There are three principal routes to the deeper truths of existence: mystic experience, metaphysical speculation, and scientific research. True to the Hindu tradition, Sri Aurobindo considered experience to be the most reliable route to Truth. But since he was not only a seer but also an intellectual genius, in The Life Divine he rationalized the Truth as experienced by him and other mystics. He also dealt with the extent to which science can go into metaphysical enquiry. While acknowledging the contributions made by science to spirituality, he also pointed out the limitations of the scientific method in addressing questions on the subject. His reservations about science are fundamental, and continue to be valid in spite of recent advances in science. What recent advances have done is to temper the earlier denial of the spiritual worldview by science because research in physics, neurophysiology and medicine has observed facts and phenomena that are consistent with the corollaries and implications of mystic experience.
While experience is supreme, it is possible to rationalize it, and build a philosophy on the basis of experience. That is the origin of the major Indian systems of philosophy. But in the process of building a philosophy on the basis of experience, the mind can go into its characteristic speculative excursions. That is how we can get several philosophies from essentially the same experience. Among the older interpretations of Vedanta, Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy comes closest to the qualified non-dualistic version, but is unique in a variety of ways. First, it has a strong world-affirming and life-embracing tilt. Secondly, it is couched strongly in terms of evolution. Finally, it also goes considerably at length into the course evolution is likely to take, and the role human beings can play in shaping the future of the world. Not all these aspects are within the realm of science, but some of the aspects where science and spirituality can interact will be discussed, primarily in terms of recent advances in neurophysiology and clinical medicine.
Briefly, that the spiritual experience is not a hallucination is supported by brain imaging studies which show a characteristic pattern associated with the experience. Thus the brain is wired for manifesting the spiritual experience in some individuals under certain conditions. Secondly, the basic interrelatedness of all creation is consistent with the effects of mind over matter not only in the human body but also in plants, microorganisms and enzymatic reactions. That a human being can evolve is consistent with the structural and chemical changes in the brain resulting from long-term spiritual practices. But science can only talk in terms of associations, correlations and facts that are consistent with spiritual truths. Science can neither prove nor disprove these facts.
One fundamental point on which it is difficult to reconcile science and spirituality is the genesis of consciousness. Treating matter as primary, science considers consciousness to be an emergent property of the brain. On the other hand, in spirituality, consciousness is primary, and the brain is only an instrument that channelizes consciousness. It is possible to support or contradict both points of view on rational grounds, and further scientific research is unlikely to give us a definitive conclusion.
Prof. Ramesh Bijlani is a medical doctor, writer, teacher, scientist, and above all a person committed to using his unique blend of talents for touching the hearts and lives of his fellow beings. Educated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, where he did his MBBS and MD, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge MA, USA, where he did a master’s course (SM) in nutrition, Dr Bijlani spent nearly 30 years on the faculty of AIIMS, teaching and conducting research on nutrition in relation to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In 1992 he started going into the depths of yoga, specially the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. His personal and professional life converged in the year 2000 when he initiated at AIIMS a patient care facility for providing lifestyle modification courses based on yoga. In the year 2005, he took voluntary retirement from AIIMS to find more time for putting his blessings as a communicator to better use. Prof. Bijlani was conferred an honorary doctorate in yoga by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore in 2006. He has written extensively for children, medical students and lay adults – he has seventeen published books to his credit. He now stays and works at Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch, where he gives inspirational talks, conducts spiritual retreats and yoga courses, and continues to write.
