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SCIENCE MEETS SPIRITUALITY


(Wisdom Oriented Reality, Life and Destiny)

By Virendra P Singh

Introduction
The universe has two realities: manifest and non-manifest. Both of these realities are evident in the structure of atoms that make the universe as well as the human body. The manifest reality is known through science by objective experiments. The non-manifest reality is known through spirituality by subjective experience. The physical elements (manifest reality) and consciousness (non-manifest reality) are both essential for life of human beings on the earth. Scientists have discovered that the universe has traits that make it appear as if everything it contains was tailor-made to sustain human life. The universe is designed intelligently and is wisdom oriented. Consequently, human life and destiny would also be wisdom oriented. The purpose of human life is to know and experience the reality at all levels. Pursuit of science is necessary for acquiring knowledge of the physical reality through objective experiments. Pursuit of spirituality is necessary for the attainment of higher states of consciousness through subjective experience of spiritual enlightenment and Self Realization. Currently, the humanity faces some unprecedented problems. These problems include immorality, materialism, poverty, over-population, sickness, security, illiteracy, belief systems, lust and environment. Prophets, saints, philosophers, scholars and other wise people have given prescriptions for solution of human problems. They have all suggested the spiritual path of wisdom for the realization of God or True Self. Earlier, there was no scientific support for the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment and Self Realization. Recent discoveries in the field of quantum physics, biology, consciousness and other areas have revealed the existence of reality at sub-atomic level that could be the abode of cosmic wisdom. This cosmic wisdom is known as God/Goddess, cosmic consciousness, divinity etc. by the spiritualists and the Zero Point Field, the quantum vacuum, Source Field etc. by the scientists. It may be given any other name.

Humanity stands at the threshold of unimaginable chaos, calamity, death and destruction. In this special time of human history, science and spirituality should join and provide a new vision to solve the problems faced by humanity on the earth. This is not only important, but also urgent. In the following pages, wisdom oriented reality and common points of wisdom in spirituality and science are highlighted. The Article is divided into ten parts. The first part deals with the meaning and importance of wisdom. The second part deals with the Theory of Everything. The third part deals with the Theory of Envelopes. The fourth part deals with the manifest reality of atom and the universe. The fifth part deals with the non-manifest reality of life and consciousness. The sixth part deals with the science and spirituality that deal with manifest reality and the non-manifest reality respectively. The seventh part deals with the human life and its place in the cosmic perspective. The eighth part deals with the human destiny and purpose. The ninth part deals with the human problems and their resolution through the combined efforts of science and spirituality. The tenth part is the bibliography with internet links wherever available.

Wisdom
General Wisdom is commonly known as the knowledge, teachings and insights that look into the ultimate reality of all things in the universe including their origin, existence and purpose. Wisdom is present in the universe at all times and at all places from the micro to the macro level. Wisdom is also known as the reality of Transcendental Self. Wisdom is known by several other names, such as Sophia (Greek), Athena (Roman), Saa (Egypt), Tao (Lao Tse), Cosmic consciousness, Divinity, Creative intelligence, Shri Vidya (Supreme knowledge) etc. Bhagavad Gita In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna identifies his Supreme Cosmic form as Wisdom. He says, Oh Arjun! I am worshiped by four types of people, namely, those who are suffering from pain, those who are lovers of truth, those who are desirous of wealth, and those who are wise. Among them, the wise person, who meditates and is immersed in the Supreme Being, is the best. He loves Me and I always love him immensely. Although all are good, yet I consider the wise person to be the best because I am also the same (wise person). Being fully dedicated to yoga, whatever his goal is, that is Me. (Bhagavad Gita 7.16; 7.17; 7.18) Tao Te Ching Lao-Tzu in his book, Tao Te Ching, has referred to wisdom as Tao. The first lines of this book give an idea of What is Tao (Wisdom): The Tao (Wisdom) that can be told is not the eternal Tao (Wisdom). The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source (Wisdom). This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding. Tripura Rahasya In Tripura Rahasya of Dattatreya (A book that explains the reality of existence and the three states of consciousness, namely, wake up state, sleep state, and dream state) wisdom has been called Shri Vidya or Supreme Knowledge. I (Shri Vidya) am the abstract intelligence (Wisdom) wherefrom the cosmos originates, whereon it flourishes, and wherein it dissolves, like the images in a mirror. (Chapter 20) Gautam Buddha For Gautam Buddha, Wisdom was the non-dual awareness that leads to enlightenment. It is also the consciousness in which this world with all its phenomena and activities is known to be as an image or series of images. There is no perfect contemplation for him who is not wise, and no wisdom for him who does not concentrate. He in whom there is both perfect contemplation and wisdom is, indeed, close to nirvana. (DHAMMAPADA, Wisdom of the Buddha-372) Kabir Kabir, a mystic Hindi poet, was illiterate but composed poetry full of wisdom. Following is an example: Wonderful is that land of rest, to which no merit can win; It is the wise who has seen it, it is the wise who has sung of it. This is the Ultimate Word: but can any express its marvelous savor? He who has savored it once, he knows what joy it can give. Kabir says: "Knowing it, the ignorant man becomes wise, and the wise man becomes speechless and silent, The worshipper is utterly inebriated, His wisdom and his detachment are made perfect; He drinks from the cup of the in breathings and the out breathings of love."

