Mathematical Theory of Spirituality Based on Advaita Vedanta- A Progress Note

[Guest guest]

Namaste!

 

It was nearly three years ago that I, at the suggestion of Sri Ram Chandran,

first communicated in this forum my ideas for developing a mathematical theory

of spirituality. The positive response from many of you at that time has

encouraged me in my subsequent work. The results of this work have been

documented in a series of six papers now available on-line at

www.mathematicsofspirituality.com. I am also about two-thirds of the way into

completing the first draft of a book on the subject.

 

Without getting into details, I thought I would highlight the important features

and results of the work for the benefit of those in the Advaitin group who may

be interested:

 

1) The model is based overall on a view best expressed in modern times by Sri

Ramana: While the world that a jeeva encounters moment after moment is totally

under the controlling Will of Ishwara, the manner in which it faces that world

is up to the jeeva to decide. The jeeva may meet the world in attachment to the

Non-Self (bhoga) or established in Self (yoga.) As a bhogi, the jeeva suffers;

as a yogi, it takes one step further towards Perfection. This choice is

available to the jeeva every moment.

 

2) The Cosmic Mind space (Mahat) is the space in which the “triputi” of all

possible worlds experienced, all experiencing jeevas, and all conceivable

experiences exist. This space is described mathematically in polar coordinates

(t,theta) where t denotes the experienced worlds at time t, and theta denotes a

jeeva with detachment theta. (t,theta) together denote the experience of the

jeeva at time t. An interesting feature of this representation is that only

one-quarter of the Mahat space (namely the first quadrant) is required to denote

all possible worlds and experiences; the other three quadrants remain undefined,

beyond anything objectively experienced. This is quaintly reminiscent of the

famous opening mantras of Purusha Sooktha.

 

3) The analysis reveals an unexpected and unexplained similarity between the

Mahat space and the four dimensional time-space continuum of Relativity Theory.

Past, present, and future co-exist in the time-space continuum, according to

Einstein. Mahat also is beyond time. That is, time is in Cosmic Mind, but Cosmic

Mind is not in time. Further, in parallel with the famous relationship in

special relativity theory between (ordinary) space and time, there is a

mathematically identical relationship between a jeeva’s state of spiritual

evolution and its worldly suffering. This relationship, demonstrated using

Minkowski’s metric, can be stated in words thus: “As a jeeva gains more and more

in Universal, Unconditional Love and Understanding, it suffers less and less in

the world”. This statement is a first and immediate result of the model and

hence it may qualify as the “fundamental result of mathematical spirituality”,

especially since Love is acknowledged as a supreme, necessary virtue

in almost all religions.

 

4) Theta= 0 characterizes a jeeva fully attached to the world. Increasing value

of theta denotes spiritual progress. God-Realization occurs when theta reaches

the maximum possible value, namely pi/2. A result that is likely to be very

gratifying to mathematicians is the relevance of the Euler’s equation, namely

exp(-i.pi) + 1 = 0, to the model in describing Realization. This equation -

acknowledged by many as the most famous and beautiful of all equations in higher

mathematics- has held a mystical significance for mathematicians since its

discovery nearly 250 years ago.

 

5) The jeeva can choose to identify with the Self or to identify with the

Non-Self at any time, according to Sri Ramana. A probabilistic equivalent of the

model is derived to reflect this freedom which gives a new interpretation for

the variable theta(t), the spiritual detachment at time t. The a priori

probability that the jeeva will identify with the Self is sin-squared

(theta(t)), implying higher probability of identifying with Self with higher

detachment theta(t). Upon Realization, the probability of identifying with Self

becomes 1, as one would expect. Jeevas with low detachment are more likely to

identify with the Non-Self if left to their usual nature. But even such a

worldly Jeeva can identify at any time with the Self provided its will power is

strong enough to overcome the pull of its lowly vasanas.

 

6) A theory of vasanas has been proposed which integrates well with the overall

mathematical model of detachment and spiritual evolution. Vasanas of a jeeva at

time t are represented as a function V(x,t) indicating the energy with which the

jeeva’s mind responds to vasana stimulus x. The variable x ranges from 0 to 1

with value 0 corresponding to lowest tamasic vasanas (e.g. survival instincts

associated with the muladhara in Kundalini Yoga) and the value x=1 corresponding

to the highest satwa (i.e. the “tatwa” associated with sahasrara and

Realization). Based on this representation, the mathematical relationship

between spiritual detachment theta(t) and the vasana function V(x,t) has been

derived. In essence, it relates theta(t) to the mean value of V(x,t). More

satwic the mind, higher is its detachment.

 

7) Mathematically speaking, spiritual sadhana therefore involves the re-shaping

of the vasana function V(x,t) so that its mean value gets increasingly closer to

1. From this perspective, questions such as limits to spiritual evolution and

the nature of Realization are discussed leading to observations consistent with

Vedantic teachings.

 

8) The model permits incorporation of the Advaitic views on how jeevas derive

happiness (or its opposite) by contact with objects of the world. This leads to

a final result showing how the “suffering” of jeeva at any time can be expressed

mathematically as the product of three factors: 1) the level of alertness of the

jeevas mind, 2) the degree to which the jeeva accepts good and bad outcomes with

equanimity, and 3) its spiritual detachment. The karma, bhakti, and jnana yoga

recipes for reducing suffering are reflected in this result.

 

I hope at least some of you will review the papers posted in the website. If you

do, you will see that the mathematics employed there is unsophisticated and the

analysis straightforward. It is encouraging that even an effort at this first

level can yield as much insight as it has. The results presented are not, by and

large, new or unknown to Vedanta. Nor would I suggest that the way I have

approached the modeling task is the only one possible. In fact, my hope is that

others better skilled in mathematics and better endowed with Vedantic knowledge

will propose more comprehensive mathematical approaches.

 

I see my work only as a “proof of concept” of the proposition that mathematics

can indeed play a helpful role in clearly understanding our spiritual nature,

especially when the mathematics follows the very logical principles laid out for

us by Advaita Vedanta. The language of mathematics may finally provide that

elusive link between spiritual science and material science.

 

Hari Om!

 

- Raju Chidambaram