about CosmicLight.com
This website is not simply a rehash of the connection between modern physics and metaphysics, nor is it a typical self-help guide to life and Eastern philosophy. There are plenty of such works available. This site, and particularly this 'about page', is primarily for those who are ready to dive directly into the most challenging and most mind-expanding details.
"An evolution of consciousness is the central motive of terrestrial existence" (Sri Aurobindo1), and the evolution of consciousness is the evolution of the soul, both on the individual level and the Universal level.
Those who have explored the ancient philosophy of the East or the modern physics of the West are well aware of the strange concepts and ideas being expressed and will have a head start in recognizing the intuitive beauty of the parallels. Yet the most important and exiting ideas can be grasped by anyone who is interested in exploring the deepest mysteries of the Universe. No doubt, of course, it will require some mental gymnastics, but a little geometry can be of considerable help with that.
Our worldview is typically based on logic and objective reason, but it turns out that those deepest mysteries of the Universe challenge the very foundation of that worldview. Today's physics, for example, shows us that to think of the Universe as being composed of separate particles scattered around in space is actually a limited and fragmented view of an underlying unified state of reality. The experience of separateness does indeed seem to be illusory, just as sages and mystics have been telling us since before we can remember.
And the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started,
and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
The Metaphysics of Nondualism
The synthesis of scientific and spiritual thought, which has actually been happening for a very long time, requires the recognition that science has already transcended the physical world, and that spiritual reality be understood at the metaphysical level. At the same time, metaphysics deals with universal principles which naturally transcend religious dogma. Of course, everyone must follow their own path to spiritual realizations.
The central principle of the great wisdom of the East is Nondualistic Mysticism: There is only one True Reality, and That never changes. Everything is That. We are That. In fact, ultimately, there is only That.
transcendental, yet omnipresent
timeless, yet the source of spacetime
formless, yet the creative essence of all form
In essence, transcendental unity is the primary state of existence. It is Spirit. It is Consciousness. Although we in the West tend to refer to it as Eastern Philosophy, the mystical foundation is common to all spiritual traditions and has been better referred to as the Ancient Wisdom.
It has long been pointed out that this vision of Oneness from the ancient teachings seems to find a modern parallel in science's vision of a Universal Superforce which creates everything. The most exciting parallels, however, are in the principles of the creation process and the way the two disciplines support and clarify each other. For those seekers of spiritual understanding not willing to ignore the scientific perspective, a modern metaphysical system of understanding is invaluable.
Of course, no metaphysical system can represent the transcendental in its true form. By definition, transcendental reality is unknowable, and to attribute any form whatsoever to the One Reality is idolatry. A metaphysical system is merely a tool to help bring forth realizations of higher realities which cannot be fully represented in three-dimensional space, let alone on a two-dimensional page.
The reason we can talk about higher-dimensional realities within three-dimensional space is because, in the same way we can understand how a circle drawn on paper can represent a sphere, we can use the conceptual space of our mind to understand how a limited objective model can represent a higher reality. This conceptual mind-space gives us the capacity for abstract and conceptual thought. In metaphysical philosophy, it is called the higher mind and is understood to reside within the higher dimensions of depth-consciousness known as the soul, and those dimensions do indeed go beyond three-dimensional physical space.
Multidimensional depth-consciousness is the body-soul-spirit connection, like an axis of transcendence from the physical body, through the soul, to the spiritual essence of being, and is the source of deep intuition and other subjective traits. Its source is our force of spirit, our innermost reality, which is always unified with the One Reality. That is the heart of Nondualism and the Ancient Wisdom.
Metaphysically, the difference between the soul and the spirit is important. The spirit is timeless, unchanging, and is as ethereal as a vector of force. It is the light, the lifeforce, within the soul. The soul has depth, higher-dimensional structure, and evolves with time, both during an incarnation and between incarnations.
It is interesting to note that the soul always remains within the higher dimensions of the Universe, so it never really goes anywhere through physical space. It is the true self around which external realities manifest, even between incarnations. During a transition, the soul and consciousness detaches from the body by retracting within, into the higher dimensions, like the way it retracts into the astral realm during sleep. The experience is unique to everyone, and depends largely on the individual's emotional and intellectual state at the time, and on the level of spiritual education and awareness.
Even though there may be a temporary experience of being outside the body within the physical world during an out-of-body or near-death experience, the soul itself is never actually separated from the higher dimensions. The timeless unity of the higher dimensions is fundamental to the nondualistic nature of the One Reality.
Also interesting and often wondered about is the difference between human beings and the other animals of our world. Scientists once thought it was that we humans had the mental ability to use tools while the animals did not. This has since been found to be short-sighted as some animals have now been observed to fashion and use simple tools.
