COMMENTARIES

These commentaries are for your consideration. Feel free to make comments by posting them in the discussion forum at TappedIn2.

1. For those with a passing interest in either science or religion:

Some might argue that neither science nor religion can offer us an opportunity to experience non-duality. The reason for this may be that the concerns of both science and religion are with relationships, with how the parts of our dualistic world interact. A few thoughts for your consideration and comment:

With regard to scientific method;
Scientific analysis demands, at the very least, two objects: the observer and that which is being observed. It could be argued that science exists only when there is a passage of time, when data gathered from the past is compared with data from the present. Furthermore, science is concerned with repeatable actions, with data that can be confirmed in future experiments. Finally, the scientific method assumes human experience can be explained by rational analysis and rational thought assumes that human experience operates according to the laws of cause and effect. There is no science without reference to cause and effect. And there is no experience which cannot be explained according to the laws of cause and effect. For science, every action is both a reaction and the cause of another reaction.

All of these assumptions suggest that science can never speak of or point to that which lies outside duality. The focus and assumptions of science make it a prisoner of the dualistic world and its value to us lies in the understanding it gives of the interactions within our dualistic world.

Is it possible that in spite of the traditional focus and method of science, some of the observations within quantum physics may force science outside of dualism. For example, the realization that the observer and the experiment are never completely separate strikes at the heart of traditional science. A similar challenge can be seen in observations which seem to have nothing to do with cause and effect or the movement of time. I can’t imagine how traditional scientific methodology will adapt to the observations of some elements in quantum physics. It seems to me that we might be witnessing the end of science as it has been practiced for the past three centuries. Perhaps religion offers a viable model science may consider.

With regard to the role and task of religion;
Many people assume that the focus and concern of religion is also locked within a dualistic perspective. After all, religion spends a lot of time reflecting on the relationships we have; how we act with each other, the influence our behavior has on the deity, the effect our present behavior has on the future, etc. All these concerns are critical to religious thought and ensure that religion remains firmly locked within the bounds of dualism.

Nevertheless, religion usually acknowledges and supports non-dualistic experience, even though this support is often tenuous and fearful. Non-dualistic experience traditionally falls to the mystics, a group long recognized as integral to religious thought but standing on the periphery. Within religious circles, there is usually some trepidation around what to do with mystics and their experiences. Burning is as much a possibility as veneration.

For people caught up in the complexities of dualism, the benefits of religion are often restricted to rules telling us to be kind to one another or rules telling us how to generate a favorable response from God. Because our human focus is often restricted by the struggles of duality, perhaps it is inevitable that most of us have no idea how to approach or evaluate the non-dualistic experiences of the mystics. Nevertheless, the presence of the mystical tradition within religion keeps open the possibility that religious thought offers humanity not only a set of rules outlining a way of living within duality, but also the opportunity to encounter non-duality. It is important to remember that the history of religions include not just the burning of mystics, it also includes their veneration. Perhaps the validity of religions lies in the fact that in spite of their opposition to the mystical tradition, non-dualistic experience continues to have a voice.

Your observations and comments would be appreciated.