Delusions in Indian thought - I
While Indian thought has profound fundamentals, like every other hermeneutic framework, there are a number of mistaken notions and delusions that continue to bring untold misery. Reform and rejuvenation is nothing new to Indian thought-- which has seen several reformers over the years including Buddha, Mahavira, Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhwa, etc. Indeed, the resilience of Indian culture is due to its ability to reflect, question and reform itself. In this series, I'll put forth some delusions that I've encountered, that continue to complicate our lives and brings unnecessary hardship. One of the most damaging delusions in Indian thought is the idea of "prarabda karma" or the "karmic baggage" (whatever that means), that we start off at the beginning of our lives, based on our actions in our "previous life". This mistaken concept leads to a variety of cognitive fallacies like self-fulfilling prophecies, affirming the consequent, begging the question