CREATION THROUGH SOUND

 

CREATION THROUGH SOUND

Thompson points out that the purely physical observations on which Bohm's theory is based provide insight as to how physics can be linked with transcendence. Thompson suggests that, scientifically speaking, the implicate order is limited to the observation that "organized macroscopic forms can arise by natural physical transformations from patterns of minute fluctuations that look indistinguishable from random noise." Such patterns could appear in many different forms such as electromagnetic fields (light waves) or the matter waves of quantum mechanics. These patterns which may later produce distinct macroscopic events can either be all-pervading or localized, and two such patterns could even occupy the same volume of space.
Thompson uses the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic literatures as a source of metaphysical ideas. He offers a tentative proposal of a synthesis of physical and spiritual knowledge by introducing the necessary element of divine revelation.
He states that, "According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, the material creation is brought about and maintained through the injection of divinely ordered sound vibrations into a primordial material substrate called pradhana. According to this idea, the pradhana is an eternally existing energy of the supreme which is potentially capable of manifesting material space and time, the material elements, and their various possible combinations." In the absence of external influences no manifestations would take place. However, the pradhana will indeed produce various manifestations under the influence of intelligently directed sound vibrations generated by the Godhead. Thompson explains the meaning of "sound," coming from the Sanskrit word shabda, as "any type of propagating vibration, however subtle."
Keeping in mind that creation is a very complex affair, let's look at the final stages of creation in which organized forms are generated and controlled in a setting made up of the physical elements as we know them. According to the Vedic paradigm, at this stage, transcendental sound is introduced into the material continuum on the most subtle level. As a result, grosser elements are agitated, and finally organized structures such as the bodies of living organisms are produced.
Consider the phenomenon of optical phase conjugation -- a process that can reverse the motion of a beam of light and cause an image scrambled by frosted glass to return to its original, undistorted form. In a typical experiment, light is reflected from an object and passes through a pane of frosted glass. It then reflects from a device called a phase conjugate mirror and passes back through the glass. When the light enters the eye, one perceives a clear, undistorted image of the original object. This can be contrasted with the garbled blur one would observe if the light were reflected back through the glass by an ordinary mirror. See Figure left.
The explanation of this phenomenon is that the light on its first pass through the frosted pane is distorted in a complicated way by irregularities in the glass. The phase conjugate mirror reverses the distorted beam, and as it passes back through the glass it precisely retraces its steps and thus returns to its original undistorted form.
The beam reflected from the phase conjugate mirror has the curious property that it encodes information for the original image in a distorted, unrecognizable form, and as time passes, the distortion is reduced and the information contained by the beam becomes clearly manifest. Normally, we expect to see just the opposite -- a pattern containing meaningful information will gradually degrade until the information is irretrievably lost.
Thompson further elucidates the connection between the material and transcendental levels of existence with an example similar to that of optical phase conjugation. Suppose we have an arrangement in which pictures are being transmitted through a sheet of frosted glass. On one side of the glass we would see a series of images but we would not be able to determine the source of the images on the other side of the opaque glass. But in thinking about it, one would expect that the light coming through the frosted glass would become distorted. The fact that it does not seems to indicate that there is some sort of intelligence which is organizing or ordering the transmitted images. This is a simplified example of optical phase conjugation. Similarly, the order and complexity we find in matter must have intelligence behind it, although we at present cannot directly see that intelligence. The Vedic conception states that a veil of illusion called maya prevents living beings in the material domain from directly perceiving their origin, Godhead -- the supreme intelligent being. The Vedas further maintain that although God predominates the material nature, He is manipulating it in such an expert way that His influence cannot be detected; as Bohm states, "Complex patterns of events seem to unfold simply by material action and reaction."
As Thompson progresses in the formulation of his Vedic paradigm, a number of questions arise. How are the postulated organized vibrations introduced into the known physical continuum? How can some outside influence be accommodated? This would seem to involve violations of certain basic laws of physics such as conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, and statistical laws of quantum mechanics.
In response to these objections, Thompson postulates a model involving levels of physical reality more subtle than quantum fields. "One can readily imagine a hierarchy of subtler and subtler levels culminating in an ultimate substrate which is transcendental and not amenable to mathematical description. Organized wave patterns could propagate through this hierarchy from the transcendental level to the level of gross matter. In such models the quantum fields will be reducible to these subtler levels, and phenomena on these levels will have effects on the level of the quantum fields." In the transition from Newtonian physics to quantum mechanics and further to quantum field theory, the conceptual framework diverges from the domain of familiar mechanical imagery. Thompson suggests that "The degree of subtlety of a level of reality corresponds to the degree of novelty and unfamiliarity of the concepts needed to adequately comprehend it. On the subtlest (or transcendental) level, the materially inconceivable principle of achintya bheda bheda tattva becomes applicable."

