The Living Universe - Duane Elgin [24]
An Integrative View from Science
When we bring together these findings from science, an extraordinary picture begins to emerge: Our universe is a profoundly unified system in which the interrelations of all the parts determine at every moment the condition of the system as a whole. Our universe is permeated and sustained by an unimaginably immense amount of flowing energy; it is being continuously regenerated in its entirety while making use of a knowing capacity or consciousness throughout. The universe appears to have freedom as a fundamental property of the quantum foundations as well as the ability to reproduce itself by using black holes as wormholes for creating a new cosmic system.
Combining these key characteristics, we can now see the whole-systems logic of the definition given in the introduction: A “living universe” is a unified and completely interdependent system that is continuously regenerated by the flow-through of phenomenal amounts of life energy whose essential nature includes consciousness or a self-reflective capacity that enables systems at every scale of existence to exercise some freedom of choice. The universe also has other characteristics of living systems such as the ability to reproduce itself via black holes that provide the seed instructions for growing new cosmic systems.
Because the universe appears to meet each of the key criteria for “aliveness,” current scientific evidence points toward the conclusion that the universe is a living system. While these combined properties do not prove the universe is a living system, they point clearly in that direction. Because our universe embodies core properties that are common to living systems, from a scientific perspective, it seems compelling to explore the universe as a unique kind of living system.
We have explored a scientific definition of the universe as a living system. Now we turn to consider how that connects with us as human beings. How is our understanding of who we are and the journey we are on transformed by living in a living universe?
Part Two
Who Are We?
Chapter 3
Spirituality as Intimacy with a Living Universe
At bottom, the whole concern of religion is
with the manner of our acceptance of the universe.
—WILLIAM JAMES
Who we are depends directly upon where we are. Are we an inseparable part of a greater aliveness? Or are we a small speck of life that is surrounded by a vast sea of deadness? How do the world’s wisdom traditions view the universe and our relationship to it? Do they see this world as a place of deadness to leave behind and move beyond? Or, do the wisdom traditions see the universe as a miracle of stunning aliveness? When people around the world and across the centuries offer their in-depth accounts of the nature of existence, what descriptions of the universe emerge? When sages and saints across cultures and history have come to a place of profound centeredness and quiet, what has become self-evident to them regarding the nature of the universe and our place within it?
For more than three decades, I have been exploring how the world’s wisdom traditions view the universe. At the outset, I did not know what I would discover. Although views of the world’s spiritual traditions are fairly well known when it comes to themes such as love and compassion, it was not clear to me how they regarded the universe. Might wisdom traditions regard the universe as something “out there” and largely separate from the spiritual quest “in here?” Or, is our relationship with the universe seen as integral to our spiritual awakening and development?
To show how wisdom traditions view the universe, I have drawn from a range of sources: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Tao-ist, Confucian,