Excerpt from The Science of Being and Art of Living, written by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and first published in 1963.
“An example will illustrate the nature of Being in a more comprehensive manner. An oxygen atom and a hydrogen atom in one state present the qualities of gas, in another they combine and exhibit the qualities of water, and in yet another they have the qualities of solid ice. The essential content of gas, water and ice is the same but it changes in its properties. Even though the properties of gas, water and ice are quite contradictory to each other, the essential constituent, H and O, is always the same.
“As the oxygen and hydrogen, remaining in their never-changing state, are found exhibiting different qualities, so also Being, remaining in its never-changing, eternal, absolute character, is found expressing Itself in the different forms and phenomena of diverse creation.
“Here is a statement which, to some scientifically minded people of modern times, might seem contradictory to the established theories of physical science. Albert Einstein propounded the theory of relativity and said that everything in the universe is relative and the existence of different worlds and forms and phenomena can only be accounted for in terms of relativity. But here we have made a statement which says that the absolute, remaining absolute, expresses Itself in the relative states of creation. Being, remaining in Its never-changing, eternal absolute character, is found expressing Itself in the different forms and phenomena of the diverse creation.
“Is there any consistency in these two expressions? Yes. When Einstein says that all that exists in the universe can only be understood in terms of relativity, he is not wrong, because his theory of relativity concerns itself only with the manifested field of creation, which is the realm of physical science.
“Certainly, in his attempt to scientifically establish the unified field theory, Einstein seems to have been clearly aware of the possibility of one ultimate basis of all diversity, one common denominator of all creation. At least he was trying to establish one constant as the basis of all relative existence. If physical science should arrive at that conclusion which Einstein was trying to pinpoint with his unified field theory, one element will be established as the basis of all relative creation. With the rapid pace of development in nuclear physics, the day does not seem to be far off when some theoretical physicist will succeed in establishing a unified field theory. It may be given a different name, but the content will establish the principle of unity in the midst of diversity, the basic unity of material existence.
“The discovery of the field of this one basis of material existence will mark the ultimate achievement in the history of development of physical science. This will assist in turning the world of physical science to the science of mental phenomena. Theories of mind, intellect and ego will supersede the findings of physical science. At the ultimate or the extreme limit of investigation into the nature of reality in the field of the mind will eventually be located the state of pure consciousness, the field of the transcendental nature lying beyond all the relative existence of material and mental values. The ultimate field of Being lies beyond the field of mental phenomena and is the truth of life in all its phases, relative and absolute. The Science of Being is the transcendental science of mind. The Science of Being transcends the science of mind which, in its turn, transcends the material sciences which deal with the diversity of material existence.
“Being is the ultimate reality of all that exists; It is absolute in nature. Everything in the universe is of a relative order, but eternal Being, the ultimate life principle of unmanifest nature, expresses itself in different forms and maintains the status quo of all that exists. The absolute and relative existence are the two aspects of eternal Being; It is both absolute and relative.”
“…The Science of Being not only postulates a theory of one absolute element at the basis of the entire creation but also provides a systematic way whereby any man may have direct experience of the essential nature of transcendental, absolute Being.”
“…The process of bringing the attention to the level of transcendental Being is known as the system of Transcendental Meditation.”
Ilya Prigogine
Interestingly, during the subsequent three decades after Maharishi wrote The Science of Being in 1963, he spent countless hours with some of the world’s leading scientists discussing the “unified field of consciousness” and its relationship to recent discoveries in modern science, like quantum vacuum states and the many different candidates for unified field theories including string theories. These scientists included Noble Laureate Brian Josephson, Director of the Mind-Matter Unification Project in the Physics Department at the University of Cambridge; Nobel Laureate, Ilya Prigogine, Founder of the Center for Complex Quantum Systems at the University of Texas in Austin; and E.C.G. Sudarshan, a major contributor to the field of quantum optics.
John Hagelin
In the 1980’s Maharishi began working closely with John Hagelin, then a researcher at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Dr. Hagelin was responsible for the development of a highly successful grand unified field theory based on the superstring. He worked closely with Maharishi for the next 30 years developing connections between the unified field of consciousness and the most advanced discoveries of quantum physics, and the applications of this understanding for the betterment of human life.
To learn more about Dr. Hagelin’s work with Maharishi in the area of physics and consciousness, go to:
Achieving World Peace through a New Science and Technology
Restructuring Physics from its Foundation in Light of Maharishi Vedic Science
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To purchase a copy of Maharishi’s book, The Science of Being and Art of Living, CLICK HERE.
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