Matter or Life: Which Are We?

Gauracandra · September 3, 2002

It has been a couple of weeks since the last Srila Siddhaswarupananda television program was aired. This week’s program is a lecture given at a university in the Philippines. The subject for this lecture is “Matter or Life: Which Are We?”

A materialist accepts that there is only one energy that exists – matter. Thus, when he discusses life he thinks that it is based only on chemical arrangements. Life becomes nothing but the offspring of matter. In our schools and universities we are taught that life began hundreds of millions of years ago in a cosmic soup. In this chemical soup, simple material elements for an unknown reason became more complex. Gradually a simple single celled organism was accidentally created. In time it began to wiggle, and from this first living organism all living organisms have come. Life was due to the accidental combination of chemicals.

Given this scenario, we have a couple of questions that we’d like for you to consider.

When we are told this scenario of life, for some reason no one ever asks “My dear Professor, what do you mean by the word life?” [srila Siddhasvarupananda then reads a definition of the word “water” which includes its chemical makeup, then he reads the definition of the word “life”]. The definition for the word life simply describes the activities of one who is alive (eats, reproduces etc…). If life is chemical in essence, shouldn’t we find some chemical basis in defining it? But their definition is not a real definition. It is like saying “Life is what living things have.”

Next, Srila Siddhaswarupananda discusses a text book that addresses this problem in defining life. The text book says that many in the scientific community fall into a quandary when trying to define life – especially based on function. The book instead suggests we not concern ourselves with a definition, but instead continue on with the discussion. So the author is saying “We don’t know what life is, but lets continue discussing how life is a mechanistic process.”

The materialists view life as mechanistic. We are all really just machines. But they don’t really know what life is, so they just conveniently skip over that part. If someone says that life was created 10 million years ago, and if they don’t know the meaning of a word, then why should we accept that they know it when it was created.

So the first question you should ask is “What is life?” So many people want to argue the mathematical improbability of the mechanistic world view. Our point is don’t focus on that. Simply force them to define the word “life” first and foremost. After that, then you can discuss the point that there is no evidence that life has ever been created from chemicals. To say something is improbable suggests that there is some possibility that they are right. We are not splitting hairs, it is simply that life does not come from matter, and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Life is a distinct element from matter. It is completely different from matter. These two distinct energies sometimes interact. Life is sometimes called the spirit soul, the atma, and we are proposing that it is in fact a distinct energy. It exists, is aware, and is eternal.

In this world we see matter but in two different circumstances. We see matter in the presence of life and sometimes we see matter separate from spirit. You see me. You see my material body and you see life. The back of this chair is also material. It is wood that came from a tree. When matter is by itself it doesn’t grow, and the chemicals begin to break down. That is why you don’t find this tree growing any more.

If my conscious self were to leave this body right now the body would start to decompose. What would you do? It would be a big deal. It would probably be in the newspapers tomorrow. You’d have to carry my body out and call for an ambulance.

At the Science of Identity our point is not new. It is an ancient point – that we are not this material body. We are each life particles. As long as we are present in matter there are certain symptoms. When I eat food, I metabolize the matter, and transform it. My very hand has changed completely from 1 year ago.

This is a very important point to understand. Understand the difference between the living and the non-living. The materialist says we are the body, they even go so far as to say we don’t really exist. Francis Crick (sp?), a Nobel prize winner, teaches that the experience that I exist is an illusion. There is perception but no perceiver. In such a case, we simply say he is nuts. He is insane. Anyone who denies the existence of others is insane. He won’t take offense since he doesn’t really exist anyways. Such people are in an impossible position and thus must make such silly statements. They are in this impossible position because they teach there is only one energy – matter.

gHari · September 3, 2002

This quote from above: "In such a case, we simply say he is nuts." likely belongs in the Humour Section. What a chuckle.

I explained to the atheists that fatal flaw in their 'only matter exists' hypothesis, and one agreed that we are simply robots as must be concluded by science, and others said that somehow we will find a trick using quantum fractals or such whereby we magically develop free will from nowhere. The point remains however that if this body and brain is controlled by natural laws, and I cannot influence those laws, then I am a robot. They be just too clever for their own good - but not quite clever enough.

Such hard hearts will always be kept from the Truth.

tsaneladi · September 3, 2002

So there.

Gauracandra · September 10, 2002

This week’s Srila Siddhaswarupananda program is a continuation of last week’s Philippine University lecture series.

Who are you? Where are you? You are seeing me right now, but who is the perceiver? Are you simply a combination of chemicals in the brain? If so then how do you explain that you still exist while every single molecule of your brain has been replaced within the last year?

