Science, Spirituality and Their Consistency

You will be amazed when you listen to the scientist named "Ching Hai" discuss the mysteries of the world and the Universe on Her various lecture video and audiotapes. Her words affirm what Jesus said: "Seek you first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added unto you." Master Ching Hai majored in languages at the university, but after achieving total enlightenment, She can explain the origin of the Universe better than any physicist on the planet. Master has also said that there is no conflict between science and religion, that science is attempting to prove what enlightened people already know, and that the science of other planets is a billion or a trillion times more advanced than ours.

The Big Bang Theory

An article printed in the Indianapolis Star newspaper (January 15th, 1998) states that most astronomers at the annual winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society agreed the universe began in a "Big Bang", when all time and space were contained in a single dense point - a "singularity" - which suddenly blossomed outward in an expanding fireball of particles, which now form the galaxies, stars and planets. But scientists fail to know what that "singularity" is and what will happen after the Big Bang. Will the universe expand forever or will it collapse or snap back in a "Big Crunch"? One theory suggests that the universe will one day contract back to its origin.

During Her lecture in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 21, 1993, Master Ching Hai was asked whether She agreed with the scientific theory regarding the origin of the Earth, namely, "the Big Bang Theory," and She replied, "Yes, I agree with it. But scientists explain things only in the material and physical aspects. They have not discovered the real essence, the invisible force behind the Big Bang. But it also helps to understand the spiritual aspect and creation."

On March 22, 1993, during a question and answer session in Brisbane, Australia, Master gave a clear explanation of how the universe came into being. (see "Selected Questions and Answers" in this issue of the News ) The "singularity" in scientific terminology is God, wisdom, or the cosmic energy. When this central force of wisdom is in motion, all forms of creation come into being from it, with various shapes, sizes, energies, wisdom, and the abilities to move and to think. Because the center has a great "magnetic force", all things will come back to the central force, and then evolve again. The "singularity" has already expanded and contracted many times, enabling us to evolve and grow. And Master explained in Her lecture in Singapore on September 26, 1994 that, scientifically speaking, this process is very similar to the theory of the "Big Bang," but it is very difficult to explain in human language.

The Doubts of an Atheist

To attempt to prove that life arose on earth through random collisions of molecules in a "prebiotic" soup of methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and water vapor, scientists Miller and Urey recreated these conditions in a famous 1950's laboratory experiment. A spark of electricity (meant to simulate lightning) resulted in the creation of amino acids, the building blocks of DNA.

However, Sir Fred Hoyle, despite being an atheist, disagrees with the conclusions drawn from the above experiment and believes that life could not have arisen on Earth by accident. DNA is simply too complex and too irregular to have been generated by the laws of physics. Even if the entire universe had consisted of primordial soup, Hoyle concludes, an accident could not have led to the creation of life. The possibility of random events having created the order of life, he states, are about as great as "a typhoon blowing through a junkyard and constructing a Boeing 747." Along with Francis Crick (one of the discoverers of DNA) and a number of other scientists, Hoyle now believes that life arose on another planet somewhere and was transported here. However, Hoyle and others can not explain how life arose on that other planet!

The Breakthroughs of Modern Physics

The conceptual breakthroughs of modern physics provide another good example of the consistency between science and spirituality. When molecular science was developed, human beings began to change their views about the material objects of this world. They realized that various solid objects are actually not "solid" and that all the things in this world are made of various molecules with large spaces between them. As physics advanced further, people realized that the almost innumerable types of molecules in the universe are made of countable types of atoms, which are further found to be made of limited types of basic particles such as electrons, protons, neutrons, etc.

Human beings' views on the material world again changed dramatically as quantum mechanics was introduced in the early 20th century. Quantum mechanics views the basic particles of the material world not as "particles", but as waves or energy in various vibrational states. That is, objects such as cups and bowls that we see and feel do not exist; they are merely energy in certain vibrational states that make us feel they are cups and bowls. In a word, all the things in this world are illusory and are comprised of vibrating energy.

This finding is consistent with the Great Masters' teaching that our world is illusory. In a lecture in Thailand on January 1, 1994, Supreme Master Ching Hai said, "When we look inside (meditate), we find nothing; we find no physical form, no substance; instead, we find a real existence, a real energy. That is where we come from. If we do not regard ourselves as a corporeal body, then we will realize that that is where we come from. That is the real energy from which everything comes..."

Quantum mechanics is also consistent with the spiritual teaching that all things are created from the great Sound (Tao, Word, or Vibration). In Master Ching Hai's lecture given in Taipei, Formosa on March 6, 1986, She gave the following clear description: "This sound existed when creation began. When this sound came into being, everything came into being. This sound is God; this sound is Creation. All things in the universe are linked together by this sound. All the realms, from high to low, are linked to each other through this sound. All things in the universe, whether stones, plants or humans, vibrate at their own specific frequency."

From the above examples, we can see that material science is included in spirituality. Most scientists focus their attention only on the material level, and, although they have made many great discoveries, what they are able to discover is limited. Just like Supreme Master Ching Hai once said, "Scientists have discovered only matter. They have discovered all the energy as matter, but not the flexible intelligence behind the energies. Therefore, it is a little different here. People use energy as a means to sustain their lives and to make more comfort in their lives. But they do not know that behind the energies is flexible intelligence, wisdom." (Lecture at Harvard University, October 27, 1989)

"The Quan Yin Method has a key, a tool, by which you can go to other places to learn." (Lecture in Chiayi, Formosa, January 16, 1989) "At the present time, our Earth does not have great schools of science that teach advanced sciences. So you should practice the Quan Yin Method, and you will gradually develop your wisdom. Or you can go to other planets to learn, so that you can serve the world when you come back." "Even if great scientists come here from other planets to invent machines and to educate us in many aspects, we still have to prepare ourselves in advance. We have to be prepared with a high level of wisdom, so that we can assimilate the advanced knowledge and sciences they will teach us. No matter what, we should practice the method of wisdom to develop and nourish our wisdom. Then we can do anything." (Lecture in Hong Kong, February 19, 1992)