The distinction comes from the soul region of our depth-consciousness, our higher mind, which as already mentioned, gives us the capacity for abstract and conceptual thought as well as for transcendental realization and enlightenment. According to Theosophical sources, humans have an individualized soul giving us a higher mind that goes beyond simple concrete logic, while animals share a group soul specific to their species, giving them great powers of shared instinct.
Animals each have an individual spirit but their soul is collective. Without a higher mind, a chimpanzee is not likely to ponder the infinity of space, but it is easier for it to be intuitive to group experiences and emotions and even to lessons learned by its species from previous generations. Still, all individual souls and all group souls are formed within, and always remain within, the same higher-dimensional region of the Universe.
To help get a handle on the metaphysics of Nondualism, it is key to realize that the Ultimate Reality of Transcendental Unity is not anywhere ‘out there’ in physical space.
The higher dimensions of depth-consciousness are within us in the same way that the higher dimensions of physics are within every atom, and as higher dimensions are reached, higher states of unification are realized. More than a mere parallel, this is where physics and metaphysics actually coincide and reflect each other.
It is important to keep in mind that the lower dimensions are created by the higher dimensions. In fact, as a lower dimension such as the physical plane is transcended, it is recognized as being simply a limited and conditional experience of higher dimensions. From the perspective of a higher dimension, the lower dimensions have no real substance unto themselves because "each higher dimension includes the lower ones by coordinating its elements in a wider and more intricate structure of relationships." (Lama Govinda2)
Like the surface of a sphere with multiple internal layers, the dimension we know as the physical world with our physical bodies is simply an outer shell created by higher-dimensional realities, with the central singularity representing the highest dimension, the source of all that is. If the CosmicLight of that highest dimension were to suddenly blink out, the entire Universe would just as suddenly cease to exist.
Language and Traditions
Reference to the Sanskrit classics is particularly useful because their metaphysical foundation is well-preserved and the terminology is familiar to those who have studied philosophy and comparative religion. Brahman and Atman, for example, refer to the Universal Spirit and the individual spirit, or Universal Consciousness and individual consciousness. In the nondualism of Advaita Vedanta, the Atman, our spirit and seed of consciousness, is an integral part of Brahman, much like how a ring on a sphere is an integral part of the sphere and has no reality without the sphere.
In the Hebrew mystical tradition of the Kabbalah, the equivalent to Brahman is called Ein-Sof (The Endless One). It should be understood that the underlying principles are universal and are the same for all spiritual traditions. Similarly, all bioforms that happen to share our Universe are, by necessity, part of the same Universal Lifeforce that we are. This becomes obvious as the metaphysical realities and essential Oneness of the Universe are understood.
The state of reality represented by Brahman (Ein-Sof) transcends even the Creator God, Brahma (Yahweh), and contains all three aspects of the Trikaya within Itself. Brahman is simultaneously Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva, Creator-Preserver-Transformer, while remaining unchanged (as the Godhead, all three modes of Godhood in one). Obviously, this requires an understanding which goes beyond the idea of 'theological deities with bodies' toward the conceptualization of mystical principles.
As represented by the simple geometric beauty of the Roman Pantheon, a higher truth underlies all the anthropomorphized body forms of theology. Recognizing this more abstract level of spiritual understanding as being more real is called nontheism (which is not atheism) and is characteristic of Buddhism, for example, and metaphysics in general.
Metaphysically understood, the Trikaya represents the creation process, which is happening continuously. All stages of the creation process exist simultaneously, just as all higher-dimensional levels of physics exist simultaneously. Even though Western scenarios tend to express Creation as a time-bound process, such as in Genesis and the Big Bang Theory, and even though Vedic and Kabbalistic texts speak of pre-Creation states of Being, it is important to keep in mind that the Trikaya creation process is continuous. "This infinite fullness [the visible Universe] shines forth from That infinite fullness [the invisible Brahman]." (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad)
The metaphysics of nondualism recognizes the underlying polarity which creates the Trikaya as more fundamental, more real. In this way, duality (separateness) is recognized as an expression of polarity (represented by a vector, an arrow) and the illusion of separateness is transcended. For example, the duality of the positive and negative electric charges arises from the polarity of the electric force field, a single reality, and a more fundamental level of reality.
The polarity inherent in the Trikaya is actually the creative property of Brahman itself, and as a direct result, is also inherent within Atman. This polarity within Atman is an expression of the force of spirit and is the source of individual consciousness. Its three-fold nature manifests in the past-present-future experience of time. The interaction between Brahman and Atman creates the field of Creation around us, and the geometric relationship between Brahman and Atman and the emergence of Creation from the One Reality is called Sacred Geometry.
