WHAT IS HINDUISM?
Hinduism or “Sanatana Dharma”, means Righteousness Forever or ‘that which has no beginning nor end’. According to historians, it was the Persians who after invading India in the 6th century B.C. gave the name ‘Hinduism’ originated from the root word ‘Indus’, which originated from the Persian word meaning ‘river people’. Other historians however feel that as Alexander could not pronounce the name ‘Sindhu’, (the Sanskrit name for the river Indus), and called it ‘Hindu’ and hence the term ‘Hinduism’. However, the name ‘Sanatana Dharma implies that eternal truths are forever, and our ancient rishis were probably the first to discover, know, understood and proclaim them to the world. It is the relentless yearning and thus pursuit after truth. As such it is a religion forever. In fact, in my personal view, Hinduism is more than a religion – it is a WAY OF LIFE.
Looking at the development of Hinduism through the ages one is forced to acknowledge that Hinduism is a thought-process that developed with the development of mankind towards a more structured and civilized form of society. That is why you see in it a perfect co-existence of primitive religion along with a very advanced, philosophical form of religion. Since the period of the Rig Veda (the earliest book of the Hindus), Hinduism has never done any ‘house cleaning’. Thus to a person who tries to read the Hindu scriptures haphazardly may find them containing confusing, contradictory thoughts and philosophies. But the fact of the matter is that through the ages, Hinduism has allowed for free thinking of its seers. It has absorbed new ideas like a sponge and adapted itself according to the times. It is solely because of this inherent adaptability and flexibility of thought that is allowed in Hinduism that, even today, far from being a dead religion, it is a living, thriving religion. In fact, contemporary modern thoughts helped recharge Hinduism at every stage through history while simultaneously keeping alive its ancient traditions. It is because Hinduism gave the freedom to think and argue on any subject that allowed a diaspora of viewpoints to propagate within its folds. This helped enrich Hinduism allowing it to grow with its roots going deeper, rather than getting uprooted with the passage of time. In Hinduism alone one can see the strange coexistence of an atheist, and agnostic and a theist. While Socrates and the Sufis were persecuted in the West, in India Buddha and Mahavir (who did not recognize the authority of the Vedas) are recognized among the great saints. Hinduism has tolerated even Charvaka, who not only ridiculed the Vedas, but also attacked the mere existence of God.
It is the one religion that has no hierarchy, no establishment or governing body with no rigid do’s and don’ts laid down in its scriptures. So let us face it, in Hinduism one can find a religion tailor-made for each of us, whatever be our way of thinking. Does any other religion give man such liberty of thought? Hinduism can afford to give man this liberty because it recognizes that people on the earth are on different spiritual and intellectual levels. Matters do not apply or appeal to all persons in the same manner. This is the reason why Hinduism, which is filled with varied ideas, appeals to all. In Hinduism, it is probably that man has made God in his own image – that is why different Gods have been given a human form and they are given attributes that the particular devotee wants his God to possess. The Bhagavad Gita (4:11) says, “Whatever and whichever way men approach Me, even so do I accept them; whatever paths they may choose finally lead to Me. Oh! Arjuna!” The underlying thought that comes to mind on reading these words is that it is not inherent in Hinduism to state that its path is the only path towards God-realization. Hinduism not only tolerates, but it accepts all forms of thoughts. Have you ever heard of anyone ever being forcefully converted into a Hindu? There is no need to, because according to Hindu ideology man can worship the Almighty in its formless state or having a form like Krishna, Rama, Jesus or Allah or as anyone or anything, and God will make his faith steadfast in that form alone. The Gita says “ In whatever form a devotee seeks Me, I will appear to him in that form”. Is it a wonder then that there are numerous Gods and Goddesses being worshipped by the Hindus! Hinduism believes that as long as you have true faith in your personal form of the Almighty, you are always on the path towards God, you can never be lost. Mirabai was enchanted by Lord Krishna, SriRamakrishna Paramhansa cried for Mother Kali and Lord Chaitanya cried for SriVithal – but they were all Hindus. All of them started with their attachments to a personal god and finally ended up with an Almighty that is timeless and formless. Swami Vivekananda said, “I am proud to belong to a religion that has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.” Hinduism is filled with all kinds of ideas. To give an example, on the surface, the Dvaita and the Advaita philosophy seem to be totally contradictory, but still both form an integral part of Hindu ideology. It allows for criticism within the Hindu fold. In the true sense, Hinduism is a religion having unity in diversity!
On being asked to explain the essence of the Hindu way of life, a Guru once replied: “Nobody knows what is right or what is wrong; nobody knows what is good or what is bad; there is a deity residing within you; find it out and obey its commands”. Of course, it goes without saying that the Hindu seers placed great faith and responsibility on the judiciousness of man’s intellect not to misuse this freedom of action! This is so as the above words are not to be interpreted as a license toward doing things as our emotions may dictate, but to be cautious, because emotions can dupe even great men into believing in their own personal egoistic sentiments and thus behaving foolishly and irresponsibly. Thus the one great message that Hinduism propagates is that God is not something that is alienated from either from Man or Nature. Hinduism makes man see God in all aspects of Nature – whether living or non-living! In fact Hinduism says ‘Tat tvam asi’, meaning “That thou art”! This is why Hinduism can tolerate, accept and absorb everything like a sponge and still retain its identity. This is the beauty of Hinduism!