Theory of Everything
Theory of everything-Scientific Albert Einstein once said, I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details. He tried hard to find a unified Theory of Everything but did not succeed. There have been many formulations of the Theory of Everything (TOE), mostly by scientists, but as yet none has been able to stand up to experimental scrutiny. There is difficulty in getting any theory to produce experimentally testable and universally acceptable results. The primary problem in producing a scientific theory of everything is the non-compatibility of the theories of quantum mechanics and general relativity that propose radically different descriptions of the reality of universe. Quantum theory deals with the small scale world of atoms and particles. The theory of relativity covers the large-scale structure of the universe. The micro world of quanta and particles in the quantum theory has shown wave-particle duality of reality at sub-atomic level. This does not fit into the macro level reality of planets, stars and galaxies. Scientists are searching for a complete and consistent theory that unifies quantum and relativity theories. Another problem for scientists theory of everything is the limitation in their interpretation of reality. Their approach is not comprehensive and integral. Only manifest reality capable of being tested through experiments is examined and all other forms of non-manifest reality, such as consciousness, are ignored. The area of non-manifest reality has so far been left to the non-scientists! In this respect, the following observations of Stephen Hawking, are of interest: Up to now, most scientists have been too occupied with the development of new theories that describe what the universe is to ask the question why. On the other hand, the people whose business it is to ask why, the philosophers, have not been able to keep up with the advance of scientific theories. In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: did the universe have a beginning? However, in the

nineteenth and twentieth centuries, science became too technical and mathematical for the philosophers, or anyone else except a few specialists. Philosophers reduced the scope of their inquiries so much that Wittgenstein, the most famous philosopher of this century, said, "The sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of language." What a comedown from the great tradition of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant! Stephen Hawking concluded that if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God. (A Brief History of Time-Chapter 12) A cosmic factor or consciousness needed by scientists Albert Einstein, after his theory of special relativity (1905) and theory of general relativity (1915), felt the need for cosmic factor and incorporated it in his theory as cosmological constant. Later, he abandoned it due to its incompatibility with physics. Results found in 2000, however, revealed that Einstein was probably right after all: the cosmological constant not only exists, but dark energy probably makes up the largest source of matter/ energy in the entire universe. (Einsteins cosmos (2004) by Michel Kaku). Roger Penrose, an eminent mathematician and physicist, in an article in Nature (January 2005) suggested the need for including consciousness in any complete theory. He wrote: a physical theory of everything' should at least contain the seeds of an explanation of the phenomenon of consciousness It must be of such sophistication that the brain is enabled to dig more deeply into the fundamental workings of the Universe than are more commonplace physical systems. Theory of everything-Spiritual A spiritualist, Ken Wilber, has written a book "The Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science, and Spirituality" in which he claims to provide "a model that would unite all the known laws of the universe into one all-embracing theory that would literally explain everything in existence." In his Theory of Everything, Wilber presents complex theories that integrate the realms of body, mind, soul, and

spirit. He also demonstrates how these theories and models can be applied to real-world problems in areas such as politics, medicine, business, education and the environment. It may be pointed out that Ken Wilbers Theory of Everything is not simple since it tries to provide an integral vision for business, medicine, politics, education and the environment as well as for science and spirituality.

Theory of Envelopes
Creative Force of Wisdom Before the Big Bang, there was no space, no time, and no causation. There was only the wisdom or potency to create the universe. Scientists call it Singularity and religions call it God. Evolution of the universe started when the Creative Force of Wisdom wanted to experience Itself as object. It became the subjective consciousness and, along with gravity, enveloped the minutest form of energy or quantum. While gravity and consciousness as outer cover of the envelope are the uniting forces, energy in the inner part comprises the manifest form of the universe. The cosmic code of quantum envelope contained the wisdom of the Creator. The universe evolved from one envelope to many that may be compared to the evolution of human being from one cell to many in the womb. Space and time emerged as a result of this multiplication of quantum envelope. Quantum size and speed (the light speed) as well as the code or information were marked on the unified envelopes that became the prime mover of the universe. Quantum Envelope First step in the process of evolution was the formation of quantum envelopes. The universe of quantum envelopes had perfect symmetry. While it had a large number of quanta, the force of gravity that glued all the envelopes was one. Consciousness that contained the Code or information was also one. There was the single universe of gravity and consciousness containing information/code and the packets of energy in the form of quanta. The outer part of all the envelopes was united as one cosmic gravity and cosmic consciousness. This supports the existence of continuous wave

aspect of gravity/consciousness and discontinuous aspect of energy implied in the quantum theory. Particle Envelope The duration of the universe of quantum envelopes was very short. Expansion due to the movement of quanta at light speed reduced the temperature. The symmetry was broken and the quanta collected to form the particles as per the code of quantum envelope. Particle envelope contained the quantum envelopes inside it. With the coming together of quanta in form of particles, the universe took the form of clouds of particles. The clouds were made of sub-atomic particles such as quarks and photons. Atom Envelope The particles in the clouds cooled to form atoms. A large collection of atoms formed a star and the cloud of particles now became the galaxies of stars made of atoms. Sun was one of the stars formed in the galaxy called the Milky Way. Like other stars, sun underwent transformations due to the changes in the atoms in it. Each atom contained a nucleus of particles known as protons and neutrons and one or more electrons moving around the nucleus in the field of the atom. Molecule Envelope With the passage of time, cooling of atoms led to their coming together to form molecules. For example, two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen united to make the molecule of water. Scientists call this unification of atoms as covalent bond. As the star cooled, heavy atoms moved to the surface to form the molecules or molecule envelopes. This caused disequilibrium and led to explosion of the star. This explosion is known as supernova through which the outer part of the star is thrown away to form planets and other bodies. The planets and other bodies around the sun emerged after such supernova or supernovas. Our earth is one of the eight planets and numerous other bodies spinning and revolving around the sun. Everything on the earth, including the human beings, was once part of the sun and is called the star dust.

