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In the history of our civilization, religion and science have often been in strong contrast. The interpretation of reality bound to the church's dogmas has proven fallible in the face of developments in the scientific study of natural phenomena.
Unfortunately, even today this antagonism has not been overcome as it should be.
I still encounter (at least here in Brazil where I live) people who believe that the birth of earth and man happened exactly as Genesis describes. A sense of sadness overwhelms me in the face of such ignorance and lack of education. Many churches use the bible in a deceitful and dogmatic manner, “it is the word of God” and it's not to be discussed.
However, the bible is also written with allegories like most sacred texts, which serve to give a representation of the indescribable or to explain profound concepts in an accessible language, like the parables of Christ.
Science and the analytical approach, offspring of Hellenic culture, have provided us over the centuries with increasingly refined methods and technologies to explain things that were previously unknown and thus relegated to the sacred. This tendency toward an analytical understanding of reality has offered us great technological advancements but no spiritual progress, indeed, I would say almost a materialist degradation.
Many of us, myself included, have tried to make up for this lack through the knowledge of Eastern religions. I recall the enthusiasm that discovering Yogis, Buddhism, and especially Zen brought me, an enthusiasm that waned with the understanding of the incapability to grasp that intuitive vision of reality in my rational mind, educated to decompose and analyze as taught by mechanistic sciences.
However, for some decades now, this vision is changing, enlightened by new discoveries in quantum physics and the theory of relativity. Observing or rather participating in the dances of the sub-atomic world reveals to us that the laws that govern our reality, called the “medium-sized dimension zone,” are no longer valid there.
This book guides us simply through the explanations of the phenomena and theories of these fascinating branches of physics, and takes a parallel journey showing us the incredible analogies that exist with Hinduist, Buddhist, Taoist, and Zen philosophies.
Often, the author quotes together thoughts from these philosophical fields and quotes from physicists, surprising us with the resemblance we find. Through meditation or other intuitive methods, Eastern sages reach an understanding of reality incredibly close to the configuration of the sub-atomic world, or alternatively; physics in its advancements has reached a point where our ordinary language is no longer sufficient to explain the reality of matter, for which purpose philosophical expressions such as Zen “koans,” Hindu allegories, or the “I Ching” might serve.
And indeed, the latter can offer us another viewpoint, as our culture is dominated by Yang, meaning the masculine side, overly rational and aggressive. We lack the Yin side, feminine, receptive, and intuitive to balance the many imbalances of which we are all witnesses.
In short, this book is truly a wonderful journey, it opens the doors to a new world that seems incredible and grants us the certainty of our smallness, the illusion of space and time, and the limitations of our perceptions.
He who knows does not speak,
He who speaks does not know.
Lao-Tzu
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