Have you heard of the archeological discoveries in the Gulf of Cambay/Khambat? I had not.
It appears a strong case can be made that a civilization roughly of the sophistication, say, of the Incas or Harappans existed 13,000 years ago, and perhaps as far back as 31,000 years ago.
You have perhaps seen the claims of pyramids off the coast of Japan. To my mind, this makes such a thing seem more likely. They certainly do look like constructed structures.
I read an article a year or two ago suggesting that the notion of a previously unknown, semi-global civilization has been gaining ground even among some mainstream academics in recent years.
It’s a fascinating idea.
And from a strictly theoretical standpoint, to me it conjures a thought exercise in which we can imagine a highly SPIRITUALLY advanced culture which lived in what to us might seem primitive stone buildings. But if you are happy, you have all you want, do you not? If you can conjure joy and fulfillment from the air, which is the point of spirituality, why build cars and skyscrapers?
And spiritually, what might they have known that we don’t, that we see as faint echoes in the best traditions of Buddhism which have survived? Do you know that the main Buddhist library at Nalanda, which had the accumulated canon of many centuries, was burned by Muslims in 1193?
For this reason, Tibet–whose rulers had imported many Sanskritic scholars who read the Buddhist texts in their language of origin to help them translate to Tibetan–alone contains, or should I say contained, the best preserved Buddhist canon. Many more texts, of course, were burned in the fires of Chinese Fascist nihilism. You know, to build a better world, one where any student can torture and kill any teacher, and truth is what the Party needs it to be that day.
That link also notes the primary library for the Zoroastrians was also burnt.
History is unpleasant. One comment, though, that I will add, is that the first burning of books at Alexandria was done by Christians. Such, I believe, is the history. Everything bad about Islam–or most of it anyway–they got from Christians. Certainly Christians bequeathed them radical intolerance, violent evangelizing, and a penchant for dogmatic warfare. Streets ran red with blood shed in the name of religion long before Muhammad was born.
I will add, though, that specific religious authorization and approval of rape, murder, pillage, slaving, and theft is unique to Islam.