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Life Envelope Molecules combined to form the inorganic and organic matter. Inorganic matter followed the evolution based on the principle of entropy. Some organic matter developed the capacity to duplicate itself. This was through the emergence of cells that could live through the continued existence of their duplicates. These cells also developed functions that enabled them to maximize their capacity to maintain stability in a hostile environment. Initially, the living beings comprised water based plants and creatures. Gradually life spread to areas that had abundant water supply. The capacity of living beings to absorb light energy of suns rays made them grow bigger and stronger. Their life span also increased. Sense Envelope Cellular reproductive life introduced new capabilities through the senses of action and perception that produced a large variety of creatures in water and on earth. The senses required higher level of processing of information compared to the processing of information contained in the life envelopes of the previous level. The functions related to the senses provided the living beings some skills to avoid carbon dioxide consumed by plants and use oxygen to support their survival. These oxygen consuming beings became animals and information about their behavior based on senses was a main change in the processing of information. In the animal category, the process of evolution from one to many cells underwent change from mitosis (single cell dividing itself and passing the same characteristics to the divided cells) to meiosis (two parent cells dividing and half of each joining to form one cell with unique features). This could not be accidental as it contained the process of evolution that culminated in the emergence of intelligence and creativity of human beings. Intelligence Envelope The element of intelligence emerged from the senses through which some animals started doing things that made them better adapted to the living conditions on earth. This included living together in herds, finding

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better place to protect from the vagaries of nature and threats from other animals. These activities were regulated by instincts and imitation. The intelligence factor made a big difference in the evolution of brain of animals. Some animals had more intelligent than others. The size and complexity of the brains of the intelligent animals grew faster than others. The brain of these intelligent animals had the advanced capability to comprehend the code for processing the information contained in the sense envelopes. Human (Creative) Envelope The last stage in the process of evolution came with the emergence of human beings that had the creative capacity to process information contained in all the previous envelopes. The processing of information at human level is not just physical but it is also metaphysical. The following features of human mind and consciousness support this: Creativity, awareness, remembering, sense perceptions, intelligence, negative entropy, feeling, intentionality, emotions, language learning and dreaming. With these features, human brain-mind became the most complex system of creation. It had the capability to penetrate into the original Quantum Envelope and ask questions about the Creator, creation and the nature of reality. The Big Bang could not be a thoughtless event. The Creator must have envisaged the possibility of evolution of intelligent and creative beings at the time of creation of the universe. This remained dormant for billions of years till the appearance of human beings having the capacity to think and penetrate the sub-atomic reality as is evident from the quantum theory developed by human beings in the past century. Merits of the Theory of Envelopes Theory of Envelopes accepts the basic concept of the event of Big Bang and evolution thereafter. Scientists call it the Standard Model. It incorporates the five basic elements at the fundamental level, namely, gravity, consciousness and the three forces of energy. The three forces of energy are: The strong nuclear force that tightly holds the protons together in the nucleus of an atom; weak nuclear force that is responsible for the

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decay or radioactivity of some sub-atomic particles and the electromagnetism that acts between electrically charged particles. The Theory of Envelopes covers both aspects - the manifest and nonmanifest - of reality. Its approach is holistic and comprehensive. Science, spirituality and mysticism that deal with matter, consciousness and God respectively, are all integrated in it. In a true sense, it is the Theory of Everything. Envelope Theory shows how the evolution of human beings, having the capacity to think about the biggest and the smallest forms of reality, were conceived through cosmic wisdom at the time of Creation of the universe. Such ideas appear in many mystical traditions. This is also present in the philosophy of Henri Bergson, who believed that the whole purpose of the evolutionary process was Gods undertaking to create the creators. This Theory simplifies the understanding of human creativity and wisdom. It accepts the scientific discoveries as well as the commonly accepted ideas of philosophers and mystics not yet refuted by science. Envelope Theory makes it simple to understand the mysteries of creation and evolution of the universe and make it comprehensible. The simplicity of the theory should not undermine its effectiveness in understanding the reality at different levels. According to the scientist J. A. wheeler, Everything important is, at bottom, utterly simple. Albert Einstein also said, I have deep faith that the principle of the universe will be beautiful and simple.

Manifest Reality
Cosmology It is believed that the universe came into existence at an event called the Big Bang. After the Big Bang, the quantum started multiplying from one to two to four to eight to sixteen. If each step took one second, in ten seconds the number of quanta was 1024. In another ten seconds, the number was over 1,000,000. In 240 seconds or 4 minutes, the number was 1 followed by 72 zeros.