In the early ages, there was not much distinction between Science and religion – in fact the principles of Science lead to religion as Man tried to understand and explain the secrets of Nature by observation and experience. However, with the passage of time a fundamental difference developed between them. Science looked at the world objectively, whereas religion started looking at everything with eyes filled with magic and blind faith. Science was open to the idea that its conclusions may not always be reflecting the absolute truth. Hence with further addition of new data and information, it had (and has) the flexibility to modify or even reject its earlier conclusion (albeit with resistance at times). This readiness for self-reformation is the basic spirit of Science. However, religions all over the world have a certain inflexibility and a blinkered attitude – hence they do not allow for change – which is so fundamental to the scientific spirit. But going through the history of Hinduism one starts to realize that the ancient seers of Hinduism had the wisdom of this even in those early days and that is why the Hindu society allowed for such freedom of thought where debate and dialogue on the truths and guiding principles of life and the universe were the order of the day among the great men of those days – when ideas and ideologies were presented to the masters and after long discussions and great scrutiny were accepted or rejected! Therefore from this standpoint, one is tempted to say that Hinduism was a religion with the scientific spirit inherent in it. Albert Einstein once said, “The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion – based on experience and free from dogma” – was he describing ‘Hinduism’!!!
Yet somewhere during the medieval period, Hinduism went into a shell – midway it just put a plug on its free spirit of inquiry for further advancements in knowledge - maybe as a basic survival tactic against the onslaughts and invasions from the peoples of the new religions of the world. Otherwise how is it possible that for a culture which had discovered and understood the concept of gravity and that our Solar system was Sun-centric and not Earth-centric (to name a few), at least a 1000 years before the Western world awoke to it, is today, lagging behind to such an extent. Otherwise with so much of a head start, we should have been the leading light in the field of scientific discovery. We are a people who had rishis, who in that hoary past had not only ideas and concepts, but knowledge and understanding of the truths of life and the Universe, which are in complete agreement with the ideas of Einstein, Heisenberg, Stephen Hawking and the proponents of the latest String Theory. Modern scientists have discovered this knowledge by using highly sophisticated instruments to extend the range of the human senses. The rishis of yore however, got access to these truths of the nature of Universe without any aid to their human senses. Also they had no need to pollute and create havoc with Nature in their quest for knowledge, unlike the modern intrusive methods of modern scientists. These great masters unraveled these truths by expanding and fine tuning their mind. Today, Science has accepted the limitless power of the human mind. Hindus truly have a glorious past and yet today, we are people who have the misfortune of being saddled with certain ideas and ideologies which are not only antiquated, but outdated and totally out of context and irrelevant in today’s world. It is thus obligatory on every Hindu to restore to Hinduism its lost pristine glory. We have to help clean up the cobwebs, remove the dust from its gems, thus rejuvenating Hinduism and putting it on track again so it can help the world move towards a society that is rooted, balanced and yet every hungry for unraveling newer knowledge – knowledge that will lead mankind to a better tomorrow on higher planes of existence. This will also help dispel in the eyes of the world the myth that Hinduism is a religion which emphasizes on ‘otherworldiness’ and is ‘this world denying’. Rather they will be forced to accept that Hinduism is actually a Science that shows Man to remain and enjoy this world and yet evolve to higher dimensions of existence by expanding his Mind. In the words of an author (I forget the name) Hinduism is actually a religion that propagates a “THIS WORLD IS EXPANDING” spirit and tradition .
DR.POONAM MEHRA
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
FREEDOM WITHIN A DETERMINISM
We are bound by Karma – our destiny and yet there is a ‘free will’ which we are given – a freedom which shapes our destiny. There seems to be some dichotomy – an inherent confusion in this line of thought which claims to give a freedom within a determinism!
But then let us view this from the point of view of an electron. An electron moves in an orbit around the nucleus. But modern physics tells us that this electron is not moving along a fine line around the nucleus at an exact distance from the nucleus (as is normally shown pictorially), rather, there is a cloud around the nucleus within which that particular electron can be found at any given specific time. In fact in multielectron elements, where the first two electrons move in the first orbit, the next (upto a maximum of 8 electrons), all move in the second orbit, the next (upto a maximum of 18 electrons) move in the third orbit – and so on and so forth, the electrons keep jumping from one orbit to another, back and forth, the only rule being that there will be no more than 2 electrons in the first orbit, 8 electrons in the second,18 in the third orbit and so on at any given point of time. Each nucleus has a range depending on the number of protons within the nucleus – the more the number of protons, the more the range of the nucleus – and all the electrons of a particular atom remain within the range of its nucleus. Yet, they jump from one orbit to another in ‘quantum’ jumps – though how or why it decides to jump is still not very well understood – only – it jumps when it gets sufficient quanta of energy to make that jump. So we see that the electron has freedom – but not absolute freedom – meaning – it has freedom to jump – BUT – only in certain fixed quanta AND that too within the range of the atom’s nucleus. Thus the electron enjoys freedom within certain bounds. It is free to move in a particular way within the confines of the system of the atom!!!! This is true for any system – from the microscopic to the macroscopic-. Planets, stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and whatever else, all in this Universe are bound by this law. Now Man is also a constituent of this Universe and the same law holds sway over him also. In this light, one can now understand Man’s position – that though he is bound by his Karma, he can act according to his ‘free will’. He is always given a choice at every given point and depending on the choice that he makes (and because every action has an equal and opposite reaction) his future is keeps shaping and reshaping. The future is not a static line, but it is in a state of flux. The effort Man puts in depends on his own capacities which are again determined by his limitations (thus in similar situations some can put in more efforts and some cannot) – and depending on the quanta of effort (energy) he puts in he moves from one stage to another or back to from where he started if the input energy (effort) dissipates or stops. Again, his capacities and limitations are dependent on the previous effort on his part (his previous Karma). To put in the effort is his decision, not to put in the effort is also his decision. Thus Man has the choice or ‘free will’ to put or not put in the effort and also as to the amount of effort he/she puts in – however – whether the effort put in is of enough quanta to grant him/her the desirous fruit is not known to the person concerned. Hence, inspite of the prevailing ‘free will’, we can progress only in quanta. Therefore, instead of getting worked up and frustrated at the seeming injustices of life, Man should make full use of his/her free will and leave the rest to destiny or Karma. When his/her effort generates the requisite quanta of energy, he/she will automatically get the desired results according to the law of Karma! The law of Karma never fails – it is just a matter of time – AND – as in the case of the electron in the atom, if enough energy is provided it can be freed from the bounds of that particular atomic system, so also when Man’s efforts (through his free will) generate sufficient energy, he/she will be liberated from this cycle of birth and death!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
We are bound by Karma – our destiny and yet there is a ‘free will’ which we are given – a freedom which shapes our destiny. There seems to be some dichotomy – an inherent confusion in this line of thought which claims to give a freedom within a determinism!
