‘Wholeness’ — A Deeper Underlying Reality
Universal consciousness
This article is a sequel to my last article on Universal Consciousness. Here I talk about the concept of ‘Wholeness,’ the alternate understanding of quantum physics as propounded by David Bohm and its connection with the spiritual philosophies of the east like Vedanta which believes in this Supreme, ‘Universal consciousness,’ as the underlying reality of our world. All matter, including individuals, are different expressions of this ‘Universal consciousness.’
The world, as we know, is called ‘Maya’ by Vedanta, which in Sanskrit means illusion! This is not to say that what we are seeing or observing is false. Instead, it is a perception of reality that we are seeing; it is just not the whole reality. The truth is that ‘Universal consciousness’ is supreme and we are all a part of it, there is ultimately no segregation, no individualism, no dualism, no ‘I.’ Look at this as a vast ocean which comprises an uncountable number of water droplets. Each droplet is whole; it contains all the properties of the ocean/ water. Some droplets may be larger than the others, some may have a lot more dirt accumulated before they get into the ocean, each may have some difference, but all droplets are intrinsically the same coming together as the mighty ocean.
David Bohm, one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century, while studying plasma (the fourth state of matter), discovered that the electrons that were in plasma stopped behaving like individual entities and began behaving as though they were part of the larger ‘whole’. This, he believed, could be researched further to explain Quantum entanglement.
Quantum entanglement or spooky action at a distance (as Einstein called it) happens when entangled particles show a relationship even when there is a physical distance between them. This can only happen if somehow the particles communicate with each other instantaneously, even faster than the speed of light! But nothing can travel faster than the speed of light!! This was one of the main reasons that Einstein never agreed to Bohr’s interpretation of Quantum mechanics and the underlying principle of uncertainty, completely. There were too many open questions.
As per Einstein, “God does not play dice.”
David Bohm’s interpretation of Quantum mechanics was based on ‘Quantum Potential’ or ‘Quantum information,’ which he theorized, is a field that exists below the quantum level and permeates all of space, but unlike gravitational fields and magnetic fields, doesn’t weaken with distance. Its effects are subtle, but equally powerful everywhere. He further refined this model and built the theory of ‘Wholeness,’ the behaviour of the parts is organized by the ‘Whole’.
At the level at which the quantum potential operated, location ceases to exist. The idea of matter being separate was not part of the field; it was ‘Wholeness’. This non-local aspect of the quantum potential theory also explained the connections between twin particles (quantum entanglement) without violating the limitation imposed by the speed of light being a constant.
The analogy that Bohm used to explain this was an aquarium containing a fish. Imagine two cameras which are at all-times projecting the front view and side view, respectively, of the aquarium. As you look at the two monitors, you might assume that the fish on each of the screens are separate entities. But as you continue to watch the fish, you eventually become aware that there is a specific relationship between them. When one turns, the other also makes a corresponding turn; when one faces the front, the other faces toward the side. You may conclude that the fish must be instantaneously communicating with one another! But the reality is that it is a single fist that both the cameras are looking at. They being two different fish, is an illusion created by the two different cameras viewing the aquarium.
According to Bohm, the apparent faster-than-light connection between two sub-atomic particles points to a deeper level of reality we are not privy to, a more complex dimension beyond our own that is like this aquarium. We view objects such as sub-atomic particles as separate from one another because we see only a portion of their reality.
Bohm concluded that the world of our everyday lives is an illusion, like a holographic image. Underlying our reality is a deeper order of existence, a vast, primary level of reality that gives birth to all the objects and appearances in the same way that holographic film gives birth to the hologram.
This deeper level of reality Bohm calls the implicate or enfolded order (or hidden) and the level at which we exist is the explicate or unfolded order. The manifestation of the forms in the universe is the result of endless enfoldings and unfoldings. For example, light can manifest as either a particle or a wave. Both aspects are always a part of this quantum potential, but the way the observer interacts with this field determines which aspect unfolds and which remains hidden.
If this is true, what it means is that the external identities and labels that we attach to ourselves and others are illusionary. It is limited by our minds (our beliefs and thoughts) and builds separation. We constantly compare ourselves with others; we are judgemental and look at ways to prove our uniqueness because it satisfies our ego, which is not even real!!! Our essence is much deeper than our external personalities, and when we connect to this deeper essence of our being, we realize the one-ness.
“Who you are cannot be defined through thinking or mental labels or definitions, because it’s beyond that. It is the very sense of being, or presence, that is there when you become conscious of the present moment. In essence, you and what we call the present moment are, at the deepest level, one. In the stillness of your presence, you can feel your own formless and timeless reality as the un-manifested life that animates your physical form. You can then feel the same life deep within every other human and every other creature. You look beyond the veil of form and separation. This is the realization of oneness. This is love.” ……………..Eckhart Tolle
My next article delves into this essence (or core) identity and how we can connect to it to manifest our best, to reach our highest potential.
