Disciple:     Can't we just stick with this planet?

Srila Prabhupada:     Why? Don't be bitter. The Vedic text say that there are 8,400,000 living species. Our theory of evolution is perfect. The Vedics know everything and tell us that souls stay the same even if the body changes. See how perfect that is? Don't be jealous.

Disciple:     So Darwin and othe material scientist who have no information about the soul-

Srila Prabhupada:     They're missing the whole point. Chumps.

Disciple:     Alright, but I'm still puzzled as to why there is no geological evidence that in former times on this planet there were more complex forms.

Srila Prabhupada:     Why are you taking geological evidence as final? Is it final? Science is progressing. You cannong say it is final. Lord Brahma, now he's final. Our Vedic information  tells us that the first created being is the most intelligent person within the universe-Lord Brahma, the cosmic engineer. So how can we accept you mere material evidence, when we have received our Vedic knowledge from Brahma, who is so perfect.

Disciple:     But wouldn't there be evidence in the earth, some remains?

Srila Prabhupada:     Don't you get it yet?! Forget "evidence, schmevidence" just believe what our text tell you.


So basically, Swami's only argument is that Lord Brahma is the ultimate being; therefore what he supposedly said in these text must be true, because they are the absolute truth. So in that case
you are wrong and he's right, period. Awesome.

May 19, 2003