Ancient Sanskrit has metaphysically-descriptive expressions for the Trikaya and the way it manifests, such as in the three modes of existence, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, and in the word Saccidananda, a combination of three Sanskrit words meaning Being-Consciousness-Bliss, or, existence, consciousness of existence, and love of existence, all aspects of Brahman.
In Western terms, and in the language of metaphysical philosophy, the Greek word Logos has been used to refer to the creative property of the transcendental Mythos. By definition, Logos (Om, the Word, Lifeforce, Universal Consciousness) is the perfect expression of Mythos, and is therefore also known as the ideal 'object' of meditation.
Logos is the First Cause of Creation ("In the beginning was the Word, ..." John 1:1), as well as the creative polarity which defines the laws of physics and makes everything happen, including consciousness. We experience it constantly. As already mentioned, the creation process is continuous, so the philosophical notion of First Cause does not refer to a time-bound phenomenon that happened in the past, but rather to the timeless (continuous and unchanging) creative cause of the Universe.
At the metaphysical level, Logos has the intrinsic property of polarity, the dynamic essence of force, the perfect expression of Mythos. The realization of Logos, in its transcendental wholeness, implies the existence of the otherwise unknowable Mythos. Geometrically thinking, if Logos was a sphere, Mythos would be its central point. As metaphysical principles, Mythos and Logos are equivalent to the first and second bodies of the Trikaya. In Sanskrit, Logos is called the Dharmakaya, the perfect embodiment of Divine Law (or Divine Will).
The practice of Yoga (yoking, union), in its primary and traditional sense, is meant to help one reconnect with the inner spirit, recognizing it as one's primary reality and its timeless unity with the One Reality. The study of metaphysics, and even conventional physics, provides insight along the path of Jnana Yoga, one of the three primary classifications of yoga, Bhakti Yoga (the way of devotion), Karma Yoga (the way of good works), and Jnana Yoga (the way of the intellect). In one combination or other, these three methods form the foundation of all schools and systems of yoga, past and present, and even apply to all spiritual traditions.
Devotional ritual and compassion are important, but a lack of metaphysical education over the ages, especially in the West, has resulted in an intolerance between devotional paths. It is fortunate and ironic that the birth of science and the age of reason in the West would eventually lead to a rebirth of metaphysical understanding and a new way with which to share it.
Historically, Jnana Yoga has been more prominent within esoteric mystery schools and among the Gnostics and Kabbalists, for example. Most notably, it is the essence of the Upanishadic texts of the East and the famous writings of Shankara, which go directly to the nondualistic foundation of the Vedic tradition.
Jnana Yoga is more suited to those whose intellects mistrust the emotional fervour of worship.
It is the Yoga of pure discrimination. It transcends the intellect through the intellect.
It needs no Iswara, no altar, no image, no ritual. It seeks a more immediate approach to Brahman.
This path may perhaps be more direct, but it is also hard and steep.Swami Prabhavananda
from the Introduction to
Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination
It seems that modern science is providing us with a new language to more easily explore this steep and ancient path. While physics cannot provide scientific proof of a spiritual origin or a timeless center to our Universe, with core concepts in line with the principles of nondualistic mysticism, it seems to point directly to the possibility.
Physics and Geometry
The mathematics used to describe quantum physics suggests, and cannot avoid, the very strange notion that the quantum processes which define matter and energy are somehow
all unified in a way that is independent of their spacetime separation. This implication of quantum theory is known as nonlocality, referring to nonlocal (spacetime-independent)
connections. Today it is generally referred to as quantum entanglement and is probably the theory's best known feature.
Equally bizarre, another feature arises from the quantum wavefunction which implies that all possibilities must somehow exist before a measurement or observation is actually made.
In the early days of quantum theory, because the math worked so well, what came to be called the Copenhagen Interpretation simply set aside any need to interpret such strange implications. It was generally believed that they arose from the use of matrix mechanics (or wave mechanics), and that a more rational interpretation of those implications would someday become clear. Einstein was disturbed by the way the quantum theory challenged the logical objective view of the Universe. This led to his famous discussions with Niels Bohr.
Experiments in recent decades, however, designed to test what is called Bell's Theorem, continue to show that nonlocality, or quantum entanglement, is indeed a physical characteristic of reality. The phenomenon is even routinely used today in electronic devices. Obviously, a fundamental shift in our understanding of physical reality is being realized and the need for a real interpretation of quantum physics is becoming more apparent.
