Understanding the Universe of Waveforms

In this episode, we delve into an intriguing notion that there is a fully functional universe composed of waveforms. While this concept might initially seem strange, we present it as the core reality of existence. 

We’ll explore how a fully operational universe of waves exists and functions within our minds. Every event happens first in the mind before it unfolds in the physical world. 

By integrating perspectives from both modern science and Vedanta, we aim to illustrate that this is the essential truth underlying all that we experience. Get ready for an eye-opening journey.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Science Meets Vedanta - a space where we explore the fundamental principles of Vedanta and unravel the profound intersections between scientific inquiry and ancient wisdom. I'm Jayant Kapatker, the author of the book - Science Meets Vedanta.

Drawing from the insights in this book, each week we’ll explore a variety of topics designed to help you understand the essential teachings of - Vedanta. Along the way, we’ll highlight valuable lessons that science can gain from Vedantic wisdom, so stay tuned! 

In this episode, we delve into an intriguing notion that there is a fully functional universe composed of waveforms. While this concept might initially seem strange, we present it as the core reality of existence. We’ll explore how a fully operational universe of waves exists and functions within our minds. Every event happens first in the mind before it unfolds in the physical world. By integrating perspectives from both modern science and Vedanta, we aim to illustrate that this is the essential truth underlying all that we experience. Get ready for an eye-opening journey.

Admittedly, this idea can sound bewildering and is not easy to grasp, especially since we’re so accustomed to interacting with the physical world. Our daily routines—waking up, working, spending time with family, and resting—are all rooted in physical reality. So, how does this “universe of waveforms” fit into our everyday experience, and where does it reside? That’s exactly what we’ll uncover.

To start the discussion - I have a challenge question —show me a “Live” or “now” object in this world. Everything we see or interact with in this world is just a “memory” object. It is a dated object. Live How to understand this? The sun we see is a dated sun, it is a “now minus eight minutes” version of the sun. Why? We know it takes light eight minutes to reach us from the sun, so the sun we see in the sky is a “now minus eight minutes” sun. It is not a “now” version of the sun. It is an eight minute old version of the sun. 

The sun we see is not a “Live,” or “now” sun, it is basically a memory object. In the same way, the moon we see at night is a “now minus three seconds” version of the moon, because the light takes three seconds to reach us from the moon. The plane in the sky is a “now minus 300 milliseconds” version, the tree outside my window is a “now minus 10 microseconds” version. Light will take finite time to reach us from any object even if it is a few millimeters away; therefore, all are dated objects and not “now” objects. This logic applies to every object in the physical world. It is just impossible for anyone to know or interact with a “Live” or “now” object in this physical world. This not only applies to objects but also to people, animals, and any living being. Anything and everything in this physical universe are made up of only memory objects. Amazing, but true. 

Comparison with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

A good way to understand this is to compare the physical world to the playback from a digital video recorder (DVR). The DVR contains recorded events, and it is made up of only memory objects. When you are watching the DVR, you are never watching a “Live” event, you are always watching the recording of a Live event. So, it is correct to say that a DVR is made up of only memory objects; you will never find a now or “Live” object by looking at a DVR recording. Like a DVR, the physical world is also made of only memory objects. It is never a Live object or event; it is made of only dated objects.

If there is a recorded event in the DVR, there must have been a Live event before. This is logical. The Live event is recorded in the DVR, and then the recorded event is played back as and when required. The same logic and reasoning apply to the physical world. We know the physical world is made of only memory objects or recorded objects. Like in the DVR case, there must be a “now” or “Live” object or event for everything in the universe. The sun we see is a “now minus eight minutes” version of the sun, so where is the actual sun? Where is the “now” version of the sun? It must be somewhere. In the same way, the moon we see is a “now minus three seconds” version; the actual or “now” moon must be available somewhere. This logic applies to all objects (living and nonliving). All these “now” objects in the world must exist somewhere— but where?

From the DVR example, there are two types of events—the Live event and the recorded event. They are both separate and distinct. If the Live event is happening now, the recorded event is viewed later. In the same way, this world is also made of two types of objects—memory objects and “now” objects. They too are separate and distinct. The physical world around us is made of only memory objects. In the same vein, the “now” universe must be made of only “now” objects. There must be a “now” universe somewhere. 

