Monday, May 16, 2011
New Physics and Ancient Wisdom
I am very interested in the many parallels between Modern Physics and Ancient Wisdom. Among other similarities we might think of the ancient Hindu doctrine of Maya (the "veil" that obscures reality and presents instead a continuing phantasm of "things" that seem real but are false) and the contemporary discovery that in truth what we see around us and take as "material reality" (that which can be measured and weighed) is also a mirage, for all that exists is a whirling dance of atoms, composed of invisible protons and electrons and even smaller units, but consisting mainly of the empty space between these various components.
A second parallel has to do with current theories of the nature of space. Today, we are told that space is formed by a slight bend in the overall fabric of the universe. Likewise, in the ancient theory of spanda (vibration) we learn that in the beginnings, there was a slight modification of the pulsation that was the origin of our vibrating universe.
Today, I happened to catch a bit of a T. V. science program that suggested yet another possible parallel. Two scientists (whose names I did not catch) developed a very complex mathematical formula that would explain the big bang. They posited the notion that two (or possibly three) "branes" (short for "membranes" that represent separate universes) collided, and our universe was the consequence of this cosmic cataclysm (the "big bang") which released huge amounts of energy. However, there was a hitch. According to the implications of the big bang theory, dark energy (still not fully understood) occupies a great deal of the cosmos. The universe expands constantly, and dark energy causes this process to accelerate even faster. At some point, it expands to the point that nothing exists but the void which swallows all matter.
However, this theory leads to the conclusion that our universe is a unique creation, which will in time disappear.
The scientists then developed a further notion--that the universe does not appear and disappear in a single, unique process, but that the cycle of creation and destruction is repeated often, each half of the dyad occupying a vast expanse of time. Other "branes" collide and beget other universes in an infinite process.
Now, again if we turn to ancient Hindu philosophy we find the notion that Brahma (or Brahmas) constantly make and unmake the universe, in infinite cycles of creation and dissolution. Sometimes it is expressed as Brahma's breath--each out breath brings into being a new universe (lasting for an unimaginably long period of time) and each in breath dissolves that particular creation. The time in which the created universe exists is known as "Brahma's day" and the time of eclipse is known as "Brahma's night." They are of equal duration.
This phenomenon of cyclic creation and destruction events is also explained by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita:
Those who understand the cosmic laws know that the Day of Brahma ends after a thousand yugas and the Night of Brahma ends after a thousand yugas. When the day of Brahma dawns, forms are brought forth from the Unmanifest; when the night of Brahma comes, these forms merge in the Formless again. This multitude of beings is created and destroyed again and again in the succeeding days and nights of Brahma."
-- Chapter 8: Imperishable and Eternal Brahma: from "Day and Night of Brahma: The Evidence from Fossil Records"
By Bibhu Dev Misra (found on Google)
In addition to the ancient Hindus, there are many other early cultures that posit a similar cyclic nature of time. I am neither a cosmological physicist nor a deep scholar of early Hindu thought, so it is possible my notions are full of flaws of various kinds. So please do not assume they are without error. But it does seem that modern science aligns itself more more with ancient revealed truth. Such speculation is fascinating, and I would love to see more research into the field of "New Physics and Ancient Wisdom."
P. S. After I wrote the above entry, I discovered more information on the internet: "The “cyclic model,” (was) developed by Princeton University’s Paul Steinhardt and Cambridge University’s Neil Turok. . ."
"The revised theory still thinks of our universe as one of two multidimensional surfaces, or “branes,” separated by an extra dimension. Over the course of trillions of years, the surfaces bounce off each other, sparking a Big Bang. But in the cyclic scenario, dark energy plays an essential role.
At first, matter and radiation are dominant in a newly spawned cosmos. However, the accelerating dark energy gradually drives the expansion of the universe to such an extent that the cosmos is virtually cleared out. Then a weak force starts bringing the branes back together in the extra dimension, setting the stage for another bounce, or “Big Crunch,” that touches off the next Big Bang."
(Note: I was unable to copy and paste the internet site where I found the above information but I will try to write it in: Questioning the Big Bang -Technology and Science - Science - Mysteries of the Universe - msnbc.com
I also learned that these theorists give at least passing acknowledgment to the fact that ancient Hindus and other early societies also posited a cyclic theory of time, but they did not elaborate on the similarities.
