The Dance
Buddhism helps us fathom life by describing relationships. For example, the concept of "funi"- "two but not two, seeming to be two, but in fact one". The inseparability of self and the environment is known as 'esho funi. We learn that we can affect our environment positively with our lives, beginning with our prayer. We come to realize that it is our own actions, or karma, which shape the life of both the individual and her environment. The principle of esho funi shows that because the individual and his environment are inseparable, both the causes and the solutions to our problems are not 'outside' us but rather, within us. Overcoming the tendency to blame our sufferings on others or on the environment enables us to greatly expand our state of life.

After hundreds of years of being dominated by Cartesian dualism, viewing the world as 'out there', separate from us, the fruits of 20th century physics is beginning to acknowledge what Buddhism has taught for a thousand years. [esho funi was taught by the T'ien T'ai school for the first time]

Early physicists discovered an unexpected phenomenon; sub-atomic particles couldn't be classified as either energy or matter, wave or particle, but in fact seemed to be change their properties according to what the observer- the scientist- was asking of them. The conclusion was that there aren't "things" there, only relationships.

Fritz Capra, physicist and author of many books on the subject, including "The Tao of Physics", wrote, "We cannot decompose the world into independently existing elementary units. As we shift our attention from macroscopic objects to atoms and subatomic particles, nature does not show us any isolated building blocks, but rather appears as a complex web of relationships between the various parts of a unified whole."
Physician/researcher L. Dossey said in his book, "Space, Time and Medicine", "From the level of the electron to that of stars and galaxies, modern physics points to a unity of matter and its surrounding environment. This interaction is so intimate that matter and its surrounding environment cannot any longer be considered separate entities."

This interaction Dossey speaks of, called the "biodance", refers to the way chemical elements flow back and forth between the human being and one's environment. In a true, physical sense there is a constant exchange between us and the so-called "outside" world This is not just philosophy anymore, but accepted as science.

One Mind
Scientists are now investigating the idea that mind is something that is not confined to the brain in the physical body. Dr. Dossey has documented cases of this 'non local' mind influencing external phenomena both within one's body and outside it. In an experiment, people who were being injected in their right arms with a skin test for TB, showed a very strong reaction in the right arm. In their left arm they were received a harmless saline solution. They then had the injections switched without their being told about it, but they went on having the reaction in the right arm. Dossey says, "Their expectations seemed to be capable of over-riding the purely automatic physical responses of the body. Their bodies had clearly begun to behave according to the dictates of their thoughts."

This experiment and many others like it shows that the mind-body connection has also been demonstrated by careful scientific enquiry. Buddhism teaches that the oneness of body and mind - shiki shin funi- includes everything which can be outwardly discerned such as color, form and texture. Mind, or spirit (shin), refers to those aspects of life which are inner or invisible, such as emotions, will and personality, and funi unites them.

The imagined fragmentation of life is the cause of our heartache, suffering and illness, but that has to do with how we see life - not how life is. The controversial cell biologist Rupert Sheldrake is known for his theory of "morphic resonance", which he claims have influence over everything from plant growth to migration patterns to what Carl Jung called the "collective unconscious. "As time goes on, each type of organism forms a special kind of cumulative collective memory. The whole point about morphic fields is that nature as we know it is probabilistic," Sheldrake says. "It could go one way or it could go another. Anything which influenced or imposed pattern upon chance could bring about a causative influence in nature not violating any law of physics." [cause+effect] Sheldrake has performed many experiments with animals and humans which back up his claims, such as 'The Sense of Being Stared At-Do Minds Reach Out From Brains? " When mice in a research facility in London were taught to improve their maze-running skills, "unschooled" mice in a Paris lab began better navigating their mazes as well. This validates the truism that ideas are "just in the air" has validity.

In a recent interview Sheldrake said, "I think that consciousness has to be understood in relationship, not as a kind of isolated thing." It is interesting to note that physicist Fritz Capra as well as the biologist Sheldrake both immersed themselves in Eastern thought before publishing their theories; Capra studied the Chinese Tao, Sheldrake went to India and studied the Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

The Power of Prayer
In order to test the 'power of prayer' scientists planted seeds and divided them into two sections, A and B. A group of people living miles from the seeds, and never having seen them, agreed to pray for Side A. Side A did much better than Side B in germination. Whey then put some salt water into the seed tray, the distressed seeds which had been prayed for did even better than the non-distressed ones. The longer the seeds were prayed for, the better they grew. The most effective experiment of all was when the person doing the praying knew what was happening and was kept informed and connected during the process. The more experienced the person was at praying, the more powerful the successful the outcome.

The researchers further investigated whether praying for a specific result is more effective than the simple act of praying for the sake of praying. The results showed that if the people prayed for a specific result the seeds did less well. To have our prayers be most effective, it is best to know we are praying for the seeds to germinate, but without trying to impose will on the situation. Another very important point found was that anyone praying with love had much more effect on the outcomes.

"This simple test indicated that the effect of thought on living organisms outside the human body was significant, quantifiable and reproducible and that the effects of human consciousness are not confined to the brain and the body."L. Dossey: "Recovering the Soul"

Our individual memories may be distressing and even too hard to bear, but we also each have the deeper memory of our life being whole and connected, physically, spiritually interactive with all of the universe. It is this deeper memory that we need to tap into, and chanting is the way to do it.

Perhaps the most important lesson science has validated for us to date is the advice to let go of specifics and simply have faith as the universe shapes our lives along with us every moment, whether we are alive or 'dead'.

We are participators in life, not just observers. Think of it as a dance; if you just stand around watching you're like the wallflower. It's much more fun if you actually get up and start dancing yourself.

References:
Freely adapted from a Lecture by Barbara Cahill, Finding the True Self
The Tao of Physics : An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern
Mysticism by Fritjof Capra Preface online: http://www.shotokai.com/ingles/filosofia/introtao.html
A Confluence of Imagination and Rational Inquiry-An Interview with Rupert Sheldrake by Hal Blacker
http://www.wie.org/j11/angels.asp
"The Presence of the Past" Rupert Sheldrake
http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/11/23/sheldrake/

index

This page was last modified on Sunday, August 20, 2006.