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The Universe (May 2023)
Flung out into the endless reaches of infinity, worlds upon worlds evolve, enact their tumultuous dramas, and then withdraw from the stage once more. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda All the things of the universe are perfect miracles, each as profound as any. ~ Walt Whitman The stillness and grandeur of a vast canopy of endless stars that beam forth from a clear, dark night, instill awe and wonder at the magnificence of the world in which we find ourselves. |
Science tells us that the observable universe is about 93 billion light-years in diameter, is about 13.8 billion years old and is home to approximately 150-200 billion galaxies. Our planet earth came into being about 4.5 billion years ago, well after the start of the universe, and modern human beings didn't appear on earth until roughly 2.5 million years ago. As such, human beings on earth have only been a part of the cosmic evolution for a minute portion of time.
The mystery of the universe has always fascinated mankind. So many questions arise in our minds. And who has the answers?
This posting provides a small contribution towards the search for answers by considering the views of both modern scientists and mystics in the form of quotations.
The scientist quotations are from highly regarded, modern-day physicists and cosmologists.
The mystic quotations are primarily from Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Abhayananda, Swami Sivananda and Eckhart Tolle, individuals who, in the highest state of consciousness, were privileged to directly witness the astounding workings of the universe. Their knowledge is not intellectual reasoning - their knowledge is direct revelation of the highest truths.
Science is a wonderful tool, but the scientific methodology has limitations. This methodology is expressed rather playfully in the following quotation;
First you guess. Don't laugh, this is the most important step. Then you compute the consequences. Compare the consequences to experience. It it disagrees with experience, the guess is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It doesn't matter how beautiful your guess is or how smart you are or what your name is. If it disagrees with experience, it is wrong. That's all there is to it. ~ Richard Feynman, world renowned 20th century physicist
The limitations of the scientific method are expressed in the following quotations by two modern-day physicists;
Science is very good at answering the "how" questions. 'How did the universe evolve to that form that we see?' But it is woefully inadequate in addressing the 'why' questions. 'Why is there a universe at all?' These are the meaning questions, which many people think religion is particularly good at dealing with. ~ Brian Greene
The strength and weakness of physicists is that we believe in what we can measure. And if we can't measure it, then we say it probably doesn't exist. And that closes us off to an enormous amount of phenomena. ~ Michio Kaku
On the other hand, mystical knowledge is infallible and complete, although most scientists give little regard to such knowledge.
The fact that I don't have any particular need for religion doesn't mean that I have a need to cast religion aside the way some of my colleagues do. ~ Brian Greene
But things are starting to change, and more scientists are beginning to acknowledge both the need and immense value of mystic knowledge.
This posting is divided into the following sections;
The mystery of the universe has always fascinated mankind. So many questions arise in our minds. And who has the answers?
This posting provides a small contribution towards the search for answers by considering the views of both modern scientists and mystics in the form of quotations.
The scientist quotations are from highly regarded, modern-day physicists and cosmologists.
The mystic quotations are primarily from Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Abhayananda, Swami Sivananda and Eckhart Tolle, individuals who, in the highest state of consciousness, were privileged to directly witness the astounding workings of the universe. Their knowledge is not intellectual reasoning - their knowledge is direct revelation of the highest truths.
Science is a wonderful tool, but the scientific methodology has limitations. This methodology is expressed rather playfully in the following quotation;
First you guess. Don't laugh, this is the most important step. Then you compute the consequences. Compare the consequences to experience. It it disagrees with experience, the guess is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It doesn't matter how beautiful your guess is or how smart you are or what your name is. If it disagrees with experience, it is wrong. That's all there is to it. ~ Richard Feynman, world renowned 20th century physicist
The limitations of the scientific method are expressed in the following quotations by two modern-day physicists;
Science is very good at answering the "how" questions. 'How did the universe evolve to that form that we see?' But it is woefully inadequate in addressing the 'why' questions. 'Why is there a universe at all?' These are the meaning questions, which many people think religion is particularly good at dealing with. ~ Brian Greene
The strength and weakness of physicists is that we believe in what we can measure. And if we can't measure it, then we say it probably doesn't exist. And that closes us off to an enormous amount of phenomena. ~ Michio Kaku
On the other hand, mystical knowledge is infallible and complete, although most scientists give little regard to such knowledge.
The fact that I don't have any particular need for religion doesn't mean that I have a need to cast religion aside the way some of my colleagues do. ~ Brian Greene
But things are starting to change, and more scientists are beginning to acknowledge both the need and immense value of mystic knowledge.
This posting is divided into the following sections;
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1 – Who Created the Universe?
2 – How did the Universe Begin? 3 – What Existed before the Start of the Universe? 4 – What is the Purpose of the Universe and What is the Role of Mankind? 5 – Are We Alone in the Universe? 6 – The Music of the Spheres – is it the Sound of Strings? 7 – What are Black Holes? 8 – Are There Multiple Universes? 9 – How is Consciousness Connected to the Universe? 10 – Is Your Universe the Same as Mine? 11 – Is the Universe Real? 12 – What are Infinity and Eternity? 13 – Will the Universe Come to an End? If so, then what? |
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1 - Who Created the Universe?
For scientists, the answer comes down to a belief. Some scientists believe that in order to explain the inexplicable, including creation, there must be a divine power, or God. Other scientists believe that there is no need to rely on a divine power. They believe that eventually it will be shown that everything will be explicable by laws of science.
For mystics, there is no need for belief. They know that there is a divine power. During the times that they have been graced to be in the highest states of consciousness, they have directly witnessed creation unfolding before them under the direction of a divine entity.
For mystics, there is no need for belief. They know that there is a divine power. During the times that they have been graced to be in the highest states of consciousness, they have directly witnessed creation unfolding before them under the direction of a divine entity.
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The View of Science
When confronted with the order and beauty of the universe and the strange coincidences of nature, it's very tempting to take the leap of faith from science into religion. I am sure many physicists want to. I only wish they would admit it. ~ Tony Rothman That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God. ~ Albert Einstein The universe is incredibly wondrous, incredibly beautiful, and it fills me with a sense that there is some underlying explanation that we have yet to fully understand. If someone wants to place the word 'God' on those collections of words, it's OK with me. ~ Brian Greene Through my scientific work I have come to believe more and more strongly that the physical universe is put together with an ingenuity so astonishing that I cannot accept it merely as a brute fact. There must, it seems to me, be a deeper level of explanation. Whether one wishes to call that deeper level 'God' is a matter of taste and definition. ~ Paul Davies It is my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God. No one created the universe. ~ Stephen Hawking This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being. ~ Sir Isaac Newton God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand. Now, when you finally discover how something works … you don't need him anymore. But … you leave him to create the universe because we haven't figured that out yet. ~ Richard Feynman As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency--or rather, Agency--must be involved. Is it possible that suddenly, without intending to, we have stumbled upon scientific proof of the existence of a Supreme Being? Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted the cosmos for our benefit? ~ George Greenstein |
The View of the Mystics
This universe comes out of Brahman[God], rests in Brahman, and dissolves in Brahman. God, the Creator of the universe, is not a man-like being, but is a universal Mind whose Creation is a manifestation of His own energy, and takes place entirely within Him. This universe is a vibratory dream motion picture of God’s thoughts on the screen of time and space and human consciousness. God effortlessly “projects”, or “emanates” an “Energy” which transforms itself into an inconceivably complex universal drama in which stars explode, civilizations rise and fall, and human beings evolve. 
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2 - How did the Universe Begin?
This is one of the topics that both scientists and mystics appear to agree on. The prevailing scientific theory is that the universe began with an immense explosion some 13.8-billion years ago from a tiny singularity. The event is now known as the "Big Bang." The universe has been expanding ever since.
Mystics also affirm that the universe began with an immense explosion of light energy and the light energy continues to project outwards.
Mystics also affirm that the universe began with an immense explosion of light energy and the light energy continues to project outwards.
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The View of Science
The essential element in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis is the same; the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply, at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy. ~ Robert Jastrow Ten or twenty billion years ago, something happened—the Big Bang, the event that began our universe. Why it happened is the greatest mystery... That it happened is reasonably clear. ~ Carl Sagan We are privileged to be part of the first generation who can claim to have a respectable, rational, and coherent description for the creation and evolution of the universe. The Big Bang model offers an elegant explanation of the origin of everything we see in the night sky, making it one of the greatest achievements of the human intellect and spirit. It is the consequence of an insatiable curiosity, a fabulous imagination, acute observation and ruthless logic. Even more wonderful is that the Big Bang model can be understood by everyone. ~ Simon Singh The universe came into being in a big bang, before which, Einstein’s theory instructs us, there was no before. Not only particles and fields of force had to come into being at the big bang, but the laws of physics themselves. ~ John Wheeler There may be many Big Bangs that happened at various and far-flung locations, each creating its own swelling, spatial expanse, each creating a universe - our universe being the result of only one of those Big Bangs. ~ Brian Greene |
The View of the Mystics
Having been graced, in the contemplative state, with a unitive vision of the transcendent Reality … it is my contention, my certainty, based on that spiritual revelation, that the universe originated in the eternal Consciousness of God, and was initiated by His Divine Power in the manner of a great Burst of Energy, which transformed as it expanded into a world of material substance. The conscious essence of the Divine Mind was then infused into that burgeoning universe. That sudden burst of First Light that signaled ‘the beginning’ nearly fourteen billion years ago was no mere run of the mill light-show; it was a teeming, roiling rush of the most intensely furious maelstrom of concentrated Energy imaginable. The light of a billion hydrogen bombs could not begin to compare with it. Indeed, all of the mass-energy that goes to make up our current universe was contained within that burst of light. From that one Consciousness arose a creative impulse from which a breath of conscious Energy streamed forth, expanding as the universe of matter, form, and space. That Energy had implicit in it the eternal Consciousness of its source; and it therefore had the inherent power and Intelligence to direct and self-organize itself into the form of minute particles, which then collected into more complex particles, rocks and stars and whole galaxies of stars, eventually spawning the many worlds teeming with life and awareness. 
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3 - What Existed Before the Start of the Universe?
Science has no answer. Some scientists acknowledge that it is a topic beyond the limits of science and leave it at that. Others say nothing existed as time only began at the beginning of creation. And still others speculate on other possibilities. The idea of the multiverse (see below) allows scientists to suggest that creation is always beginning somewhere and hence before our universe, there were others.
Mystics, however, have directly witnessed the never-ending cycles of creation and dissolution that occur over and over again within the timeless mind of God.
Mystics, however, have directly witnessed the never-ending cycles of creation and dissolution that occur over and over again within the timeless mind of God.
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The View of Science
No one knows who wrote the laws of physics or where they come from. Science is based on testable, reproducible evidence, and so far we cannot test the universe before the Big Bang. ~ Michio Kaku If we do get a quantum theory of spacetime, it should answer some of the deepest philosophical questions that we have, like what happened before the big bang? ~ Michio Kaku What preceded the Big Bang? According to renowned physicist Stephen William Hawking, PhD: Nothing. The Big Bang theory says nothing about what banged, why it banged, or what happened before it banged. ~ Alan Guth Modern thinking is that time did not start with the big bang, and that there was a multiverse even before the big bang. In the inflation theory, and in string theory, there were universes before our big bang, and that big bangs are happening all the time. Universes are formed when bubbles collide or fission into smaller bubbles. ~ Michio Kaku One may wonder, What came before? If space-time did not exist then, how could everything appear from nothing? . . . Explaining this initial singularity—where and when it all began—still remains the most intractable problem of modern cosmology ~ Andrei Linde It is true that physicists hope to look behind the ‘big bang,’ and possibly to explain the origin of our universe as, for example, a type of fluctuation. But then, of what is it a fluctuation and how did this in turn begin to exist? In my view, the question of origin seems always left unanswered if we explore from a scientific view alone. ~ Charles H. Townes |
The View of the Mystics
According to the standard scientific Big Bang model of the origin of the universe, the Big Bang was the explosive expansion of a pre-existent primary state consisting of an ultra-dense concentration of mass-energy. Yet those scientists who accept this model have refused to speculate on where, why, and how such an ultra-dense concentration of mass-energy came to be in the first place. That, they say, is beyond the purview of ‘empirical science’; and of course it is. When no goblin nebulae breathed and glided in the space body, when no fire-eyed baby planets opened their eyes in the cradle of space, when no star-rivers ran across the tracts of infinite space, when the ocean of space was unpeopled, uninhabited by floating island universes, when the sun and moon and planetary families did not swim in space, when a little ball of earth with its dollhouses and diminutive human beings did not exist, when no object of any kind had come into being - Spirit existed ..... ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever newly joyous Spirit. There was, prior to the Beginning of Creation, no space, no time, no matter, no universe; there was only the one singular eternal Consciousness resting blissfully within Itself. 
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4 - What is the Purpose of the Universe and What is the Role of Mankind?
