11 Oct '10 23:40>1 edit
Introduction
“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is
the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of
religion as well as all serious endeavor in art and science.” –
Albert Einstein
The essence of all Vedic teaching is contained in the Vedanta,
the scientific and theological doctrine of Vedic science, and in the
timeless wisdom of the Vedas. Its scientific and intellectual
contents have attracted the attention of some of the world’s finest
scientific and philosophical minds, such as Erwin Schrödinger,
Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Aldous Huxley. It
speaks of billions of years of history, creation of the universe,
medicinal science, metallurgy, space travel, embryology, art,
music, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost no
branch of knowledge that is left untouched in the Vedas.
There are five core features in Vedic teachings: (1) God – Isvara,
(2) Soul – Jiva, (3) Time – Kala, (4) Matter – Prakriti, and (5)
Action – Karma. Of these the first four principles are eternal
whereas the last feature is temporary. Based on these principles,
Vedic science provides a deep knowledge and understanding of
life and the universe. In its pure form, Vedic science is also
known as Sanatana Dharma or the eternal function of the living
entity.
One of the unique features of Vedic science is that it
provides a very vivid and broad description of God and His
energies. This paper outlines the Vedantic worldview in
reference to many of modern science’s perspectives including
the subjects of mind, consciousness and embryology.
According to Vedanta, there is another reality in nature different
from matter.
It is the fundamental spiritual particle (called atman
in Vedantic terminology), which the author has coined as
“spiriton.” It is a transcendental particle and is ontologically
different from matter. It has a conscious property and has free will
contrary to material particles like electrons. It is only by the
presence of the spiriton that matter appears animated. In
Vedanta this seemingly animated matter is referred to as
embodied life.
All knowledge relates to the spirit, or more properly, exists in
it, and that is the sole reason for our interest in any field of
knowledge whatsoever.” – Erwin Schrödinger [1]
According to Vedanta, every life form has atma or spiriton, within
it. In other words not only do human beings possess a spiriton,
but so do all microorganisms, insects, aquatics, plants, reptiles,
birds, and so on. In this regard, Vedanta is unique and different
from the scientific and theological views of many other world
traditions. The Bhagavadgita (verse 15.7), states: mamaivamso
jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah, which means that all spiritons are
Introduction
“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is
the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of
religion as well as all serious endeavor in art and science.” –
Albert Einstein
The essence of all Vedic teaching is contained in the Vedanta,
the scientific and theological doctrine of Vedic science, and in the
timeless wisdom of the Vedas. Its scientific and intellectual
contents have attracted the attention of some of the world’s finest
scientific and philosophical minds, such as Erwin Schrödinger,
Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Aldous Huxley. It
speaks of billions of years of history, creation of the universe,
medicinal science, metallurgy, space travel, embryology, art,
music, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost no
branch of knowledge that is left untouched in the Vedas.
There are five core features in Vedic teachings: (1) God – Isvara,
(2) Soul – Jiva, (3) Time – Kala, (4) Matter – Prakriti, and (5)
Action – Karma. Of these the first four principles are eternal
whereas the last feature is temporary. Based on these principles,
Vedic science provides a deep knowledge and understanding of
life and the universe. In its pure form, Vedic science is also
known as Sanatana Dharma or the eternal function of the living
entity. One of the unique features of Vedic science is that it
provides a very vivid and broad description of God and His
energies.
This paper outlines the Vedantic worldview in
reference to many of modern science’s perspectives including
the subjects of mind, consciousness and embryology.
According to Vedanta, there is another reality in nature different
from matter. It is the fundamental spiritual particle (called atman
in Vedantic terminology), which the author has coined as
“spiriton.” It is a transcendental particle and is ontologically
different from matter. It has a conscious property and has free
The scientists at Bhaktivedanta Institute
understand that a completely non-evolutionary
ontology of life has to be developed. Thus any
attempt at explaining the variety of species will be
problematic until the irreducibility of life as a
distinct and fundamental feature of Nature is
recognized.
VEDANTA AND SCIENCE
T. D. Singh, Ph.D.
… all knowledge relates to the spirit,
or more properly, exists in it, and that
is the sole reason for our interest in
any field of knowledge whatsoever.
– Erwin Schrödinger
eternal conscious particles of the Supreme Lord. The
fundamental qualities of the spiritual particle, or spiriton are of
the same nature as the Supreme Lord’s and are as follows: sat
(eternal existence), cit (full cognition), ananda (blissfulness),
sveccha (free will) and cetana (consciousness). Vedanta
explains that matter, however complex, will never generate life or
its inherent symptom, consciousness.
There are two categories
of consciousness: God’s consciousness is universal (all
pervasive) whereas the spiriton’s consciousness is localized and
always remains so but both are ontologically non physical in
nature.
