Swami's Recommendations.Threats and Opportunities of Science

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Light and Love The contribution is about world significance of

Swami'sTeaching where He underlines the necessity to integrate science with

spirituality. Today scientists will begin to understand that several areas of a

science lead not to the progress of development, but vice versa, they lead

humanity closer to destruction. About it has mentioned in Scientific American,

July 2004. On a background of statements of the outstanding scientist Martin

Reed about the destiny of humanity, Swami's advices and recommendations

received the more clear importance. Scientists and politics should turn to His

Teaching the greater attention, as His Teaching is a single path for humans'

higher development and survival. Many scientists see that development a

deepening scientific technical progress can cause a global trouble but they do

not know an output from position. Advices have given by Swami to integrate a

science and spirituality. It is only way for the humans' further development.

There are no other ways. It is necessary to emphasize that furthermore the

recommendations to scientists as a part of Swami's Teaching, His words,

sentences carries such Divine energy as no other theory or teaching today. Here

is about what to contemplate. During tens of years Swami in His books and

discourses has analyzed the significance of science from different aspects and

some of this aspects were as warning to humanity. "Though humanity has

advanced considerably in the material and scientific spheres, it has gone down

grievously morally and spiritually. Selfishness is predominant in every action.

Behind every thought, every word, self-interest is prominent. It is only when

this selfishness is eradicated can Divinity reveal itself." (Bhagawan Sathya

Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.22. Chapter 6). "World problems are now assuming

stranger forms and larger proportions. They are no longer individual or local.

They are global, affecting all mankind. On one side, science and technology are

advancing with cosmic developments. Through plastics, electronics and computer

technologies, the wonder has reached even greater heights. On the other side,

mankind is afflicted with recurring political and economic crises, national,

provincial, religious, racial and caste rivalries, narrow loyalties and

outbursts of disturbance in student campuses. These have spread indiscipline

and licentiousness all over the world. Nevertheless, man's mind is

degenerating in the ethical, spiritual and religious fields of life,

continuously and with great speed. What is the reason for this downfall?

Men have now become more vicious than ever. Men relish and revel in inflicting

pain on others, so much so that, as history reveals, 15,000 wars have been

waged during the last 5,500 years. The impending atomic war threatens to

destroy the entire human race. (Excerpts from: Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. "Vidya

Vahini." Chapter X). "The astonishing, progress of science and technology

has not brought with it corresponding powers of discrimination and wisdom. Man

must realise that the sense organs, through which he explores the external and

discovers the powers latent in Nature and the physical universe, function

because of the Divinity which is immanent with them. Without the power of

Divine, the eyes cannot see or the ears hear or the mind think." (Bhagawan

Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.17. Chapter 11). Today's modern science has

reached to the bank of a river, which is impossible to pass with the treasures

of science alone. Today scientists are learning manage secrets of

nanotechnology and human cells, to receive and use the torsion energy (what may

lead to great success or to great chaos: all depends on the spiritual education

of man and his scale of human values), etc. "The sage Narada, who was

proficient in 64 branches of knowledge, suffered from lack of peace, so he went

to Sanat Kumara. He appealed to him: "Swami! Dispel my ignorance and teach me

the way to attain peace". Sanat Kumara said: "Narada! There is no field of

knowledge in which you are not proficient. You know all the methods prescribed

by the Vedas, the Upanishads and other Sastras. But all this knowledge has not

conferred any happiness on you. All this knowledge is concerned with the

phenomenal world, which is transient in its character. You cannot secure peace

till you gain knowledge of the Eternal". Science is concerned with all the

phenomena in nature. It furnishes what is required for the physical body. It is

doubtless essential to take care of the body. But the body should not be deemed

as the sole truth. However, one should devote all efforts to its maintenance and

comfort. All achievements are dependent on the body. Even the Divine can be

realized through the body. But the body is not yourself. It is only an

instrument for realizing God. Moreover, the Supreme Atmic Principle (Paramatma)

is immanent in it." (Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. Guru Poornima Discourse: "Quest

for Truth" 9 July 1998, Prasanthi Nilayam).

