The Quantum Mystery

The Quantum Mystery May 20, 2022

“Although Kami cannot be seen, you are constantly walking within and through the midst of Kami.”

-III Konko Kyoso Gorikai 6

Quantum Field Theory, due to recent breakthroughs in quantum mechanics, has become a widely discussed topic in both science and philosophy. When all the data is compiled, the metaphysical implications are astounding, undermining the Materialist conception of the cosmos. Are we connected to our planet? To the universe? To each other? Before we get into the specifics, we need to take a brief look at the research on the Quantum Field and its metaphysical implications. The late Dr. John Wheeler (1911-2008), Physicist and Professor at Princeton University, proposed, based on scientific data alone, that we live in a “participatory universe”, where everything is connected. Albert Einstein too expressed deep concern over data pointing to the potential that we live in a universe where we could actually influence matter in any particular place, while we’re somewhere at a distance. He referred to this as the “Spooky Action at a Distance” phenomenon.1 

If we are connected, then there must be “something” through which our emotions, desires, and will move in order to interconnect. The idea of a field of energy seems to have gained significant attention in scientific circles in the late 1800s, and was known as the “Aether Field”, though that name has fallen into disuse. From April to July of 1887, Dr. Albert Michelson and Dr. Edward Morley, at what today is Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, began experiments to detect the “Aether Wind”.2 The basic idea being, if the Aether Field exists, then it should interfere with light waves due to an Aether wind- the motion of that field in action. The end result of the experiment was that they found nothing to indicate any such interference and concluded that no such Aether Field existed. Science pretty much continued to disregard any suggestion of an energetic field connecting all things for many years to come. Then, in 1986, an experiment conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Air Force, using much more sophisticated equipment than Michelson and Morley possessed, found that there is indeed a field of energy connecting all things, and Michelson and Morley were actually very close to finding it. The results of this experiment were published in the peer reviewed Nature Research Journal of August 1986.3

Subsequently, the University of Geneva conducted an experiment under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Gisin, the results of which were released worldwide in July 1997.  It was known as the Twin Photon Experiment.4 Photons are the light particles that all atoms are made of. They’re the substance of the universe. This experiment sought out to discover how these photons are influenced by the Quantum Field. They split a single photon into two, creating twin photons. This meant that there was control in the experiment, since both photons had the exact same identical properties. They placed each in a device that propelled the photons into two different/opposite directions along two fiber optic cables, each measuring seven miles in length. This meant when the photons reached their target at the end of the cables, they were a total of 14 miles apart. They then manipulated one of the photons, “tickling” it, as they referred to it, and a very interesting thing happened. When they interacted with one photon, the other, even 14 miles away, reacted as though it was having the exact same experience of manipulation. For example, when they forced one photon to rotate in a given direction, the other photon would rotate in the same direction at the same moment in time. When they electrically charge or discharged a photon in one place, the exact same thing happened to the other photon. This connection is what is termed in scientific circles as “entanglement”.

The metaphysical implications are important to understand. They strongly indicate that what happens in this field influences our world and our daily lives, and we in turn influence the field. This challenges the Materialist conception of all things as essentially separate.

We know that the Quantum Field exists, and we know that we’re connected to it, so the next question is, what does the field do exactly? There are three things that emerge from what Quantum Theory tells us of the field.

1. The field appears to “contain” all that exists, and science can tell us nothing of what might exist outside the field itself. Everything that has ever happened, or that is happening, are contained in this field.

2. The field is a “bridge” between us, our world, and “something” beyond material existence that is intelligent enough and powerful enough to have created the cosmos and the field. When we meditate, chant, or offer prayers, the science says the field will carry that intention somewhere. Furthermore, what occurs in this field impacts not only individuals, but the entirety of humanity on some level. 

3. The field reflects back to us the world we create as a result of our thoughts and actions-our intention. If our world is one of suffering, pain, conflict, disease, and death, it is precisely because we are ontologically embodying those things. As I’ve pointed out before, we are ultimately the source of our own suffering. Our thoughts and actions, no matter how mundane we might consider them, cause ripple effects in this field, which is why Right Thinking and Right Action are so important.

