Science and Religion are equally Real
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November 9, 2010
Yesterday, the whole night I was in Samadhi, contemplating on the boundary between sacred sentiment and science.
Carl Sagan's theory about the origin of the universe and the theories about time completely matches with our description in Brahmanda Purana: the concept of time and the cycle of Kali Yuga. Of course, one great thing with some of these scientists is that they say very clearly, Hinduism and the Vedic tradition is the only tradition whose concept about time and the origin of the universe matches completely with science. But again, there is a problem. It is after all from an Eastern tradition, the Ganges civilization. How can the Ganges civilization have such an extraordinary knowledge and ecstasy? So again there are some fools saying, It is true that only the Vedic tradition matches with science, but it is accidental. How can accidents happen so many times?
The whole time, I went on meditating, where is the difference between these sacred sentiments and science? What is the reality? Usually, when the answer is ready, I will just come to the waking state, translate that answer into waking state knowledge, keep it in my archives and go to rest. That is what usually happens,
so that the next
morning, I can deliver
that.
But this time I saw
that the answer was
just there, without
any process
happening. I was
shocked and thought,
Oh God! How can that
be? When I looked at
the answer, I
suddenly realized
that the whole thing
is just one layer. Either the whole thing can be considered as an illusion, or the whole thing can be considered as truth.
If there are some descriptions in the words used that have some meaning for you already and the final description also makes meaning to you, you call that science. Otherwise Carl Sagan's theory about the universe, Einstein's theory of relativity by Einstein, or even the gravitation theory, are all just beautiful poems! I tell you: all of them are just beautiful poetry.
The number of people who followed and believed the saint Manikkavasagar because of his sacred sentiments is the same as the number of people who believed and followed Albert Einstein.
So all sacred sentiments are science, or all science is sacred sentiment. Either they are equally truth or equally a myth. It is just a verbal game, a verbal play. That's all. Nothing else. There is no east and west. There is no religion and science. It is just one wing.
If you are able to use words for which people have already given a meaning, and are able to come to some new conclusion which makes sense to the common man, you are a scientist. If you are able to touch some sentiment which people already cherish, and are able to describe and make people have the glimpse of that higher sentiment, you are a spiritual master. That's all! Otherwise, science and religion have no gap. If you don't understand a sacred sentiment, don't think it is just some foolishness or fantasy. Newton's is the theory of gravitation; Meera's is the theory of levitation! Which one would you love? When it makes a straight horizontal line in your brain, it is gravitation, pulling you down, making you heavy. When it makes a vertical line in your heart, it is the theory of levitation; it just lifts you.
All science makes a horizontal line in your brain. All sacred sentiments make a vertical line in your heart. Just because you are not able to catch it, don’t think it is fantasy or illusion. Both are equally real.