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The universe of quanta had perfect symmetry. While it had a large number of quanta, the field of consciousness and gravity, that enveloped the quanta, was one. The Field of Consciousness contained the Code or information for the entire evolution. Time and space Dictionary definition of time is "a non-spatial linear continuum wherein events occur in an apparently irreversible order. Time is currently defined via measurement. In 1967, the unit of time, a second, was defined in terms of atomic time rather than the motion of the earth. Specifically, a second was defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 cycles of microwave light absorbed or emitted by the cesium-133 atom. Light year is the distance covered by light in one year travelling at 300 000 kilometers per second. Quantum theory casts doubts about the existence of time and space as we know them. When people speak of time, they are usually referring to change. But change is not the same thing as time. There is a peculiar intangibility about space, as well. We cannot pick it up and bring it the laboratory. This is because, like time, space is neither physical nor fundamentally real. Space and time are forms of our animal sense perception and the creation of our consciousness. Similar views are found in the spiritual book, Tripura Rahasya also. "Time and space are the factors of division in the world; of these, space refers to the location of objects and time to the sequence of events. Time and space are themselves projected from consciousnessThe fact of the existence of things is only illumination of them, and nothing more. Such illumination pertains to consciousness alone. That alone counts which is selfshining. Objects are not so, for their existence depends upon perception of them by conscious beings. But consciousness is self-effulgent - not so the objects, which depend on conscious beings for being known. (Tripura Rahasya-Ch. XI 46-51) Measurement of space To measure space, we should understand the scale of measurement from the smallest to the biggest or from quantum to the cosmic level. The size of quantum is estimated as 10-36 meters (one meter divided by one followed by 36 zeros!). The human scale is one meter. The size of other entities will be approximately as follows:

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Size of particle will be about 10-30 meter or one meter divided by one followed by 30 zeros! Size of atom will be about 10-24 meter or one meter divided by one followed by 24 zeros! Size of molecule will be about 10-18 meter or one meter divided by one followed by 18 zeros! Size of a cell will be about 10-12 meter or one meter divided by one followed by 12 zeros! Size of a tissue will be about 10-6 meter or one meter divided by one followed by 6 zeros! Size of a planet will be about 106 meters or one meter multiplied by one followed by 6 zeros! Size of the solar system will be about 1012 meters or one meter multiplied by one followed by 12 zeros! Size of a galaxy will be about 1018 meters or one meter multiplied by one followed by 18 zeros! Size of a cluster of galaxies will be about 1024 meters or one meter multiplied by one followed by 24 zeros! Size of the universe will be about 1030 meters or one meter multiplied by one followed by 30 zeros! Size of the cosmos will be about 1036 meters or one meter multiplied by one followed by 36 zeros! Reality of atom Till the end of the 19th century, atom was considered to be the smallest, solid and indivisible physical entity. In 1900, Max Planck published his theory explaining the emission spectrum of black bodies (Quantum theory). In physics, quantum (plural quanta) refers to an indivisible, and elementary entity. The dimension of quantum (called Planck length) is 10-36 meters (one meter divided by one followed by 36 zeros!). The duration of quantum (called Planck time) is 10-43 seconds (one second divided by one

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followed by 43 zeros!) Hereafter, atom was neither smallest, nor solid nor indivisible entity! An atom has three types of particles namely: electrons, protons and neutrons. The particles occupy .01 per cent area while the field occupies 99.99 per cent area of the atom. The area of particles is miniscule and most of the atom is empty space known as the field. Based on this fact, modern science has confirmed the dual nature of Reality-manifest reality of the particles and non-manifest reality of the field. Accordingly, other forms of manifest and non-manifest duality are: quanta and qualia, objective and subjective, energy and consciousness, body and mind, material and spiritual, experiment and experience, science and spirituality. To comprehend the reality of an atom, we should understand that it contains numerous particles having numerous quanta. If the size of atom is about 10-24 meter or one meter divided by one followed by 24 zeros, and the size of quantum is 10-36 meters or one meter divided by one followed by 36 zeros, each atom will have about 1012 or one trillion quanta. The importance of atoms has been described by some scientists as follows: As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter. Max Planck According to Heisenberg: "The atoms or elementary particles themselves . . . form a world of potentialities or possibilities rather than one of things or facts." This implies that what we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our observation. This point has been asserted by Chris Clarke, Helge Kragh, Deepak Chopra, Roger Penrose etc. in their book, Cosmology of Consciousness: Quantum Physics & Neuroscience of Mind (2011) If, in some cataclysm, all scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe

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it is the atomic hypothesis (or atomic fact, or whatever you wish to call it) that all things are made of atoms little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence you will see an enormous amount of information about the world, if just a little imagination and thinking are applied. -Richard Feynman Dalai Lama begins his book The Universe in a Single Atom with a quote from an ancient Buddhist text (The Great Flower Ornament)which says: In each atom of the realms of the universe, there exist vast oceans of world systems. The Universe Atoms are the building blocks of the universe. Numerous atoms are condensed into planets, planets into stars, stars into galaxies, galaxies into clusters, and, finally, the universe. Diameter of the Earth is estimated to be about 12,000 km. The number of atoms in the earth would be about 1045 or one followed by 45 zeros. Diameter of the Sun is estimated to be about 1,377,000 km. The number of atoms in the sun would be about 1054 or one followed by 54 zeros. The Milky Way Galaxy, a large disk-shaped spiral galaxy, is about 100,000 light years in diameter and 3,000 light years in thickness. It is estimated that the Milky Way contains about 1011 (100 billion) stars and the sun is just one of them. The number of atoms in the Galaxy would be about 1065 or one followed by 65 zeros. Clusters of galaxies are estimated to have millions of galaxies The number of atoms in the cluster of galaxies would be about 1070 or one followed by 70 zeros. It is estimated that the universe has millions of clusters of galaxies and contains about 1080 (one followed by 80 zeros) atoms.