Once again, this is a topic that is outside the comfort zone of scientists. As noted below, there are plenty of scenarios, conjectures and just-so stories, but nothing with solid experimental support.
On the other hand, mystics enter that Mind and return to state in unadorned simplicity that the One entertained a desireless desire to enjoy His Bliss through many, and the cosmos and its beings were born. The Unmanifested Spirit felt, "I am alone. I am conscious Bliss, but there is no one to taste the sweetness of My Nectar of Joy." Even as He thus dreamed, He became many.
On the other hand, mystics enter that Mind and return to state in unadorned simplicity that the One entertained a desireless desire to enjoy His Bliss through many, and the cosmos and its beings were born. The Unmanifested Spirit felt, "I am alone. I am conscious Bliss, but there is no one to taste the sweetness of My Nectar of Joy." Even as He thus dreamed, He became many.
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The View of Science
There is a certain sense in which I would say the universe has a purpose. It's not there just somehow by chance. Some people take the view that the universe is simply there and it runs along - it's a bit as though it just sort of computes, and we happen by accident to find ourselves in this thing. I don't think that's a very fruitful or helpful way at looking at the universe, I think that there is something much deeper about it, about its existence, which we have very little inkling of at the moment. ~Roger Penrose Scientists have no agreed theory of the origin of life - plenty of scenarios, conjectures and just-so stories, but nothing with solid experimental support. ~ Paul Davies Then we shall 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. ~ Stephen Hawking 
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The View of the Mystics
Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence. Ultimately you are not a person, but a focal point where the universe is becoming conscious of itself. What an amazing miracle. Each person's life – each lifeform, in fact – represents a world, a unique way in which the universe experiences itself. When, whence, and why came creation into being? Who may make bold to read the Mind of the Infinite in seeking causes from the Uncaused, beginnings from the Ever-Existing, paltry reasons from Omniscience? Audacious mortals pursue their queries, while sages enter that Mind and return to state in unadorned simplicity that the One entertained a desireless desire to enjoy His Bliss through many, and the cosmos and its beings were born. The Unmanifested Spirit felt, "I am alone. I am conscious Bliss, but there is no one to taste the sweetness of My Nectar of Joy." Even as He thus dreamed, He became many. The creation of man and the universe is only God’s lila, play or creative sport. The Lord as the jivas experiences the delights of the world that He made. It is said that He loves to dream Himself as separate souls. This gives the Lord an opportunity to play with the conscious dream-souls in His cosmic drama. |
5 - Are We Alone in the Universe?
Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying ..... I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here. ~ Arthur C. Clarke
This is yet another question that is beyond the purview of science. However, many scientists are comfortable projecting that life exists elsewhere, given the enormous size of the universe combined with probability theory.
And again, during those times when mystics enter "the mind of God," they become directly aware that there exists life and civilization on other planets in the many systems of the universe.
This is yet another question that is beyond the purview of science. However, many scientists are comfortable projecting that life exists elsewhere, given the enormous size of the universe combined with probability theory.
And again, during those times when mystics enter "the mind of God," they become directly aware that there exists life and civilization on other planets in the many systems of the universe.
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The View of Science
The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space ..... it would be astonishing to me if there weren't extraterrestrial intelligence. ~ Carl Sagan So many galaxies, so many planets out there in the universe circling so many stars... it just feels like there's a very good chance that there is another Earth-like planet out there that is able to support some kind of life similar to what we're familiar with. ~ Brian Greene Our sun is one of 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is one of the billions of galaxies populating the universe. It would be the height of presumption to think that we are the only living things within that enormous immensity.” – Werner von Braun I think it would be a very rash presumption to think that nowhere else in the cosmos has nature repeated the strange experiment which she has performed on earth—that the whole purpose of creation has been staked on this one planet alone. ~ Harlow Shapley If there is life elsewhere in the universe, chemically speaking, it would be very similar to what we have on earth. ~ Cyril Ponnamperuma My study of the universe leaves little doubt that life has occurred on other planets. I doubt if the human race is the most intelligent form of life. ~ Harold C. Urey My personal view is that there is intelligent life out there. ~ Roger T. Hanlon I think we're going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we're going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years. ~ Ellen Stofan There are compelling arguments to suggest we are not alone. Indeed, most astrophysicists accept a high probability of there being life elsewhere in the universe, if not on other planets or on moons within our own solar system. The numbers are, well, astronomical ..... To declare that Earth must be the only planet in the cosmos with life would be inexcusably egocentric of us. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson |
The View of the Mystics
We Buddhists have always held that firm conviction that there exists life and civilization on other planets in the many systems of the universe, and some of them are so highly developed that they are superior to our own. Many other island universes float in an infinitude of circular space. Someday other inhabited physical planets will be discovered; there will be interplanetary communication and travel. Inhabitants of other physical worlds live under environmental influences far different from those of our planet. Beings who dwell on certain stars, for instance, absorb life energy directly; they do not breathe air like earthly beings. Many people erroneously imagine that no beings could live on a planet lacking in air. In His vast creative display, the Lord has provided a place for every coterie of evolution and interest of His creatures. There are sattvic universes, which contain fundamentally good beings. There are rajasic universes in which the bulk of beings are passionate with desireful activity—this earth is predominantly rajasic in this stage of its evolution; in the strata between good and evil, it is about midway. Similarly, there are universes that are dominated primarily by tamasic or evil manifestations. No devotee comes on earth only to meditate on the Lord and to do nothing else. Had that been his goal, he would have found many other worlds in God’s vast creation far better suited to his purpose! Advanced but still imperfect yogis who are disappointed in this world are given a chance to experience the happiness available in the bright astral spheres, or are allowed to reincarnate on other planets of the physical universe that boast better conditions of existence than does our earth. 
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6 - The Music of the Spheres - is it the Sound of Strings?
Unification has been at the heart of physics for centuries. In the 17th century, Newton united the heavens and Earth, revealing that the same laws governing the motion of the planets described the trajectory of a spinning wheel and a rolling rock. Some 200 years later, Maxwell showed that electricity and magnetism are two aspects of a single force described by a single mathematical model.
Then in 1905, Einstein linked space and time, showing that motion through one affects passage through the other, the hallmark of his special theory of relativity. Ten years later, Einstein extended these insights with his general theory of relativity, providing the most refined description of gravity, the force governing the likes of stars and galaxies. A grand synthesis of all of nature’s forces appeared to be within reach.
But by 1930, Niels Bohr and others had ventured deep into the microrealm, where they discovered quantum mechanics, an enigmatic theory formulated with radically new physical concepts and mathematical rules. While spectacularly successful at predicting the behaviour of atoms and subatomic particles, there was no semblance of unity between quantum laws and Einstein’s formulation of gravity.
This set the stage for more than a half-century of despair as physicists valiantly struggled, but repeatedly failed, to meld general relativity and quantum mechanics, the laws of the large and small, into a single unified description - a Theory of Everything.
Such was the case until the1980s, when a proposed new mathematical model called “string theory” showed the potential to achieve the long-desired unified theory.
String theory suggests that nature’s so-called indivisible particles, e.g. electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc., can be represented as groups of tiny, vibrating string-like filaments. And, according to the theory, the differences between one particle and another all arise from differences in how their internal strings vibrate. As such, nature’s particles would be seen as harmonious “notes” comprising nature’s score.
The mathematics revealed that one of these notes had properties precisely matching those of the “graviton,” a hypothetical particle that, according to quantum physics, would carry the force of gravity from one location to another. For the first time, gravity and quantum mechanics, in theory, were playing by the same rules.
All that was now required was experimental verification, i.e. examine particles to see the vibrating strings. Unfortunately, the size of the strings are orders of magnitude smaller than what the most advanced measurement tools can detect. **
More than 30 years later, experimental verification of string theory remains elusive. This, along with a number of other features of string theory that concern some critics, makes the future of the majestic mathematical structure of string theory unknown. Will it be the grand unifying theory so long desired by physicists or will string theory ultimately be kicked to the curb?
As for the mystics who have directly witnessed the workings of creation, they offer a common view. They say the universe is a projection of light energy emanating from the consciousness of God. The light energy vibrations shape themselves into a myriad of forms which appear in the guise of solids, liquids and gases. The light vibrations of all forms emit sound culminating in the consolidated music of the spheres - the cosmic symphony.
String theory, at least poetically, suggests that the music of the spheres as described by the mystics, may be the sound of strings.
** the above is a an edited version of an article by Brian Greene
Then in 1905, Einstein linked space and time, showing that motion through one affects passage through the other, the hallmark of his special theory of relativity. Ten years later, Einstein extended these insights with his general theory of relativity, providing the most refined description of gravity, the force governing the likes of stars and galaxies. A grand synthesis of all of nature’s forces appeared to be within reach.
But by 1930, Niels Bohr and others had ventured deep into the microrealm, where they discovered quantum mechanics, an enigmatic theory formulated with radically new physical concepts and mathematical rules. While spectacularly successful at predicting the behaviour of atoms and subatomic particles, there was no semblance of unity between quantum laws and Einstein’s formulation of gravity.
This set the stage for more than a half-century of despair as physicists valiantly struggled, but repeatedly failed, to meld general relativity and quantum mechanics, the laws of the large and small, into a single unified description - a Theory of Everything.
Such was the case until the1980s, when a proposed new mathematical model called “string theory” showed the potential to achieve the long-desired unified theory.
String theory suggests that nature’s so-called indivisible particles, e.g. electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc., can be represented as groups of tiny, vibrating string-like filaments. And, according to the theory, the differences between one particle and another all arise from differences in how their internal strings vibrate. As such, nature’s particles would be seen as harmonious “notes” comprising nature’s score.
The mathematics revealed that one of these notes had properties precisely matching those of the “graviton,” a hypothetical particle that, according to quantum physics, would carry the force of gravity from one location to another. For the first time, gravity and quantum mechanics, in theory, were playing by the same rules.
All that was now required was experimental verification, i.e. examine particles to see the vibrating strings. Unfortunately, the size of the strings are orders of magnitude smaller than what the most advanced measurement tools can detect. **
More than 30 years later, experimental verification of string theory remains elusive. This, along with a number of other features of string theory that concern some critics, makes the future of the majestic mathematical structure of string theory unknown. Will it be the grand unifying theory so long desired by physicists or will string theory ultimately be kicked to the curb?
As for the mystics who have directly witnessed the workings of creation, they offer a common view. They say the universe is a projection of light energy emanating from the consciousness of God. The light energy vibrations shape themselves into a myriad of forms which appear in the guise of solids, liquids and gases. The light vibrations of all forms emit sound culminating in the consolidated music of the spheres - the cosmic symphony.
String theory, at least poetically, suggests that the music of the spheres as described by the mystics, may be the sound of strings.
** the above is a an edited version of an article by Brian Greene
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The View of Science
Are there other universes? Can you go through a black hole? Can you warp the fabric of space and time and meet your mother before you were born? These are all questions that in principle string theory should be able to answer. ~ Michio Kaku What is the universe? The universe is a symphony of vibrating strings ... we are nothing but melodies. We are nothing but cosmic music played out on vibrating strings and membranes ..... the universe is a symphony of strings. ~ Michio Kaku If string theory is right, the microscopic fabric of our universe is a richly intertwined multidimensional labyrinth within which the strings of the universe endlessly twist and vibrate, rhythmically beating out the laws of the cosmos. ~ Brian Greene The beauty of string theory is the metaphor kind of really comes very close to the reality. The strings of string theory are vibrating the particles, vibrating the forces of nature into existence, those vibrations are sort of like musical notes. So string theory, if it's correct, would be playing out the score of the universe. ~ Brian Greene String theory has the potential to show that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe - from the frantic dance of subatomic quarks to the stately waltz of orbiting binary stars; from the primordial fireball of the big bang to the majestic swirl of heavenly galaxies - are reflections of one, grand physical principle, one master equation. ~ Brian Greene According to String Theory, what appears to be empty space is actually a tumultuous ocean of strings vibrating at the precise frequencies that create the 4 dimensions ..... In essence, String Theory describes space and time, matter and energy, gravity and light, indeed all of God's creation as music. ~ Roy Williams When we understand string theory, we will know how the universe began. It won't have much effect on how we live, but it is important to understand where we come from and what we can expect to find as we explore. ~ Stephen Hawking The amazingly vast collection of solutions to equations of string theory suggests that there may be many universes besides ours. What happened before the big bang, or was there a time before the big bang? ~ Cumrun The music of Mozart is of such purity and beauty that one feels he merely found it - that it has always existed as part of the inner beauty of the universe waiting to be revealed. ~ Albert Einstein |
The View of the Mystics
There is music in the spacing of the spheres. God is vibrating in the universe as Cosmic Sound. Pranava, the sound of the creative vibration, is the mother of all sounds. The intelligent cosmic energy that issues forth from God - and is the manifestation of God - is the creator and substance of all matter. I am the Pranava in all the Vedas; the sound in the ether (Bhagavad Gita, VII:8) When you touch the celestial in your heart, you will realize that the beauty of your soul is so pure, so vast and so devastating that you have no option but to merge with it. You have no option but to feel the rhythm of the universe in the rhythm of your heart. When you listen with your soul, you come into rhythm and unity with the music of the universe. By music the world was created. 
