Consciousness and Form in the Quantum Afterlife

Joshua

Eh, I really don't know which category to put this thread in, but I do feel like it would be a bit too heedless to thrust it upon the eyes of 'beginners'.

I've been gandering through The Quantum and the Lotus and found myself at one point lost in pointless existential theorizing, nothing new, but I did ponder up some food for thought that I was hoping to get some advise about.

If we as humans are only perceiving an angle of reality, one which apparently only takes material form upon literal observation (e.g., the tree fell in the forest (there's a bit of a paradox here, huh?), released light rays, sound waves, etc., but only until a conscious being stumbled upon the felled tree did any of the material forms manifest, apparently). If I've fallen victim to illogicality which I now fear I have, please don't hesitate to correct me; at least this thread can operate to school me in very basic quantum physics.

Following this logic, at the least, reality is an apparent double helix-esque duality of energy (and its potential manifest matter) along with consciousness, though I don't think I'm too off base in saying that matter is subservient to (some loose definition of) mind. Therefore, if I'm correct, the notion of the body's death equating to the simultaneous death of it's housed consciousness is absurd. It's somewhat analogous to saying that when killed in some highly realistic virtual reality video game that the player's real-life body will also die.

Also, if I'm correct, one could see how all experiences are transient illusions of the primordial awareness. An awareness unaware of its samsaric condition and thus, like the descriptions of karmic urges I read about, simply acquires urges and tendencies over time (maybe even the very notion of time?), not only in emotion but also in it's own ignorance of the apparent quantum reality of form being projected by it's apparent consciousness. Therefore it acquires the urge of what's called 'throwing karma' to propel it into the next life.

I believe the finer points would probably qualify as 'unconjecturables' or at least we'll have to wait until science has progressed in a much future life or some very clever or schooled person lends us his or her patience. :bowdown:

upalabhava

The king said: 'You were talking just now of name-and-form. What does "name" mean in that expression, and what "form"?'

'Whatever is gross therein, that is "form": whatever is subtle, mental, that is "name."'

'Why is it, Nâgasena, that name is not reborn separately, or form separately?'

'These conditions, great king, are connected one with the other; and spring into being together.'

'Give me an illustration.'

'As a hen, great king, would not get a yoke or an egg-shell separately, but both would arise in one, they two being intimately dependent one on the other; just so, if there were no name there would be no form. What is meant by name in that expression being intimately dependent on what is meant by form, they spring up together. And this is, through time immemorial, their nature.' ~ Milinda

That's just for normal chickens apparently. Super chickens can create eggs just made out of yolk. (Or can they? It does say below that even the mind-created body would be endowed with form.)

"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to creating a mind-made body. From this body he creates another body, endowed with form, made of the mind, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties. Just as if a man were to draw a reed from its sheath. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the sheath, this is the reed. The sheath is one thing, the reed another, but the reed has been drawn out from the sheath.' Or as if a man were to draw a sword from its scabbard. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the sword, this is the scabbard. The sword is one thing, the scabbard another, but the sword has been drawn out from the scabbard.' Or as if a man were to pull a snake out from its slough. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the snake, this is the slough. The snake is one thing, the slough another, but the snake has been pulled out from the slough.' In the same way — with his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, the monk directs and inclines it to creating a mind-made body. From this body he creates another body, endowed with form, made of the mind, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties.

"This, too, great king, is a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime. ~ DN 2

ravkes

dang, go meditate. stop reading so much.

Joshua

Aha! just the sort of answer I expected! :skeptic:

I'm just playing. Maybe I'll go meditate in a moment.

Vangelis

The connections that these books make between eastern religions and physics / science are tenuous at best. I would just follow the noble eightfold path if I were you and ignore the rest.

Joshua

Perhaps, and not to sound like a broken record but we all know what Mr. Dalai Lama said:

"If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview.

Besides this is just plain fun. Let me strain my brain muscles trying to figure out this enigmatic karma!