@ śatosha
2025-01-15 14:46:36
A river must have two banks. A day has no meaning without a night. Even a narrative manifests amidst the story of a hero and a villain. Science is the study of the dualities - to put them to a greater use. Every time we get a better appreciation of a duality, we expound a new branch of science. For example Chemistry is built on the idea of "charge" duality. Particle physics is an outcome of magnetic duality (also called spin). The digital duality (0 and 1) is the basis for the computer science. Not only proven science, every thought has a dualistic outlook - a yes or a no - to be or not to be!
Our own anatomy is a mirror image as if two halves are sealed together - one on left and another on the right - two hands, two legs, two ears. Even the brains are split into left and right lobes. Leonardo da Vinci was trying to find the code of life in the parity symmetry of the Vitruvian Man. The physical duality of our anatomy led to most discoveries in ancient medicine of Suśruta and Charka - long before Leonardo. It is believed they were looking for a singularity amidst the duality of every other aspect of human body - an island in the river of life. And since they found only one heart in every mammal, they assumed god must live on this island.
In Vedic science , the study of dualities is known as Dwait. On the other hand, Vaidik philosophy believes the observer that sits amidst dualities is same across all of them - a singular observer - Adwait - an island between two banks of a river. The island underscores the nature, shape and the existence of that "perpetual" that dualities bind for conscious[^consciousness] experience? That Avykta (inexpressible knowledge) that dualities bind, is known as Tattva[^Tattva]. It binds itself into the knots (of evolving dualities) to gain answer to just one question - who am I? What is my own true shape (Swa-roopa). If one could know the answer to this question, dualities automatically shatter. They vanish because they are rendered unnecessary!
[^consciousness]: Conscious experience: is summation of Dwait and Adwait. In our geometric perception, it is easier to visualize a duality as a dimension - a one-dimensional line that goes from the object to its mirror image. The images may be merged in each other - as in case of atomic particles; or at perceived distances as in case of our reflection in a mirror. The important thing, however, is the one that sits at the surface of the mirror - in the middle - to see two images - one on the left and another on the right - one up and another down and infinite other angles. Millions of dimensions may intersect at this focal point. More intersections - greater the resolution of perception -> higher degree of conscious experience. A computer is lower in consciousness because it has only one dimension to resolve - from digital zero to a digital one. In Vaidik Science, the fifty significant traits (Vritties) are considered the prime dimensions of human experience measured through five senses. If digital duality enabled experiences such as internet, it is not hard to imagine how evolved conscious experience could be based on five senses playing with fifty traits. Yes, it can render the experience of our physical world, the seasons, the green expanses, rivers, buildings, gadgets - but that is only a fraction of what we are capable of. There are infinitely many more experiences that lie hidden in the realm of emotions. Yet senses only observe the chiral imagery. They find it hard to navigate the emotions, besides being grossly unaware of the observer that sits amidst this chaos. What is it that creates this beautiful tapestry? - sometimes layered over each other's like an onion; and other times existing on the same plane of conscious experience, and who is the observer? What is that "one" that sits within inseparable dipoles of a magnet? What exactly is that "unseen" that runs between an anode and a cathode ? Spirituality (Nyaan), is the careful study of that "one" staying put amidst the dualities always shuttling like a ping pong ball. Can it ever get to the rest? Or the idea of conscious life is to merely lock this incessant rhythm ? If so, to what avail?