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7 - What are Black Holes?
Black holes are among the strangest and most extraordinary objects in space. A black hole consists of an infinitesimally tiny point of space, called a singularity, that contains an enormous amount of mass, typically arising from the death of a massive star when it gravitationally collapses inward upon itself.
The singularity exhibits such a strong gravitational pull that nothing that comes within it's "event horizon" can escape, including light. The size of the event horizon is proportional to the mass of the black hole. Astronomers have found black holes with event horizons ranging from 6 miles to the size of our solar system.
Astronomers believe that supermassive black holes lie at the center of virtually all large galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Astronomers can detect them by watching for their effects on nearby stars and gas. Researchers have estimated that the number of black holes within the observable universe could range from hundreds of billions to many times that many.
One of the most intriguing phenomenon of black holes, identified by Einstein's general theory of relativity, is that the enormous gravitational pull would significantly warp space-time in regions within its grip. In fact, time may well stop still at the singularity.
Some suggest that the compacted matter at the singularity may eventually disappear leaving behind just warped space and warped time. And, according to a mind-bending new theory, a black hole might be a tunnel between universes—a type of wormhole. In this theory, the matter that the black hole attracts doesn't collapse into a single point, but rather gushes out a "white hole" at the other end of the black one.
This leads to a related idea made famous by Stephen Hawking, which suggests that each time a black hole is created in our universe, it gives rise to a “baby universe” that’s only accessible to an observer that crosses inside that black hole’s event horizon. Could our universe, then, actually have been spawned by a black hole that was created in some sort of grand “parent universe,” and do we give birth to a new universe each time a new black hole is created?
Do you realize that if you fall into a black hole, you will see the entire future of the Universe unfold in front of you in a matter of moments and you will emerge into another space-time created by the singularity of the black hole you just fell into? ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
The quotation above by Neil deGrasse Tyson and the one below by Ethan Siegal provide a nice segue to the next topic of Are There Multiple Universes?
The singularity exhibits such a strong gravitational pull that nothing that comes within it's "event horizon" can escape, including light. The size of the event horizon is proportional to the mass of the black hole. Astronomers have found black holes with event horizons ranging from 6 miles to the size of our solar system.
Astronomers believe that supermassive black holes lie at the center of virtually all large galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Astronomers can detect them by watching for their effects on nearby stars and gas. Researchers have estimated that the number of black holes within the observable universe could range from hundreds of billions to many times that many.
One of the most intriguing phenomenon of black holes, identified by Einstein's general theory of relativity, is that the enormous gravitational pull would significantly warp space-time in regions within its grip. In fact, time may well stop still at the singularity.
Some suggest that the compacted matter at the singularity may eventually disappear leaving behind just warped space and warped time. And, according to a mind-bending new theory, a black hole might be a tunnel between universes—a type of wormhole. In this theory, the matter that the black hole attracts doesn't collapse into a single point, but rather gushes out a "white hole" at the other end of the black one.
This leads to a related idea made famous by Stephen Hawking, which suggests that each time a black hole is created in our universe, it gives rise to a “baby universe” that’s only accessible to an observer that crosses inside that black hole’s event horizon. Could our universe, then, actually have been spawned by a black hole that was created in some sort of grand “parent universe,” and do we give birth to a new universe each time a new black hole is created?
Do you realize that if you fall into a black hole, you will see the entire future of the Universe unfold in front of you in a matter of moments and you will emerge into another space-time created by the singularity of the black hole you just fell into? ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
The quotation above by Neil deGrasse Tyson and the one below by Ethan Siegal provide a nice segue to the next topic of Are There Multiple Universes?
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The View of Science
There’s a lot to like about the idea that there’s a connection between black holes and the birth of Universes, from both physical and mathematical points of view. It’s plausible that there’s a connection between the birth of our Universe and the creation of an extremely massive black hole from a Universe that existed before our own; it’s plausible that every black hole that’s been created in our Universe has given rise to a new Universe within it. What’s missing, unfortunately, is the key step of a uniquely identifiable signature that could tell us whether this is the case or not. ~ Ethan Siegel Black holes are where God divided by zero. ~ Albert Einstein Black holes teach us that space can be crumpled like a piece of paper into an infinitesimal dot, that time can be extinguished like a blown-out flame, and that the laws of physics that we regard as ‘sacred,’ as immutable, are anything but. ~ John Wheeler Of all the billions and billions of strange objects in the Cosmos; novas, quasars, pulsars, black holes are beyond doubt the strangest. ~ Walker Percy Black holes are the seductive dragons of the universe, outwardly quiescent yet violent at the heart, uncanny, hostile, primeval, emitting a negative radiance that draws all toward them, gobbling up all who come too close. ~ Robert Coover 
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The View of the Mystics
It is fascinating that the description of black holes bear a semblance to some elements of the enlightenment experience that mystics speak of, as described in the posting A Glimpse into Paradise (March 2022) in the What's New? section of this website. For example, from the quotes by physicists on the left and above, it is possible that one can;
Black holes are a relatively recent discovery and, to date, I have not come across any commentary by mystics, except for the following; Many years ago I had written in my book, The Power of Now, that there is a black hole at the center of every galaxy. The editor saw it and said you can't say that - how can you know? People are going to argue with that. Let's just take it out ..... Some years later, I read in an article by scientists that they now believe there is a black hole at the center of every galaxy ..... Why did I know that? I knew that because I could feel the black hole inside myself - this spacious, formless one life - the origin. The human being is a microcosm - you can understand the whole universe by understanding yourself. ~ Eckhart Tolle, from a talk on consciousness given in late 2022 |
8 - Are There Multiple Universes?
The concept of multiple universes, or multiverse, has been discussed throughout history, with origins in ancient Greek philosophy. Different ideas have evolved over time in various fields, including cosmology, physics, and philosophy. However, until more recently the multiverse did not capture significant interest.
Modern physics revived the idea of multiple universes, beginning with the Many Worlds theory proposed by Hugh Everett in the 1950s to provide a possible way to address some of the strange properties of quantum mechanics. More recently, parallel universes have been proposed to try to make sense out of theories that don’t quite make sense without them. In addition to quantum mechanics, speculative ideas for many worlds have arisen in scientific investigations into String Theory, Black Holes, Dark Energy as well as the "inflation" variation of the Big Bang theory.
Although scientists have analyzed data in search of proof for other universes, no statistically significant evidence has been found. Critics argue that the multiverse concept lacks testability and falsifiability, which are essential for scientific inquiry, and that it raises unresolved metaphysical issues.
As for mystics, they say the answer is quite clear - there are indeed multiple universes floating in the inconceivably vast consciousness of Spirit. Some of these multiple universes exist in the physical plane of existence, while there are also universes that exist in higher planes of existence, i.e. the astral and causal worlds (see the posting Astral and Causal Worlds (May 2017) in the What's New section of this website).
Modern physics revived the idea of multiple universes, beginning with the Many Worlds theory proposed by Hugh Everett in the 1950s to provide a possible way to address some of the strange properties of quantum mechanics. More recently, parallel universes have been proposed to try to make sense out of theories that don’t quite make sense without them. In addition to quantum mechanics, speculative ideas for many worlds have arisen in scientific investigations into String Theory, Black Holes, Dark Energy as well as the "inflation" variation of the Big Bang theory.
Although scientists have analyzed data in search of proof for other universes, no statistically significant evidence has been found. Critics argue that the multiverse concept lacks testability and falsifiability, which are essential for scientific inquiry, and that it raises unresolved metaphysical issues.
As for mystics, they say the answer is quite clear - there are indeed multiple universes floating in the inconceivably vast consciousness of Spirit. Some of these multiple universes exist in the physical plane of existence, while there are also universes that exist in higher planes of existence, i.e. the astral and causal worlds (see the posting Astral and Causal Worlds (May 2017) in the What's New section of this website).
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The View of Science
I believe we exist in a multiverse of universes. ~ Michio Kaku Modern thinking is that time did not start with the big bang, and that there was a multiverse even before the big bang. In the inflation theory, and in string theory, there were universes before our big bang, and that big bangs are happening all the time. Universes are formed when bubbles collide or fission into smaller bubbles. ~ Michio Kaku It’s hard to build models of inflation that don't lead to a multiverse. It’s not impossible, so I think there’s still certainly research that needs to be done. But most models of inflation do lead to a multiverse, and evidence for inflation will be pushing us in the direction of taking the idea of a multiverse seriously. ~ Alan Guth Inflation is continuous and eternal, with big bangs happening all the time, with universes sprouting from other universes. In this picture, universes can “bud” off into other universes, creating a “multiverse.” In this theory, spontaneous breaking may occur anywhere within our universe, allowing an entire universe to bud off our universe. It also means that our own universe might have budded from a previous universe. In the chaotic inflationary model, the multiverse is eternal, even if individual universes are not. Some universes may have a very large Omega, in which case they immediately vanish into a big crunch after their big bang. Some universes only have a tiny Omega and expand forever. Eventually, the multiverse becomes dominated by those universes that inflate by a huge amount. In retrospect, the idea of parallel universes is forced upon us. ~ Michio Kaku The notion of parallel universes leapt out of the pages of fiction into scientific journals in the 1990s. Many scientists claim that mega-millions of other universes, each with its own laws of physics, lie out there, beyond our visual horizon. They are collectively known as the multiverse. ~ George Ellis Nearly all cosmologists today (including me) accept this type of multiverse. ~ George Ellis (referring to a Level I Multiverse, in which parallel worlds exist beyond the cosmic horizon of our observable universe) In physics, we’ve come upon the possibility that what we’ve long thought to be everything may actually only be a small part of something that is much, much bigger. The word "multiverse" refers to that bigger expanse, the new totality of reality, and our universe would be just a piece of that larger whole. ~ Brian Greene “According to Hawking, there may be an infinite number of alternative universes coexisting with ours,” writes Michio Kaku in Hyperspace (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994). “These universes might be compared to a vast collection of soap bubbles suspended in air.” |
The View of the Mystics
Floating island universes .... endless universes, tier upon tier, zone after zone, all revolving within Him. The Lord reveals His cosmic form: universes upon universes, inconceivably vast, created and sustained by the infinite omnipotence of Spirit which is simultaneously aware of the tiniest particle of subatomic matter and the cosmic movement of the galactic immensities—of every thought, feeling, and action of every being on the material and heavenly planes of existence. The physical cosmos, with its many “island universes” floating in the eternal void, is encircled by a nimbus of radiant energy that melts away into the larger astral world. The astral cosmos is a grander manifestation of creation than the physical, and runs through and beyond the latter. In the astral cosmos many luminous galaxies of various densities, with their astral solar and stellar systems, are roving in a vaster sphere of eternity. The largest or causal cosmos contains countless causal galactic systems with their suns and planets, roaming all through the physical and astral cosmoses and far beyond their boundaries to the outermost sphere of vibratory space. The causal universe is the womb of creation. In the causal universe, God’s finest creative forces of consciousness, and highly evolved beings with their intuitive processes, objectify universes from subtle divine thought forces. Through pure soul intuition, an accomplished yogi can behold the physical cosmos and its beings as the cosmic dream of God. Or he can project his consciousness into the astral world and perceive its panorama of indescribably beautiful island universes and beings made of ethereal blendings of various colored lights. Or he can lift his consciousness into the sublime causal sphere, with its galaxies upon galaxies of dazzling wisdom-objects and beings and their interactions—a glorious diadem in the eternally still, endless skies of Spirit. There are sattvic universes, which contain fundamentally good beings. There are rajasic universes in which the bulk of beings are passionate with desireful activity—this earth is predominantly rajasic in this stage of its evolution; in the strata between good and evil, it is about midway. Similarly, there are universes that are dominated primarily by tamasic or evil manifestations. 
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9 – How is Consciousness Connected to the Universe?
This topic was addressed previously, e.g. the posting Are You in the Universe or is the Universe in You? (April 2020) on the What's New web page, for those interested in a more detailed assessment.
For scientists, the word "consciousness" is not one they are comfortable with. Science deals with physical forms only and consciousness does not fit that category. Some scientists choose to ignore the role of consciousness, some say they expect to have an answer at a future date, and still others posit speculative positions. One such speculative position has been termed "panpsychism."