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Non-Manifest Reality
Zero Point Energy Quantum theory has revealed the presence of an all-pervasive background sea of quantum energy in the universe. Cambridge Universitys Dr. Harold Puthoff was one of the first to measure this energy of the universe. He found what he called a seething cauldron of energy and it was given the name zero point energy (ZPE). Harold Puthoff proved that the physical vacuum is not devoid of energy at all. Princeton Universitys John Wheeler and Richard Feynman valued the zero point energy and calculated that a cup of zero point energy is enough to bring all the oceans of the world to boiling point. The God Theory "In the beginning there were only probabilities. The universe could only come into existence if someone observed it. It does not matter that the observers turned up several billion years later. The universe exists because we are aware of it." (Martin Rees) In his book, The God Theory: Universes, Zero-point Fields, And What's Behind It All Bernard Haisch, an astrophysicist, suggests that the zero-point field (the quantum vacuum) relates to awareness: "The fact that the zero-point field is the lowest energy state makes it unobservable. We can only perceive it, as we perceive many things, by way of contrast. Your eye works by letting light fall on an otherwise-dark retina. But if your eye were filled with light, there would be no darkness to afford the contrast" (page 71). Haisch also writes: "Einstein's special relativity theory tells us that light propagation defines the properties of space and time. I argue that light propagation may actually create space and time. The zero-point field inertia hypothesis implies that the most fundamental property of matter, namely mass, is also created by light" (page 119). Bernard Haisch provides additional points to substantiate his views in another book, The PurposeGuided Universe: Believing in Einstein, Darwin and God. He has concluded that the origin of this universe and all others that may exist lies in the will of a supreme consciousness, a consciousness that we all possess, in varying degrees. He believes that we will discover in this century that we shape our reality via consciousness to a much greater degree than is presently acknowledged.

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The Unified Field of Consciousness Theory John S. Hagelin, a renowned physicist at the Maharishi International University Fairfield, Iowa (USA), has suggested that the roots of the unified field theory may be found in the Vedas. According to Vedic science, the separation between the observer and the observed is a matter of viewpoint only. It represents a particular perspective that is viable only on a gross sensory level, but which must ultimately be abandoned for a fully consistent understanding of self and the environment. The unified field, experienced as the most fundamental state of human awareness, is considered to be a level of reality at which such a separation cannot be inferred. The experience of the unified field of consciousness, in which the observer, the process of observation and the observed are unified, is considered to be a means of realizing the ultimate inseparability of the observer and the observed, leading to a completely unified view of self and the environment traditionally known as "enlightenment" or "unity consciousness" According to Hagelin the structure of the unified field from the standpoint of modern theoretical physics is consistent with this view in which the unified field is both a subjective and an objective reality. Akashic Field Theory Erwin Laszlo, Hungarian born philosopher of Science, in his book Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything presents the idea that all knowledge in the universe (or more accurately, the metaverse) is carried as an energy wave in, or as a part of, the quantum vacuum. This is called Akashic Field Theory. It is an interesting blending of philosophy and physics in an attempt to provide a deeper understanding of consciousness. Laszlo claims that his Akashic Field Theory provides solutions to many of quantum physics larger theoretical problems, such as non-locality and quantum entanglement. In Buddhism it is believed that one reason why people knew Gautama Buddha had attained enlightenment as a Buddha was because he was able to remember all of the details of all of his past lives by accessing them on the Akashic records. Constants of nature The world appears to be designed for life, not just at the microscope scale of the atom, but at the level of the universe itself. Scientists have

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discovered that the universe has a long list of traits that make it appear as if everything it contains from atoms to stars was tailor-made just for us. These views are supported by Robert Lanza and Bob Berman in their book Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe. They have stated that if the Big Bang had been one part in a million more powerful, it would have rushed out too fast for the galaxies and life to develop. Result: no us. If the strong nuclear force were decreased two percent, atomic nuclei wouldnt hold together, and plain-vanilla hydrogen would be the only kind of atom in the universe. If the gravitational force were decreased by a hair, stars including the sun would not ignite. In fact, all of the universe's forces and constants are just perfectly set up for atomic interactions, the existence of atoms and elements, planets, liquid water and life. Tweak any of them and you never existed. Many are calling this revelation the Goldilocks Principle, because the cosmos is not too this or too that, but rather just right for life. At the moment, there are only three explanations for this mystery. One is to say, "God did that," which explains nothing even if it is true. The second is to invoke the anthropic principles reasoning that we must find these conditions if we are alive, because, what else could we find? The third option is biocentrism pure and simple, nothing else needed. No matter which logic one adopts, one has to come to terms with the fact that we are living in a very peculiar cosmos. (..Page 85)

Spirituality and Science


Wave-particle duality The quantum theory has established the wave-particle duality of reality at sub-atomic and other levels. The non-manifest consciousness is as real as the manifest energy/matter. The manifest energy/matter and the non-manifest consciousness create the duality of reality in the universe. Energy/matter is known through experiment and consciousness is known through experience. The domain of science is energy/matter and the domain of spirituality is consciousness. Spirituality means understanding the Unity of the Cosmos/Universe from micro to macro level as one field of consciousness and belief in a

