The Significance of Intelligent Design: Toward a better and more peaceful world
Whence all creation had its origin, he, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not, he, who surveys it all from highest heaven, knows — or maybe even he does not know. (7)
The last portion of Nāsadīya sūkta (The Hymn of Creation) 129th sūkta of 10th mandala of the Rigveda. Source: (https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/vishnu/nasadiya.pdf).
Thousands of years ago, Shiva called a Wisdom Summit, and it is a rare event indeed for Adyashakti has been invited to attend the summit. The attendees are the seven rishis (seers) and one skeptical Rishi Bhringi who is convinced that his devotion to Shiva alone is sufficient and complete. Adyashakti is not needed.
During the discourse, Shiva attempts to convince the Rishis how both Shiva and Shakti are essential for creation and for life. The Rishis ask Shiva if they could perform parikrama (circumambulation). Shiva consents and the Rishis circumambulate both Shiva and Adyashakti except for Rishi Bhringi who chooses to circumambulate Shiva only. Upon seeing this, Shiva and Adyashakti assume the form of Ardhanareshwar (half-male, half-female) with the thought that Rishi Bhringi will now have no choice but to circumambulate them both. But Rishi Bhringi turns himself into a bee and flies to circumambulate Shiva alone avoiding Adyashakti. Shiva and Adyashakti return to their separate forms when Adyashakti says to Rishi Bhringi, “it appears that you have no need for stri tatvas (female principal elements); why don’t I relieve you of them”. When she does, Rishi Bhringi falls to the ground as a heap of ashes. Rishi Bhringi’s consciousness realizes his mistake and he apologizes to Adyashakti. Adyashakti accepts his apology, and she brings him back to life. Shiva ends the wisdom summit by concluding: “The purpose of this summit has been to teach you that Shiva (undifferentiated consciousness) and Adyashakti (primordial energy) are both required for creation and to make life. One without the other in incomplete.”
Fast forward to 2014 and Science writer Amanda Gefter has just published a path-breaking book, “Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn” in which she concludes, the nothingness of the void gives rise to an incredibly small, unbelievably hot and immensely dense energy phase which then produces the universe as we see today. For the decade-long research which produced this book, Amanda interacted with some of the best brains in physics including Stephen Hawking and John Archibald Wheeler, a colleague of Albert Einstein at Princeton. After a deep scrutiny of the book, triple-board certified physician and a theoretical physicist, Jim Kowall concluded, although nothing physical can pass through the size of Planck length to be present on the other side, consciousness can for it is not physical. Undifferentiated consciousness, Shiva, in the words of ancient seers, gives rise to the energy phase of the big bang (Adyashakti), which then creates the universe.
The universe may end one day but consciousness will remain for it is eternal.
H. H. The Dalai Lama
When planet Earth sufficiently cooled and the conditions conducive to life materialized billions of years after the big bang, single cell organisms appeared. How exactly did single-cell organisms spring to life from what was then a lifeless planet is a subject of intelligent design, not for science to struggle with. Science is not the appropriate body of knowledge to investigate how the first organism sprang into life, nor it is to discover how nothing can transform into something.
Science is the appropriate body of knowledge to use when the fundamentals of the system under scrutiny are well understood and when they are not, but measurement devices are available so data can be procured, data-driven methodologies like six sigma can be used. When the system fundamentals are not well understood and measurement devices are not available, these two methods of inquiry cease to be useful. Then, transcending reason by enhancing the focus of attention remains the only viable method to solve problems and to make new discoveries, Some of the mysteries of the universe can be unraveled with science, but for others, science is not the appropriate body of knowledge to use. For progress, it is necessary to transcend reason.
Once the single-cell organism sprang into life, the theory of evolution can take over to explain how life evolved under the principle of natural selection (survival of the fittest) until humans evolved from ape-like creatures over hundreds of million years, and eventually formed societies. Subsequently, the theory of evolution ceases to be useful. We must then revert to the theory of rise and decline.