Panpsychism has been around for a long time. Philosophers and mathematicians Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead, physicists Arthur Eddington, Ernst Schrödinger, and Max Planck, and psychologist William James are just a few thinkers who supported some form of panpsychism. The idea lost traction in the late 20th century, but recently, philosophers and scientists such as David Chalmers, Bernardo Kastrup, Christof Koch, and Philip Goff have revived the idea, making strong claims for some form of panpsychism. Panpsychism is the idea that everything has consciousness. Consciousness is not limited to humans and other animals. Plants have it, too. It doesn’t stop at living things, either. Stones and stars, electrons and photons, even quarks have consciousness. According to some versions of the theory, the universe itself is conscious.
Had the supporters of panpsychism stopped there, their views would sound remarkably similar to the mystic view. However, some have added the caveat that there is nothing special about consciousness - it is just a particular arrangement of the same ingredients all other matter is made of.
From a mystic's view, the answer is clear - the universe is a construct of consciousness. The universe appears in your consciousness and is projected out from there. As such, each of us, in our true nature as gods, does exactly what Spirit does in creating the phenomenon of a personal universe. The universe itself is indeed imbued with the non-material substance of consciousness.
In addition to the posting referenced above, more on this topic can also be found on the web page Personalized Creation Model in The Enchanted Universe section of this website.
For scientists, the word "consciousness" is not one they are comfortable with. Science deals with physical forms only and consciousness does not fit that category. Some scientists choose to ignore the role of consciousness, some say they expect to have an answer at a future date, and still others posit speculative positions. One such speculative position has been termed "panpsychism."
Panpsychism has been around for a long time. Philosophers and mathematicians Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead, physicists Arthur Eddington, Ernst Schrödinger, and Max Planck, and psychologist William James are just a few thinkers who supported some form of panpsychism. The idea lost traction in the late 20th century, but recently, philosophers and scientists such as David Chalmers, Bernardo Kastrup, Christof Koch, and Philip Goff have revived the idea, making strong claims for some form of panpsychism. Panpsychism is the idea that everything has consciousness. Consciousness is not limited to humans and other animals. Plants have it, too. It doesn’t stop at living things, either. Stones and stars, electrons and photons, even quarks have consciousness. According to some versions of the theory, the universe itself is conscious.
Had the supporters of panpsychism stopped there, their views would sound remarkably similar to the mystic view. However, some have added the caveat that there is nothing special about consciousness - it is just a particular arrangement of the same ingredients all other matter is made of.
From a mystic's view, the answer is clear - the universe is a construct of consciousness. The universe appears in your consciousness and is projected out from there. As such, each of us, in our true nature as gods, does exactly what Spirit does in creating the phenomenon of a personal universe. The universe itself is indeed imbued with the non-material substance of consciousness.
In addition to the posting referenced above, more on this topic can also be found on the web page Personalized Creation Model in The Enchanted Universe section of this website.
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The View of Science
As noted in the quotes below, there are some scientists that have a similar view as mystics. Everything in our world, everything we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch; every thought, feeling, fantasy, intimation, hope, and fear; it is all a form that consciousness has taken on. Everything has been created in consciousness from consciousness. ~ Peter Russell In the new metaparadigm, everything we know, including space, time and matter, manifests from consciousness … the world we see around us is not the physical world. The world we actually know, is the world that takes form in our mind. And this world is not made of matterstuff, but mindstuff. ~ Peter Russell In what medium does space-time itself live and move and have its being? Is there any other answer than to say that consciousness brings all of creation into being. ~ John Wheeler Quantum physics really begins to point to this discovery, it says that you can't have a universe without mind entering into it, the mind is actually shaping the very thing that is being perceived. ~ Fred Allen Wolf It is consciousness, through the conversion of possibility into actuality, that creates what we see manifest. In other words, consciousness creates the manifest world. ~ Amit Goswami The universe is a mental construct displayed on the screen of perception. ~ Bernardo Kastrup I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness." ~ Max Planck The world remains everywhere in a state of pure possibility except where some conscious mind decides to promote a portion of the world from its usual state of indefiniteness into a state of actual existence. ~ John von Neumann A scientific world-view which does not profoundly come to terms with the problem of conscious minds can have no serious pretensions of completeness. ~ Roger Penrose The universe and the observer exist as a pair. I cannot imagine a consistent theory of the universe that ignores consciousness. ~ Andrei Linde The approach the majority of neuroscientists take to the question of how consciousness is generated, it is probably fair to say, is to ignore it ..... the tacitly implied mechanism of consciousness is that it somehow just happens. ~ Peter D. Kitchener and Colin G. Hales We do not yet have the final answers to any of the questions of cosmology and particle physics, molecular genetics and evolutionary theory, but we do know how to think about them ..... With consciousness, however, we are still in a terrible muddle. Consciousness stands alone today as a topic that often leaves even the most sophisticated thinkers tongue-tied and confused. — Daniel C. Dennett There is no question in science more difficult and confusing. ~ Lee Smolin I have a much easier time imagining how we understand the Big Bang than I have imagining how we can understand consciousness. ~ Edward Witten |
The View of the Mystics
What I know for sure is that I am a temporary expression in physical form of the one consciousness that expresses itself throughout the universe. I am not separate from that. Consciousness is not personal. Human consciousness is just an expression of universal consciousness, which pervades the entire universe. Spirit Itself is formless, immortal bliss consciousness. This universe and all beings within it are contained within this consciousness and are imbued with it. Although everything in creation has an appearance of solidity - it is all just light energy (as modern science now confirms) and is ultimately just pure consciousness. This virtual world is essentially a projection of consciousness. Consciousness is not the property of matter, or of any individual being; it is not produced by any material process; but rather it is the property of the Divine Mind, and pervades all matter throughout the universe. Consciousness does not arise from neural activity in the brain; it is a primary property of the Divine Mind, and is implicit in the universal manifestation, and therefore in all matter. It is what matter is made of. The entire universe exists only in consciousness ..... This very room and the universe are floating like a motion picture on the screen of my consciousness. It is only the waking state that brings before us this creation. This universe is nothing but a mode of the mind … The movement of the mind generates the universe. The world you perceive is made of consciousness; what you call matter is consciousness itself. This universe is a vibratory dream motion picture of God’s thoughts on the screen of time and space and human consciousness. All these universes, humans, objects, thoughts and events are merely pictures moving on the screen of Pure Consciousness, which alone is real. 
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10 - Is Your Universe the Same as Mine?
This topic has been addressed previously, i.e. the web page Personalized Creation Model in The Enchanted Universe section of this website. As noted therein;
Each of us is a unique soul, an individualized extension of Spirit. As such, each of us “sees” or experiences the universe in our own personal, particular way. In fact, it can be said that each of us occupies our own “mini-universe.” Consequently, Spirit experiences Its creation from endless perspectives. In addition to offering unique perspectives on creation, each one of us is also a co-creator. As such, we have the same ability as Spirit to “materialize” our thoughts and bring new structures into manifestation within the dream universe.
So, within our personal “mini-universes,” each of us experiences things uniquely and co-creates in our own particular fashion. We are gods within our own domain. Due to karmic conditions, most of the time we do not feel like gods, but we are. We have freedom of choice and have powerful wills to shape our experiences. Our “mini-universes” exist within the consciousness of each one of us. The motion picture is playing on the “screen of our consciousness.” By changing our thoughts and our consciousness, we can change the pictures on the screen and literally change our world.
As such, each of us experiences our own unique, personal universe.
Each of us is a unique soul, an individualized extension of Spirit. As such, each of us “sees” or experiences the universe in our own personal, particular way. In fact, it can be said that each of us occupies our own “mini-universe.” Consequently, Spirit experiences Its creation from endless perspectives. In addition to offering unique perspectives on creation, each one of us is also a co-creator. As such, we have the same ability as Spirit to “materialize” our thoughts and bring new structures into manifestation within the dream universe.
So, within our personal “mini-universes,” each of us experiences things uniquely and co-creates in our own particular fashion. We are gods within our own domain. Due to karmic conditions, most of the time we do not feel like gods, but we are. We have freedom of choice and have powerful wills to shape our experiences. Our “mini-universes” exist within the consciousness of each one of us. The motion picture is playing on the “screen of our consciousness.” By changing our thoughts and our consciousness, we can change the pictures on the screen and literally change our world.
As such, each of us experiences our own unique, personal universe.
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The View of Science
We are personally involved with the creation of our own reality. Physicists are being forced to admit that the universe is a 'mental' construction. ~ R. C. Henry There is no one reality. Each of us lives in a separate universe. That's not speaking metaphorically. This is the hypothesis of the stark nature of reality suggested by recent developments in quantum physics. ~ M. R. Franks Cathedrals and primroses, works of art and works of steel – what a world the mind has constructed from the electrical storms in a few cubic centimeters of gray matter. ~ Raynor Johnson We created our perception of the world … And, we are free to see it differently. ~ Peter Russell Quantum physics is the physics of possibilities … You choose everything you experience from these possibilities, so quantum physics is a way of understanding your life as one long series of choices that are in themselves the ultimate acts of creativity. ~ Amit Goswami If you don’t like what is happening in your external world, you simply have to ask, “What shifts do I have to make in my internal world so that the mirror is reflecting a more desirable aspect. ~ James A. Cusumano Every man’s world picture is and always remains a construct of his mind. ~ Erwin Schrödinger |
The View of the Mystics
The perceived universe is merely an imaginary projection by the individual mind or soul of a world of objects ... in other words, it is an illusion that takes place solely in the mind. Thought has the potency of creating or undoing the world in the twinkling of an eye. Mind creates the world according to its own Sankalpa [affirmation] or thought. It is the mind that creates this universe. There is no Madras for you while you live in Allahabad and there is no Allahabad for you while you live in Madras. This world is a mere collection of Samskaras (mental impressions) created by the mind. The mind is totally deluded by the amazing and wonderful appearance spread out before it; and, unaware that it is all its own projection, it reaches out eagerly for satisfaction and pleasure from the ephemeral and empty mirage. This world is painted by you on the screen of consciousness and is entirely your own private world. It is only the waking state that brings before us this creation. This universe is nothing but a mode of the mind … The movement of the mind generates the universe. You are the maker of the world in which you live, you alone can change it, or unmake it. Our every thought builds our reality. Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them. You will want to change them when you realize that each thought creates according to its own nature. |
11 - Is the Universe Real?
What are planets, stars, galaxies, trees, rivers, mountains, etc. made of? Scientists say that matter, composed of atoms and their associated sub-atomic particles, is the basic constituent that makes up all the objects in the universe. But the view of what matter is has changed remarkably over time. In particular, the revelations from the discoveries of quantum mechanics have significantly impacted this view. It is now known that matter is 99.999999% empty space - nothing but vibrations of light energy that can be shaped into specific forms. This topic was covered in the web page The View of Modern Science in The Enchanted Universe section of this website.
Suffice to say that matter is not want it seems. As astrophysicist Dr. Adam Frank says,
"Like almost every student over the past 100 years, I was shocked by quantum mechanics, the physics of the micro-world. In place of a clear vision of little bits of matter that explain all the big things around us, quantum physics gives us a powerful yet seemingly paradoxical calculus. With its emphasis on probability waves, essential uncertainties and experimenters disturbing the reality they seek to measure, quantum mechanics made imagining the stuff of the world as classical bits of matter (or miniature billiard balls) all but impossible. Like most physicists, I learned how to ignore the weirdness of quantum physics ..... But behind quantum mechanics’ unequaled calculational precision lie profound, stubbornly persistent questions about what those quantum rules imply about the nature of reality — including our place in it ..... What exactly is quantum mechanics telling us about the world? What does the wave function describe? What really happens when a measurement occurs? Above all, what is matter?"
Most of today's physicists ignore quantum physics to the extent they can. For large objects, like planets, stars and galaxies, this works reasonably well, provided fundamental questions are ignored, e.g. what is real?
Mystics, on the other hand, have directly witnessed the unfolding of creation while in a state of higher consciousness. They have all said that the universe is a projection of light rays emanating from the consciousness of God. The light energy, imbued with God's consciousness, is shaped into the various forms appearing within the universe. They say that this emanation of light energy is like a dream of God and that we are participants in the dream. And, much like our own dreams, the universe appears real while we are dreaming but is seen as just an illusion when we awaken.
"We might imagine a dream-scientist in one of our own projected dreams taking samples of the dream-landscape in order to analyze it, then placing the pieces under a dream microscope. We can imagine such dream-scientists coming up with pronouncements about what this dream-terrain is made of ..... It is clear that such efforts would be utterly futile, and that, in order to really know the truth about the reality in which he lived, our dream-scientist would simply need to wake up. Our dreams thus show a close parallel to the nature of our ‘real’ universe. While I do not wish to denigrate the efforts of scientists, I have seen that the true nature of ‘reality’ can only be realized by those who ‘wake up’ to the eternal Self." ~ Swami Abhayananda
As mentioned many times in this website, we can view our existence in this world to be analogous to participants in a virtual reality game. Our true existence lies outside the virtual reality game. But once we enter the virtual world of light projection, it appears like a true 3-dimensional world to our consciousness and senses. We identify ourselves as players in this virtual world and although these human body-forms are just projected light forms, they appear to our senses to be real. But it is all an illusion. Just a game.
