Scripture or Experience?

[atanu]

By "ultimate experience," are you referring to moksha or enlightenment? Also, how did you gain this understanding?

Not moksha, but nirvikalpa samadhi — dissolution of subject object separation.

My understanding is primarily based on hearing/reading and contemplation and secondarily on some experiences.

I believe that sraddha in teacher’s sayings or in scripture plays an important role towards keeping the seeker focussed. But, not all minds will be equally receptive to scriptural or guru’s teachings.

 

[Fool]

There are those that claim that religious truth is found in Scripture, be it the Bible, the Quran, The Bhavagad Gita, the Principia Discordia, or other sacred texts.

My question to you is this: Is it better to learn from a subject's biographer, or from the subject Him/Her/Itself? In other words, would you trust a man's writings about God to learn about Him/Her/It, or would you rather learn from God Him/Her/Itself by way of meditation, prayer, or your own personal research?

I've discovered that a 1st person experience is best.

Jesus, Siddhartha, Pythagoras, and Socrates did not write any of their own teachings.

 

[Fool]

Scriptures can be useful in providing a direction, but you need experience to determine the veracity of what's written in religious oriented material.

amen a belief, a thought, without application never becomes practical.

 

[DavidFirth]

There are those that claim that religious truth is found in Scripture, be it the Bible, the Quran, The Bhavagad Gita, the Principia Discordia, or other sacred texts.

My question to you is this: Is it better to learn from a subject's biographer, or from the subject Him/Her/Itself? In other words, would you trust a man's writings about God to learn about Him/Her/It, or would you rather learn from God Him/Her/Itself by way of meditation, prayer, or your own personal research?

That's the reason why Christians believe God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. He reveals truth to us, comforts us and guides us in truth. We don't have to just believe in what the book says.

 

[SalixIncendium]

For those of you who answered that personal experience should be used in conjunction with Scripture, I have a follow-up question.

If Scripture and experience ever come into conflict, which prevails and why?

 

[atanu]

For those of you who answered that personal experience should be used in conjunction with Scripture, I have a follow-up question.

If Scripture and experience ever come into conflict, which prevails and why?

Yeah.

 

[Tmac]

In the thread about what would you say if you died and met a god you didn't expect, someone posted, 'Sorry, I did the best I could.' In retrospect I think that answer is brilliant. And for me personally, sort of crystallizes why I call myself apatheistic. Because I'd rather do the best I can, myself, independently of anyone (man or possible spirit or possible god or a central unified intelligence some call 'the universe') telling me what truths are. It's something I want to discover for myself, and I don't believe that comes from following other's instructions.

Yes a good answer but I wouldn't say I'm sorry, why should I, it was given with no conditions.

 

[Aupmanyav]

There are those that claim that religious truth is found in Scripture, be it the Bible, the Quran, The Bhavagad Gita, the Principia Discordia, or other sacred texts.

My question to you is this: Is it better to learn from a subject's biographer, or from the subject Him/Her/Itself? In other words, would you trust a man's writings about God to learn about Him/Her/It, or would you rather learn from God Him/Her/Itself by way of meditation, prayer, or your own personal research?

Scripture or personal experience is the same thing. Scripture also is someone's personal experience. Bhagawat Gita is the experience of many people who wrote verses. I do not believe in its divine origin or that it was written by one person. Sometimes what two verses say is quite different.

But the final decision is one' own depending upon all that one has learnt (the sum of advice to him/her, listening, reading, experience) and his/her circumstances.

 

[DavidFirth]

For those of you who answered that personal experience should be used in conjunction with Scripture, I have a follow-up question.

If Scripture and experience ever come into conflict, which prevails and why?

I don't recall that ever happening.

 

[Grandliseur]

There are those that claim that religious truth is found in Scripture, be it the Bible, the Quran, The Bhavagad Gita, the Principia Discordia, or other sacred texts.

My question to you is this: Is it better to learn from a subject's biographer, or from the subject Him/Her/Itself? In other words, would you trust a man's writings about God to learn about Him/Her/It, or would you rather learn from God Him/Her/Itself by way of meditation, prayer, or your own personal research?

I my case as a child I studied the scriptures extensively; this has continued all my life.

The thing is that once you get the gist of what things are about, a person starts learning, having experience, in life with how things work. You cannot come to an accurate knowledge without the writings, you cannot come to know God without this.

However, living the Christian life, one goes through obedience and disobedience from being a youth to being old. In this, it becomes obvious to the Christian who isn't disapproved that serious disobedience is punished seriously, and prayers are answered.

So, your question 'scripture or experience' becomes 'scripture and experience.' You learn about God from scripture, but you have personal experience with God from experience, his love, his kindness, his mercy, his loving kindness (the paying back part), and his forgiveness if the sin isn't to death.

His refinement is the hardest of all.

 

[Profound Realization]

I see scripture/texts as a book about the human being's mind and body through symbolism each respective in their own languages.

Experience, or what I also like to call, what is written/scripted within a human being gradually revealing/manifesting itself..will always be more reliable.

When I know and understand and am aware of myself, my own script within, I can then start to see clearer and relate to experiences of others who have written down texts.

 

[David T]

Emperically...