The materialist concludes that the body is the self. We deny this. We accept and conclude as the sages and seers of the past have concluded that we are part and parcel of the Supreme Soul which is life itself. These bodies are just machines like an automobile. Even the materialist will accept this. But automobiles do not operate themselves. They have a driver. If you instead say that you are the auto, then you are in effect saying you have zero control over your life.

Don’t blindly accept that matter is the only energy or that we are simply an illusion. Because a materialist only accepts matter as the singular energy, he is in the unfortunate position of denying life itself. Is it any wonder that those who deny the existence of life, when we discuss life say that we are being “mystical”.

Such people don’t have respect for the living, the animals, the trees. Because they don’t see life they only see things to be manipulated. Everything is matter, it is all a machine. This in turn can lead to another discussion about robots and computers and the desire to create artificial life. If we are all just robots or machines then where is the value in anything? If we are just an illusion then why do anything at all? Why not just get drunk?

This materialistic philosophy ultimately ends in hedonism because the goal of existence becomes simply to have as many sense flashes as possible before our battery dies out. Sense gratification and economic development - that is the purpose of life. There is no question of right or wrong, or a higher aim in life.

“You poor Philippino people are not so advanced, so let us enlighten you about how to be happy.” So we send you pornography as if the Philippinos don’t know about sex. If you don’t know about sex then why are there so many Philippinos [laughter]. These materialists only want you to focus on the realm of the senses. The dog simply lives in the realm of the senses. We must transcend this.

We are told that advanced culture means forgetting these higher aims of life which are after all based on myths and superstitions. Pornography, nuclear power, big airports – these are the signs of an “advanced” culture. Every third world country wants to be progressive. There are certain tribes in Africa called “Cargo Cults” where they watch the take off and landings of big, big planes carrying lots of glittery items.

In this “advanced” culture, pornography is the art. Since sense gratification is the goal, then anything which inhibits this sense gratification should be removed. If it means polluting the environment so that we can have sense enjoyment today, who cares what our descendents will have to deal with.

In this mad search after material happiness we lose our intelligence, we lose our respect for living things, we become more and more hard-hearted. This is all due to our not knowing who we are. And what is the fruit of such activities? The fruit is unhappy people, worried people, people who are always in anxiety. “I need more”. And when I have more I fear losing it. They are never peaceful and they are never satisfied. They are unhappy and so turn to alcohol, or heroin, or valium or some other drug so that they don’t have to live conscious of this world. The fruits of this materialistic philosophy are bitter, not sweet.

The problem at its source is that our educational system teaches that we are just matter. Everything is meaningless. As such we reject this philosophy of materialism.

Now it should be pointed out that we are not against economic development. Nor are we against taking proper care of the body. But we must first understand who we are – we are sparks of God, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. And our function is to serve the Lord.

There is only one economist I have ever read that tried to adapt this understanding into an economic world view. His name was [i couldn’t make out first name] Schumaker. He made the distinction between real and created needs. We have infinite wants but live in a finite world. Thus we will never be satisfied. What we really need is spiritual nourishment for the soul. Let me ask you how many Philippino millionaires do you know who are satisfied with the wealth that they have? They are never satisfied. This is why we are always ready to go to war for oil.

It is important to understand these points. It is important on a personal level so that you can be truly happy. And it is important on a social level. It is a very vast subject but hopefully I have given you an idea of what we teach at the Science of Identity. In summary, 1) You are life force 2) you are a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and 3) You will only be happy by developing a loving relationship with the Supreme Lord. This is what we should be doing. If we do this, then we can engage in economic development and not lose our intelligence.

Thank you. Thank you for inviting me to speak.

gHari · September 10, 2002

Gauracandra Prabhu,

It is a very wonderful thing that you do for this great preacher and for us here. I am amazed at your dedication, for surely it takes hours to do this as well as you do. Yet I am very thankful that you somehow find the time and the generosity.

gHari

Gauracandra · September 11, 2002

No problem Ghari. I actually quite enjoy it. I've even wondered how much work it would be to record them, digitize them, and shrink them down for the web. I'm pretty technically inept but I'm thinking about it. It could be fun.

tsaneladi · September 11, 2002

Just checked out your site after having notice it in your signature for some time. A wonderful tribute to KC

shvu · September 11, 2002

No problem Ghari. I actually quite enjoy it. I've even wondered how much work it would be to record them, digitize them, and shrink them down for the web. I'm pretty technically inept but I'm thinking about it. It could be fun.

