Probably one of my biggest challenges with Hinduism surrounds (what I find) the exaggerated periods of time involved in the yuga cycles during which human beings are said to have lived millions of years ago. This simply does not jive well with modern-day scientific findings or evolution. Now, I understand empiricism is not the end-all of human thought and philosophy, but to imagine our sciences and pre-historical extrapolations to be so dead wrong is not something I find cogent. My reason cannot accept it. Instead, I prefer to think of time as it relates to the yugas in a strictly spiritual sense. The passage of empirical time is one thing; but I think time can also be looked at from the perspective of "God's time" or a kairotic expression of the divine shakti within time, but not empirically.
This is definitely a difficult aspect of Hinduism for myself intellectually. Although I absolutely adore Hinduism and find it profound on many levels, some elements I cannot will myself to believe even if I tried. Hopefully I will be able to find a synthesis that will allow me to preserve my Dharmic faith and yet remain stalwart in my critical faculty.
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