In the Bhagvad Geeta Sri Krishna explains human beings are endowed with three components of the mindset abbreviated with the acronyms, S, R and T.
The S component includes truthfulness, honesty, steadfastness and equanimity.
The R component encompasses bravery, ambition, ego, greed, and desire to live.
The T component includes lying, cheating, causing injury in words or deed and sleep.
On a scale of internal excellence, the maximum S component is at the top of the scale, the maximum T component at the bottom and all other combinations of the three components somewhere in between.
The noble ones among us are towards the top of the scale, the wicked ones towards the bottom and the rest of us somewhere in between.
All scientific theories are provisional in that as more and more data comes in that supports the theory, our confidence in the theory rises but even if a single data point materializes that contradicts the theory, that theory must be abandoned in favor of a new or modified theory.
Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time
As the S component of a society increases, society rises but the S component cannot increase indefinitely and when it reaches its peak, the T component takes over and society begins to decline. The T component cannot increase indefinitely either and when it reaches its peak, the S component takes over and society begins to rise again. The transformation of the mindset leads to repeated rise and decline of societies over thousands of years. Historical evidence attests to this phenomenon of rise and decline of societies. Sri Krishna does not explain why such a transformation of the mindset should occur, but we can be certain it does.
Unfortunately, the S, R, and T components cannot be measured, but emotions can, and this is fortunate as the two are related. The S component strongly and positively correlates to positive emotions while R and T components are strongly and positively correlated with negative emotions.
On a scale of emotional excellence, the maximum positive emotions are at the top of the scale, maximum negative emotions at the bottom and all other combinations of the two somewhere in between.
The noble ones among us are toward the top end of the scale, wicked ones toward the bottom, and the rest of us somewhere in between.
The scales of internal and emotional excellence are entirely equivalent.
Now, what is the purpose of life?
To explain, we must get help from the Saamkhya philosophy, which asserts, all of creation is composed of five principal elements: Prithvi (matter), Jal (water), Agni (fire, heat), Vayu (air, oxygen), and Akash (consciousness and energy) and the three components S, R, T, or equivalently, two emotions. Bhagvad Geeta has a chapter on Saamkhya Yoga;
Eminent scientist Sir J. C. Bose, FRS, asserts, everything, animate and the inanimate, has varying levels of consciousness. Thus, plants feel pain and metal feel stress.
Relatedly, H. H. the Dalai Lama interacted with Russian neuroscientists not long ago to investigate the phenomenon of Thukdam, a meditative practice in which a Buddhist monk is immersed in the process of returning to the source after clinical death. The body of a monk undergoing Thukdam can remain warm and free from decomposition implying that some of the principal elements had remained following clinical death. The scientists found that there was a monk in Thukdam for 37 days and His Holiness said that his tutor was in Thukdam for 7 days. See this video clip of a Thai Buddhist monk immersed in the process of returning to the source in about 6 minutes.
Seers suggest that we all come to realize the need to return to the source over many lifetimes but the importance of this discussion of Thukdam here is that the monks in the meditative practice see a tremendous rise in their internal/emotional excellence.
A rise in internal/emotional excellence is important for societies as well as for individuals.
At the societal level, a rise in internal/emotional excellence will postpone the inevitable and eventual decline of developed societies such as the United States and accelerate the rise of emerging societies that have only now begun to rise while at the individual level, a rise in internal/emotional excellence will translate into an improvement in performance in the external world, physical, mental & emotional health, creativity and innovativeness, interpersonal skills, and less discord and violence. A rise in internal/emotional excellence can transform higher education and businesses.
Scientists will investigate Dr. Deshpande’s work on pranic energy for years to come.
Conveyed by Raja Atmamayan on October 20, 2024. H. H. Gurumahan
How to bring about a rise in internal/emotional excellence?