It should be fairly simple. All you need is a PC with a video capture card [www.pricewatch.com is one of the good places to buy capture cards or any computer hardware]. With this setup, one can copy a stream of video from a television to the PC. The captured video can then be compressed using a Real Video encoder [free on www.real.com] or perhaps into a mpg format.

Cheers

Gauracandra · September 13, 2002

But recording a 30 minute program digitally must take up a lot of memory. Any tips on how to shrink down the video into small windows for viewing? Or is this what the Real Video encoder does? Not sure (I'm pretty technically inept).

transient · September 13, 2002

I use Broadway Pro Video capture card for video capture. It has an option to capture directly as MPEG (compressed version - about 640mb, 30 minutes) or as AVI (uncompressed - about 2.5gb, 30 minutes). After capture you can then opt to convert it to a streaming media using the Real Video encoder software.

Setting this up for the first time requires a bit of patience what with all the wires (video and sound cables) that have to be connected to your TV and computer.

After you've successfully created your Real Video streaming media, the next question is where to host it because streaming media bandwidth is a bit expensive. Not all hosting companies provide media streaming capability.

Gauracandra · September 23, 2002

This week’s Srila Siddhaswarupananda program was a bit shorter than usual with 15 minutes for questions, a short interlude on the power of the holy name, and then closing out with a 10 minute kirtan segment. This is a continuation of a lecture series held at a Philippine University.

Question: What is your definition of life?

Answer: Life is a distinct element. Life is life. It is simply another name for a spirit soul. You want to separate life into parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Then you will say “What is part 1? What is part 2? Etc…” But life can’t be divided, the soul can not be divided. Not being able to be divided you can’t say it is made of this or that.

Who am I? I am a particle of spirit. A materialist has to break it down because he defines life as chemicals. We don’t have to do this. There are two distinct energies – matter and life. Sometimes they interact and sometimes they don’t. The existence of the soul is independent of matter. Death means the life particle leaves the material body. No one can see this life particle with a material eye. So you can either choose to identify yourself as your body or as the soul.

Any other questions?

Question: What is the solution to sectarianism?

Answer: This is the solution – that we are all sparks or children of the same Supreme Being. This is the solution. This sectarianism is based on the body, that “I’m American, I’m Muslim, you’re a Jew, I’m black…” Once you know you are not the body then you are none of these things. I’m simply a servant of God. What is my function? To love God. What is my religion? That is my religion – to love God. It is not a team that you join. Real religion is that which cannot be taken away. Our relationship with God cannot be taken away. We may have various labels, but we are not these labels. These may be various processes to bring you to God, and on that level it is all right. If it helps you develop love for God then it is good. But if the method causes you to lose respect for others, and engrosses you in matter then that is bad. If you love God then you will recognize all of His children, not just Muslim children, or Christian children.

Question: How does the Supreme Life come into existence?

Answer: God is the cause of all causes. By definition God is eternal as are those sparks of God. He is the beginning and the end. You may say I’m avoiding the question, but I’m not. The Sri Isopanishad states that everything animate and inanimate is from the Lord. Everything emanates from the Lord and yet He remains complete. The whole world and all the living beings emanate from the Supreme and yet He is not diminished in any way, he is not lessened in any way. For the Supreme material laws do not apply.

Please forgive me if I have offended any of you while talking. You can chant this mantra we’ve taught “Gopala Govinda Rama Madana Mohana”. It will cleanse your heart.

[short segway on the power of the Holy Name]

How do I actually become perfectly spiritual? The beginning is simple – hearing. From hearing will come understanding. Listen to scripture or to the spiritual masters. Take this into your heart and meditate upon it. Hear and contemplate. You can watch our show, or listen to cassette tapes. Then set your life up such that you can regularly hear. Then apply. Also, it should be understood that hearing also means hearing the names of God. You can immediately begin. It doesn’t cost any money. The bonafide representatives of God give these names. You can do this regularly, perhaps with your family in the evening. Gradually you will center your life more and more on God.

[The program closes out with a 10 minute music sankirtan montage]

shvu · September 23, 2002

After you've successfully created your Real Video streaming media, the next question is where to host it because streaming media bandwidth is a bit expensive. Not all hosting companies provide media streaming capability.

Real Video, as far as I know, provides the best compression in terms of size. But I do not have the exact numbers as it has been a while since I played with it.

Also, as someone has said above, creating streaming content is only one part of it. Finding an inexpensive, affordable way to host our material is the real problem. if hosting facilities are not available at this time, it would still be a good idea to go ahead and store video, for it may come in useful sometime in the future.

Cheers