Unfortunately, we know virtually nothing about the “now” objects and the “now” universe, and science has made little attempt to investigate this area. The focus of this article is to explore the “now” objects or the “now” universe. We will use both science and Vedanta to support our explanation. To get a better understanding, we will try to answer the following questions:

1.      Where does the “now” universe reside?

2.      Of what is the “now” universe made?

3.      How does the “now” universe function?

1. Where Does the “Now” Universe Reside?

The first question to ask is: what is “now”? “Now” is something which is not the past or the future. It is the current moment. It is the present. It is now.

“Now” is time-based. It comes and goes rapidly, so it is not easy to grasp. But, then again, as one “now” goes away, another “now” moment takes its place. There is always a “now” moment. There is never an instant when there is no “now” moment. 

So where does the “now” moment reside? Where is its location? One thing is clear: it cannot be present in space, because everything “out there” is only a memory object. If it is not “out there,” where else can it possibly be located? A clue: it must be outside space and time. Where is this outside? The surprising answer is that the “now” moment is located within each of us. Vedanta has always taught this. To get a better understanding of this idea, let us investigate the “now” location for every object out there.

Looking for “Now” Location for each object: 

The easiest way to locate the “now” location is to find the point where light will take zero seconds to reach us. We saw earlier that the sun is the “now minus eight minutes” version. This is because light takes eight minutes to reach us from the sun. Let us play around with this idea. Suppose that, for whatever reason, the sun could move, and we could see a “now minus four minutes” version of the sun - what does this mean? It means that light would take four minutes to reach us, and the sun would be located at the halfway mark, which will be nearer to us. If the sun moves even closer and we see the “now minus 30 seconds” version of the sun, it will mean that light will take 30 seconds to reach us. Using this reasoning and extrapolating backwards, where do we find the “now minus zero seconds” version of the sun? The place where light will take zero seconds to reach us. This must be the place where the ‘now’ version of the sun will reside. The only correct answer is that the “now” version of the sun is within us as light will take zero seconds to reach us. This is the Observer within us. This is the Observer who is watching the sun and all other objects “out there.” This logic and reasoning apply not only to the sun but to every object in the universe. So, all the “now” objects are within the Observer. The entire ‘now’ universe is within the observer. Take a moment to think about this. This idea is breath taking. 

According to Vedanta, the Observer within each of us transcends space and time. This Observer is an aspect of the mind. Consequently, the “now” universe is found within the domains of the Mind, especially the cosmic mind and it is beyond space and time. 

2. Of What Is the “Now” Universe Made?

We now understand that the “now” universe with all the “now” objects reside within the Mind. The next question is: of what are the “now” objects made? What is the composition of the “now” universe? Surprisingly, you will get the answers to these questions from quantum physics.

Quantum physics teaches us that light has both wave-like and particle-like properties. Sometimes light is a particle and sometimes a wave. This idea was cemented when Louis de Broglie, a French doctoral student, wrote in his thesis that not only light but all matter must have both wave and particle properties.Here, matter means matter, including you, me, planets, cars—in fact, any living or non-living object in this universe. In 1927, the de Broglie hypothesis was proven experimentally; thus, all matter is both a wave and a particle. In 1929, de Broglie was awarded the Nobel Prize for his theory. He is the only person to ever receive a Nobel Prize based on a doctoral thesis. If you are interested, please listen to the episode “Quantum Physics—Overview” for more details.

Particle and Wave Duality versus Memory and Now object duality

Quantum physics demonstrates that all objects exhibit both particle and wave characteristics. Previously, we explored the concepts of memory objects and "now" objects. Is there a link between the particle-wave duality and the duality of memory and "now" objects? The answer is yes.

Earlier, we established that the physical world consists solely of memory objects, which correspond to the particle aspect of quantum duality. In other words, memory objects and the particle aspect are essentially the same.

Turning to "now" objects, we noted that the "now" universe exists outside of space and time, which means it cannot possess the particle aspect. Since particles cannot exist in this realm, the logical conclusion is that "now" objects are composed of the wave aspect of duality. Thus, "now" objects in the "now" universe are fundamentally wave-like in nature. Given that the "now" universe operates within the mind, these waves must also exist within the mind as mental vibrations.

