The chasm that separates science and spirituality
Spirituality is the science of ‘purposeful life’, and the dimension of spirituality extends beyond this Universe to a realm beyond the manifest cosmos (Universe of universes). Though material or physical science could be of some aid in understanding the dimension of spirituality within this Universe, an understanding of the dimension of spirituality beyond the cosmos would need a bent of mind of spiritual science. No doubt, physics has moved from the world of molecules to atoms to sub-atomic and still subtler particles. It has also understood the many fundamental forces, all of which only help explain how matter gets formed. However, it is still far away from understanding or explaining the composition or nature of the life-giving substance itself and the most subtle primary matrix of ethereal particles that permeate the entire Universe and anything and everything within it. This ignorance is the vast chasm not bridged between spiritual science and physical science and, unfortunately, this remains as the vast divide between the two.
Possible unification
Mainstream science understands quite a bit, if not everything, about the non-living matter but nothing of the living matter. To understand the difference between the two, we need to look beyond the physical cosmos. In the process, it becomes necessary to differentiate between ‘cosmic energy and conscious energy’, the concepts of ‘motion and emotion’ and, the principles of ‘mind and matter or body’.
* Note: Cosmic energy is the energy of no self-awareness or intelligence but is purposeful and adaptive and provides a certain degree of sentience to the non-living matter as well. Conscious energy is the energy of self-awareness or intelligent or soul energy that gives consciousness to the sentient living matter. In fact, all types of motion visible or measurable within the Universe, may it be of galaxies, solar systems or even atoms and sub-atomic particle are because of cosmic energy. Emotion is not an aspect of non-living matter but only of living mater with consciousness. Matter or body is made of gross elements while the mind gets made of subtle elements beyond the perception of science at this moment.
Difference between living and non-living
Charcoal, diamond and human are all made of carbon, and yet, only the latter is living matter. Apparently, the science of matter cannot help explain the difference between living and non-living objects. To help understand the difference, we need to leave the gross physical dimensions and enter into the unknown dimension of life energies.
Inner spiritual dimension
What is the makeup of the soul? It is an intelligent self-awareness field of energy, and we may call it as ‘soul/spirit energy’. We all know of solar energy, but, it is not the same as soular energy. It is only spiritual science that can tell what lies between the soular energy and the outer gross or physical body. Physical science has no means of exploring these dimensions as of now. Clearly, there are clear cut energy waves representing all inner aspects of man such as mind, consciousness, intellect and ego and are perceivable only by yogis or through spiritual endeavours, especially meditation.
The contradiction of Science and spirituality
DNA, RNA and Proteins represent the fundamental molecular trio of cells and living systems. Related to these are the functional terms genotype, phenotype, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Biological science is essentially dealing with the events between the DNA inventory and its phenotypic manifestation. Ironically, the trio of fundamental molecules can be synthesised and crystallised. Accordingly, whatever can be chemically synthesised can form part of living systems but can never be considered as the ‘life-generating substance’ per se.
Chemistry of life processes cannot provide a fundamental understanding of life but, the chemistry of life needs amalgamation with consciousness and beyond.
Pitfalls of science
The dilemma of science: organization
Body and outer mind (brain) are the only two entities for science to explain everything about life. It knows the chemical composition of the body but not how they got organised. Why is it that of the nearly 92 natural elements of the periodic table only 25 – 28 elements are incorporated to form the human body. Let alone that the most challenging question is the specific molecular organisation of the various elements in characteristic proportion. Take the case of protoplasm, the jelly substance, the stuff of life within cells; we know the complete chemical composition and yet alas! We cannot create even a speck of live protoplasm. The characteristic organisation of the chemical constituents (the secret of properties of life) in the protoplasm remains a fundamental mystery at its most basic level. Showcasing further is the formation of cells, tissues, organs, systems and the functional body as a whole at the macrolevel—so much of structural organisation and functional manifestation. Are we not made to believe that all that happened by accidental chance events without any rhyme or reason or purpose? It is something like the individual parts/units of an automobile or an aeroplane or a TV or a computer, all appeared by chance integration of essential elements in nature followed by self-assembly. Presto! You get an intelligent functional complex machinery by an unintelligent process. Can unintelligence give rise to intelligence?
Let us bite into it further. The unintentionally and accidentally created body starts functioning purposefully and intelligently. Look at the irony of the situation. Body formed of Purposeless chance events starts manifesting purposeful, functional attributes. Further, the unintelligently created body shows intelligent activities. The answer to the question of how such functions manifest would be – the actions of cells. How did the cells know when and how to act? Now comes the nervous system with a brain. The biggest question that science would find uncomfortable to answer would be how could brain by its interconnectivity and neurotransmitters control all types of functions or abilities? Understandable that the brain can control nonabstract purely physical activities. But how could the brain control abstract activities like thoughts, love, emotion, likes, dislikes, wants, desires and many such?
Another question is about how the body remains alive? What is the so-called life force or life energy? Our body represents an excellent sophisticate biomachnery. What makes this machinery run? Only by cell actions and the brain? If so, how? Science has to accept the fact that this machinery needs an operating system. It is what is known to the spiritual world as the ‘life force’. A further complication would be to understand this operating system, definitely not knowable by available scientific tools or methodology.
Conundrum of mind
Now we come to mind. The mind, according to the scientific paradigm, is the brain. Everything gets stuffed into the brain, and that becomes the be-all and end-all for science. An inner mind of subtle nature is a spiritual reality—this mind functions as a buffer between the subtle life energies and the material body-brain unit.
Apart from the visible gross body, there are much subtler body organisation with invisible sheaths. Apart from individual perceptions, there exists no real understanding of many terms that we commonly play with like consciousness, sub-consciousness, super-consciousness, emotions, feelings, awareness etc.
Way ahead
Without taking spirituality along with, science can never understand the manifestation of energy, matter, elements, their attributes, their interactions, the structure-function correlates and the intelligent modus operandi of subtle to gross transformation and the appearance of all that we see and feel in the Universe. Science needs to integrate with spiritual intellect to make it a wholesome science.
March ahead together
Science by shedding its reductionism only approach, more of external technology, should incorporate the inner technology of spiritualism and work together on commonalities and undertake a logical and evidence-based journey of enquiry and enter into the Arena of the spiritual domain.