 

"Knowledge should foster wisdom leading to awareness. This is what the Vedha*

teaches....The word Vedha itself has many meanings. It means intelligence,

knowledge, awareness, etc. To lead a meaningful life man has to follow certain

Niyamas (regulations of discipline). It is also necessary to know one's own

Inner Reality. Mere intelligence and acquisition of knowledge are not enough.

The Vedha helps to realise full knowledge and wisdom. The sages in ancient

times had the inner vision and experience of the Divine and they gave

expression to this revelation through the Vedhas. They are applicable to entire

humanity for all times. They confer security on humanity and show the way to

happiness and peace. The goal of human life is to sacrifice desires and realise

the Divine." (Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.26. Chapter 32).

 

(* transcriptions of words in quotations are not changed).

 

By Vedas and Swami's Works for humanity are impossible to explain the world

totally. Human consciousness reflects the world from a limited point of view by

senses, by various body (brain) activity be it in sensual, social or spiritual

(atmic) spheres. From certain balance between them depends on the human's

behavior, his truths and untruths; his/her level of intellect, state of

consciousness with the unconscious. On a larger aspect, human being is a

part of society; his/her behavior also depends on social rules: rules of this

class where he/she belongs and legislations of governments. On this level, all

is right what is in accordance with laws. However, the laws are relative and

mostly reflect the human rights and obligations what is benefit for concrete

type of society or class, not for human society as Oneness. There were

many contributions about integration spirituality and science, but it is not a

complete solution for human higher development. When spirituality has entwined

not only with science but also with social legislations, only then, it seems,

the humans may reach closer towards higher stage of spiritual development.

Swami stresses that without spirituality and educare there cannot be higher

development for human society. Scientific American, July 2004

published in the part of 'Insights' the calculations of Sir Martin Rees

(Britain's Astronomer Royal, University of Cambridge astrophysicist and

cosmologist) that consumer society civilization has only a 50-50 chance of

survival on the 22nd century. The article "Doom and Gloom by 2100" written by

Julie Wakefield is in the mentioned above scientific journal. I don't

reproduce neither the article nor Martin Rees’s book "Our Final Hour" (2003, U.

K.), but share some ideas from the book and from this article with my comments.

In this book the known scientist considering many kinds of disasters such

as environmental degradation, global warming, nuclear war and unstoppable

pandemics,etc. By Rees, science and technology are creating not only new

opportunities but also new threats. He felt compelled to write the book "Our

Final Hour" to raise awareness about both the hazards and the special

responsibilities of scientists. Martin Rees is a known scientist. His

research work on cosmology helped to refute the theory that the cosmos exists

in a steady state. Rees directed Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy until 1992.

Then he served for a decade as a Royal Society Research Professor before

assuming the mastership of Cambridge's Trinity College. Since 1995, Rees has

also held the honorary title of U.K. Astronomer Royal. In his book, Martin

Rees explained: "Astronomers have a special perspective to see ourselves as just

a part of a process that is just beginning rather than having achieved its end

and perhaps this gives an extra motive to be concerned about what happens here

on Earth in this century." Innovation is changing things faster than ever

before, and such increasing unpredictability leaves civilization more vulnerable

to misadventure as well as to disaster by design. Advances in biotechnology, in

terms of increasing sophistication and decreasing costs, means that weaponized

germs pose a huge risk. The scientist writes, "In this increasingly

interconnected world where individuals have more power than ever before,

society should worry more about some kind of massive calamity, however

improbable." Rees explains disasters what can cause nanometer-size robots

based on the latest advances of nanotechnology. These nanobots might chew

through organic matter and turn the biosphere into lifeless "gray goo." (A term

coined by nanotech pioneer K. Eric Drexler in the 1980s). It's not only

nanotechnology, but also basic science can present a threat. Scientific

American (July 1999) published a letter by Princeton University physicist Frank

Wilczek, who pointed to "a speculative but quite respectable possibility" that

the Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)

could produce particles called strangelets. These subatomic oddities could grow

by consuming nearby ordinary matter i. e. to destroy the planet. After

such information Brookhaven director, John H. Marburger explained to physicists

that the strangelet scenario was rather theoretical. He added that there is

about a one-in-50-million chance of killing six billion people. In the book,

"Our Final Hour" Rees noted that the experiments with strangelets were

dangerous. It is true, that not all researchers pleased with Rees's

positions. However, the fact is that the known scientist has reached to

awareness that scientists' 'play' with basic science without being aware the

initial source of humans reality is dangerous. Rees acknowledges that there are

also other doomsday scenarios having the higher possibility for realization. His

main conclusion is that "We can't enjoy the benefits of science without

confronting the risks." He warns that civilization has only an even chance of

making it to the end of this century.