[^Tattva]: Tattva: This "one", as per practitioners of spirituality, is the only real "element" - Tattva - the most elementary particle. Rest everything is just an expression of Tattva on account of complex wrinkles of dualities folded unto themselves. Tattva is neither unconscious or conscious. Consciousness is improvement in our sensory apparatus to approach this "one". The very reason of manifestation is to know, to understand what is there? Since it is the study of the "one", there are obviously no branches of "Spirituality". It is simply knowing "who am I?". The difference if at all, exists in the path to ascertain this truth. There are many possible paths. Some harder, some smarter - but the end goal is same - who am I? Tattva exists before the physical perception is born; and even after the cession the physical experience. For example, the written and the spoken are two reflections of the same word - they both carry the same meaning. Though a "word" has no physical existence unless it is spoken or written down, yet we know what a "word" means even before we say it or write it. In fact, we can't give a word a physical expression unless we already know the meaning. In essence, we understand the "knowledge" that a word captures irrespective of its physical manifestation. Thus, "knowledge" is the closest to describe that unseen in this physical world. Likewise, all dualities are reflections of a "single truth" hidden from sensory observations. It exists unattached, and yet it remains inseparable from the multitude of dualities it reflects ! For lack of a better word, Vedic Science uses the term Atma for it - it literally means "me". In mathematics, the word for this one is numeral "One" - yes, we call it "unity"! Unity is part of every number, every measurement, yet no one knows the shape of a unit - when measuring distance, this one is a meter, when measuring weight it becomes a kilo - it stays put in every measure, yet it stays indeterminate. You can say one cow, or one bird, and you know what they mean but no one knows what "one" stands for on its own! It is embedded in every number, every artifact and every observation. Many people try to explain Atma as "Energy" or "Electricity". Since it is hard to explain Atma with physical metaphors, I tend to use the word "knowledge". Partly because Energy is tied to physical matter and Electricity is limited to the motion of electrons. More importantly they have strict scientific definitions somewhat hindering the introduction of alternative approaches. That said, the choices are endless, and they are all valid based on the context. Similarly, the dualities are described differently based on the contexts. One may see the knots of dualities as the motherly cradle of manifestation - others may see them as a root cause of pain and confusion. But none may doubt their multidimensional omnipresence. In particle physics, duality is called "Parity Symmetry", In Vedic science, the faction that upholds "duality" as the only truth is known as Dwait - dualism. Dwait believes the "manifested" is nothing but the complex knots of many dualities in many dimensions. The "creation" is infinite manifestations of these knots (Karma Bandhana). It, thus, says that the liberation is all about gradual untying of these knots. The process of untying the knots of duality is called Karm-kshya - sacrificing the Karmas (that led to these knots in the first place) i.e. renunciation - weeding out dualities! It does agree that in this physical world, it is not possible to untie all the knots for human body too is a complex assimilation of uncountable knots, yet it asserts that as soon as our net "knot formation" gets negative - means we break more bonds than we create - the journey becomes a "hope of freedom". After initial jitters, the path becomes pleasurable though it appears insanely difficult (as well as counterintuitive) to the external world. For example, a person on the path of "minimalism" is naturally happy because she has found the taste of freedom - at the same time her network appreciates her for her sacrifices; often times wondering how she lives on so less ! As per Dvaita, the final freedom with exit from the physical world is thus the only objective goal - It is called Nirvana. Thus, there is no God, no observer. But it fails to answer what is it that we are trying to free up? What is the state of being in Nirvana? If Nirvana is all about giving up this beautiful experience, then Nirvana must be a very boring place! Adwait thus is the unyielding faith in singular underlying field, and a conscious ignorance of dualities as mere emergent sensory distractions. The singular truth is the thing that manifests amidst innumerable knotted dualities. Unlike the ideas of Quantum Mechanics, the "manifest" is neither a "given" nor an accident - it takes repetitive actions (Karma) to unveil one observable "truth". An "island" is thus the truth of a river's labour as much as a narrative is a writer's vociferous flow over dualities of the plot. This process of manifestation and its continuous evolution, as per Adwait, is Yazna - the modus operandi of Vishnu. And the consciousness that evolves (to seek the answer to the profound question) is Vishnu itself. The Sanskrit word Vishnu has two syllables - Vish comes from Vishisht, which means special and Anu means the smallest indestructible particle - special because it sits amidst all dualities and strives for continuous evolution of conscious experience to resolve the dualities. To an untrained eye - Dwait and Adwait may appear as the sides of the same coin, but there is vast difference in constructs that follow. Dwait seeks renunciation whereas Adwait celebrates the life, and it's growth. Vaidik approach thus is NOT to run away; it is to continuously struggle and fight to seek the ultimate object.