Nearly every ancient culture, no matter the religion to which it adhered, held that all life is interconnected. This was a core premise of nearly every indigenous people group. Now, some philosophers may have misinterpreted what is in essence a perennial truth, and developed errors based on limited knowledge, but the fact that these ancient religions knew this principle is significant. It tells us that the sages of the world’s authentic religious traditions tapped into one of the secrets of the universe before science had even caught up with it. 

Konko Daijin, whom I quoted at the opening of this article, understood this principle as well. He discovered that the universe, which includes this Quantum Field, exists as a vehicle or ‘body’ of Kami-the Divine Source, or God. We move within it, live within it, act within it, and take our life from it. We influence this body, and the body influences us.  

This same principle is found in the Vedic tradition as well. 

“Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord.”-Isopanishad

There is a story about Krishna, who is considered the primary avatar of Godhead, that connects to this principle. One day when he was a little child, while playing, he ate mud. When his mother saw this, she was understandably upset. She scolded him and he denied eating it. She told him, “If you haven’t eaten mud, open your mouth and let me see.” He opened his mouth and Yashoda looked into it and was astonished. Instead of the mouth of her child, she saw the entire universe, everything in nature within him. The point of this story is this: the material world, the entirety of the cosmic manifestation, is part and parcel of the Divine Being. It is both one with and separate from the Divine Being, this being the principle of dualistic non-dualism. Allow me to explain. If you have a photograph of yourself taken, that photograph is a product of your material energy. It exists as a witness to your existence. It reflects your image and character. Likewise, the entirety of the cosmos, including humanity (the human body specifically), is the product of Divine External Energy manifesting as the material world. As such, it exists as a witness to the creative power and character of the Divine. However, it is also distinct from God, as the Divine Internal Energy, which manifests as the spiritual realm, transcends matter. Just as you are not the photograph, the Divine Being is not the material world. And yet, they are one and the same. Likewise, you are one with the material world and the field via your physical body, but at the same time different than your material body and the field via your true Self-the Soul. This is known in the teachings of the Bengali saint Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as “achintya bedha bedha”, the principle of Dualistic non-Dualism, a principle I will explore again and again in different contexts. As Abhay Charanavrinda Bhaktivedanta Swami taught, “The spiritual world is expansion of (The Divine Being’s) internal energy, and this material world is the expansion of external energy…”

It is correct, then, to say that the material world is the “body” (not in the literal sense, but only as a vehicle of expression) of the Divine Being.

So, what does this have to do with your spiritual life? Since we know that our actions have an effect that ripples across the Quantum Field, the External Energy of the Divine, and potentially impact our lives and the lives of others, this fact confirms the need for Right Action and Right Thought, since what I send out into this Quantum Field will inevitably impact reality and ripple back. (Think Law of Action-Reaction) Simple acts of kindness, compassion, charity, meditation and prayer all send out positive waves into the field. The more positive energies we impact the field with, the better. This connects to the problem of suffering, and the fact that suffering is due to the negative (evil) thoughts and actions of humanity due to identification with the material world. You are not simply the body. You are the Soul experiencing the External Energy of the Divine in a material body. Only in this case, we’ve added a deeper dimension to the issue which reveals a way in which you and I can reverse the negative ripples of the hurting world around us. It all begins and ends with the state of your heart.

“Whether or not you can receive divine blessings depends on your heart.

 If you renew your heart, then you can reap infinite divine blessings.”

-II Aoyama Kin’ emon 3

Spiritual life is intended to renew our hearts and orient us toward substantive peace and joy, aligning our will with divine principles. As we do so we impact the Quantum Field with Right Actions and Right Thoughts and receive the blessings returning like waves to the shore.

1.https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/einstein-s-spooky-action-distance-spotted-objects-almost-big-enough-see

2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelson%E2%80%93Morley_experiment

3.https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/32

4.https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/22/science/far-apart-2-particles-respond-faster-than-light.html


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