What is the composition of these waves? What are the waves made? Quantum physics does not have an answer. Luckily, Vedanta comes to the rescue and provides great insight into the wave aspect of matter.

Composition of Mental waveforms

Vedanta teaches that all the objects that appear in our minds take the form of wave patterns, known as vrittis. As explained in the episode “Understanding the Mind,” these vrittis are not just passive waveforms—they are alive with intelligence and sentience. At their core, vrittis are made of pure knowledge. This can be a difficult concept to grasp, but it means that each vritti is infused with knowledge and intelligence. Because of this, every vritti inherently knows the object it represents – its features and attributes. Each vritti is distinct, uniquely corresponding to a different object.

These object-based vrittis are intricate and complex. In fact, all the objects in the universe, each with their own unique waveforms or vrittis, combine together to form one vast, unified wave—the “now” universe waveform. This all-encompassing waveform includes everything that exists in the universe, leaving nothing out. Every individual object’s waveform is a part of this momentous, “now” universe waveform. This massive “now” universe waveform resides in the cosmic mind. 

Before we move forward, let us summarize what we know about the “now” universe.

1. We know the “now” universe is made of vrittis or mental waveforms, and they reside within the mind.

2. Every living and nonliving object has its own wave function. When waves are superimposed on each other, they form complex waveforms. The final “now” universe waveform contains the waveforms of everything in the universe. Nothing is left out.

3. We know the “now” universe resides within the Mind. Awareness is the source of the mind. The “now” universe vrittis get their intelligence from Awareness. Therefore, the “now” universe is always conscious, sentient, and alive. These object waveforms are full of knowledge and intelligence. 

4. We know there is a cosmic mind and an individual mind. The cosmic mind is the total of all the individual minds. The “now” universe operates in the cosmic mind; a small part of the “now” universe operates in the individual mind. What part would depend on what we are currently observing. 

3. How Does the “Now” Universe Function?

So, how does the “now” universe function? We know there is a cosmic mind and an individual mind. The cosmic mind is the total of all the individual minds. The “now” universe operates in the cosmic mind; a small part, or the subsection of the “now” universe, operates in the individual mind.

All action happens first in the mind only. This seems contradictory. It does appear that we perform actions in the physical world. However, the correct interpretation is that everything happens first in the “now” universe. These “now” objects are then manifested as memory objects in the physical world. Any action seen in the physical world has already been completed in the world of vrittis. 

Previously, we discussed that object waveforms are composed of knowledge and intelligence. What does this signify? It suggests that each vritti contains an internal "software code" that imparts intelligence to it. To better understand this, consider the concept of Artificial Intelligence, which is a popular technology today. Just as you can program a robot to perform various tasks through complex software coding, the robot learns and executes actions based on this programmed intelligence. Real learning happens within the software; only after the robot has "learned" through code can it perform the actual task in the physical world. The software code is an essential pre-requite for any action performed by robots. 

In a similar way, the waveforms in the now universe possess a kind of internal software code that gives them their intelligence. This code serves as the essential foundation for their intelligence. These intelligent waveforms in the ‘now’ universe interact with each other and undertake the required action, this is then reflected in the physical world as memory objects. The intelligence embedded within these waveforms surpasses our current understanding, yet it is this intelligence that enables all activities to occur in the ‘now’ universe. This intelligence and knowledge are the source for all the action in the “now” universe. 

It does appear there exists a fully operational “now” universe composed of highly intelligent waveforms. This realm is the true reality. Existing beyond the bounds of space and time, this universe resides within each of us. In contrast, the physical world consists of memory objects only. Although it may seem as though we are engaging directly with the physical world, this is not the case. All action happens first in the “now” universe. Only then, is this action projected in the physical world as memory objects.  

We hope today’s episode has sparked your curiosity about an unknown “now” universe made up of interacting intelligent waveforms. If you would like to read such similar topics, visit our blog at Vedanta and science.com or find my book, Science Meets Vedanta, on Amazon. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you won’t miss upcoming episodes. 

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Thanks for joining us—see you again soon!