The cultivation of positive emotions at the exclusion of negative emotions is not an intellectual exercise. The required positive changes must come from within. Just do a thirty-day self-assessment and you will be convinced such is the case.
Internal/emotional excellence can be increased by enhancing the focus of attention as in contemplation, and in meditation. When the focus of attention is enhanced as in deep contemplation, type I discoveries can also occur. Type I discoveries amount to connecting the dots in the ocean of existing knowledge. The solution to many problems may also come to the aspirant.
When the focus of attention is further enhanced, as in meditation, Type II discoveries can come to the aspirant. Type II discoveries cannot come about from existing knowledge. In Sanskrit, Type II discoveries go by the name, Shruti, meaning revealed.
The solution to many of the intractable problems facing humanity, such as global warming, renewable energy, desalination, etc., will require both Type I and Type II discoveries.
Indian thought dares to seek and successfully
find something higher than reason.
Swami Vivekananda
How can emotions be measured?
We all have trillions of cells, Each cell has 46x,y chromosomes (46x,x for females) in its nucleus, cytoplasm and a cell wall. We obtain 23x,x chromosomes from our mother and 23x,y chromosomes from our father. Our parents in turn obtain their chromosomes from their parents and so on. Thus, it is clear we are connected to our past.
So, how we are today depends on our genetic traits inherited from ancestors, how we have lived our life to the present age and environmental factors. These factors all influence our emotional traits.
If we break down the cells into even smaller parts, we will find that they are made of atoms. Atoms have protons and neutrons in their nuclei and then there are electrons that orbit them. Atoms are not solid objects. They are vibrating all the time. The nature of these vibrations is our fundamental nature. Heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability, brain waves, etc. are all secondary.
Our five senses are not sensitive enough to pick up these vibrations. These vibrations have to be stimulated and amplified for measurement purposes.
There are two methods of measuring vibrational characteristics, or equivalently, emotions.
MIT researchers use wireless radio frequency (RF) signals while the device we use which goes by the name, Bio-Well, uses harmless electrical signals. In this approach, the user places his/her fingers of both hands, one at a time, on the glass electrode of the device connected to a laptop computer’s USB port when a harmless electrical current is applied to the finger. The finger’s response to this electrical stimulus is a burst of photons that are captured and analyzed. The intensity of the gas discharge and its area gives three significant parameters: Pranic energy (0–100x10–3, Stress (0–10), and Chakra alignment (0 to 100%).
A high level of emotional excellence translates into low stress (< 3) Strong pranic energy (50–70x10–3J) and chakra alignment higher than 90%. See this video clip showing how the measurement is made.
The measurement is painless, noninvasive and takes only a few minutes.
Incarnations and prophets of all religions have prodded their followers to reach for a higher level of internal/emotional excellence. For example, Sri Krishna’s message is associated with the term “dharma”, Buddha’s message with “compassion”, Mahaveer’s with “nonviolence”, Jesus’s message with “love” and Mohammad’s message with “jihad” (internal struggle).
Many smart watches measure heart rate, respiration rate, and stress (computed from heart rate variability). These three together with pranic energy are the four parameters to track, without becoming a hypochondriac, for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
This is how I believe intelligent design unfolds. We should use products of reason such as sciences where appropriate and when that is not enough, transcend reason for progress.
Acknowledgments
This article is written with the blessings of H. H. Gurumahan (www.universalpeacefoundation.org). For the past thirty-three years, Gurumahan has been going into three weeks of meditation annually with no food for world peace.
About the Author
Pradeep B. Deshpande is Professor Emeritus in and former Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Louisville. He is also president of Six Sigma and Advanced Controls based in Louisville, Kentucky. He is an author of eight books and over one hundred fifty articles in reputed journals that include Proc. Royal Society–UK, Chemical Eng. Progress, Ind. Eng. Chem. Proc. Des Dev, Chem. Eng. Science, among several others, and is a recipient of several international awards. He is a Fellow of ISA. pradeep@sixsigmaquality.com.