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Supreme Power (God, Goddess, Cosmic Consciousness, Source field, Zero point field etc.) as the first cause having Wisdom to create and regulate everything in the universe. It also implies acceptance of the reality of consciousness and gravity as well as energy and matter as fundamental elements of existence. Cosmic Consciousness Richard Maurice Bucke, a Canadian doctor, in his book Cosmic Consciousness, which was published in 1901, examined the concept of cosmic consciousness rationally. According to Bucke, cosmic consciousness implied human awareness of the cosmic order of the universe. This awareness is preceded by change in the state of mind and awareness of an individual. Along with the awareness comes intellectual enlightenment or illumination which is followed by a state of moral exultation and a feeling of joyfulness. A person having attained this awareness also realizes immortality and gets the feeling that life is eternal. Bucke argued that in the history of mankind there have been some persons such as Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ, prophet Mohammed and others who had attained cosmic consciousness. He believed that one day human beings in larger numbers will attain the cosmic consciousness and ascend to a higher plane of awareness. According to Bucke, the advent of cosmic consciousness will change the religious (spiritual) life of human beings. He visualized that instead of waiting for the immortality and glories after death, human beings will experience all glory and immortality in the existing life itself. He predicted that religion(spirituality) will govern every minute of every day of the life. Churches, priests, forms, creeds, prayers, all agents, all intermediaries between the individual man and God will be permanently replaced by direct unmistakable intercourse between human beings and God In brief, Buckes concept of cosmic consciousness implies the attainment of the state of enlightenment which has been described differently as the state of illumination, fulfillment, salvation, nirvana, Brahmic Splendor, etc. People who have attained this state have nothing more to desire in this life.

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Unification of science and spirituality What matters is that in the interacting development of these two basic trends upon which Mankind is continuing to build itself, technical organization and the growth of reflective consciousness, the second should acquire an ever greater predominance and degree of autonomy.-Teilhard de Chardin (The Future of Man) In his book The Source Field Investigations: The Hidden Science and Lost Civilizations Behind the 2012 Prophecies David Wilcock, a renowned lecturer and film maker, has given scientific evidence of the Cosmic Wisdom that controls and regulates the universe. In his own words, I feel our destinies on earth are being carefully and meticulously guided by a hidden intelligencea living energy field the entire Universe is built from. Many great researchers have independently discovered this unseen Universal force and given it their own names, without there ever being a single, unifying standard. Since this force may well be the source of all space, time, matter, energy, biology and consciousness in the Universe, the simplest all-inclusive term I use is the Source Field. Some scientists have claimed that spirituality is purely a physical phenomenon and one day the machines will surpass human beings even in spirituality. The Age of Spiritual Machines is a book by Ray Kurzweil relating to the development of technology and its impact on human beings. The book predicts that eventually humanity and its machinery will become one. It is, however, unlikely that the machines will ever have consciousness and become spiritual.

Human Beings
Life In his book What is Life? (1944) Nobel-laureate physicist Erwin Schrdinger stated that life feeds on negative entropy, or negative entropy as it is sometimes called. The concept of negative entropy implies the existence of non-physical element to form organic matter and life. Could it be consciousness?

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Life, as we know, is presently only on the earth. The source of life is the continuum of waves/particles at the quantum level that carry the code of life. Those waves are present universally ever since the creation of the quantum envelopes in the universe. At the level of galaxies, stars and other celestial bodies, the source of life is dormant due to the absence of appropriate physical conditions. On the earth, however, the physical conditions such as water, soil, climate, etc. were appropriate for emergence and evolution of life. Human mind-brain has a special feature that enables the processing of wave-particles associated with life and consciousness through coding and decoding. Only the human mind has the capability of self-awareness and to experience the other levels of consciousness. Molecules are the building blocks of human body, made mostly of the hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms. While the molecule has many particles in its atoms, the field remains one. The processing of information in the field at human level is not just physical but had additional features of human mind, creativity and consciousness. Physical Reality of human body Human body is one but the number of cells is 1014 or one hundred trillion. The number of molecules would be 1020 (one followed by twenty zeros) and the number of atoms would be over 1024 (one followed by twenty four zeros). According to the structure of atoms, the field of life and consciousness in the body is one but covers more space than the particles. This suggests that the field or non-physical part of human being that is abode of consciousness and life is bigger than the physical part. Consciousness John R. Searle, in his book Consciousness and Language has defined consciousness as follows: By consciousness I simply mean those subjective states of sentience or awareness that begin when one awakes in the morning from a dreamless sleep and continues throughout the day until one goes to sleep at night or falls into a coma, or dies, or otherwise becomes, as one would say, unconscious. Some thinkers believe that qualia are the micro form of consciousness just as quanta are the micro form of energy. According to Philosopher Daniel Dennett, qualia are ineffable (they cannot be communicated); intrinsic (non-

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relational properties); private (interpersonal comparisons of qualia are impossible); and directly or immediately apprehensible in consciousness. Consciousness-mind-brain Both consciousness and brain are essential for mind, a process that takes place in the brain through the impact of consciousness. Human brain may be compared to a machine like television that processes waves transmitted by a broadcasting station. When the Brain (machine) processes the waves (consciousness), we call the process as mind. For example, colors perceived by us exist only in our consciousness. In the physical world, they are colorless electro-magnetic waves. When some of these waves enter our brain through the eyes, they are perceived in the mind as colors. Both consciousness and brain are essential for mind, a process that takes place in the brain through the impact of consciousness. Human brain may be compared to a machine like television that processes waves transmitted by a broadcasting station. When the Brain (machine) processes the waves (consciousness), we call the process as mind. Without this process, there is no perception. For example, colors exist only in our mind and consciousness. In the physical world, they are colorless electro-magnetic waves. When some of these waves enter our brain through the eyes, they are perceived in the mind as colors. Mind may also be considered a mirror of consciousness. The objects, that appear to be the outside world, are in reality the images created in the mind. This feature suggests the non-existence of the outside world without consciousness. Objects can also be seen in the mind without their being seen in the outside world as it happens in dream, imagination, hallucination etc. Evolution of human consciousness Although the field of consciousness in human body is one, there are several types of consciousness experienced during the lifetime. The nine types of consciousness that cover the spectrum of consciousness are as follows: Life consciousness: A person is gifted with life consciousness when he/she is conceived in the womb of the mother.