Fortunately, an understanding of the mathematics is not necessary to develop an intuitive feel for the concepts involved. Geometry can be used as a very effective aid to represent the most profound scientific and mystical principles. Using multi-dimensional models we can visualize how separate atoms are actually unified in the quantum realm, and how our entire universe radiates from a single point in a higher dimension, a timeless Universal Singularity realized both in the zero-point Superforce of unified field physics and in the time-zero of Big Bang cosmology.
The theoretical core of modern physics deals with Unified Field Theories which attempt to mathematically model our entire physical Universe in the terms of a single Universal Superforce. With subtle differences, they all share the same key principles of Relativity and quantum physics. Which model is 'most correct' is probably not as important as the realization of universal oneness to which they all point.
The mathematics of Relativity and quantum physics is multi-dimensional and complex, yet it describes a reality which is fundamentally simple and based on geometry -- the geometry of quantum fields within the geometry of spacetime. As a representation of reality, geometry is arguably even more fundamental than the mathematics which describes it. The geometry of spacetime existed long before Einstein developed the equations of Relativity. The exact value of pi is intrinsic to the geometry of the circle, yet it cannot be precisely expressed as a number.
The Gnostics of the 12th Century had a geometric conception of Logos as "an intelligible sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere". Today, this geometric mind-bender could be represented by an infinite hypersphere, a four-dimensional sphere with infinite radius. Rather than a typical spherical plane with a radius and a surface, this is more like a spherical state of polarity, the polarity between singularity and infinity, with the infinity being a dimension beyond our three-dimensional experience of infinity.
Intriguingly, an interpretation of unified field physics suggests that a hyperspherical polarity of the Universal Superforce is the most fundamental expression of existence which can be realized from the physical plane, like a Geometric Logos. In this picture, all quantum processes which define matter and energy, along with the seed of individual consciousness, are represented by simple geometric elements, radius rays (or vectors) and equatorial rings, within the hyperspherical geometry. With this geometry representing the quantum realm in its most fundamental form, it can be thought of as forming the central reality of any of the current unified field models.
The idea is much like imagining the point of the Big Bang at time=0, that transcendental pure potential of the entire Universe, as a timeless state which continuously creates our experience of a dynamic Universe, while remaining unchanged in its unified state, in its higher dimension. Subatomic physics understands that the entire history of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the present, is represented by the subatomic structure of matter.
In this perspective, the Big Bang is literally happening right now at the center of every atom, and is integral to our experience of the present and the structure of depth-consciousness. Another way to imagine this is to think of atoms as deep vortices of past spacetime in the fourth dimension of space reaching all the way back to the Universal Singularity perceived as the Big Bang. From our perspective in the ever-changing present, we see only a cross-section of the vortices, rings, which appear as spheres in three-dimensional space.
From the perspective of objective time, defined by the laws of cause and effect in the physical world, the Big Bang is something that happened 'in the past'. In the teachings of the Ancient Wisdom, however, time is understood to be closely related to the experience of consciousness. In fact, "The polarity of consciousness is the very same polarity that we experience as time. ... In other words: we do not live in time, but time lives within us; because time is the innermost rhythm of our conscious existence." (Lama Govinda2)
The space of experience which surrounds us is the external expression of this innermost rhythm, and is called, in Sanskrit, akasha, an external field of subjective force polarities. Akasha manifests as matterenergy in spacetime as a direct result of the polarities of Prana, the Lifeforce within us. "If this were not so, the interaction of body and mind, of spiritual and material forces, of matter and consciousness, sense-organs and sense-objects, etc., would be impossible. It is precisely this interaction ... upon which the technique of meditation is built." (Lama Govinda 3)
An excellent meditation exercise in Jnana Yoga is to visualize your innermost reality as a pin-point of 'white light' force which has its polar opposite reflected directly in the blackness of infinity all around you. This recognizes our consciousness, our spirit, as a polarity between singularity and infinity – the singularity within and the external experience of infinity.
The Geometry of Nondualism
A hyperspherical force polarity, through the interaction of the infinite number of ring-ray elements with any one of those elements serving as a reference, or seed of consciousness, can act as a Fourier Series generator, the geometric equivalent to an infinite and superimposed series of harmonic oscillators. This provides a geometric source for the wave mechanics of matterenergy in spacetime, while maintaining an underlying level of all possible realities in an unmanifest state. Many will recognize the key significance of this to the unified field nature of quantum physics and the way matter and energy seem to behave.
As strange as this might seem, the idea actually makes more sense than having to imagine there must be an infinite number of parallel universes, for example, in order to account for the quantum wavefunction. It is especially intriguing considering that it also provides a better understanding of all the other bizarre implications of modern physics as well as showing us a fascinating insight into the metaphysics of the Ancient Wisdom.
