Chapter One:
AN INTRODUCTION TO SCIO-BUDDHISM1:1 Science Versus Mysticism(Note: Scio-Buddhism is a synthesis of Scionics Philosophy and Buddhism. In order to fully appreciate the completely reality-based, non-mystical and universal nature of Scio-Buddhism, it is highly recommended to read the seminal book on Scionics Philosophy, The Protocols of Scionics, which also serves as a reference in several places throughout this writing.) It is natural to seek pleasure, happiness and those things which lead to them; likewise, it is natural to avoid pain, unhappiness and those things which lead to them. Pleasure, happiness and those things which lead to them may be identified as positive hedonic values; likewise, pain, unhappiness and those things which lead to them may be identified as negative hedonic values. (The term “hedonic” is derived from the same root as the word “hedonism:” the Greek word “hedon,” meaning “pleasure.”) To seek hedonic value is both to seek to increase positive hedonic value and to decrease negative hedonic value. Thus the first sentence of this paragraph could be rephrased: “It is natural to seek hedonic value.” One’s methods for pursuing hedonic value are guided by one’s philosophy. A philosophy is a set of concepts and beliefs which provides a framework for understanding the world and one's relationship to it, and for guiding one's activity within it. Any of the various concepts or beliefs which comprise one's philosophy may or may not correspond with actual reality. Those which do will be useful, reliable, and productive guides in the pursuit of hedonic value; those which do not will be useless, unreliable, and counterproductive guides. All of the various methods by which humans have attempted to understand the world and their relationship to it, and for guiding their activities within it, can be broadly classified into one of two distinct and irreconcilable categories: science and mysticism. The word “mysticism” has roots in the Latin “mysterium” and Greek “mysterion,” meaning “mystery.” Mystery is the opposite of knowledge. To be “mystified” is to be “bewildered” or “confused.” “Mysticism,” then, refers to any sort of ineffective, non-reality-based methodology or approach to the acquisition of knowledge and understanding; instead of knowledge, the fruits of mysticism are confusion, ignorance, unhappiness and ultimately death. In contrast to the deplorably ineffective approach of mysticism is the profoundly effective approach of science. The word “science” is derived from the Latin word “scire,” meaning “to know;” quite fittingly, science is in fact the most powerful means available for reliably deriving reality-based knowledge which accurately corresponds with the actual world around us. Knowledge truly is power, and science is the path to that knowledge. The fruits of science, if its power is properly applied, are knowledge, understanding, happiness and life. Most of human history and all of prehistory have been subject to the damaging and deadly effects of mysticism. Science, on the other hand, is a relatively recent advancement which has remained largely misunderstood or ignored by most individuals; all too often some even go so far as to resent or even fear science. Thus, most individuals never fully take hold of the tremendous knowledge and power which science has placed within their grasp; rather than growing and prospering through the application of the liberating, reality-based approach of science, most individuals stagnate and decay, trapped within the impotent, and limiting approach of mysticism. This is an obviously unfortunate and very avoidable state of affairs. The term “natural philosophy” has been traditionally used as essentially a synonym for “science.” Science embraces, whether implicitly or explicitly, both the idea that everything that we can experience is part of the natural (rather than supernatural) world and that only natural methods such as observation, measurement and mathematical modeling (as opposed to some sort of supernatural methods) are valid for studying the world. The equivalence between “natural philosophy” and “science” reflects the fact that science and philosophy are a continuum rather than as discreet discontinuous endeavors, and that all valid philosophy is necessarily based upon reality itself, and that the natural world ultimately includes all of reality. Mysticism, including all types of “supernatural philosophy,” on the other hand, is a means for concocting information which does not correspond with actual reality. The less that one implements reality-based, integrated thinking, the more that one defaults to mystical thinking. Science, or “philosophical naturalism,” is a means for knowing and understanding reality; mysticism is a means for evading and mystifying reality. The purpose of this writing is to rescue humanity from its limiting and destructive mysticisms, through the mind-liberating knowledge and constructive power of natural philosophy, i.e. science. Scionics is the invincible philosophy, science and technology of the fully integrated application of philosophical naturalism. (The term “Scionics,” like the word “science,” is derived from the Latin root “scire,” meaning “to know.”) Scionics entails the full utilization of, and adherence to, reality-based, scientifically valid criteria for developing, evaluating, and integrating concepts and beliefs. The Scionics protocols maximize an individual’s capability to respond to all situations with understanding, rationality, control and love, potentiating the extraction of maximum hedonic value from all situations. A strict adherence to self-honesty is absolutely necessary if one is to abandon all forms of mysticism and to gain and maintain an iron-clad grasp of the knowledge and power of science. This is the very essence of Scionics; thus, the term “Scion” may refer to one who consistently applies the protocols of Scionics, consistently adhering to self-honesty and consistently extracting maximum hedonic value from every situation. A Scion is the opposite of a mystic. (The term “Scionic” is the adjectival form of the noun, Scion.) Mystical thinking puts the mystic in constant danger of acting self-destructively and of being manipulated and exploited by others. A mystic’s anti-reality-driven actions result in the waste or destruction of hedonic values. The situation is gloriously different for the Scion. Reality itself is the very foundation of Scionics. This unshakable foundation and the resulting freedom from destructive mysticism allows the Scion to rationally, effectively and lovingly pursue, obtain, and create maximum hedonic value – both for oneself and for those one loves. Much research and effort has gone into the development of Scionics. This required the in-depth study and investigation of subjects and ideas from across the entire gamut of human thought and activity, both mystical and non-mystical; these include (but are not limited to): Psychology Physics (classical, relativistic and quantum mechanics, cosmology and astrophysics, optics) Biology (including evolution, genetics, physiology, and medicine) Chemistry Philosophy Government, Politics and Law History Theology and Religion The Arts
During this research and investigation, it was critical that mystical ideas and concepts be identified and distinguished from reality-based ideas and concepts. As might be expected, the myriad religions of the world (both those practiced today and those which were practiced in the past) were found to contain enormous amounts of mysticism. There is one, however, which was discovered to be completely free of mysticism in its essential practices, and largely (although not completely) free of mysticism in its most fundamental core of beliefs. This “religion,” in fact, is considered by some not to truly be a religion in the usual sense of the word, but instead is considered to be a philosophy or simply an approach to living: Buddhism. (The Buddha, himself, called the approach he created the “Dhammapada,” which translates as “Path of the Teaching” or “Way of the Teaching.”) |