Swami explains: "As all human beings have come from God, they should

carry the marks of the creator. Man has taken birth to manifest the Divine in

him." (Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. Divine Discourse: "Manifest the Divine Within

You." 20 July 1997, Prashanti Nilayam). Namely, human beings carry the

marks from Creator, each one of us is not a Creator, but we are parts of God's

energy expressed through Omnipresent Atma. For example, sunlight is not the Sun

but a spark of Sun's energy. All sparks of sunlight together is form a huge

amount of the Sun's energy, however, they are not the Sun. So human beings

all together are not exact God, Absolute, but the most powerful expression of

His energy, as a part of God's Omnipresence Being and for the benefit of

harmony and order among human society they would perform the duties of the

Divine Will. Swami declares: "What is this energy? It is something,

which you cannot see or hear or conceive in the mind. Energy is energy alone.

It is Divine. Every physical object has a base. There is electrical energy in

man. Likewise, there is radiation energy in man. There must be a basis for all

these energies. You see that in the world every object is based on some ether

object. God is the base for all the energies in the cosmos. The Vedantins

called this energy as Transcendental Energy ("Atheetha-Sakthi")." (Bhagawan

Sathya Sai Baba. Divine Discourse: "Manifest the Divine Within You." 20 July

1997, Prashanti Nilayam). As all human beings are in essence, the same

expressions of Atma from different angles, then a human being can feel the

reality of current life as with reference to the dual objective world. The

one's practical life activity involves not only the reaction of insentient

objects to one's actions on them, but also the reaction of other persons to

his/her actions towards them and affecting them. The life in form of DNA is

impossible without actions. Even breezing and blood circulation is the action.

It is not he as the Atma but as the body, the product of Prakrti (Nature) and

its attributes, that does the action. Human being would to perform all actions

as skillfully as he can, as he/she works as the collaborator of the Divine

Will, God's energy (Cosmic Consciousness).

 

"The beginning is God. The end is action. Action is God experienced”, says

Neale Donald Walsch pictorially in his book "Conversations with God." The

God has planted in a human's mind “free will”. Those who have not realized God

may be engaged in dangerous and delusive actions. Mistakes and evil

enterprises will increase if God has not made the doer; a person thinks that

he/she alone is responsible for the actions. Especially it concerns too many

scientific researches of modern time. It seems to scientists that they alone

are responsible for their discoveries, not the Divine Will. All human

actions are motivated at their deepest level by one of two emotions - love or

fear. Love is the energy, which expands, and actions done with love takes a

doer toward God. Actions done with fear motivate as a rule delusions and

strife. No one owns anything in this world. Everything is recycled. In the

end, even a body doesn't belong to human being. Neither do his/her thoughts.

There are no original thoughts. All thoughts emanate from a common source of

thoughts. Human beings are capable only exchange energy in accordance with the

Divine Will. When the last is ignored, the humans' development can turn to path

of destruction. Many Swami's Discourses contain information about science.

His outlook: science, not entwined with spirituality can destroy humanity. He

explains:

"There are three types of knowledge; knowledge of matter-energy; knowledge

of mental energy; and knowledge of cosmic-energy. Cosmic energy works in every

person in the form of Divine knowledge." (Excerpt from 'Thought for the Day' as

written on the board at Prasanthi Nilayam on 27 July, 2003).

 

Without knowledge of cosmic -energy the two other types of knowledge

cannot express their capacity in full or their expressions are erroneous. To

acknowledge the leading role of knowledge of cosmic- energy alias the Divine

Will is one of the main points on the way of integration science and

spirituality.

Reference: K. R. Paramahamsa. "Tat Sat."

Namaste - Reet