Suffice to say that matter is not want it seems. As astrophysicist Dr. Adam Frank says,
"Like almost every student over the past 100 years, I was shocked by quantum mechanics, the physics of the micro-world. In place of a clear vision of little bits of matter that explain all the big things around us, quantum physics gives us a powerful yet seemingly paradoxical calculus. With its emphasis on probability waves, essential uncertainties and experimenters disturbing the reality they seek to measure, quantum mechanics made imagining the stuff of the world as classical bits of matter (or miniature billiard balls) all but impossible. Like most physicists, I learned how to ignore the weirdness of quantum physics ..... But behind quantum mechanics’ unequaled calculational precision lie profound, stubbornly persistent questions about what those quantum rules imply about the nature of reality — including our place in it ..... What exactly is quantum mechanics telling us about the world? What does the wave function describe? What really happens when a measurement occurs? Above all, what is matter?"
Most of today's physicists ignore quantum physics to the extent they can. For large objects, like planets, stars and galaxies, this works reasonably well, provided fundamental questions are ignored, e.g. what is real?
Mystics, on the other hand, have directly witnessed the unfolding of creation while in a state of higher consciousness. They have all said that the universe is a projection of light rays emanating from the consciousness of God. The light energy, imbued with God's consciousness, is shaped into the various forms appearing within the universe. They say that this emanation of light energy is like a dream of God and that we are participants in the dream. And, much like our own dreams, the universe appears real while we are dreaming but is seen as just an illusion when we awaken.
"We might imagine a dream-scientist in one of our own projected dreams taking samples of the dream-landscape in order to analyze it, then placing the pieces under a dream microscope. We can imagine such dream-scientists coming up with pronouncements about what this dream-terrain is made of ..... It is clear that such efforts would be utterly futile, and that, in order to really know the truth about the reality in which he lived, our dream-scientist would simply need to wake up. Our dreams thus show a close parallel to the nature of our ‘real’ universe. While I do not wish to denigrate the efforts of scientists, I have seen that the true nature of ‘reality’ can only be realized by those who ‘wake up’ to the eternal Self." ~ Swami Abhayananda
As mentioned many times in this website, we can view our existence in this world to be analogous to participants in a virtual reality game. Our true existence lies outside the virtual reality game. But once we enter the virtual world of light projection, it appears like a true 3-dimensional world to our consciousness and senses. We identify ourselves as players in this virtual world and although these human body-forms are just projected light forms, they appear to our senses to be real. But it is all an illusion. Just a game.
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The View of Science
Some intrepid physicists have chosen to address the reality of the universe. These concepts reduce the whole universe to a world of light, potential or existent, so that the whole story of its creation can be told with perfect accuracy and completeness in the six words: 'God said, Let there be light'. ~ Sir James Jeans Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter. ~ Albert Einstein Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real. ~ Niels Bohr What the math seems to say is that, between observations, the world exists not as a solid actuality but only as shimmering waves of possibility. ~ Nick Herbert The world we see and experience in everyday life is simply a convenient mirage attuned to our very limited senses, an illusion conjured by our perceptions and our mind. ~ Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington The universe consists of frozen light. ~ David Bohm 
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The View of the Mystics
Great saints who have awakened from the cosmic mayic dream and realized this world as an idea in the Divine Mind, can do as they wish with the body, knowing it to be only a manipulatable form of condensed or frozen energy. Though physical scientists now understand that matter is nothing but congealed energy, fully-illumined masters have long passed from theory to practice in the field of matter-control. Physicists have announced it, astronomers have proclaimed it, and technicians have proven it without a doubt in their laboratories; and yet hardly anyone in the world seems to be aware of the fact that everything is made of light. In the aggregate of trillions of these illusory wave-particles, a vast, complex, visual illusion is produced ,,,,, But it is only a marvelous masquerade of light - God’s light; and it is all His grand illusion. Light is neither wave nor particle, though it can appear in either guise. It is not a substance, but an intangible and indefinable essence that some have likened to a mental rather than a physical reality; and yet all that we perceive as the physical, ‘material’ world is made of it. Matter is nothing more than light-energy appearing as form and substance. What is matter? Nothing but a particular rate of vibration of God's cosmic energy. No form in the universe is really solid. That which appears so is merely a compact or gross vibration of His energy. You shut yourself in a room for a fortnight. Give up reading newspapers. Engage yourself in deep meditation and see whether there is a world or not. Contemporary science has shown that the universe does indeed consist of an Energy that transforms into material particles; but these material particles are really nothing more than submicroscopic electromagnetic impulses, mere ‘points of Energy’, interacting in such a way that the appearance of substance is produced - forming, in other words, an illusory world. Just as the light going out of the movie booth is seen to be a transparent searchlight free from any inherent pictures, yet images mysteriously appear on the screen; so God from His booth is emanating a spherical bundle of rays, invisible searchlights, which produce on the screen of space an endless variety of apparently real pictures. But the images are shadowy illusions; the only reality is God and His individualized consciousness in the forms that behold and interact in the play. God has condensed His creative thoughts to produce all phenomena of this dream world, and by the cosmic hypnosis of maya has suggested those dreams so powerfully to our human consciousness that we accept the cosmic chimera as material reality. Anyone who has studied the analysis by modern-day physicists of the sub-atomic world of matter must have come to the realization that every form that exists is merely an ‘appearance’ conjured by this mysterious chimera called ‘Energy.’ That Energy is God’s Power of illusion. |
12 - What are Infinity and Eternity?
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. ~ Albert Einstein
As mentioned throughout this website, humans have a dual nature - (1) an ego state which identifies with a physical body immersed in a physical world, and (2) a god state, our true native existence as formless, boundless awareness of ever new joy beyond this ephemeral dream world.
The ego self, under the control of the cosmic hypnosis of maya, lives in an illusory world in which events appear to take place in time and objects are seen to be separate from each other. As such, time appears to flow from past, present to future. The future appears to be endless and could last to eternity, whatever that means. Similarly, objects in the universe can appear to be very far apart, some millions of light-years away. The ego-mind wonders whether the universe is finite or perhaps extends to infinity, whatever that means.
The concepts of eternity and infinity are a challenge to the processing ability of the ego mind.
For those who have gained access to their god mind, e.g. the mystics, there is no longer a mystery. In the god mind, everything takes place in a timeless, spaceless consciousness. The entire universe is seen on the screen of one's consciousness like a cloud floating in an endless sky. It is an entirely different perspective. Eternity just means the absence of time - everything just is and will always just be. In section#9 above, we are told that "The entire universe exists only in consciousness" and "Although everything in creation has an appearance of solidity - it is all just light energy (as modern science now confirms) and is ultimately just pure consciousness. This virtual world is essentially a projection of consciousness." In other words, the universe is immaterial and consists solely within consciousness. Since consciousness has no physical dimensions, when we say the universe stretches out to infinity, that is ultimately just a thought in consciousness; infinity has no dimension, it is merely an idea in one's mind.
This topic has been addressed previously in this website, e.g. the web posting The Enigma of Time (July 2018), for those interested in a more detailed assessment.
As mentioned throughout this website, humans have a dual nature - (1) an ego state which identifies with a physical body immersed in a physical world, and (2) a god state, our true native existence as formless, boundless awareness of ever new joy beyond this ephemeral dream world.
The ego self, under the control of the cosmic hypnosis of maya, lives in an illusory world in which events appear to take place in time and objects are seen to be separate from each other. As such, time appears to flow from past, present to future. The future appears to be endless and could last to eternity, whatever that means. Similarly, objects in the universe can appear to be very far apart, some millions of light-years away. The ego-mind wonders whether the universe is finite or perhaps extends to infinity, whatever that means.
The concepts of eternity and infinity are a challenge to the processing ability of the ego mind.
For those who have gained access to their god mind, e.g. the mystics, there is no longer a mystery. In the god mind, everything takes place in a timeless, spaceless consciousness. The entire universe is seen on the screen of one's consciousness like a cloud floating in an endless sky. It is an entirely different perspective. Eternity just means the absence of time - everything just is and will always just be. In section#9 above, we are told that "The entire universe exists only in consciousness" and "Although everything in creation has an appearance of solidity - it is all just light energy (as modern science now confirms) and is ultimately just pure consciousness. This virtual world is essentially a projection of consciousness." In other words, the universe is immaterial and consists solely within consciousness. Since consciousness has no physical dimensions, when we say the universe stretches out to infinity, that is ultimately just a thought in consciousness; infinity has no dimension, it is merely an idea in one's mind.
This topic has been addressed previously in this website, e.g. the web posting The Enigma of Time (July 2018), for those interested in a more detailed assessment.
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The View of Science
The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. ~ Albert Einstein In this passage Einstein is referring to the “block universe” conception of spacetime. It’s hardly surprising that he accepted it, since it is the framework in which his own theories of special and general relativity are most naturally expressed. The block-universe view of physical reality contains time, but in a way remarkably different to our usual conception. It presents a four-dimensional view in which all events across time and space are on an equal ontological footing, with no sense in which present events are judged more “real” or “actual” than past or future ones. It is also very difficult to recover any meaningful sense in which time “flows." ~ Paul Mainwood Relativity challenges your basic intuitions that you've built up from everyday experience. It says your experience of time is not what you think it is, that time is malleable. Your experience of space is not what you think it is, it can stretch and shrink. ~ Brian Greene But what is now? There is no such thing in physics; it is not even clear that ‘now’ could ever be described, let alone explained, in terms of physics.… Notions such as ‘the past,’ ‘the present’ and ‘the future’ seem to be more linguistic than physical.… There is no universal now, but only a personal one—a ‘here and now.’ This strongly suggests that we look to the mind, rather than to the physical world, as the origin of the division of time into past, present, and future.…There is none of this in physics.… No physical experiment has ever been performed to detect the passage of time. As soon as the objective world of reality is considered, the passage of time disappears like a ghost into the night. ~Paul Davies Cosmologists think that beyond the edge of the observable universe lies more universe: more stars, more galaxies, more planets, more everything. Because it's unobservable, however, astronomers do not know how large the entire universe is. It's possible that the universe is truly infinite, with no boundary in space at all. ~ Ethan Siegel The Laws of Nature are not rules controlling the metamorphosis of what is, into what will be. They are descriptions of patterns that exist, all at once. The four-dimensional space-time manifold displays all eternity at once." ~ Richard Feynman The physical universe is really like a movie/motion picture, in which a series of still images shown on a screen creates the illusion of moving images. ~ Mir Faizal In deep meditation, when all awareness of things has ceased and the mind is completely still, there is no experience of change, and nothing by which to mark the passing of time. You know you have been sitting there, in absolute stillness, but as to how long you have been there, you have no idea. It could have been a minute, or it could have been an hour. Time as we know it has disappeared. There is simply now, eternal now. Not only is this essential self beyond time, it also is beyond space. ~ Peter Russell In classical physics, the past is assumed to exist as a definite series of events, but according to quantum physics, the past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities … The universe doesn't have just a single history, but every possible history, each with its own probability; and our observations of its current state affect its past and determine the different histories of the universe ~ Stephen Hawking Not only is mind our tether to reality, perhaps it is our tether to eternity. ~ Brian Greene 
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The View of the Mystics
There is neither ‘past’ nor ‘future’ for Him. Everything is ‘present’ for Him. There is neither ‘near’ nor ‘far’ for Him. Every place is ‘here’. Every time is ‘now’ ,,,.. The Jivas with individual minds are witnessing the events in succession. But Ishvara [God within creation] knows all events at one sweep. A finite mind that is gross and conditioned by time, space and causation cannot comprehend the why and how of the universe, a question that is transcendental. From a purely theoretical point of view, Eternity can be a very daunting concept, one which cosmologists as a rule refrain from considering. But for those of us who have been privileged to experience Eternity directly, it is neither a theory nor a concept. We know, with absolute certainty, that it is the underlying foundation, support, and projecting power upon which this universe of time and space exists. We know that time exists only in the universal manifestation, with a recurrent beginning and end, and that in Eternity there is no such thing as time – no past, no present, no future. Time has no absolute existence, but exists only as an elemental byproduct of the universal expansion of space projected upon the one eternal Mind. It is a measure, as spatial location is, of the progression of universal manifestation. Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. God is the Eternal Consciousness, unchanging and indivisible, in which the illusions of time and space present an infinite variety of forms interacting in a progressive mode of past, present and future. When a dreamer travels around the world in his dream, he does so, not in time and space, but in his consciousness only. Similarly, the cosmic dream is occurring neither in vast space nor in a series of past, present, and future time, but in the Eternal Now of God’s dream consciousness. The present is mere imagination, for the sense of time is purely mental. Space is similarly mental. The past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. Both are illusions. There is only imagination. It has absorbed you so completely that you just cannot grasp how far from reality you have wandered. No doubt imagination is richly creative. Universe upon universe are built on it. Yet they are all in space and time, past and future, which just don't exist. As form you are still in time. As the formless you are beyond time. The idea of time is only in your mind. It is not in the Self [your god-nature]. There is no time for the Self. Time arises as an idea after the ego arises. But you are the Self beyond time and space; you exist even in the absence of time and space. The Cosmic Dreamer … is aware not only of His present cosmic dreams, but of all that went on within Him in the past, and of all that is going to happen within Him in the future – appearing and disappearing in His spaceless, timeless consciousness of an eternal present. Time derives from Him, though He is utterly beyond time’s reach. Time, that is to say, past and future, is what the false mind-made self, the ego, lives on, and time is in your mind. It isn’t something that has an objective existence “out there.” It is a mind-structure needed for sensory perception, indispensable for practical purposes, but the greatest hindrance to knowing your Self. There is no time nor space – everything is happening in your own thought. It is a staggering spectacle. I can describe it only by a distant analogy. Imagine the universe as a gigantic movie, unfolding scene after scene in time and space - on an infinitely vast, intensely alive ethereal screen that remains entirely unaffected by the action of the drama - and you will have a dim picture of what I mean. In the frame, nothing is moving. There is no time, and nothing appears or disappears in that box. But this movie projector—your thinking mind—is always moving, around and around and around, so you experience this world as constantly moving and you constantly experience change. And His sense of time is quite different from ours. From His perspective, above and beyond the play of time and space, an entire human lifetime is not even the blink of an eye. The beginning, duration, and reabsorption of the entire universe is but a breath. We tend to think that what happened in the past determines what is going to happen next, and we do not see that it is exactly the other way around! |
13 - Will the Universe Come to an End? If so, then what?