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Sense consciousness: A person gets sense consciousness when he/she comes out of the womb of the mother. Self consciousness: Experience of like and dislike is the beginning of self consciousness. Language consciousness: When a person starts uttering words, language consciousness is experienced. Rational consciousness: When a person starts thinking right and wrong, rational consciousness begins. Social consciousness: When a person starts interacting with other people, social consciousness begins. Dream consciousness: When a person starts interacting with other people, social consciousness begins. Creative consciousness: When a person starts some creative activity, creative consciousness begins. Cosmic consciousness: When a person starts experiencing spiritual dimension of life, cosmic consciousness begins. Quantum theory and consciousness According to Quantum Theory, an observer (consciousness) is essential to know the physical world. Without consciousness as observer, Quantum Theory is neither complete nor comprehensible. The abode of consciousness is not the matter or energy particles but the Field that holds the matter in the body. The subjective experience of human beings through consciousness and its expression through language is as real as any experiment in physics. Many scientists, such as Eugene Wigner, believe that it is not possible to formulate the laws of quantum mechanics in a fully consistent way without reference to the consciousness. In his own words, "When the province of physical theory was extended to encompass microscopic phenomena through the creation of quantum mechanics, the concept of consciousness came to the fore again. It was not possible to formulate the laws of quantum mechanics in a fully consistent way without reference to the consciousness."

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Human Destiny
Human Reality Human beings have the finest structure of the physical elements in their body. Human beings are also endowed with life and consciousness. Wisdom is implied in the functioning of the physical and non-physical parts of the human body. Human beings have the capability to comprehend the wisdom inherent in the universe from the smallest to the biggest levels of existence. While the physical existence is limited in time and space, the spiritual existence of human beings transcends all limitations. Since the reality of the universe is wisdom oriented, human life and destiny should also be wisdom oriented. The purpose of human life is to know and experience the reality of existence at all levels in the universe. Pursuit of science is necessary for acquiring knowledge of the physical world. Pursuit of spirituality is necessary for experiencing the non-physical aspects of reality. Self-Realization One of the definitions of self-realization is fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality. Maslow defined selfrealization as the impulse to convert oneself into what one is capable of being. Based on Maslow, the most common meaning given to selfrealization is that of psychological growth and maturation. It represents the awakening and manifestation of latent potentialities of the human being -for example, ethical, esthetic, and religious experiences and activities. According to Maslow, self-realized people share the following qualities: Truth, goodness, beauty, wholeness, dichotomy-transcendence, aliveness, unique, perfection, necessity, inevitability, completion, justice, order, simplicity, richness, effortlessness, ease, playfulness and self-sufficiency For the Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta), self-realization refers to a profound spiritual awareness where there is an awakening from an illusory self-identify image (Ego), to the true, divine, perfect condition that the individual is. This condition is considered to be the state of Brahma or the state of Sat (Truth), Chit (Consciousness) and Anand (Bliss or happiness).

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The ultimate goal of a human being is to attain permanent happiness and complete independence and freedom from all worldly bondage, and the true happiness is the result of self-realization. As explained by Ramana Maharshi, "Happiness is inherent in man and is not due to external causes. One must realize himself in order to experience his unalloyed happiness. All spiritual scriptures are meant to make man retrace his steps to his original source." In Tripura Rahasya of Dattatreya, Self-awareness has been identified as wisdom. Wisdom is eternal and natural. Wisdom is that consciousness in which this world with all its phenomena and activities is known to be as an image or series of images. "There is no doubt that a man realizes the Self only after purging himself of all thoughts, and that he is then released from bondage, once for all.." (Tripura Rahasya-Ch. XXII) Dual nature of Reality Gravity and consciousness envelopes matter/energy at all levels. Relationship between energy, gravity and consciousness is precisely regulated through wisdom based code. Human brain-mind can interpret the code through the process of interaction with consciousness. Through consciousness and mind-brain, human beings can experience awareness of the fundamental creative cosmic wisdom. This cosmic wisdom may be called the God/Goddess or cosmic consciousness or Zero Point Field or the Source Field or given any other name. There is need for recognizing the existence of cosmic and creative wisdom in the manifest and non-manifest parts because the particle-wave duality is evident at all levels in the universe. The purpose of human life is to know and experience all reality at all levels in the universe. Pursuit of science is necessary for acquiring knowledge of the physical world. Pursuit of spirituality is necessary for experiencing the non-physical aspects of reality.