According to the Vedic paradigm, the conscious self is transcendental and has the same qualitative nature as the Godhead. Thus the link between conscious will and the initiation of physical action by the brain should also entail the transmission of patterns of information from transcendental to gross physical levels of reality.

The introduction of wave patterns into the gross material realm from an outside independent source should produce detectable violations of the conservation laws of physics. It would not be surprising to find violations of known laws if such subtler levels of material energy do exist. Indeed, the existence of the neutrino was postulated by Enrico Fermi in the 1930's because of an apparent violation of the principle of conservation of momentum in the radioactive decay of certain atomic nuclei. The discovery of the neutrino showed the existence of a subtle level which was previously unknown. It is therefore entirely reasonable to speak of the existence of more subtle levels which are as yet undiscovered. Also, in his forthcoming book, Thompson shows that models which receive influences from more subtle levels without undergoing any detectable change in momentum or energy may be constructed.
Thompson suggests, "Let us suppose for the moment that organized wave patterns are continually being injected into the known physical continuum perhaps from subtler levels of physical reality. Such patterns will appear to be random, especially if they encode information for many different macroscopic forms and sequences of events. For this reason they will be very difficult to distinguish from purely random patterns by experimental observation."
Consider a two-dimensional wave field -- exemplified by the surface of a body of water. This is illustrated in Figure 2, left. A two-dimensional wave field is capable of propagating waves which can be expressed by what is called the classical wave equation. In the first frame of Figure 2 we see the wave field moving in an apparently random way. As time passes it becomes apparent that this pattern of waves contains hidden information. This is illustrated in successive frames, where first in frame 2 we see that a letter "A" has appeared in the field. This form quickly takes shape and dissipates (frame 3), and it is replaced in frame 4 by the similar rapid appearance and disappearance of the symbol "" (Aum). Actually the information for both symbols is present in all 4 frames of the figure. This example is discussed in detail by Thompson in his forthcoming book:

Thus much of the random noise that surrounds us may consist of information for patterns that will 'unfold' in the future to produce macroscopic results, while the rest consists of the 'enfolded' or 'refolded' remnants of past macroscopic patterns.

Because the original source of these patterns is the inaccessible transcendental level, it is not possible to produce them at will. A thorough investigation of this phenomenon would necessarily depend on the analysis of observed spontaneous events.
Thompson believes that this type of study might be fruitful in the field of cognitive science. "According to the Vedic paradigm, the conscious self is transcendental and has the same qualitative nature as the Godhead. Thus the link between conscious will and the initiation of physical action by the brain should also entail the transmission of patterns of information from transcendental to gross physical levels of reality."
The concept of the unfolding of information is also useful in the field of natural history. The predominating scientific viewpoint is that the origin of living species can be explained by Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and random variation. Included in the group of those who have always dissented from this view is Alfred Russell Wallace, the co-inventor of Darwin's theory. Wallace felt that certain biological phenomenon, such as the brain, could not be accounted for properly without the action of some higher intelligence. Similarly, Bohm feels that "Natural selection is not the whole story, but rather that evolution is a sign of the creative intelligence of matter." Thompson has pointed out that "Bohm regards this intelligence as emanating either from his implicate order or from beyond."
The Vedic paradigm proposes that the supreme intelligent being can create or modify the forms of living beings by the transmission of organized wave patterns into the physical realm. Of course both this theory of creation by sound and the Darwinian theory of evolution are very difficult to verify. Thompson states, "The theory of creation by sound vibration involves transcendental levels of reality not accessible to the mundane senses, and thus in one sense it is more unverifiable than the purely physical Darwinian theory. However, if a purely physical theory turns out to be empirically unverifiable, then there is nothing further one can do to be sure about it. In contrast, a theory that posits a supreme intelligent being opens up the possibility that further knowledge may be gained through internal and external revelation brought about by the will of that being."
This entire approach is in line with the oft-mentioned need for a new paradigm, a new world view which is said to be in the making. Although the mechanistic world view founded by Descartes, Galileo, Newton, and Bacon has dominated thought since the seventeenth century -- now, as we approach the twenty-first century, the severe limitations of this view have become apparent. The mechanistic approach must be replaced with a holistic approach. Rather than torturing nature for her secrets, Thompson's idea calls for a reverence for nature and a humble appeal to Godhead for divine service.
Finally, in Thompson's own words, "This approach to knowledge and to life also constitutes one of the great perennial philosophies of mankind, but it has tended to be eclipsed in this age of scientific empiricism. To obtain the fruits of this path to knowledge, one must be willing to follow it, and one will be inclined to do this only if one thinks the world view on which it is based might possibly be true. Establishing this possibility constitutes the ultimate justification for constructing theories such as the one considered here: linking physics and metaphysics."