Scientists predict that the universe will end, and possibly be reborn, in one of several possible ways:
The Big Freeze – in which the universe continues expanding until temperatures approaches absolute zero. This is the currently favoured theory, based on experiments that indicate an increasing rate of universal expansion.
The Big Rip – in which all material objects in the universe disintegrate into unbound elementary particles.
The Big Crunch – in which the density of the universe will become sufficient to stop its expansion and the universe will begin contracting until all matter and space-time collapse into a dimensionless singularity, just like when the universe was first initiated by the Big Bang. One possibility suggests that a new Big Bang would follow the Big Crunch, creating an oscillatory universe consisting of an infinite sequence of finite universes, with each finite universe ending with a Big Crunch that becomes the Big Bang of the next universe.
The Big Bounce – similar to the oscillatory universe model but with a variation relating to how the first Big Bang occurred.
It should be noted that all these models are based on interpretations of the behaviour of dark energy in the universe. As the nature of dark energy and dark matter remains enigmatic, the scientific views regarding the end of the universe should be considered speculative.
While in the highest states of consciousness, mystics have directly witnessed how universes begin, dissolve and are reborn. The process is similar to the oscillatory model suggested by scientists, except that the end of one universal cycle is not the cause of the next cycle. Each recurring universal cycle is a conscious choice by Spirit. But, like the scientific model, universes start, end and re-start in an infinite sequence.
The Big Freeze – in which the universe continues expanding until temperatures approaches absolute zero. This is the currently favoured theory, based on experiments that indicate an increasing rate of universal expansion.
The Big Rip – in which all material objects in the universe disintegrate into unbound elementary particles.
The Big Crunch – in which the density of the universe will become sufficient to stop its expansion and the universe will begin contracting until all matter and space-time collapse into a dimensionless singularity, just like when the universe was first initiated by the Big Bang. One possibility suggests that a new Big Bang would follow the Big Crunch, creating an oscillatory universe consisting of an infinite sequence of finite universes, with each finite universe ending with a Big Crunch that becomes the Big Bang of the next universe.
The Big Bounce – similar to the oscillatory universe model but with a variation relating to how the first Big Bang occurred.
It should be noted that all these models are based on interpretations of the behaviour of dark energy in the universe. As the nature of dark energy and dark matter remains enigmatic, the scientific views regarding the end of the universe should be considered speculative.
While in the highest states of consciousness, mystics have directly witnessed how universes begin, dissolve and are reborn. The process is similar to the oscillatory model suggested by scientists, except that the end of one universal cycle is not the cause of the next cycle. Each recurring universal cycle is a conscious choice by Spirit. But, like the scientific model, universes start, end and re-start in an infinite sequence.
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The View of Science
If there is more matter than we can see—hidden away in black holes, say, or in hot but invisible gas between the galaxies—then the universe will partake of a very Indian succession of cycles, expansion followed by contraction, universe upon universe, Cosmos without end. ~ Carl Sagan A universe that came from nothing in the big bang will disappear into nothing at the big crunch. Its glorious few zillion years of existence not even a memory. ~ Paul Davies Will the universe end? many ask. Yes. Not with a bang but a whimper. Not in fire, but in ice. Not in light, but in darkness. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson There was actually another universe existing before the present one and the Big Bang merely marked the end of that universe. Evidence of that previous universe can still be observed these days. ~ Roger Penrose The universe can shrink to zero and reappear, and the light is none the wiser. That’s roughly speaking what happens. ~ Neil Turok I happen to think the cyclic model is a real intriguing one. It has a lot of new ingredients that people haven't had a chance to play with. When they play they might find other interesting things that we missed. ~ Paul Steinhardt Just because we might find a cold, empty universe an unappealing future doesn’t mean that that’s not where things are headed. ~ Peter Woit |
The View of the Mystics
At the end of a universal cycle, the expansion of the material universe is reversed, and matter, as it is compacted, returns to its Energy state, as it existed in the beginning; and is withdrawn back into the Divine Mind. It is ‘the Great Radiance’ in reverse ..... The Divine Mind returns to dormancy in the One, and there follows a refreshing period of eternal rest. Then, again, at Its own pleasure, the One reawakens Its creative Power, the Divine Mind ..... and a burst of Energy is once again initiated to produce a bright new expanding universe. Recurrent cycles of manifestation and dissolution are applicable to the life spans of solar systems, galaxies, or a specific spectrum of the objects and life-forms within them; and, ultimately, of the universe as a whole. There is creation, preservation, and dissolution continuously and successively roiling in the omnipresent blessed light of Spirit. Having once come into existence, the soul never ceases to be, even at the time of cosmic dissolution when all matter is resolved into Spirit in the universal cycles of comings and goings. 
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Final Thoughts
During the 1930s, the mystic Ramana Maharshi had many visitors at his ashram in India. Many asked questions regarding creation and the universe. Depending on the spiritual understanding of the questioners, Ramana provided one of three answers. He said that the same truth needed to be expressed in different ways to suit the capacity of the hearer.
For the vast majority of mankind under the spell of the ego-mind, the answer given was that the world exists and we perceive it through our senses. Accordingly, the world is seen to be a result of evolution spanning recurring cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction.
For those capable of a higher understanding, Ramana taught that the world could be seen as a creation of the mind – a dream that appears to be real. The world appears alongside our perception of it. The external world comprising of space and time seems endless. But it is in the mind only (see the web posting Are You in the Universe or is the Universe in You? (April 2020) on the What's New page of this website). It is interesting that the scientific discoveries of quantum mechanics fall into this category, i.e. "without a seer, there is nothing to be seen."
For those few individuals established in the highest god-consciousness, a third understanding is possible.
The words of the scientists and the mystics provided in the different sections of this posting reflect these different understandings of creation and the universe. Scientists tend to belong to the first group above while mystics belong to the groups with the higher understandings. Sometimes mystics respond with answers that are aimed at the first group.
An ego-conscious person sees themself as a small being existing in a vast universe that spreads out endlessly about them. But for those with access to their higher consciousness, the view is quite different, as expressed by Paramahansa Yogananda in the following two selections from his poem, Samadhi;
For the vast majority of mankind under the spell of the ego-mind, the answer given was that the world exists and we perceive it through our senses. Accordingly, the world is seen to be a result of evolution spanning recurring cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction.
For those capable of a higher understanding, Ramana taught that the world could be seen as a creation of the mind – a dream that appears to be real. The world appears alongside our perception of it. The external world comprising of space and time seems endless. But it is in the mind only (see the web posting Are You in the Universe or is the Universe in You? (April 2020) on the What's New page of this website). It is interesting that the scientific discoveries of quantum mechanics fall into this category, i.e. "without a seer, there is nothing to be seen."
For those few individuals established in the highest god-consciousness, a third understanding is possible.
The words of the scientists and the mystics provided in the different sections of this posting reflect these different understandings of creation and the universe. Scientists tend to belong to the first group above while mystics belong to the groups with the higher understandings. Sometimes mystics respond with answers that are aimed at the first group.
An ego-conscious person sees themself as a small being existing in a vast universe that spreads out endlessly about them. But for those with access to their higher consciousness, the view is quite different, as expressed by Paramahansa Yogananda in the following two selections from his poem, Samadhi;
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Samadhi extends my conscious realm Beyond limits of the mortal frame To farthest boundary of eternity Where I, the Cosmic Sea, Watch the little ego floating in Me. All space floats like an iceberg in my mental sea. Colossal Container, I, of all things made! |
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A few additional thoughts;
It seems undeniable that out there, around us, independent and apart from us, stands a physical world, utterly real, solid and tangible. But all is not what it seems … All I ever know of the world around are the images produced in the mind. I think I am seeing the tree ‘out there’, in the world around me. But all that I am actually experiencing is the image created in the mind. This simple fact is very hard to grasp. It runs totally counter to all our experience. There seems nothing more certain than the fact that I am seeing the world as it is, around me. But however nonsensical it may sound, this is the conclusion we are forced to make … However real it may seem, it is, in the final analysis, all in the mind. ~ Peter Russell
The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science ..... To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness. ~ Albert Einstein
When the mind becomes powerful like the Creator’s, one can materialize or dematerialize his body or a universe, knowing them to be dream images of thought. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
God, the Master Hypnotist, through His power of maya has suggested to individualized souls to visualize the universe. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
If you attain Knowledge of the Self, the meaning of life will cease to be a mystery. You will clearly understand the why and how of this universe. The purpose and progress in the scheme of things will become clear to you. All transcendental things will be known to you. ~ Swami Sivananda
It seems undeniable that out there, around us, independent and apart from us, stands a physical world, utterly real, solid and tangible. But all is not what it seems … All I ever know of the world around are the images produced in the mind. I think I am seeing the tree ‘out there’, in the world around me. But all that I am actually experiencing is the image created in the mind. This simple fact is very hard to grasp. It runs totally counter to all our experience. There seems nothing more certain than the fact that I am seeing the world as it is, around me. But however nonsensical it may sound, this is the conclusion we are forced to make … However real it may seem, it is, in the final analysis, all in the mind. ~ Peter Russell
The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science ..... To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness. ~ Albert Einstein
When the mind becomes powerful like the Creator’s, one can materialize or dematerialize his body or a universe, knowing them to be dream images of thought. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
God, the Master Hypnotist, through His power of maya has suggested to individualized souls to visualize the universe. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
If you attain Knowledge of the Self, the meaning of life will cease to be a mystery. You will clearly understand the why and how of this universe. The purpose and progress in the scheme of things will become clear to you. All transcendental things will be known to you. ~ Swami Sivananda
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Jalaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273)
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The Mystical Poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi (August 2023)
Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. Over the centuries, many mystics from the Sufi tradition attained the highest spiritual ecstasy and wrote poems about their experiences. Perhaps the greatest and most beloved of the Sufi poets is the thirteenth century Persian poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi. A key point in Rumi's life came when he met the wandering Sufi mystic Shams Tabrizi, a spiritual guide who aroused Rumi’s passionate devotion. Tabrizi’s mysterious disappearance in 1247 led Rumi to produce some of his most inspired verse, including Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi (The Collected Poems of Shams Tabrizi) and Masnavi-ye Ma’navi (Spiritual Verses). He quickly gained a reputation as an ecstatic visionary, and devoted the rest of his life to writing and worship. |
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This posting is arranged into the following topics;
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1 – Introduction
2 – The Path to Eternity 3 – The Ego Self 4 – Silence 5 – Oneness with God 6 – The Universe is Within You 7 – Love 8 – Pain and Sorrow 9 – Religion 10 – Time 11 – Final Thoughts |
Some of Rumi's poetry was first introduced on the webpage Mystical Musings (July 2020) in the What's New section of this website. In this posting, a more extensive selection is provided of this celebrated author's writings.
1 –Introduction 
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Rumi wrote all of his work in his native Persian language. His writings have been translated into many languages. The English version that is best known is that provided by Coleman Barks. In fact, Barks version is not a translation so much as an interpretation. By transforming earlier nineteenth-century English translations into American verse, Barks dedicated considerable time and love to the poet’s works and life. In so doing, he captured the poetic essence of the original writings, and vastly expanded Rumi’s readership. Although Rumi’s writing have been revered for some 800 years in the East, it has only been the last 30 years or so that Rumi has captured the fascination of North Americans. Today he is the number one read poet in America. A couple of comments on the quotes included herein.