But then let us view this from the point of view of an electron. An electron moves in an orbit around the nucleus. But modern physics tells us that this electron is not moving along a fine line around the nucleus at an exact distance from the nucleus (as is normally shown pictorially), rather, there is a cloud around the nucleus within which that particular electron can be found at any given specific time. In fact in multielectron elements, where the first two electrons move in the first orbit, the next (upto a maximum of 8 electrons), all move in the second orbit, the next (upto a maximum of 18 electrons) move in the third orbit – and so on and so forth, the electrons keep jumping from one orbit to another, back and forth, the only rule being that there will be no more than 2 electrons in the first orbit, 8 electrons in the second,18 in the third orbit and so on at any given point of time. Each nucleus has a range depending on the number of protons within the nucleus – the more the number of protons, the more the range of the nucleus – and all the electrons of a particular atom remain within the range of its nucleus. Yet, they jump from one orbit to another in ‘quantum’ jumps – though how or why it decides to jump is still not very well understood – only – it jumps when it gets sufficient quanta of energy to make that jump. So we see that the electron has freedom – but not absolute freedom – meaning – it has freedom to jump – BUT – only in certain fixed quanta AND that too within the range of the atom’s nucleus. Thus the electron enjoys freedom within certain bounds. It is free to move in a particular way within the confines of the system of the atom!!!! This is true for any system – from the microscopic to the macroscopic-. Planets, stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and whatever else, all in this Universe are bound by this law. Now Man is also a constituent of this Universe and the same law holds sway over him also. In this light, one can now understand Man’s position – that though he is bound by his Karma, he can act according to his ‘free will’. He is always given a choice at every given point and depending on the choice that he makes (and because every action has an equal and opposite reaction) his future is keeps shaping and reshaping. The future is not a static line, but it is in a state of flux. The effort Man puts in depends on his own capacities which are again determined by his limitations (thus in similar situations some can put in more efforts and some cannot) – and depending on the quanta of effort (energy) he puts in he moves from one stage to another or back to from where he started if the input energy (effort) dissipates or stops. Again, his capacities and limitations are dependent on the previous effort on his part (his previous Karma). To put in the effort is his decision, not to put in the effort is also his decision. Thus Man has the choice or ‘free will’ to put or not put in the effort and also as to the amount of effort he/she puts in – however – whether the effort put in is of enough quanta to grant him/her the desirous fruit is not known to the person concerned. Hence, inspite of the prevailing ‘free will’, we can progress only in quanta. Therefore, instead of getting worked up and frustrated at the seeming injustices of life, Man should make full use of his/her free will and leave the rest to destiny or Karma. When his/her effort generates the requisite quanta of energy, he/she will automatically get the desired results according to the law of Karma! The law of Karma never fails – it is just a matter of time – AND – as in the case of the electron in the atom, if enough energy is provided it can be freed from the bounds of that particular atomic system, so also when Man’s efforts (through his free will) generate sufficient energy, he/she will be liberated from this cycle of birth and death!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER
We have all heard of the scientist Frankenstein who created the monster. Initially, he was very proud of his creation. But before the scientist realized, the monster started overpowering him – the maker – and dictating to its maker - because so tremendous was its power – its capabilities surpassed the limits of human capabilities! The moral of the story is that we cannot allow the created to rule the creator, even though its capabilities may be greater or stronger than the creator – because what has been created has been made to help the creator or make the life of the creator easier. Yet, what has been made will always be as close to perfection as possible - but not perfect - and - if that imperfect thing goes wild, or the creator lets it overpower his mind and body, then it can cause havoc. Another relevant case is the “Barbie doll”. Yes, the Barbie doll was made to be a pretty, smart-looking plaything for little girls, with ‘so-called’ perfect dimensions and looks. But somewhere along the way, the Barbie doll started becoming the ‘ideal’ or ‘idol’ for not only little girls but also teens and adult women! To attain the Barbie doll-like figure and looks have now become an obsession with them and they are ready to go to any lengths to attain those ‘unhuman’ dimensions – even at the cost of their health! In this case it seems, the created has become more perfect than the creator!!!! One cannot be so enamored by one’s own creation that one loses creativity – because what is created will always have some flaw – hence there will always remain scope for improvement in some respect or the other!
As Swami Chinmayananda says, “Materialism is certainly acceptable and can be a blessing to us. The comforts of the scientific age, a life made easier by the use of machines, the profits gained by harnessing natural forces – all are ours by heritage. To decry them is to insult the intelligence of humanity. But when technology becomes our master and persecutes us, we must protest”.
