HUMAN genome & Science today

[Caitanyachandra 0]

Mapping of Human Genome & the possible

danger of Karmic Manipulations

.

Swami Atmananda

Kudos to scientists for mapping the genome:

……… The recent mapping of Human Genome by a group of

scientists was a landmark achievement for the entire mankind.

While lot needs to be done before this knowledge is available to

help root out the genetic disorders of man, yet it is indeed an

achievement worth elation. In future it will become possible to

predict & even help root out the various diseases of man with

the least bit of botheration. However, like with any potent

knowledge there is a possibility of its possible misuse. Such can

be the profound impact of this knowledge that all sort of fears

have already started being aired. It might certainly lead to

various ethical and social problems. There is also the dangerous

possibility of cloning of a superior human race.

The problem of misuse of any potent knowledge :

……… The possibility of misuse of any potent knowledge or

power is always there, and therefore the debate on the

possible misuse of this knowledge of human genome has also

rightly begun. Whether it is the nuclear power in the hands of a

rogue state, or a gun in the hands of school going children, the

powers that be are rightly concerned about averting their

possible misuse. The problem is not the power as such, but the

power in wrong hands. Spiritual masters the world over are

basically concerned about this deep-rooted & devastating

problem of ‘misuse of any power’, and this is traceable to the

problem of ego-centricity. Ego-centricity is not negated by

a healthy body or even good karmas, but only by directly

realising the infinite & transcendental truth of this world - as

our very Self. Can we work to help bring about a mind which

has love, magnanimity & compassion for one & all ? If this is

achieved then you can rest assured that no knowledge will

ever be misused, and without this the danger of misuse will

always be there.

Can Karmic data too be manipulated :

……… Some people even feared whether the karmic data of man

too may now be manipulated. These fears are baseless. People

hereafter will certainly be facing a challenge which has not

been dreamt of earlier, yet no such possible manipulations rein

the karmic freedom of man, and thus he or she will remain as

independent & creative as ever ‘to find a way out’ from these

new situations too. That is the freedom & power of karma. The

word 'karma' is used in two different ways. One, as an effect of

earlier acts, and two, as a ‘potential to act without any

conditionings’. While the word karma is secondarily used to

indicate the effect of our earlier acts, the primary real meaning

of this word is the ‘potential to act without any conditionings’.

None of these can be effected by any physical manipulations.

The difference between animal yonis & the human yoni is only

in the existence if this freedom & capacity. Animals act in a

conditioned & programmed way, while the level of awareness of

human beings facilitates them to exist at a level where their

responses are not conditioned by their situations or past. This

alone is the essence of karma.

To be human is to be free to act :

……… To accept the possibility of human being conditioned by

anything whatsoever in such a way so as to lose our freedom

to act is deny the very human-ness & thus the very potential

to do karma. To act as per conditionings is no 'action', but a

mere 'reaction'. Ability to respond in an unconditioned way is

not a genetic trait but something much more fundamental, so I

have no basic fears. We intrinsically know this too, that is why

insipte of the unfavourable genetics of parents the children can

carve out a niche for themself. That is why education is so

very important. Thoughts do have physical repercussions but

mere physical fitness is no gaurantee for a thoughtful

magnanimous mind.

Genes do not store Karmas :

……… The sciptures talk about the place of storage of karmic

info too, and that place is incidentally not this physical body,

but our sukshma sharira or the invisible ‘subtle’ body. The Jiva

comes to a mother's womb with its own bag & baggage, this

alone explains existence of abnormally different inclinations of

child & parents. So no physical manipulation can really alter the

'inclinations' (karma) of any jiva. Yes, the health of people can

certainly be altered, and so far so good. Moreover these genes

themself are a later manifestation in the beautiful process of

creation, and they are basically meant to facilitate bringing

about of the ideal conditions for the karmas of a jiva to express

& exhaust. Physical features and some such gross things are

provided by the parents to the child, but the Jiva comes in the

womb with its own karmas. That alone is the reason why a

sudra couple too can possibly have a child with the inclinations

of a brahmin or even kshatriya. If what was provided by

parents alone drew the line within which this jiva lives &

operates then such things could never have happened.

 

Genes are because of me and not vice versa :

……… The fundamental difference between materialism &

spirituality is that while the former believes that ‘matter’ is 'the

important’ thing and it alone controls our lives & its joys, the

latter brings about a paradigm shift in our priorities &

perceptions by passing the buck of importance to an

all-pervasive, non-material, conscious principle - the subjective

essence of all. When the scriptures talk about this entire

cosmos coming out of a spiritual essence - which is your true

self, they in fact are saying that you are the creators of these

very genes. Genes maybe chemically made up of DNA molecules

etc – but are in this context are clubbed under one generic

term – the ‘matter’. They are comparable to seeds. They are

the first perceptible manifestations in this beautiful process of

the grossification of the great yet highly subtle creative

self-revealing, blissful existence which is continously unfolding

itself – in a highly intelligent & orderly way. This so called ‘spirit’

or more appropriately - the Consciousness, is not a product of

any chemistry, but is that becuse of which the basic elements

can be what they are. This consciousness is called as Brahman

by the Upanishads, it from this alone everything has come, and

into this alone everything goes back. That alone is the truth,

rest is an illusion, a mere continuum of time & space.

……… If someone can be called a ‘human’, then the fears about

karmic manipulations are irrelevent, and if the manipulations are

to such a degree that the fellow cannot be called a human,

then also the question becomes irrelevent. So as long as we

are humans so long we have the potential to act in an

unconditiond way - provided we exercise our freedom. Here

alone is the important role of right shiksha & samskaras. Real

education too is not any new conditioning, but implies bringing

about ‘awareness’ of facts of life to such a degree so as to

decondition us from past and realise our freedom to choose &

act. This is possible in an ambiance where the goals are

invoking things like love etc in the hearts of one & all.

Self-knowledge alone prevents misuse of any Power:

……… I sincerely pray that one day the resourceful nations will

give as much importance to the subjective knowledge as much

as they give to the objective one. So while I am happy at this

achievement of mapping of the human genome I do not yet see

any luxury of any complacency to ignore the spiritual

subjective knowledge. The most important knowledge is the

one which can help invoke deep-rooted love in the heart of one

& all. This alone can gaurantee total absence of misuse of any

kind of power what-so-ever. Unfortunately this knowledge is

yet to become a priority of the policy makers the world over.

That day when this becomes a priority will be a day of real

celebration for all those people who sincerely wish for the well

being of one & all.

[Caitanyachandra 0]

Is there evidence of celluar DNA in AyurVeda? If so where and post it!