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IS dark energy the energy of life in the universe ?
zidangus
Veteran
I have a question that can't really be answered but is interesting to ponder. It is thought that dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. In the standard model of cosmology, dark energy currently accounts for 74% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Now as a Buddhist I believe that life is in essence a constantly changing stream of psycho-physical energy which is shaped and transformed by the lives it lives and the actions it takes, and in successive rebirths manifests itself in forms and worlds of experience appropriate to it. So is it not plausible to suggest that this dark energy which coinstitutes 74% of the total mass-energy of the universe is in fact the energy of life in the universe itself. What do you think ?
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DON'T TRUST THE DARK SIDE
The sincere practitioner Avalokitesvara
while intently practicing the Perfection of Wisdom Meditation
perceived that all of the five phenomenal aggregates are empty of inherent existence
and was thereby saved from all suffering and distress.
He told Shariputra:
Form does not differ from emptiness,
emptiness does not differ from form.
That which is form is emptiness,
that which is emptiness is form.
The same is true of feelings,
perceptions, impulses, and consciousness.
Shariputra,
all perceived phenomena are marked with emptiness.
They do not appear or disappear,
they are neither tainted nor pure,
nor do they increase or decrease.
Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling,
no perception, no impulse, and no consciousness.
There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind;
no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch,
no object of mind,
no mind to perceive,
and so forth
until it is clear that there is no realm of mental consciousness.
There is no ignorance nor extinction of ignorance,
and so forth until no old age and death
and also no extinction of these phenomena.
There is no suffering, no origination,
no stopping, no path, no cognition,
nor is there attainment, because there is nothing to attain.
If the sincere practitioner depends on the Perfection of Wisdom Meditation,
and the mind is not a hindrance,
without any hindrance no fears exist.
Far apart from every incorrect view one dwells in the final state of seeing clearly.
In the innumerable worlds and dimensions
all sincere practitioners depend on the Perfection of Wisdom Meditation
and thereby attain the final state of seeing clearly.
Therefore know that the Mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom
is the great transcendent mantra,
the great clarifying mantra,
the ultimate mantra,
the supreme mantra
which is able to relieve all suffering,
is perfectly clear,
and is beyond any mistaken perception.
So proclaim the Mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom.
Proclaim the mantra which says:
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
“Gone Beyond, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, gone to the other shore.
Clarity.
So it is.”
I personally don't think it is any more or any less a part of life than any other piece of the universe.
If you are meaning that dark-energy is heaven or spirit or consciousness without a body or whatever, then lets get Peitro in here to smack you around with a fish. Just kidding, but I would consider it an un-ponderable.
Beautiful translation. What is the source. Thanks
"psycho-physical energy" has no real meaning to me. What does it mean to you?
namaste
.
No Dark matter is not the same as dark energy, Dark Energy appears to be, based on the brightness of the most distant type-Ia supernovae, a mysterious force that is accelerating the expansion of the universe. These recent discoveries have provided good evidence that there is such an outward force on the universe (variously called the cosmological constant, "quintessence," or "dark energy"). Data about the rotation of galaxies shows us that the outer parts rotate as fast as the inner parts. This only makes sense if there is a spherical distribution of matter in each galaxy, which is not what we see. Therefore we infer that there is a certain amount of Dark Matter in each galaxy. This could be some exotic particles, or just lots of stars too small to have ignited.
Aside from this, there is also the Dark Matter that we think is there, based on theoretical arguments. This is something we can measure by looking at the cosmic microwave background and distant supernovae.
So is it that far fetched to argue that the stream of energy that is life is actually driving the evolution of the universe ? There is a very famous paper which proposes something called The Steinhardt–Turok model, and this pruposes that the universe has no begining and In this cyclic model, two parallel orbifold planes or M-branes collide periodically in a higher dimensional space.<sup id="cite_ref-Paul_J._Steinhardt.2C_Neil_Turok_2004_5-0" class="reference">[6]</sup> The visible four-dimensional universe lies on one of these branes. The collisions correspond to a reversal from contraction to expansion, or a big crunch followed immediately by a big bang. The matter and radiation we see today were generated during the most recent collision in a pattern dictated by quantum fluctuations created before the branes. Eventually, the universe reached the state we observe today, before beginning to contract again many billions of years in the future. Dark energy corresponds to a force between the branes, and serves the crucial role of solving the monopole, horizon, and flatness problems. Moreover the cycles can continue indefinitely into the past and the future, and the solution is an attractor, so it can provide a complete history of the universe.
So in effect the dark energy between the branes could be where are consciousness really is present.
Again these are just questions to ponder, our knowledge of the workings of universe is not as good as a lot of you may think, for instance we still do not really know what processes are going on in supernovae or indeed in our own sun. The fact that our knowledge relies on theory explaining observation leaves open every possibility of being true. In fact in science there is no such thing as a true law or principle simply because there is always a chance that observation may prove it wrong.
Or it could all be taking place "within" consciousness. Or concurrently with consciousness, too closely entwined phenomenologically to be separated.
IMO the parallels are poetic.
Hi SherabDorje and Richard,
You might like this translation (which also shows the Sanskrit and Tibetan)
http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/texts/heart-sutra.htm
Kind regards,
D.
.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche appears to do that reification again in his book Joyful Wisdom. I myself have always gone with the reified concept no matter what. I think it just hasn't been openly or capably re-reified until recently.
And while we're talking "poetic", the graphics in NOVA's The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene show Buddhist reductionism really, well, elegantly.
That being said, and regardless of whether it's true or not, life is everywhere and everything if we consider all changing phenomena to be 'life'. And why not? Doesn't the Earth change, evolve, constantly throughout its existence? And also the solar system, and therefore also the galaxy and the universe? The entirety of existence seems to be of this constant change; of life. Biological life seems to be our narrow interpretation of what constitutes life, but we're basing life on how closely it resembles 'us', and that's a pretty selfish way to go about it.
That's just my two cents. They may be dirty/corroded, but I don't think they're entirely worthless.
Namaste
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/yahoocanada/100520/canada/scientists_discover_explanation_for_why_the_universe_exists
Relevant to thread:)
Now, I'm a Buddhist, and as intellectually-interesting as this may be, it is in actuality totally irrelevant to my sorry attemts to achieve enlightenment.
darkness in this sense means the inablity to see or recognise the truth, in particular the truth nature in one's life. When we dissolved our fundamental darkness , our fundamental nature of enlightenment ( or Buddha nature ) will naturally emerged , this could be only done by bring forth our Buddha wisdom.
The great teacher Tientai (538-597ce) interprets darkness as illusion that prevents one from realizing the truth of the Middle Way, and divides such illusion into forty-two types, the last of which is fundamental darkness. This illusion is only extirpated when one attains the stage of perfect enlightenment, the last of the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice.
It is through this you create the universe.
In Gassho
E = mc^2.:)
/Victor
That's right. Let's not confuse science with new-age speculations
P
that's an awesome image.
I think dark matter is a totally different thing.
ok. now I'm really confused.