In the same vein of thought comes the usage of nuclear power. Its monitored and controlled usage is a boon for man, but if let loose; it will bring about his nemesis. The same is true for the usage of researches and studies in the field of genetic engineering and its allied branches. But with half-baked knowledge and the half-truths that he has access to - Man on seeing the injustices around him, is so filled with a misplaced sense of compassion for himself and his fellow beings – that he wants to set right all the wrongs that he sees around him, like poverty, disease etc. He does not understand the true reasons for all the seeming injustices of life - he just wants to eradicate what seems an injustice to him. Someone once said, “Man has not created himself”, implying that there is a Power greater than Man that has created Man. But without the full knowledge of the why’s and how’s of the system, he is becoming like the Frankenstein monster. Does he realize that what seems justice to him, may be injustice in the eyes of another. Man grinds wheat to make flour which he uses to make savories to satisfy his hunger. But does he realize the excruciating pain he causes to that corn of wheat that he is grinding – isn’t that injustice to the corns of the wheat? The Power that is beyond us understands the entire picture – but Man with his limited vision is all set to correct all the wrongs! He, in his ignorance is trying to dictate to the Creator, trying to create the perfect Creator! Ultimately, like the Frankenstein monster, the Creator will be forced to get into damage control mode and destroy the ‘created’! So, let us be alerted and instead of being reckless let us move forward cautiously on these untrodden paths asking that Unseen Power to be our guiding light – and to give us patience and forbearance to endure the injustices of life – till the light of complete Truth dawns on us - and then only take corrective action against the ‘injustices’ meted out to us and our fellow beings.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
We have all heard of the scientist Frankenstein who created the monster. Initially, he was very proud of his creation. But before the scientist realized, the monster started overpowering him – the maker – and dictating to its maker - because so tremendous was its power – its capabilities surpassed the limits of human capabilities! The moral of the story is that we cannot allow the created to rule the creator, even though its capabilities may be greater or stronger than the creator – because what has been created has been made to help the creator or make the life of the creator easier. Yet, what has been made will always be as close to perfection as possible - but not perfect - and - if that imperfect thing goes wild, or the creator lets it overpower his mind and body, then it can cause havoc. Another relevant case is the “Barbie doll”. Yes, the Barbie doll was made to be a pretty, smart-looking plaything for little girls, with ‘so-called’ perfect dimensions and looks. But somewhere along the way, the Barbie doll started becoming the ‘ideal’ or ‘idol’ for not only little girls but also teens and adult women! To attain the Barbie doll-like figure and looks have now become an obsession with them and they are ready to go to any lengths to attain those ‘unhuman’ dimensions – even at the cost of their health! In this case it seems, the created has become more perfect than the creator!!!! One cannot be so enamored by one’s own creation that one loses creativity – because what is created will always have some flaw – hence there will always remain scope for improvement in some respect or the other!
As Swami Chinmayananda says, “Materialism is certainly acceptable and can be a blessing to us. The comforts of the scientific age, a life made easier by the use of machines, the profits gained by harnessing natural forces – all are ours by heritage. To decry them is to insult the intelligence of humanity. But when technology becomes our master and persecutes us, we must protest”.
In the same vein of thought comes the usage of nuclear power. Its monitored and controlled usage is a boon for man, but if let loose; it will bring about his nemesis. The same is true for the usage of researches and studies in the field of genetic engineering and its allied branches. But with half-baked knowledge and the half-truths that he has access to - Man on seeing the injustices around him, is so filled with a misplaced sense of compassion for himself and his fellow beings – that he wants to set right all the wrongs that he sees around him, like poverty, disease etc. He does not understand the true reasons for all the seeming injustices of life - he just wants to eradicate what seems an injustice to him. Someone once said, “Man has not created himself”, implying that there is a Power greater than Man that has created Man. But without the full knowledge of the why’s and how’s of the system, he is becoming like the Frankenstein monster. Does he realize that what seems justice to him, may be injustice in the eyes of another. Man grinds wheat to make flour which he uses to make savories to satisfy his hunger. But does he realize the excruciating pain he causes to that corn of wheat that he is grinding – isn’t that injustice to the corns of the wheat? The Power that is beyond us understands the entire picture – but Man with his limited vision is all set to correct all the wrongs! He, in his ignorance is trying to dictate to the Creator, trying to create the perfect Creator! Ultimately, like the Frankenstein monster, the Creator will be forced to get into damage control mode and destroy the ‘created’! So, let us be alerted and instead of being reckless let us move forward cautiously on these untrodden paths asking that Unseen Power to be our guiding light – and to give us patience and forbearance to endure the injustices of life – till the light of complete Truth dawns on us - and then only take corrective action against the ‘injustices’ meted out to us and our fellow beings.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
A RANDOM THOUGHT
It is said that the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm and microcosm is in the macrocosm. Just as (according to our scriptures say) the atman is surrounded by five sheaths, (viz., the ananmaya kosh, the pranmayakosh, the manomaya kosh, the vijananmaya kosh and the anandmaya kosh), so also we can say (to extend the argument further) that mankind lives on land, which is surrounded by the water sphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere and finally by space. In the same vein of the argument, it can be said that the Earth is part of the solar system, which in turn is part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is a part of a cluster of galaxies, which again is a part of the Universe - and – there are so many Universes!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
It is said that the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm and microcosm is in the macrocosm. Just as (according to our scriptures say) the atman is surrounded by five sheaths, (viz., the ananmaya kosh, the pranmayakosh, the manomaya kosh, the vijananmaya kosh and the anandmaya kosh), so also we can say (to extend the argument further) that mankind lives on land, which is surrounded by the water sphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere and finally by space. In the same vein of the argument, it can be said that the Earth is part of the solar system, which in turn is part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is a part of a cluster of galaxies, which again is a part of the Universe - and – there are so many Universes!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
SEEING THE LARGER PICTURE
Modern science (or knowledge) feels that knowledge can be improved and better understood if we compartmentalize its different aspects like physics, biology, chemistry, medicine – and – then further subdivided into, say, biophysics, biochemistry, nuclear physics, molecular biology, microbiology, genetic engineering and so on and so forth. But these subdivisions have brought us to a point where each branch has become so alienated from the other that a biophysicist understands little of the science of a molecular biologist, or, a heart specialist understands only how to set right a heart problem with practically very little knowledge of how his treatment may affect the kidneys of the patient! The specialist in a particular field today has such minute, specialized and focused knowledge about his field that knowledge of other related fields mostly goes out of focus. In the bargain he/she loses sight of the overall picture. To add to this is the fact that he/she neither has the time not the inclination in to try to see the larger picture.