This is basically an interpretation of the Kaluza-Klein model, a classic unified field theory from Einstein's era, forms of which are used in string theory today. It unifies the electromagnetic and gravitational fields in a mathematically beautiful way by adding a fourth dimension of space at the Planck scale (about 20 orders of magnitude smaller than a proton). In the Kaluza-Klein model, we are living in a five-dimensional (or more) spacetime in which the fourth dimension of space is confined to tiny Planck-scale spheres, an infinite number of them, filling all of space, and which are ultimately responsible for everything we see and experience.
The unification of all things inherent in nondualism, as well as the quantum entanglement of modern physics, are realized in the possibility that all of those tiny fourth dimension spheres which fill all of three-dimensional space, are actually different rings on the same sphere within that fourth dimension. That is, they could all be rings on a universal hypersphere, representing every quantum process in the Universe.
This geometric model of unified field physics provides a mechanism for the strange properties of both Relativity and quantum physics, including the light-cone, the wave-particle duality, quantum entanglement, the wavefunction, and the 'quantum foam' of empty space, as well as the male and female movements of Creation and the polarity of time and consciousness. Perhaps most interesting, the spherical geometry beautifully represents the metaphysical nature of the Trikaya, the three-bodied unfoldment of Creation from the One Reality.
A ring on a four-dimensional hypersphere appears as a sphere in three-dimensional space. The more the ring is rotated away from the reference ring, the farther away in 3D space it appears, with a 90-degree rotation representing infinity. It is interesting to note that the four-dimensional hypersphere could be a ring on a five-dimensional hypersphere, which could be a ring on a six-dimensional hypersphere, and so on, each representing a new set of infinite possibilities, and all centered on the same Universal Singularity.
An important point to keep in mind is that even though rings on a hypersphere can represent physical spacetime and individual consciousness, the primary reality of the hypersphere is not really a sphere with a surface as such, but rather is defined by a spherical array of vectors in a higher dimension, infinite in number and infinite in length. Also, any one ring on the hypersphere is also more properly thought of as an infinite number of rays itself, but only those limited to that single plane within the hypersphere. That ring of rays, of course, appears as a spherical array of infinite rays in three-dimensional space. The idea of a hyperspherical force polarity is fundamental to this model and remains unchanged during the experience of any spacetime unfoldment.
Anyone who has experienced an actual mystical realization of oneness will tell you that if we were not transcendentally unified, we would not even be here. Of course, that is a subjective experience and belief and, like someone who has had a near-death experiences, it is very difficult to share with anyone else in a convincing way. Science does not need a transcendental oneness to do objective modeling of the Universe, but without it, we are left with the very bizarre observations of Relativity and quantum physics, and the great mysteries of the Universal Singularity of Big Bang cosmology and the Universal Superforce of unified field physics remain largely uninterpreted.
It is clear that our understanding of the Universe has grown exponentially over the ages, and to now find ourselves at a point where scientific physics clearly offers a worldview consistent with the Ancient Wisdom is remarkable and exciting. There is no doubt this is an important step in the evolution of human awareness.
The integration of spiritual and physical knowledge is a key part of the awakening process that our planet is experiencing today. It will obviously involve a fundamental paradigm shift in our understanding of space, time, and matter. This paradigm shift began earlier this century with the birth of both Relativity and quantum theory. These scientific theories deal with universal principles, and being firmly based in the objective logic of physical knowledge, their deep revelations have appeared as the very strange concepts of Relativity and quantum physics.
Only when we fully integrate mystical knowledge into our worldview do the strange implications of modern science begin to make sense. At the same time, the language of modern science becomes a great help in understanding ancient mysticism.
Human consciousness has indeed come fullcircle. We have arrived where we started with an ancient understanding once again brought to light. At the same time, we have taken a quantum leap forward in awareness and the evolution of the soul.
The Brahman which has been thus described
is the same as the ether which is around us;
And the ether which is around us,
is the same as the ether which is within us.
And the ether which is within us,
That is the ether within the heart.
That ether in the heart is omnipresent and unchanging.
He who knows this obtains omnipresent and unchangeable happiness.
Khandogya Upanishad
1Sri Aurobindo, The Future Evolution of Man, 1963, Sri Aurobindo Ashram
2Lama Anagarika Govinda, Creative Meditation and Multi-Dimensional Consciousness, 1976, Theosophical Publishing House
3Lama Anagarika Govinda, Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, 1959, Rider & Company, London
as "of Quasars & Quanta"
(from writings begun in 1984)
classic awards page
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