We often use the word ‘science’ to mean a discipline that predominantly emphasizes on objectivity, verifiability, and precision. These three aspects are the corner stones of all our scientific endeavor.
Look at closely what we do in science. We try to differentiate things from one another, understand each of them distinctly, and use that knowledge to better interact with the world around, live a better life and so on. Ultimately, science aims at making our lives more secure and comfortable. I call it worldly science.
Look at closely what we do in science. We try to differentiate things from one another, understand each of them distinctly, and use that knowledge to better interact with the world around, live a better life and so on. Ultimately, science aims at making our lives more secure and comfortable. I call it worldly science.
Contrast this with spirituality. Spirituality starts with identifying the essence of things and looking for the commonality between various things rather than differences. It tries to unify things rather than divide them. Its aim is not to ‘use’ things but to reach a state beyond ‘user’ and ‘used’. It hopes that that state gives lasting peace. I call this approach as ‘Spiritual science’.
Both these are science or ‘Vijnyana’ - the Sanskrit word for science. Vijnyana just means ‘special knowledge’ or a way to attain that knowledge.
While the worldly science focuses mainly on objectivity, the spiritual science tries to transcend the limits of objective/subjective notions. Both have the goal : to be happy – short term or forever. Both revolve around ‘I’, either as a small ‘i’ restricted to a specific existence or the big ‘I’ that encompasses the whole existence.
We need both.
Now the question is are these opposing to each other? Are they mutually exclusive? Should we shun one in preference to the other? Many people wrongly think so.
But not ancient Indian way of thinking. They gave equal importance to both. They saw the one as leading to the other. These two sciences are not disjoint but one can reach the spiritual science by going systematically from worldly science, using the apparatus of worldly science namely, observation, experimentation and reasoning.
The story I am going to start today is centered around this wonderful approach of bridging the worldly science and spiritual science. Many people who tend to think that worldly science and spiritual science are two distinct mutually exclusive things, probably will learn a lot from this simple story.
I am talking about the story of father Uddalaka and his son Swetaketu that appears in Chandogya Upanishad, a Upanishad from the Sama Veda of ancient India.
Let us go into this interesting story in the next episode.
A
story of Uddalaka and Swetaketu from Chandogya Upanishad, which is
part of Sama Veda. Upanishads are concluding parts of ancient Indian
Vedic scriptures believed to be at least 5000 years old. The
interpretation is by Dr.King (Copyright © 2019 Dr. King).
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