Carvaka
This ancient “atheist” materialist philosophy
from India is known only by it’s detractors,
as “Gnostic” schools were until recently.
Like the Nag Hammadi, these words are more
aligned with my view of the Allness
then the streams that have mainly
come down to us.
As i’ve said before, my school is one of
a very hard core purely literal Materialism.
The spirit and the thing are not at all identical,
they are simply one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cārvāka
That the pleasure arising to man from contact
with sensible objects, is to be relinquished
because accompanied by pain?
Such is the reasoning of fools.
The kernels of the paddy,
rich with finest white grains,
what man, seeking his own true interest,
would fling them away,
because of a covering of husk and dust?
The Agnihotra, the three Vedas,
the ascetic’s three staves,
and smearing oneself with ashes —
Brihaspati says,
these are but means of livelihood for
those who have no manliness nor sense.
In this school there are four elements,
earth, water, fire and air; and from these
four elements alone is intelligence produced —
just like the intoxicating power from kinwa &c,
mixed together; since in “I am fat”, “I am lean”,
these attributes abide in the same subject,
and since fatness, &c, reside only in the body,
it alone is the soul and no other,
and such phrases as “my body”
are only significant metaphorically.
If a beast slain in the Jyothishtoma rite
will itself go to heaven, why then does not
the sacrificer forthwith offer his own father?
If the Sraddha produces gratification to beings
who are dead, then why not give food down below
to those who are standing on the house-top?
If he who departs from the body
goes to another world,
how is it that he come not back again,
restless for love of his kindred?
Hence it is only as a means of livelihood that
Brahmans have established here all these ceremonies
for the dead, — there is no other fruit anywhere.
The three authors of the Vedas were buffoons,
knaves, and demons.
All the well-known formulae of the pandits,
jarphari, turphari, etc. and all the obscene rites
for the queen commanded in Aswamedha,
these were invented by buffoons,
and so all the various kinds of presents to
the priests, while the eating of flesh was
similarly commanded by night-prowling demons.
Fire is hot, water cold,
refreshingly cool is the breeze of morning;
By whom came this variety?
They were born of their own nature.
Springing forth from these elements itself
solid knowledge is destroyed when they are destroyed—
after death no intelligence remains.
While life remains, let a man live happily,
let him feed on butter though he runs in debt;
When once the body becomes ashes,
how can it ever return again?