Human Problems
Currently, the humanity faces many problems. Some of the problems are given here. Immorality: Deviation from basic human values is immorality. Current increase in crimes, corruption is indications of the prevailing immorality. This

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is a major cause of destructive behavior in the society and hampers developmental activities. Materialism: The emphasis of science and technology to produce goods for physical consumption is evident in the world. No consideration is given to spiritual needs. The possibility that spirituality can play any role in life has been overshadowed. This has driven people into a blind belief in materialism. Poverty: A significant proportion of the worlds population is excluded from our prevailing economic system of wealth creation. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. Around 27-28 percent of all children in developing countries are underweight or stunted. With the availability of modern science and technology, it should be possible to provide the basic requirements of all human beings. Over-population: In Nov. 2011, the global population reached 7 billion. This is ominous and calls for action to meet the challenges that a growing population poses. The problem of overpopulation exacerbates other issues because with the increase of population, more pollution is generated, more natural habitats are destroyed and more natural resources are used up. Sickness: The world today suffers from numerous mental as well as physical diseases. Many studies have revealed that there is a relationship between our mental state and physical health. People, who suffer from depression and negative emotions for long periods, eventually suffer damage to their physical health as well. Fear, anger and hatred are negative emotions that do not benefit health. Security: The World Trade Center attack in New York on 11 September, 2001, not only displayed human capability for hatred and destruction but endangered the security everywhere. This has resulted in enhanced measures in the global security system for all people in all countries. This has also resulted in diverting resources from developmental activities to measures against terrorism. Illiteracy: Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. Without universal literacy, humanity will be deprived of enlightened and trouble free future on the earth. The objective

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of literacy is to support a person in his normal activities in the environment in which he is living. Belief systems: Belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs that may be religious, philosophical, ideological or of any other kind. Presently, the humanity is divided by numerous belief systems. Some belief systems draw people in and brainwash them so they become fanatic and intolerant. This causes serious problems. Lust: Lust or excessive desire and obsession for things has been known to be a serious obstacle on the path of righteousness. Lust is the enemy of wise people and is insatiable like fire. Understand this, Arjun, that lust covers the intelligence of everyone. Lust resides in the senses, in the cognitive mind and also in the intellect. It covers wisdom and deludes the Self. (Bhagavad Gita-3.39, 3.40) Environment: Environmental and Ecological problems of the World include the ecological destruction, resource depletion and atmospheric change. The natural resources of this planet, its forests, fisheries and crop lands are already being used at a rate that is unsustainable. The problems that the humanity faces at the present time can be overcome by focusing to attain the mental states of creativity, unity, bliss, illumination, truth , compassion, universality, peace, immortality and transcendence. These states are experienced on realization of the True Self or cosmic wisdom through spiritual path. Scientists are now suggesting that the cosmic wisdom is in the Zero Point Field or the Source Field. Recent discoveries have inspired thinkers to merge contemporary science with ancient spiritual wisdom. Here are the indications of science coming close to spirituality. Humanity stands at the threshold of unimaginable chaos, calamity, death and destruction. Concerted and concentrated efforts are required by scientists as well as spiritualists to tackle the human problems. This is the only way for true Self realization and to attain the noble objectives of truth, goodness and bliss for all human beings. ----0----

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Bibliography
Andrew Cohen and Deepak Chopra: Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening (2011) Arthur Osborne (Edited by): Ramana Maharshi Teachings http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Ebooks/Ramana_Maharshi_Books/Te achings%20of%20Ramana%20Maharshi%20in%20His%20Own%20Words.p df Bernard Haisch: The God Theory: Universes, Zero-point Fields, And What's Behind It All (2007). Bernard Haisch: The Purpose-Guided Universe: Believing In Einstein, Darwin, and God (2010) Bhagavad Gita (English) http://www.scribd.com/doc/21460032/Bhagavad-Gita-English Dalai Lama: The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality (Author) Daniel C. Dennett: Consciousness Explained David Wilcock: The Source Field Investigations: The Hidden Science and Lost Civilizations Behind the 2012 Prophecies (2011) Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow: War of the Worldviews: Science Vs. Spirituality (2011) Deepak Chopra, Roger Penrose, Helge Kragh and Menas Kafatos: Cosmology of Consciousness: Quantum Physics & Neuroscience of Mind (2011) Deepak Chopra: Playboy Interview, March 2011 Playboy Magazine http://www.playboy.co.uk/article/18071/playboy-interview-deepak-chopra Ervin Laszlo: Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything (2004) Erwin Schrodinger: What is Life? (First published 1944) http://whatislife.stanford.edu/LoCo_files/What-is-Life.pdf

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Harischandra Kaviratna (Translator): DHAMMAPADA, Wisdom of the Buddha http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm Haritayana: Sri Tripura Rahasya or Haritayana Samhita http://www.astrojyoti.com/tripurarahasya.htm John R. Searle: Consciousness and Language John S. Hagelin: Is consciousness the unified field? Ken Wilber: A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality Lao Tze: Tao Te Ching http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html Lynne McTaggart: The Bond: Connecting Through the Space Between Us (2011) Lynne McTaggart: The Field Michel Kaku: Einsteins Cosmos (2004) Neale Donald Walsch: The Storm Before the Calm: Book 1 in the Conversations with Humanity Series (2011) Peter Russel: Science to God http://www.peterrussell.com/SG/index.php Rabindranath Tagore: Songs of Kabir http://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Songs-of-Kabir-byTagore.pdf Ray Kurzweil: The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence By Robert Lanza and Bob Berman: Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31393080/

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Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff Consciousness in the Universe: Neuroscience, Quantum Space-Time Geometry and Orch OR Theory http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/Cosmology160.html Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow: The Grand Design (2010) Stephen Hawking: A Brief History of Time (subtitled "From the Big Bang to Black Holes")(1988). Teilhard de Chardin: The Future of Man

The End

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