But in the field of spirituality, they are more concerned about integrating the knowledge of various and diverse fields. They have a holistic view of all fields of knowledge. After all, the truth of one science cannot go against or falsify the truth of another field of knowledge. In fact they not only work towards the betterment /happiness of the individual, but they work towards a goal where the welfare of the individual is such that it is in sync with the welfare of society as a whole – and – this harmonious society not only exists in harmony, but works towards bettering the entire biodiversity!!!! They work with the view that man’s welfare (even if just on a physical level) is guaranteed if the entire society, the entire biodiversity (e.g. the various food chains) and all of Nature work in complete harmony. One cannot have society (or man) growing at the expense of individual interests and vice versa. Thus one finds that a spiritual person may be a doctor, a poet, an environmentalist, a leader in society and so on, - all rolled into one.
This shows that true knowledge unifies rather than divides. Thus from a specific point of view we can say that inspite of the differences at various levels that pollute society today, it is slowly moving towards that unifying goal where barriers of race, language, caste, creed, country, religion etc.,, are breaking down and we are steadily moving towards being global men in a global village!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Modern science (or knowledge) feels that knowledge can be improved and better understood if we compartmentalize its different aspects like physics, biology, chemistry, medicine – and – then further subdivided into, say, biophysics, biochemistry, nuclear physics, molecular biology, microbiology, genetic engineering and so on and so forth. But these subdivisions have brought us to a point where each branch has become so alienated from the other that a biophysicist understands little of the science of a molecular biologist, or, a heart specialist understands only how to set right a heart problem with practically very little knowledge of how his treatment may affect the kidneys of the patient! The specialist in a particular field today has such minute, specialized and focused knowledge about his field that knowledge of other related fields mostly goes out of focus. In the bargain he/she loses sight of the overall picture. To add to this is the fact that he/she neither has the time not the inclination in to try to see the larger picture.
But in the field of spirituality, they are more concerned about integrating the knowledge of various and diverse fields. They have a holistic view of all fields of knowledge. After all, the truth of one science cannot go against or falsify the truth of another field of knowledge. In fact they not only work towards the betterment /happiness of the individual, but they work towards a goal where the welfare of the individual is such that it is in sync with the welfare of society as a whole – and – this harmonious society not only exists in harmony, but works towards bettering the entire biodiversity!!!! They work with the view that man’s welfare (even if just on a physical level) is guaranteed if the entire society, the entire biodiversity (e.g. the various food chains) and all of Nature work in complete harmony. One cannot have society (or man) growing at the expense of individual interests and vice versa. Thus one finds that a spiritual person may be a doctor, a poet, an environmentalist, a leader in society and so on, - all rolled into one.
This shows that true knowledge unifies rather than divides. Thus from a specific point of view we can say that inspite of the differences at various levels that pollute society today, it is slowly moving towards that unifying goal where barriers of race, language, caste, creed, country, religion etc.,, are breaking down and we are steadily moving towards being global men in a global village!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE UNBROKEN WHOLENESS
Physics starts with parts and shows how everything works together as a whole. Hinduism (our scriptures) says everything emanates from Lord Narayana (God) and everything ultimately merges into Him. He is the starting point. In fact Bell’s theorem implies that apparently ‘separate parts’ of the Universe could be intimately connected at a deep and fundamental level. This is similar to the fact that though every member of the family acts independently, yet, the family is single unit at another level, stringed together by a particular commonality among its members – or – a nation is one single entity yet it is made up of different states – or – the nine planets are individuals at one level and yet it is our solar system - a single unit at the level of the Milky Way galaxy, - and - so on and so forth. Thus inspite of the multifaceted diversity of the various components of the Universe and yet it acts as a single organism! Probably it is this idea that David Bohm, Professor of Physics tries to describe when he asserts in one of his lectures “that the most fundamental level is an unbroken wholeness”, - meaning “that-which-is”, the truth that our rishis had declared ages ago – “TAT TVAM ASI”!!!! – A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS FOUND IN EVERYTHING THAT CONSTITUTES THIS UNIVERSE! It is finally this “unbroken wholeness” which at a deep and fundamental level connects Science and Spirituality – Science says that everything is ultimately made up of THAT smallest particle – whereas Spirituality says, THAT is contained in everything and everything is contained in THAT. Science and spirituality are only using different words to define the same idea – both are searching for the same – only – the paths taken to complete their journey are different – rather if both went hand-in-hand, the journey would be more easier, more pleasant and more fruitful for both!!!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Physics starts with parts and shows how everything works together as a whole. Hinduism (our scriptures) says everything emanates from Lord Narayana (God) and everything ultimately merges into Him. He is the starting point. In fact Bell’s theorem implies that apparently ‘separate parts’ of the Universe could be intimately connected at a deep and fundamental level. This is similar to the fact that though every member of the family acts independently, yet, the family is single unit at another level, stringed together by a particular commonality among its members – or – a nation is one single entity yet it is made up of different states – or – the nine planets are individuals at one level and yet it is our solar system - a single unit at the level of the Milky Way galaxy, - and - so on and so forth. Thus inspite of the multifaceted diversity of the various components of the Universe and yet it acts as a single organism! Probably it is this idea that David Bohm, Professor of Physics tries to describe when he asserts in one of his lectures “that the most fundamental level is an unbroken wholeness”, - meaning “that-which-is”, the truth that our rishis had declared ages ago – “TAT TVAM ASI”!!!! – A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS FOUND IN EVERYTHING THAT CONSTITUTES THIS UNIVERSE! It is finally this “unbroken wholeness” which at a deep and fundamental level connects Science and Spirituality – Science says that everything is ultimately made up of THAT smallest particle – whereas Spirituality says, THAT is contained in everything and everything is contained in THAT. Science and spirituality are only using different words to define the same idea – both are searching for the same – only – the paths taken to complete their journey are different – rather if both went hand-in-hand, the journey would be more easier, more pleasant and more fruitful for both!!!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Saturday, February 14, 2009
SEEING THE LARGER PICTURE
Modern science (or knowledge) feels that knowledge can be improved and better understood if we compartmentalize its different aspects like physics, biology, chemistry, medicine – and – then further subdivided into, say, biophysics, biochemistry, nuclear physics, molecular biology, microbiology, genetic engineering and so on and so forth. But these subdivisions have brought us to a point where each branch has become so alienated from the other that a biophysicist understands little of the science of a molecular biologist, or, a heart specialist understands only how to set right a heart problem with practically very little knowledge of how his treatment may affect the kidneys of the patient! The specialist in a particular field today has such minute, specialized and focused knowledge about his field that knowledge of other related fields mostly goes out of focus. In the bargain he/she loses sight of the overall picture. To add to this is the fact that he/she neither has the time not the inclination in to try to see the larger picture.