Infinitely more precious than life and the world is that moment when one is alone with God. Instead of several lifetimes, the process of ascension was sped up to a mere several years. Rumi not only clearly understood this, but he did his absolute best to make sure no one ever forgot what happened between them. |
2 –The Path to Eternity 
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If the spiritual universe and the way to it were shown, No one would remain in this world for a single moment. You came suddenly shook me from my sleep and vanished. In my heart you rose like the moon but as I glanced at you, you disappeared. Having had a glimpse of Your garden, I have no more the patience to endure my existence. In the quotations above, Rumi proclaims that if one is blessed with a glimpse of the spiritual realms, it is there that one yearns to be. And, in the quotations below, he points to the path that leads homeward. Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. Moonlight floods the whole sky from horizon to horizon; how much it can fill your room depends on its windows. Let go of your mind and then be mindful. Close your ears and listen. I once had a thousand desires. But in my one desire to know you all else melted away. |
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The desire to know your own soul will end all other desires.
When you lose all sense of self, the bonds of a thousand chains will vanish. Listen, O drop, give yourself up without regret, and in exchange gain the Ocean. My friend, you thought you lost Him; that all your life you've been separated from Him. Filled with wonder, you've always looked outside for Him, and haven't searched within your own house. Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you. Thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives. Let the waters settle and you will see the moon and the stars mirrored in your own being. Stars burn clear all night till dawn. Do that yourself, and a spring will rise in the dark with water your deepest thirst is for. Leave that which is not, but appears to be. Seek that which is, but is not apparent. Shut your eyes so the heart may become your eye, and with that vision look upon another world. Get yourself out of the way, and let joy have more space. It doesn’t matter that you’ve broken your vow a thousand times. Still come, and yet again, come. I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul. Turn back from the outer. Set your eyes within. Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. Listen with ears of tolerance! See through the eyes of compassion! Speak with the language of love. Open the eyes of inner vision and do not take this world so seriously. Master your vicious ego and judgmental mind then with clear purpose, silent and alone you can start on your journey toward Spirit. O traveler, if you are in search of That Don't look outside, look inside yourself and seek That. It’s your road, and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Half of life is lost in charming others. The other half is lost in going through anxieties caused by others. Leave this play. You have played enough. On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty. Today is such a day. And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself? |
3 –The Ego Self 
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As mentioned many times throughout this website, we humans have a dual consciousness. Mystics of all ages have stated that each of us has a god-mind as well as an ego-mind. Most humans are dominated by their ego-self which associates with the body and the world of suffering seen around us. And all mystics, who have been blessed to experience their god-self, unanimously proclaim its bliss, peace and immortal nature. It is our original state and it is the destiny of each one of us to ultimately return there. The ego is a veil between humans and God. On the ultimate unreality of the ego-self. This is not the real reality. The real reality is behind the curtains. In truth, we are not here. This is our shadow. |
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Like the shadow
I am and I am not. On the nature of the world experienced by the ego. Beyond this world is another world for us. This world and its delights cater to the animal within us. These pleasures all fill our animal nature, while our real self slowly dies. Before I ended up in this dungeon of the world, I was with you all the time. How I wish I’d never fallen into this earthly trap. … You persuaded me by saying: “If you go, you’ll gain new experiences. You’ll progress on your path. You’ll be far more mature when you come back home.” You are the bird of happiness in the magic of existence! What a pity when you let yourself be chained and caged. But if you can break free from this dark prison named body soon you will see you are the sage and the fountain of life! Why set your heart on a piece of earth, O simple one? Seek out the source which shines forever. On why humans accept living in the ego-world when such a greater world awaits. You turned your sight to the empty show of this world. Alas, how can you be satisfied with so little? Why are you so enchanted by this world when a mine of gold lies within you? One of the marvels of the world is the sight of a soul sitting in prison with the key in its hand. On the work needed to be done to return home. Do the soul work instead. Feed daily on wisdom. Expand your heart. Rest the appetites. They are bandits on the road. They stop your spirit and steal valuables. The body is merely a garment. Go seek the wearer, not the cloak. On the prize that awaits. If you could get rid of yourself just once, the secret of secrets would open to you. The face of the unknown, hidden beyond the universe would appear on the mirror of your perception. |
4 –Silence 
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Like all mystics, Rumi extolled the virtue of silence - one of the most powerful tools to control the incessant chattering of the ego-mind and allow the god-mind, hidden within each of us, to arise. Silence includes spoken words but mostly means the abating of the unceasing thoughts of the ego-mind. Put your thoughts to sleep, do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking. Where the lips are silent the heart has a thousand tongues. Silence is the language of God all else is poor translation. There is a place born of silence A place where the whispers of the heart arise. There is a place where voices sing your beauty A place where every breath carves your image in my soul. |
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Sit, be still, and listen.
There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen. If you want to reach him You have to go beyond yourself And when you finally arrive at the land of absence Be silent Don’t say a thing Ecstasy, not words, is the language spoken there. Those times when I'm silent and still as the earth, The thunder of my roar is heard across the universe. A wealth you cannot imagine flows through you. Do not consider what strangers say. Be secluded in your secret heart-house, that bowl of silence. Let Silence speak to you about the secrets of the universe. All is known in the sacredness of silence. Last night I begged the wise one to tell me the secret of the world. Gently, gently, he whispered, Be quiet, the secret cannot be spoken, It is wrapped in silence. Speak little. Learn the words of eternity. Go beyond your tangled thoughts and find the splendor of paradise. The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen. Listen to silence, it has so much to say. Now it is time for silence. If I told you about His true essence You would fly from your self and be gone, and neither door nor roof could hold you back! |
5 – Oneness with God 
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One of the marvels that every mystic describes regarding their experiences with God, is that they actually enter the consciousness of Spirit. They become one with God. And Rumi, in his inimitable poetic style, avows the same. If you see lover and Beloved as two, you either have double vision, or you can’t count. What? Are you still pretending you are separate from the Beloved? We laugh together, you and I. In one form upon this earth, and in another form in a timeless sweet land. We seem to be two, but we are not. Although you appear in earthly form Your essence is pure Consciousness. |
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Why am I seeking?
I am the same as he. His essence speaks through me. I have been looking for myself. O my soul, I searched from end to end: I saw in thee naught save the Beloved; Call me not infidel, O my soul, if I say that thou thyself art He. You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl? There is a fountain inside you. Don’t walk around with an empty bucket. My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, And I intend to end up there. Now that You live here in my chest, anywhere we sit is a mountaintop. I lost my hat while gazing at the moon, and then I lost my mind. The lamps are different, but the Light is the same. There came one and knocked at the door of the Beloved. And a voice answered and said, 'Who is there?' The lover replied, 'It is I.' 'Go hence,' returned the voice; 'there is no room within for thee and me.' Then came the lover a second time and knocked and again the voice demanded, 'Who is there?' He answered, 'It is thou.' 'Enter,' said the voice, 'for I am within. I made an oath to myself: as long as I live as long as my soul remains in this body I won't deviate from the right way but later I looked to my left and then to my right and I saw our beloved everywhere how could I make a wrong turn? By God, when you see your beauty you will be the idol of yourself. Through your grace I have found a treasure within myself. I have found the truth of the Unseen world. I have come upon the eternal ecstasy. I have gone beyond the ravages of time. I have become one with you! You embrace some form saying, “I am this.” By God, you are not this or that or the other, you and spirit are the same. When you lose all sense of self, the bonds of a thousand chains will vanish. |
6 –The Universe is Within You 
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To the ego-mind, the universe appears as a collection of solid objects stretching endlessly into space. To the god-mind, the universe "floats like an iceberg" on the vast sea of one's consciousness. Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the world. Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are. What is the body? That shadow of a shadow of your love, that somehow contains the entire universe. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. |
7 –Love 
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Although I do not know this for a fact, I have a feeling that the word that appears most often in Rumi’s writings is “love.” Rumi wrote extensively about romantic love—but he consistently employed it as a metaphor for the higher love of the divine and the beauty of the spiritual path. He focused on tawhid—union with the ultimate Beloved—and made it the overarching theme of his work. For Rumi, the issue of faith was incomplete unless it included the central theme of love. Rumi's poetry and parables are not a product of an academic or theological reflection but emerged from his deeply felt personal experience of God's love. As such, when Rumi refers to "love,” it is essentially the experience of a Sufi mystic in ecstasy. It touches on every dimension of the love relationship between God and the mystic. For Rumi, the final path to God was not through the mind but through the heart. Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation. My soul is screaming in ecstasy Every fiber of my being is in love with you. |
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A thousand half-loves must be forsaken
to take one whole heart home. Love is the bridge between you and everything. Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there. Let your teacher be love itself. Be soulful. Be kind. Be in love. Love is not an emotion, it’s your very existence. Whenever we manage to love without expectations, calculations, negotiations, we are indeed in heaven. Love calls – everywhere and always. We’re sky bound. Are you coming? I have no companion but Love, no beginning, no end, no dawn. Listen, open the heart’s window and keep looking at the Beloved. The task of love is to open that window so the heart can be illuminated by His Beauty. You have no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I've brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me. |
8 –Pain and Sorrow 
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Following the disappearance of his spiritual mentor, Shams Tabrizi, Rumi felt great sorrow. But he also believed that "God has placed a pearl in sorrow’s hand." You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens. If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished? Sorrow prepares you for joy. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place. When someone beats a rug, the blows are not against the rug, but against the dust in it. Hardship may dishearten at first, but every hardship passes away. All despair is followed by hope; all darkness is followed by sunshine. Whenever sorrow comes, be kind to it. For God has placed a pearl in sorrow’s hand. Don’t grieve for what doesn’t come. Some things that don’t happen keep disasters from happening. |
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The cure for pain is in the pain.
Once you express your sorrow from the bottom of your heart it will be washed away. We are all faced with incidents that teach us to be less selfish and judgmental and more compassionate and generous. Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom. If you desire healing, let yourself fall ill let yourself fall ill. When the world pushes you to your knees, you’re in the perfect position to pray. The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, the door will open. |
9 –Religion 
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As covered in the webpage Religion and Spirituality, most mystics deplore the current state of orthodox religions. In many cases, the original teachings of the founding prophets have been distorted and replaced by meaningless rites and rituals. Rumi clearly felt the same way. Why does religion promote their killing? I shall not shed the blood of fellow humans This is the reason for my lack of faith I have nothing to do with religion! I belong to no religion. My religion is love. Though the words of the great saints appear in a hundred different forms, since God is one and the Way is one, how can their words be different? Though their teachings appear to contradict, their meaning is one. Separation exists in their outward form only; in inner purpose they all agree. The exclusivity of most of the organized religions insults the soul. Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls. |
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This Love is beyond the study of theology,
that old trickery and hypocrisy. If you want to improve your mind that way sleep on. I looked in temples, churches, and mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart. |
10 –Time 
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As covered in the web posting, The Enigma of Time (July 2018), time is quite mysterious. Although the ego-mind lives in a world with time, the god-mind exists in a world of the eternal present. My friend, the Sufi is the friend of the present moment. To say tomorrow is not our way. How can I know anything about the past or the future, when the light of the Beloved shines only Now. So we began and will never cease. If you dwell on the past or future, you will miss the moment. Don't waste time pining for the past don't hold regrets for things that happened long ago if you let the past go, you'll be a Sufi you'll be the child of the present moment the young and old of now. If you die to the temporal, You will become timeless. |
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I have come upon the eternal ecstasy.
I have gone beyond the ravages of time. |
11 –Final Thoughts 
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You have no need to go anywhere - journey within yourself. Rumi was a supremely gifted writer and mystic. In addition to his creative and spiritual influence, he was also wealthy, socially and culturally influential, and had much political power. He was one of the most prominent personalities in the Eastern world during his lifetime and beyond. Rumi was aptly known as the poet of spiritual love – not only for the beauty of the language but also for the ecstatic nature of his mystic relationship with God. Using all the rich means of literature, and especially poetry, Rumi awakens our imagination to the presence of the Divine. And as we gradually integrate the images, metaphors, and stories, our sense of reality is transformed, our place in the universe is clarified. And, as noted below, Rumi was careful to acknowledge the true source of his poetry. Blessed is the poem that comes through me but not of me because the sound of my own music will drown the song of Love. In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, But sometimes I do, And that sight becomes this art. This poetry, I never know what I'm going to say. I don't plan it. When I'm outside the saying of it, I get very quiet and rarely speak at all. |
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Superman (November 2023)
"Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson We started out as gods. We knew we were gods. It was an absolutely glorious existence - unbounded awareness of indescribable bliss; a depth of peace beyond all understanding; overwhelming love; a complete knowledge of all there is to know; an all encompassing consciousness of all space and everything in it; a realization of one's immortality. We still are gods, but we have let that god-awareness become covered by a lower consciousness that suggests to us, rather powerfully, that we are mere mortals. It is a regrettable existence of uncertainty, suffering and limitations. And once there, we have to play the game as mortals and pass from life to death to life seemingly endlessly and beyond our control. |
Eventually, each of us finds our way back home to our native state as gods, as souls, with full recollection of our formidable god-consciousness. Towards the end of this process, an ego-bound human being can find himself evolving into what the great modern-day mystic Paramahansa Yogananda has described as a "superman." A superman occupies a human body-form but is no longer ego-bound, rather he knows himself as the soul. He is now the god of his original native state.
