Classifying Spiritual Traditions

Rajiv Malhotra proposes that the best way to classify spiritual traditions is on the basis of the methods that these traditions offer for accessing spiritual truths that the ordinary rational mind cannot attain on its own.

Let us step back and begin with what knowledge is attainable by the rational mind and whether human mind is capable of attaining truth beyond the capability of rational mind by other means.

Three fundamental questions arise from this quest:

1. Is there truth beyond what the rational mind can ever reach ?
2. If so, is it accessible to humans under certain circumstances ?
3. If it is possible, then by what means is it accessible ?

If one believes that there is no such truth, or, even if it is, it is simply unattainable by humans, then the question #3 does not even arise.There is no question of methods used to access spiritual truths.

Once we respond to the affirmative for #1 and #2, then the issue of classifying spiritual traditions arises.  It is in the interest of classifying spiritual traditions that we raise the question #3: What methods are used to access spiritual truths in a given spiritual tradition ?

Rajiv Malhotra points out that there are only two methods:

• Revealed knowledge: Religious traditions that rely on revealed knowledge.  This is the path followed by Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).  Spiritual aspiration here is about knowing the will of God for individuals and societies on earth.  Revealed knowledge is dependent on third-party revelations(prophets).
• Embodied knowledge: Techniques for realizing the spiritual truths through the body, including mind and senses. Indic or Dharmic traditions (Sanatana Dharma, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism) follow this approach.

It is Rajiv Malhotra's contention that religious traditions that rely on prophetic revelations to give access to communication with God are (a) history-centric and (b) exclusionary.

We will take a look at these two aspects of Abrahamic religions next.