But in the field of spirituality, they are more concerned about integrating the knowledge of various and diverse fields. They have a holistic view of all fields of knowledge. After all, the truth of one science cannot go against or falsify the truth of another field of knowledge. In fact they not only work towards the betterment /happiness of the individual, but they work towards a goal where the welfare of the individual is such that it is in sync with the welfare of society as a whole – and – this harmonious society not only exists in harmony, but works towards bettering the entire biodiversity!!!! They work with the view that man’s welfare (even if just on a physical level) is guaranteed if the entire society, the entire biodiversity (e.g. the various food chains) and all of Nature work in complete harmony. One cannot have society (or man) growing at the expense of individual interests and vice versa. Thus one finds that a spiritual person may be a doctor, a poet, an environmentalist, a leader in society and so on, - all rolled into one.
This shows that true knowledge unifies rather than divides. Thus from a specific point of view we can say that inspite of the differences at various levels that pollute society today, it is slowly moving towards that unifying goal where barriers of race, language, caste, creed, country, religion etc.,, are breaking down and we are steadily moving towards being global men in a global village!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Modern science (or knowledge) feels that knowledge can be improved and better understood if we compartmentalize its different aspects like physics, biology, chemistry, medicine – and – then further subdivided into, say, biophysics, biochemistry, nuclear physics, molecular biology, microbiology, genetic engineering and so on and so forth. But these subdivisions have brought us to a point where each branch has become so alienated from the other that a biophysicist understands little of the science of a molecular biologist, or, a heart specialist understands only how to set right a heart problem with practically very little knowledge of how his treatment may affect the kidneys of the patient! The specialist in a particular field today has such minute, specialized and focused knowledge about his field that knowledge of other related fields mostly goes out of focus. In the bargain he/she loses sight of the overall picture. To add to this is the fact that he/she neither has the time not the inclination in to try to see the larger picture.
But in the field of spirituality, they are more concerned about integrating the knowledge of various and diverse fields. They have a holistic view of all fields of knowledge. After all, the truth of one science cannot go against or falsify the truth of another field of knowledge. In fact they not only work towards the betterment /happiness of the individual, but they work towards a goal where the welfare of the individual is such that it is in sync with the welfare of society as a whole – and – this harmonious society not only exists in harmony, but works towards bettering the entire biodiversity!!!! They work with the view that man’s welfare (even if just on a physical level) is guaranteed if the entire society, the entire biodiversity (e.g. the various food chains) and all of Nature work in complete harmony. One cannot have society (or man) growing at the expense of individual interests and vice versa. Thus one finds that a spiritual person may be a doctor, a poet, an environmentalist, a leader in society and so on, - all rolled into one.