In his writings, Yogananda has described the magnificent existence of a superman. His words provide a powerful incentive to work to overcome our masquerading ego-consciousness and recover our blissful state as immortals.
This posting is divided into the following sections;
In his writings, Yogananda has described the magnificent existence of a superman. His words provide a powerful incentive to work to overcome our masquerading ego-consciousness and recover our blissful state as immortals.
This posting is divided into the following sections;
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1 - We Started Out as Gods
2 - Our Magnificent Existence as a Superman 3 - How to Become a Superman Again 4 - Final Thoughts All quotations provided in this posting come from Yogananda's writings, unless otherwise indicated. |
1 - We Started Out as Gods 
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As mentioned above, we started out as gods – as souls, created to be unique, individualized extensions of Spirit. As such, the nature of each soul is essentially the same as Spirit. It is a remarkable birthright. The soul is the divine essence of man, as distinguished from the human personality or ego. It is individualized Spirit, whose essential nature is ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new Bliss. The soul is man’s inner fountainhead of love, wisdom, peace, courage, compassion, and all other divine qualities. Spirit created the gods to play in the dream drama of creation. Since each soul, or god, is essentially Spirit Itself, God is playing within His dream creation through an endless number of players. In order to enter creation, each soul dons a body-form. There are three types of forms that a god can occupy, depending on what level of the game of creation it is on. Once the game of creation is over for each soul, it discards the body forms and returns to its native formless state. The soul is cloaked only temporarily in the garments of causal, astral, and physical bodies. Man’s soul dons these three coverings that serve as instrumentalities through which the incarnate spirit can perceive, comprehend, and interact with God’s creation. |
God intended each soul to enjoy His dream-drama as a cosmic entertainment.
Originally, God intended that each soul would enjoy a relatively short stay within creation and then dissolve its body-form and return to its original blissful state.
Unfortunately, each of us gods becomes so involved within the dream drama of creation that we come to believe that the body-form is our real self, thereby forgetting our divine nature. This greatly delays the return of each soul to its native, immortal blissful state.
The soul, while dwelling within the body, becomes identified with its physical and mental experiences and forgets its divine nature; it masquerades instead as the body-circumscribed ego, the pseudosoul.
However, at some point each of us does eventually recover our true nature and one stage of this process is the evolution to "superman" status, as mentioned above.
Originally, God intended that each soul would enjoy a relatively short stay within creation and then dissolve its body-form and return to its original blissful state.
Unfortunately, each of us gods becomes so involved within the dream drama of creation that we come to believe that the body-form is our real self, thereby forgetting our divine nature. This greatly delays the return of each soul to its native, immortal blissful state.
The soul, while dwelling within the body, becomes identified with its physical and mental experiences and forgets its divine nature; it masquerades instead as the body-circumscribed ego, the pseudosoul.
However, at some point each of us does eventually recover our true nature and one stage of this process is the evolution to "superman" status, as mentioned above.
2 - Our Magnificent Existence as a Superman 
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Compared to our mundane existence as mortals confined to a tiny portion of a vast universe, our native existence as a superman in an unlimited, boundless cosmos is almost inconceivable. Blinded by the cosmic hypnosis of maya, most of us live our paltry lives without ever seeking our magnificent and ecstatic birthright as gods. It is an immense mystery that most humans never question the woeful existence of their ego-selves, filled as they are with stultifying limitations, grievous suffering and uncertainty. Perhaps for most, it is because they are totally unaware of a higher existence – content to merely hope for such in a heaven beyond. But the “heaven beyond” is not a panacea but is essentially a continuation of where one left off but in a different body form and a different environment. One still has to, at some point and in some environment, awaken to one’s god-self. The mystics and prophets throughout the ages have consistently told us of a resplendent and glorious existence that is ours for the taking. Most of us ignore the words of the prophets, content to exist in the dim and confining world within the depths of “Plato’s Cave,” rejecting the suggestion of a magnificent world outside the cave. If there is such a majestic world, we reason, it’ll have to wait – I’ve got too much to think about and do in my little cave world. |
Perhaps the words below from Yogananda regarding our true nature as a superman may lift us from our complacency and start our journey out of the dismal cave of our lives up to the mouth of that abyss which opens to an inconceivably glorious existence.
Yogananda’s quotes are grouped under several headings. For quotations selected from longer sentences, I have, in some cases, taken the liberty to slightly modify them, solely for grammatical purposes.
As a superman, we fully know ourselves to be immortals;
Yogananda’s quotes are grouped under several headings. For quotations selected from longer sentences, I have, in some cases, taken the liberty to slightly modify them, solely for grammatical purposes.
As a superman, we fully know ourselves to be immortals;
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You are not the body, with all its aches and pains, but an immortal soul.
You are only dreaming that you have a body of flesh. Your real self is light and consciousness. Souls, individualized sparks of unconditioned Spirit, are immortal, free from any dependence on materiality. |
As a superman, we regain our native blissful state;
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An ever new state of bliss is the true native state of the soul.
An immortal fountain of bliss is ever bubbling in the soul. Man’s native state as the soul is an ever-wakeful state of eternal Bliss. The superman claims its birthright and enjoys throughout eternity the harvest of Bliss in God. |
As a superman, our awareness expands such that the complete vastness of creation is contained within us;
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The superman feels the ever-bubbling Bliss that dances in every particle of his little body, and in his big Cosmic Body of the universe.
The superman’s body is the universe, and all things that happen in the universe are his sensations. He who has become one with the omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God is aware of the coursing of a planet trillions of light-years distant, and, at the same moment, of the flight of a nearby sparrow. A superman does not see Spirit as apart from the body; he becomes one with Spirit, and beholds, as existing within himself, his own body as well as the bodies of all other creatures. He feels his body, a tiny atom, within his vast luminous cosmic body. The divine man feels the sensations of all matter as expressions of God’s creative cosmic energy playing upon his cosmic body, in a bliss unmatched by any physical pleasure of touch. He feels the smooth glide of the river over the breast of the earth. He feels the home of his Being in the ocean of space, and perceives the swimming waves of island universes on his own sea bosom. He knows the softness of the petals of blossoms, and the tenderness of the love in all hearts, the aliveness of youth in all bodies. His own youthfulness, as the ageless soul, is everlasting. The superman expands his life energy and consciousness from his body into all space, actually feeling as his own self the presence of all universes in the vast cosmos as well as every minute atom of space. |
As a superman, we have unlimited powers;
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I am a God-man ….. I can create anything I desire.
The superman may have everything in the universe as his rightful divine inheritance. As easily as any person can change his thoughts, a superman can change his experience of the world. |
As a superman, we exist as pure formless bliss consciousness even while maintaining a body form;
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Sometimes I see myself walking, and I am simultaneously aware that I have no body.
When I am conscious of my human personality I have limitations, but as soon as I change my consciousness to the soul sphere I see everything just as if it were a motion picture. |
As a superman, our consciousness goes beyond the farthest reaches of space to become one with the ultimate state of Spirit – the God beyond creation; a witness to, but untouched by the dream motion picture of creation;
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You can feel your presence in all creation, and also know the Joy that is beyond creation.
In the superman, the lost omnipresence of Spirit is regained. The man of cosmic consciousness feels the ever-bubbling Bliss in his absolute nature as one with the Eternal Spirit beyond manifested forms. The superman is no longer a human being with limited ego consciousness. In reality, he is the soul, individualized ever-existent, ever-conscious, ever-new Bliss. The superman is always conscious of the Unmanifested Spirit and also of the entire cosmos in all its bewildering variety. He sees the motion picture of the cosmos going backward and forward on the screen of his consciousness ….. dreams that are constantly new, infinitely varied. The superman is aware of the dream nature of the universe and watches it without being entangled in its complex but ephemeral nature. Being one with God, he dreams within his cosmic consciousness all the divine dreams of cosmic creation. |
3 - How to Become a Superman Again 
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Meditation. Throughout the ages, mystics have over and over again extolled the value of meditation as the key tool to raise one’s consciousness from the ego-mind to the god-mind. Meditation techniques are designed to quiet the ego-consciousness sufficiently to allow one’s inherent and native god-awareness to arise. Referring to the Kriya Yoga meditation techniques that he taught, Yogananda would tell his disciples, “you have the key in your hand” – the key to open the door to God-awareness. Meditation means to remember that one is not a mortal body but an immortal soul. Meditation enables the soul to regain the memory of its oneness with the omniscient, omnipresent Spirit. God’s awakening touch in meditation is the way to be free from pernicious delusions and destroys utterly all seeds of earthly longings and attachments. The soul instantly recalls its inheritance of Eternal Bliss, which makes a mockery of all desires for exiguous earthly ways. |
When maya’s illusions of the perdurability of matter are disengaged from the body by meditation, the body can dance on water, walk through solid substances, levitate or fly in the air at will.
By meditation this false body consciousness or ego consciousness disappears, the soul realizes its own status as the prince-son of the King of the Universe.
Meditation is the way to reclaim your lost divinity. It is the ultimate liberating action.
By meditation this false body consciousness or ego consciousness disappears, the soul realizes its own status as the prince-son of the King of the Universe.
Meditation is the way to reclaim your lost divinity. It is the ultimate liberating action.
4 - Final Thoughts 
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Forgetfulness of that inner Source of happiness is the cause of all human suffering and misery. Under the control of our ego-minds, we live as mortals in a world of uncertainty where suffering and misery can knock on our door at any time. As supermen, we are gods. We live an indescribably magnificent existence. No suffering. Indescribable bliss. A peace that passes all understanding. Complete knowledge of everything there is to know. All encompassing love. Immortality. Conscious awareness that reaches to the farthest boundaries of eternity. We started out as souls; as gods. We have lost this consciousness. To regain our status as a superman is our divine destiny. But it does require an effort. For those willing to make the effort, the reward is sublime. I am always there now, in that bliss-consciousness of God. Within you is the same joy and bliss of the soul. You don’t have to acquire them, but rather regain them. You have merely lost them temporarily by identifying yourself with the senses. |
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Addendum
It is November 2023. The war in Ukraine has been raging for some 20-months with no end in sight. Over a hundred thousand casualties on both sides of the conflict - Ukrainians and Russians. Horrific battles and endless suffering.
And just a month ago, in early October, a war has begun between Gaza-based Hamas and Israel. The brutality of this conflict is almost inconceivable. Once again, horrific battles and endless suffering. Two specific instances come to mind;
And just a month ago, in early October, a war has begun between Gaza-based Hamas and Israel. The brutality of this conflict is almost inconceivable. Once again, horrific battles and endless suffering. Two specific instances come to mind;
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.1 - A reporter is interviewing an Israeli father whose 8-year old daughter Emily was trapped in a location that was overrun by Hamas militants. For two days, the father did not know whether his daughter was dead or taken hostage. Forty-eight long hours for his mind to be tortured by endless thoughts of his daughter's fate. Finally, he was told that Emily was killed in the initial attack. The father had by then concluded that this would be the best of the possible outcomes and he felt relieved. Can you imagine the excruciating pain that father had been experiencing to be actually relieved when told of his daughter's death? And just to add more heart-rending anguish, he was told some time later that, in fact, Emily's body had never been found and that she was most likely a hostage living in terror in the dark Hamas underground tunnels beneath Gaza - the scenario her father feared the most.
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Emily
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2 - While on air, a Palestinian TV reporter in Gaza was told that his family - wife, son and young daughter had just been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza city.
The cameras follow the man as he goes to see the dead bodies of his family and then goes back to his job, in spite of his grief, to inform the world of the impact of this airstrike and others on not only himself but also so many other citizens of Gaza. |
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Postscript - November 25, 2023 - with reference to the first story above, after more than seven weeks of captivity, some Israeli hostages were released by Hamas. Emily was part of a second group of hostages released and has now been safely returned to her father, traumatized but alive. |
Father before release
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After release
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Intelligent, discriminative human beings, after so many incarnations of nightmarish struggles and miseries and deaths, ought to learn their lesson and strive to get out of these cosmic histrionics, back to the blessedness of the soul’s home in Spirit.
All souls come from God and evolve back to their native perfection by exercise of their God-given free will.
