Prajapita Brahmakumaris on cyclical nature of time in ancient Greek, Roman and Indian philosophies

[ajay0]

An insightful article by Anthony Strano of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris on the cyclical nature of time as emphasized by the ancient Greek, Roman and Indian philosophies. Anthony Strano was the Director of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris in Greece, and studied religion and philosophy at the University of Sydney.

https://aboutbrahmakumaris.org/time-and-transformation/

One of the core teachings of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris is the reality of eternal recurrence. What has happened will continue to happen an infinite number of times, due to the cyclical nature of time.

This is also echoed in the ancient Indian, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Hebrew (Ecclesiastes),Mayan and Aztec philosophies as well.

The nineteenth century philosophy Friedrich Nietzche also held this concept of "eternal recurrence" central in his writings.

Hindu philosophy states that there are four yugas or ages in nature charecterising human civilization as well. They are the Satya Yuga (Golden Age), Treta Yuga (silver age), Dwapara Yuga (Bronze Age) and Kali Yuga (Iron Age).

The Roman Ovid (43 BC – 17/18AD), in his poem “Metamorphoses”, wrote of the four ages of human civilization. Similarly the Greek writer Hesiod in his 800 line epic poem called Works and Days, tells about the five ages of man(Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic and Iron Age).

In Europe, the concept fell into disuse until it reemerged with the Italian Renaissance which rediscovered ancient Roman and Greek thought and was further invigorated by Nietzche's own writings based on it.

 

[Native]

Hello ajay0 and thanks for your OP of *natural time* perceptions

This is also echoed in the ancient Indian, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Hebrew (Ecclesiastes),Mayan and Aztec philosophies as well.

I can complement you with the same cyclical understanding of *time* in Norse Mythology in where the *Ragnarok* part telling speaks of the seasonal changes of "dying and rising" of the Gods and Goddesses who refers to the celestial imageries and the daily and annual motions of the Sun, Moon, Stars, Star Constellations and even the motion of the Milky Way.

Regarding the Stars, Star Constellations and the Milky Way these are at the best most observable in the darker seasons of the year.

It´s my opinion that if modern cosmological science had such a cyclical and natural perception of *time", they never would have thought of their "Big Bang" at all.

If you like, take a look at my Mytho-Cosmological site.

Regards and Thanks from
Native

 

[Brian2]

An insightful article by Anthony Strano of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris on the cyclical nature of time as emphasized by the ancient Greek, Roman and Indian philosophies. Anthony Strano was the Director of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris in Greece, and studied religion and philosophy at the University of Sydney.

https://aboutbrahmakumaris.org/time-and-transformation/

One of the core teachings of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris is the reality of eternal recurrence. What has happened will continue to happen an infinite number of times, due to the cyclical nature of time.

This is also echoed in the ancient Indian, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Hebrew (Ecclesiastes),Mayan and Aztec philosophies as well.

The nineteenth century philosophy Friedrich Nietzche also held this concept of "eternal recurrence" central in his writings.

Hindu philosophy states that there are four yugas or ages in nature charecterising human civilization as well. They are the Satya Yuga (Golden Age), Treta Yuga (silver age), Dwapara Yuga (Bronze Age) and Kali Yuga (Iron Age).

The Roman Ovid (43 BC – 17/18AD), in his poem “Metamorphoses”, wrote of the four ages of human civilization. Similarly the Greek writer Hesiod in his 800 line epic poem called Works and Days, tells about the five ages of man(Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic and Iron Age).

In Europe, the concept fell into disuse until it reemerged with the Italian Renaissance which rediscovered ancient Roman and Greek thought and was further invigorated by Nietzche's own writings based on it.

It seems impossible to me that there have been an infinite number of cycles in the past.

 

[Native]

It seems impossible to me that there have been an infinite number of cycles in the past.

Have you ever pondered over the cunundrum of which came first: The Hen or the Egg?

 

[Brian2]

Have you ever pondered over the cunundrum of which came first: The Hen or the Egg?

Yes but there could be a first cause of all things, who that exists in a changeless and timeless realm.

 

[Native]

Yes but there could be a first cause of all things, who that exists in a changeless and timeless realm.

Well if so, you either have to find a first cause or to conclude that *it all can occur and repeat itself in a timeless realm*, right?