This shows that true knowledge unifies rather than divides. Thus from a specific point of view we can say that inspite of the differences at various levels that pollute society today, it is slowly moving towards that unifying goal where barriers of race, language, caste, creed, country, religion etc.,, are breaking down and we are steadily moving towards being global men in a global village!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE UNBROKEN WHOLENESS
Physics starts with parts and shows how everything works together as a whole. Hinduism (our scriptures) says everything emanates from Lord Narayana (God) and everything ultimately merges into Him. He is the starting point. In fact Bell’s theorem implies that apparently ‘separate parts’ of the Universe could be intimately connected at a deep and fundamental level. This is similar to the fact that though every member of the family acts independently, yet, the family is single unit at another level, stringed together by a particular commonality among its members – or – a nation is one single entity yet it is made up of different states – or – the nine planets are individuals at one level and yet it is our solar system - a single unit at the level of the Milky Way galaxy, - and - so on and so forth. Thus inspite of the multifaceted diversity of the various components of the Universe and yet it acts as a single organism! Probably it is this idea that David Bohm, Professor of Physics tries to describe when he asserts in one of his lectures “that the most fundamental level is an unbroken wholeness”, - meaning “that-which-is”, the truth that our rishis had declared ages ago – “TAT TVAM ASI”!!!! – A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS FOUND IN EVERYTHING THAT CONSTITUTES THIS UNIVERSE! It is finally this “unbroken wholeness” which at a deep and fundamental level connects Science and Spirituality – Science says that everything is ultimately made up of THAT smallest particle – whereas Spirituality says, THAT is contained in everything and everything is contained in THAT. Science and spirituality are only using different words to define the same idea – both are searching for the same – only – the paths taken to complete their journey are different – rather if both went hand-in-hand, the journey would be more easier, more pleasant and more fruitful for both!!!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Physics starts with parts and shows how everything works together as a whole. Hinduism (our scriptures) says everything emanates from Lord Narayana (God) and everything ultimately merges into Him. He is the starting point. In fact Bell’s theorem implies that apparently ‘separate parts’ of the Universe could be intimately connected at a deep and fundamental level. This is similar to the fact that though every member of the family acts independently, yet, the family is single unit at another level, stringed together by a particular commonality among its members – or – a nation is one single entity yet it is made up of different states – or – the nine planets are individuals at one level and yet it is our solar system - a single unit at the level of the Milky Way galaxy, - and - so on and so forth. Thus inspite of the multifaceted diversity of the various components of the Universe and yet it acts as a single organism! Probably it is this idea that David Bohm, Professor of Physics tries to describe when he asserts in one of his lectures “that the most fundamental level is an unbroken wholeness”, - meaning “that-which-is”, the truth that our rishis had declared ages ago – “TAT TVAM ASI”!!!! – A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS FOUND IN EVERYTHING THAT CONSTITUTES THIS UNIVERSE! It is finally this “unbroken wholeness” which at a deep and fundamental level connects Science and Spirituality – Science says that everything is ultimately made up of THAT smallest particle – whereas Spirituality says, THAT is contained in everything and everything is contained in THAT. Science and spirituality are only using different words to define the same idea – both are searching for the same – only – the paths taken to complete their journey are different – rather if both went hand-in-hand, the journey would be more easier, more pleasant and more fruitful for both!!!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Saturday, February 7, 2009
SCIENTISTS VERSUS SAINTS?
Thomas J. McFarlane says in one of his essays, “Science, we are told, tells us what facts are true, while religion tells us what values are good”. It is true that scientific thought is validated through reason and logic – in fact they are the mainstay, the pillars on which scientific thought stands – and – reason and logic are in the domain of the mind and intellect! Yet not a single great creative scientific breakthrough would have been possible without intuitive insight and inspiration – Newton to Neils Bohr, J.C. Bose, C.V. Raman, Chandrashekhar, Einstein to Stephen Hawking – all will bear testimony! But intuitive insight and inspiration belong to the realm beyond the mind and intellect. Thus to my mind, rational thought and logic have to work in tandem with man’s intuition and faith for not only any great breakthrough in understanding knowledge - but - also to live a more balanced life. To put the same idea in other words, I would say that there is an inherent intuition in logic and an inherent logic in intuition.
Both scientists and saints work towards going beyond the capacities that man has been endowed with, to understand Nature. Scientists working in their physical laboratories use various instruments to extend the limits of the five senses to see, hear, feel and measure subtler and subtler things, small or big – whether near or far off! On the other hand the saints work towards extending and enhancing the limits of the mind through meditation and other such techniques. Thus, scientists and saints – both want to delve deeper into the realms of reality. Only their methodology, techniques and approaches have been different.
For the scientists matter is the starting point and for the saints energy is the starting point – and as we know matter and energy are different forms of the same thing – just as water and ice! Scientists use the tangible to approach or explain the intangible, whereas the saints work towards making the intangible as tangible!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Thomas J. McFarlane says in one of his essays, “Science, we are told, tells us what facts are true, while religion tells us what values are good”. It is true that scientific thought is validated through reason and logic – in fact they are the mainstay, the pillars on which scientific thought stands – and – reason and logic are in the domain of the mind and intellect! Yet not a single great creative scientific breakthrough would have been possible without intuitive insight and inspiration – Newton to Neils Bohr, J.C. Bose, C.V. Raman, Chandrashekhar, Einstein to Stephen Hawking – all will bear testimony! But intuitive insight and inspiration belong to the realm beyond the mind and intellect. Thus to my mind, rational thought and logic have to work in tandem with man’s intuition and faith for not only any great breakthrough in understanding knowledge - but - also to live a more balanced life. To put the same idea in other words, I would say that there is an inherent intuition in logic and an inherent logic in intuition.
Both scientists and saints work towards going beyond the capacities that man has been endowed with, to understand Nature. Scientists working in their physical laboratories use various instruments to extend the limits of the five senses to see, hear, feel and measure subtler and subtler things, small or big – whether near or far off! On the other hand the saints work towards extending and enhancing the limits of the mind through meditation and other such techniques. Thus, scientists and saints – both want to delve deeper into the realms of reality. Only their methodology, techniques and approaches have been different.
