You may wonder how a modern branch of science, quantum physics, can have anything to do with Buddhism, an ancient eastern philosophy. As it turns out, there's a remarkable similarity between these two seemingly different topics.
Buddhism underscores the idea that the universe is the reflection of our thoughts. How we perceive the universe defines the external world to us. In other words, the reality is very much affected by the way we perceive and process the signals we receive from the world. The reality is not set in stone. It's as malleable as our perception of it.
But what's most amazing is the uncanny resemblance of what science has to say about the reality to the principles of the Buddhism. In fact, Dr Eric Amidi reviews a great book on this topic that follows the conversations between a Buddhist and a quantum physicist.
The Buddhists' Worldview
Buddhism goes as far as to say that how we construct the reality gives it meaning. After all, what we receive from the external world is nothing more than signals sent to our senses. We process these signals in our brain and construct the reality. This has been confirmed by brain science as well. It has been shown that the way the neural network in our brain reconfigures and processes signals from our sensory faculties defines how we see the world and so it affects our reality.
The Quantum Perspective
When it comes to quantum physics, the construction of reality has a much deeper meaning. As it turns out, we can never know how atoms and other fundamental elements of the matter behave without probing them. But probing them will impact how they behave. So we will never know how matter works without affecting it. In other words, the reality of matter is not independent from us, but the interaction between our perceptions with matter that defines the reality of the universe.
Solipsists go so far to say that the universe does not even exist. They consider it the creation of our minds. While many are skeptical of such a bold worldview, no one can refute it, since nobody can go around our perceptions to probe the universe and prove otherwise.
However, one thing that may cross any curious mind is that why an ancient mental discipline such as Buddhism should have so much in common with modern science?
Why should explorations in human psyche coincide with experiments of external world?
Perhaps, the boundary that we draw between what's in mind and what's out there in the universe is not as sharp as we thought. Think about it for a minute, we are made of matter. It's the illusion of our ego that makes us believe we are separate from the rest of the universe. Buddhists talk about reincarnation. If you set aside ego and the way we identify with it, would it be true that the same matter that makes us will eventually end up in other forms? Of course, not in the form of a neural network that can have ego and recognize what it was in the past. But it is the bits and pieces of us nonetheless.
The ideas presented here are only the tip of the iceberg of where the explorations of our mind can take us. Some of these ideas were inspired by the writing of Dr Eric Amidi. Be sure to read and explore more on this topic to expand your horizon. Knowing yourself can have a lasting effect on your life and it can transform you as an individual.
Torsi is a professional blogger.