“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is
the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of
religion as well as all serious endeavor in art and science.” –
Albert Einstein
The essence of all Vedic teaching is contained in the Vedanta,
the scientific and theological doctrine of Vedic science, and in the
timeless wisdom of the Vedas. Its scientific and intellectual
contents have attracted the attention of some of the world’s finest
scientific and philosophical minds, such as Erwin Schrödinger,
Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Aldous Huxley. It
speaks of billions of years of history, creation of the universe,
medicinal science, metallurgy, space travel, embryology, art,
music, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost no
branch of knowledge that is left untouched in the Vedas.
There are five core features in Vedic teachings: (1) God – Isvara,
(2) Soul – Jiva, (3) Time – Kala, (4) Matter – Prakriti, and (5)
Action – Karma. Of these the first four principles are eternal
whereas the last feature is temporary. Based on these principles,
Vedic science provides a deep knowledge and understanding of
life and the universe. In its pure form, Vedic science is also
known as Sanatana Dharma or the eternal function of the living
entity.
One of the unique features of Vedic science is that it
provides a very vivid and broad description of God and His
energies. This paper outlines the Vedantic worldview in
reference to many of modern science’s perspectives including
the subjects of mind, consciousness and embryology.
According to Vedanta, there is another reality in nature different
from matter.
It is the fundamental spiritual particle (called atman
in Vedantic terminology), which the author has coined as
“spiriton.” It is a transcendental particle and is ontologically
different from matter. It has a conscious property and has free will
contrary to material particles like electrons. It is only by the
presence of the spiriton that matter appears animated. In
Vedanta this seemingly animated matter is referred to as
embodied life.
All knowledge relates to the spirit, or more properly, exists in
it, and that is the sole reason for our interest in any field of
knowledge whatsoever.” – Erwin Schrödinger [1]
According to Vedanta, every life form has atma or spiriton, within
it. In other words not only do human beings possess a spiriton,
but so do all microorganisms, insects, aquatics, plants, reptiles,
birds, and so on. In this regard, Vedanta is unique and different
from the scientific and theological views of many other world
traditions. The Bhagavadgita (verse 15.7), states: mamaivamso
jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah, which means that all spiritons are
Introduction
“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is
the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of
religion as well as all serious endeavor in art and science.” –
Albert Einstein
The essence of all Vedic teaching is contained in the Vedanta,
the scientific and theological doctrine of Vedic science, and in the
timeless wisdom of the Vedas. Its scientific and intellectual
contents have attracted the attention of some of the world’s finest
scientific and philosophical minds, such as Erwin Schrödinger,
Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Aldous Huxley. It
speaks of billions of years of history, creation of the universe,
medicinal science, metallurgy, space travel, embryology, art,
music, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost no
branch of knowledge that is left untouched in the Vedas.
There are five core features in Vedic teachings: (1) God – Isvara,
(2) Soul – Jiva, (3) Time – Kala, (4) Matter – Prakriti, and (5)
Action – Karma. Of these the first four principles are eternal
whereas the last feature is temporary. Based on these principles,
Vedic science provides a deep knowledge and understanding of
life and the universe. In its pure form, Vedic science is also
known as Sanatana Dharma or the eternal function of the living
entity. One of the unique features of Vedic science is that it
provides a very vivid and broad description of God and His
energies.
This paper outlines the Vedantic worldview in
reference to many of modern science’s perspectives including
the subjects of mind, consciousness and embryology.
According to Vedanta, there is another reality in nature different
from matter. It is the fundamental spiritual particle (called atman
in Vedantic terminology), which the author has coined as
“spiriton.” It is a transcendental particle and is ontologically
different from matter. It has a conscious property and has free
The scientists at Bhaktivedanta Institute
understand that a completely non-evolutionary
ontology of life has to be developed. Thus any
attempt at explaining the variety of species will be
problematic until the irreducibility of life as a
distinct and fundamental feature of Nature is
recognized.
VEDANTA AND SCIENCE
T. D. Singh, Ph.D.
… all knowledge relates to the spirit,
or more properly, exists in it, and that
is the sole reason for our interest in
any field of knowledge whatsoever.
– Erwin Schrödinger
eternal conscious particles of the Supreme Lord. The
fundamental qualities of the spiritual particle, or spiriton are of
the same nature as the Supreme Lord’s and are as follows: sat
(eternal existence), cit (full cognition), ananda (blissfulness),
sveccha (free will) and cetana (consciousness). Vedanta
explains that matter, however complex, will never generate life or
its inherent symptom, consciousness.
There are two categories
of consciousness: God’s consciousness is universal (all
pervasive) whereas the spiriton’s consciousness is localized and
always remains so but both are ontologically non physical in
nature.