For the scientists matter is the starting point and for the saints energy is the starting point – and as we know matter and energy are different forms of the same thing – just as water and ice! Scientists use the tangible to approach or explain the intangible, whereas the saints work towards making the intangible as tangible!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
SHIVA-PARVATI
We know from elementary Physics that Potential energy is stored up energy within matter – it alone cannot create. So also Kinetic energy - which comes into play when there is movement in matter – cannot create on its own. However, it is the constant play of these two energies – their combination – that creates all, manifests all. To my mind, Shiva is Potential energy – still, serene, unmoving, in high meditative state - and Paravati is Kinetic energy – playful and trying tenaciously to move Shiva. Together, they constitute total energy. Their constant play, their attraction and repulsion is what causes ‘creation’ to take place. Their interplay causes movement – which is the ‘life-force’, that causes the creation, right from the smallest atom to the gigantic stars and galaxies – to the animates and finally man. All this and more (all that is yet to be discovered) exists due to the interaction of these two energies. The whole of ‘creation’ exists because of these constantly opposing forces – when one increases, the other decreases and vice versa. Shiva or Potential energy, singly, on its own is incomplete – Paravati or Kinetic energy, singly, is incomplete – but in their combination, the two together become ‘whole’ and this ‘completeness’ causes ‘procreation’ which keeps ‘existence’ going on and when Kinetic energy is exhausted - all goes back to Potential energy – because the sum total of both these energies at any given point in time always remains constant! Thus the Vedas say that at first there was nothing, then there was a ‘spandan’ or vibration, a flash of light – and creation started to manifest and ultimately all will go back into nothingness at the time of ‘Pralaya’ – to start all over again after some rest - and – these are the exact ideas that modern scientific thought is echoing. Thus this beautiful divine play of hide and seek of Shiva and Paravati has been going on from time immemorial and thus it will go on for time immemorial!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
We know from elementary Physics that Potential energy is stored up energy within matter – it alone cannot create. So also Kinetic energy - which comes into play when there is movement in matter – cannot create on its own. However, it is the constant play of these two energies – their combination – that creates all, manifests all. To my mind, Shiva is Potential energy – still, serene, unmoving, in high meditative state - and Paravati is Kinetic energy – playful and trying tenaciously to move Shiva. Together, they constitute total energy. Their constant play, their attraction and repulsion is what causes ‘creation’ to take place. Their interplay causes movement – which is the ‘life-force’, that causes the creation, right from the smallest atom to the gigantic stars and galaxies – to the animates and finally man. All this and more (all that is yet to be discovered) exists due to the interaction of these two energies. The whole of ‘creation’ exists because of these constantly opposing forces – when one increases, the other decreases and vice versa. Shiva or Potential energy, singly, on its own is incomplete – Paravati or Kinetic energy, singly, is incomplete – but in their combination, the two together become ‘whole’ and this ‘completeness’ causes ‘procreation’ which keeps ‘existence’ going on and when Kinetic energy is exhausted - all goes back to Potential energy – because the sum total of both these energies at any given point in time always remains constant! Thus the Vedas say that at first there was nothing, then there was a ‘spandan’ or vibration, a flash of light – and creation started to manifest and ultimately all will go back into nothingness at the time of ‘Pralaya’ – to start all over again after some rest - and – these are the exact ideas that modern scientific thought is echoing. Thus this beautiful divine play of hide and seek of Shiva and Paravati has been going on from time immemorial and thus it will go on for time immemorial!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE RIVER FLOWS ON
The river just flows on – its ultimate goal is to reach and merge with the ocean. On its way thus, it passes through mountains, becomes a waterfall maybe, then go on through the plains through hamlets, villages, maybe cities on both its banks – but it just goes on regardless of anything. Does it ever stop to think how it is useful to those around? Does it ever feel indispensable or worry, as to the consequences of its waters flooding or starting to dry up? No, I do not think so, because if it were to think it was indispensable – it would stop flowing – and the moment it stopped to flow, it would cease to be a river. Its existence, its survival – is in the fact that it flows; irrespective of the conditions – internal or external – because its source is somewhere else – and the source is limitless, whereas its conditions are temporary. It is probably aware of the fact that because it just keeps flowing, its energies keep getting replenished – and because its energies keep getting renewed every instant, its waters are useful – otherwise the moment they stagnate, the dirt all around would not get a chance to wash away – it would just stay and further dirt would go on getting accumulated. Thus the waters will get dirty, polluted and lose their usefulness – the very fact for which it thought its existence was indispensable!
So also we have to just keep flowing – easily passing from moment to moment, from one stage to another - obstacles will come – but that Source will provide us the required energy to either cross the obstacles, overcome them or go around them. We have to just have faith. The energy will come sometimes in small quantum and sometimes as a tidal wave that overwhelms and floods all around – till we reach our ultimate merger! Till then, as we go through life, people may make use of us, we may make use of people and/or things – whatever – but we have to keep in mind that it is just the journey, it is not the goal. We cannot get caught in their attachment and stop our growth – or – our on flow! The journey must go on – irrespective of our usefulness or uselessness – otherwise we will be caught in the vicious circle, with no way of getting our and moving forward!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
The river just flows on – its ultimate goal is to reach and merge with the ocean. On its way thus, it passes through mountains, becomes a waterfall maybe, then go on through the plains through hamlets, villages, maybe cities on both its banks – but it just goes on regardless of anything. Does it ever stop to think how it is useful to those around? Does it ever feel indispensable or worry, as to the consequences of its waters flooding or starting to dry up? No, I do not think so, because if it were to think it was indispensable – it would stop flowing – and the moment it stopped to flow, it would cease to be a river. Its existence, its survival – is in the fact that it flows; irrespective of the conditions – internal or external – because its source is somewhere else – and the source is limitless, whereas its conditions are temporary. It is probably aware of the fact that because it just keeps flowing, its energies keep getting replenished – and because its energies keep getting renewed every instant, its waters are useful – otherwise the moment they stagnate, the dirt all around would not get a chance to wash away – it would just stay and further dirt would go on getting accumulated. Thus the waters will get dirty, polluted and lose their usefulness – the very fact for which it thought its existence was indispensable!
So also we have to just keep flowing – easily passing from moment to moment, from one stage to another - obstacles will come – but that Source will provide us the required energy to either cross the obstacles, overcome them or go around them. We have to just have faith. The energy will come sometimes in small quantum and sometimes as a tidal wave that overwhelms and floods all around – till we reach our ultimate merger! Till then, as we go through life, people may make use of us, we may make use of people and/or things – whatever – but we have to keep in mind that it is just the journey, it is not the goal. We cannot get caught in their attachment and stop our growth – or – our on flow! The journey must go on – irrespective of our usefulness or uselessness – otherwise we will be caught in the vicious circle, with no way of getting our and moving forward!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
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