BURMA (MYANMAR) AND BUDDHISM: A STUDY IN THE RELIGIOUS LEGITIMATION OF GOVERMENT

ABSTRACT

THIS THESIS EXPLORES THE NATURE OF HOLISTIC CONSCIOUSNESS IN HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY, DRAWING ON THE CLASSICAL TEXT OF THE EMERALD TABLET AND THE CORPUS HERMETICUM ATTRIBUTED TO HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. CENTRAL TO THIS ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY FROM HELLENISTIC ALEXANDRIA IS THE “AS ABOVE, SO BELOW” PRINCIPLE, HIGHLIGHTING THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ALL THINGS. HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY VIEWS HARMONY AS THE BALANCE AND INTERCONNECTION OF ALL ELEMENTS IN THE UNIVERSE. SOUND, TIED TO THE DIVINE WORD, IS VITAL FOR THIS HARMONY AND UNDERSTANDING OF CREATION AND DIVINE WISDOM. THIS THESIS FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN, COSMIC, AND DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESS. THROUGH DIVINIZATION, HUMANS CAN ALIGN WITH COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS, REALIZING THEIR DIVINE NATURE BY TRANSCENDING PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL REVIEW HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY IN LIGHT OF CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES, SUCH AS MATERIALISM WHICH HAS CAUSED ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISES. HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY’S HOLISTIC APPROACH AND EMPHASIS ON INTERCONNECTEDNESS CAN COUNTERACT SOCIAL ATOMIZATION CAUSED BY DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY HAVING A SCIENTIFIC-RATIONAL BASIS, CAN BE ALIGNED WITH CONTEMPORARY IDEAS LIKE THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE THEORY. SELF-REFLECTION, MEDITATION, NATURE ENGAGEMENT, AND INNER DIALOGUE ARE ALL PROVEN METHODS FOR CULTIVATING HOLISTIC CONSCIOUSNESS, AS ADVOCATED IN HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY. WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE UNIVERSE BY INTEGRATING HERMETIC WISDOM WITH SCIENCE. 這篇論文探討赫爾墨斯哲學中整體意識的性質，參考了赫爾墨斯·特里斯梅吉斯圖斯所屬的古典文本《翡翠石板》和《赫爾墨斯文集》。這一源自希臘化亞歷山大的古老哲學的核心原則是「上如是下」，強調所有事物之間的相互連結。 赫爾墨斯哲學視和諧為宇宙中所有元素的平衡與相互關聯。聲音與神聖之語相連，對於這種和諧及對創造與神聖智慧的理解至關重要。這篇論文專注於人類、宇宙與神聖意識之間的關係。透過神化，人類能夠與宇宙意識對齊，超越身體的限制，實現其神聖本質。  此外，我們將審視赫爾墨斯哲學在當代挑戰下的意義，例如物質主義所導致的環境、社會和心理健康危機。赫爾墨斯哲學的整體方法和對相互連結的強調，可以對抗數位科技所造成的社會原子化現象。  赫爾墨斯哲學具科學理性基礎，能與當代觀念如全息宇宙理論相結合。自我反思、冥想、與自然的互動及內心對話，都是培養整體意識的有效方法，正如赫爾墨斯哲學所提倡的。我們可以通過將赫爾墨斯智慧與科學相結合，更深入地理解宇宙。