 

[Brian2]

Well if so, you either have to find a first cause or to conclude that *it all can occur and repeat itself in a timeless realm*, right?

I still don't see how an infinite number of cycles could have happened in any realm. That is because we are still adding to it, so it cannot be infinity.
Thus there is a first cause.

 

[ajay0]

I still don't see how an infinite number of cycles could have happened in any realm. That is because we are still adding to it, so it cannot be infinity.
Thus there is a first cause.

Ever heard of the Mobius strip.

Möbius strip - Wikipedia

It may be possible that as in a mobius strip, linear time when extended infinitely, may end up at its starting point of measurement.

Even in the earth's case, we think that at first sight it is all linear space but if we travel linearly or straight from a point on earth for long, we will arrive at the starting point again due to the spherical structure of the earth.

In fact, people believed in the theory of a flat model of the earth for a long time, till it was displaced by the spherical model.

 

[Brian2]

Ever heard of the Mobius strip.

Möbius strip - Wikipedia

It may be possible that as in a mobius strip, linear time when extended infinitely, may end up at its starting point of measurement.

Even in the earth's case, we think that at first sight it is all linear space but if we travel linearly or straight from a point on earth for long, we will arrive at the starting point again due to the spherical structure of the earth.

In fact, people believed in the theory of a flat model of the earth for a long time, till it was displaced by the spherical model.

We used to make Mobius strips as kids but did not know their name.
I don't think that a circular model of time changes anything. We are thinking of numbers now and an infinite number of times around the modius strip in the past is impossible because we are still going around and adding to infinity.

 

[ajay0]

We used to make Mobius strips as kids but did not know their name.
I don't think that a circular model of time changes anything. We are thinking of numbers now and an infinite number of times around the modius strip in the past is impossible because we are still going around and adding to infinity.

People used to think a spherical model of earth was impossible, but now from the vantage point of data and knowledge, now we know it is possible.

So it would be incorrect to dismiss spherical time as impossible, just because we don't have sufficient data at present to prove it .

 

[Brian2]

People used to think a spherical model of earth was impossible, but now from the vantage point of data and knowledge, now we know it is possible.

So it would be incorrect to dismiss spherical time as impossible, just because we don't have sufficient data at present to prove it .

I'm not dismissing spherical time as impossible. I'm just saying that there has to be a first cause because even with spherical time it would be impossible to have an infinite number of cause/effect events. IOWs there has to have been a first.

 

[ajay0]

I'm not dismissing spherical time as impossible. I'm just saying that there has to be a first cause because even with spherical time it would be impossible to have an infinite number of cause/effect events. IOWs there has to have been a first.

There can be a circular sequence of cause and effect preceding each other too. The 'first cause' event as you put it can be preceded by the 'last effect' event, from a spherical sequence point of view.

This is why I brought up the Mobius strip into this, so as to denote this concept.

 

[Brian2]

There can be a circular sequence of cause and effect preceding each other too. The 'first cause' event as you put it can be preceded by the 'last effect' event, from a spherical sequence point of view.

This is why I brought up the Mobius strip into this, so as to denote this concept.

That the last event of one cycle is the cause of the next. Hmm interesting and not doubt that is how it would go if an event needs a cause.
That would still mean an infinite number of cycles and infinite number of cause/effect events. Impossible imo.
First cause and then start from there into an infinite future.

 

[ajay0]

That the last event of one cycle is the cause of the next. Hmm interesting and not doubt that is how it would go if an event needs a cause.
That would still mean an infinite number of cycles and infinite number of cause/effect events. Impossible imo.
First cause and then start from there into an infinite future.

It does not have to be infinite, and can have a finite number so as to make it a mathematical and physical possibility that balances itself out.

 

[Brian2]

It does not have to be infinite, and can have a finite number so as to make it a mathematical and physical possibility that balances itself out.

If we are saying there is no first cause or beginning then it has been going on forever and so it would have to be infinite.

 

[ajay0]

If we are saying there is no first cause or beginning then it has been going on forever and so it would have to be infinite.

A circular sequence with a finite number of events can go on cycling forever in infinite time. The number of events does not have to be infinite. But time in which this cycle moves can be infinite or of an eternal nature.

 

[Brian2]

A circular sequence with a finite number of events can go on cycling forever in infinite time. The number of events does not have to be infinite. But time in which this cycle moves can be infinite or of an eternal nature.

The number of cycles would have to be infinite then.