PAGE 22 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016
PHILOSOPHY
Life comes from life: Report from WAVES 2016 conference By Sumangala Devi Dasi, Ph.D. Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute (www.scsiscs.org) had been invited to organize the first plenary session ‘Life Comes from Life’ of the 12th International Conference ‘WAVES 2016’ organized by World Association for Vedic Studies (WAVES) at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi during 15-18 December 2016. Plenary session ‘Life Comes from Life’ was one of the major highlights of the main theme of the ‘WAVES 2016’ conference – ‘Scientific Aspects of Vedic Knowledge’. Life is an extremely complex unsolved puzzle for the narrow minded approach that dominates the thought process in modern science and scientists are mainly attempting to understand life using the tools of physical sciences. Experimental anomalies, paradoxes, and enigmas thoroughly reveal the paradigmatic limitations of modern science’s rigid dogmatic stand – ‘Life originated from Matter’. Thus, the advancement of scientific understanding of life and its origin require a completely new approach that resolves fundamental problems. ‘Life comes from Life’ session in ‘WAVES 2016’ highlighted a theoretical framework that economically fits evidence accumulated from examinations of life. The Session was chaired by Professor S.R. Bhatt, Chairman, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, (ICPR), New Delhi and Co-Chaired by Shri Dhirendra Shah, Treasurer, WAVES Atlanta, USA. Session was started with the speech of Professor S.R. Bhatt, where he explained that in the West right from Greek times the dominant trend has been to distinguish between the consciousness and matter and this position was sharpened by Descartes but this led to severe serious objections and problems. He said that Darwin tried to reduce mind to matter and put forth the materialistic theory of evolution which were greatly followed, but in the field of science there cannot be finality of judgement because the results of scientific theory are always being challenged. Sripad Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaja, Ph.D., General Secretary, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Bangalore, a Keynote speaker, highlighted the dogmatic stand of modern materialistic science in the field of studies on life, its origin and evolution. Dr. Shanta asked: “The dualistic view of modern materialistic science is forced to presume (without any valid empirical ground) a unique mechanism of inheritance, where causal pathway of inheritance is from genomes in one generation to genomes in the next without any influence (no reciprocal
effect of the phenome of the developed organism on the genome passed between generations) on the genome of the events that occur in the development of the phenome during the life history of the organism. It is also presumed that information about which genes are to be transcribed in which cells, at which times in development and in what amounts is also contained in stretches of DNA called controlling or regulatory elements. However, DNA alone is a mere inert stuff and it has no power to do anything on its own. Therefore, according to James A. Shapiro, DNA cannot do anything or direct anything by itself; it must interact with other cell molecules. All genome action is subject to the inputs and informationprocessing networks we know to operate in sentient (living) cells. Moreover, this mechanism has to presume that the genome dictated development of phenome is such that the outcome of development terminates at the death of organism. However, it is not clear if a material entity (genome) is all in all controller of developmental process in the organism then why it has to stop that development and organization at the death of the organism.” ” Dr. Shanta also explained about the role of ‘Consciousness’ that cannot be ignored from the factors that mold the organisms over time. He emphasized that Vedantic view explains that life has an immanent self-construction capability and it can be observed empirically where an immanent subjective process within a single cell zygote produces varieties of cells that are necessary for different functions in the body of a particular species. Similarly, Vedanta advocates that different forms originate from the adi-purusha or primeval personal Absolute, and in the reflected material sphere, the various species of life are subject to a developing principle of evolution of consciousness. Sripad Bhakti Vignan Muni Maharaja, Ph.D., President, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Bangalore, the second Keynote speaker explained that the Vedantic paradigm is wholistic with two perfect axiomatic truth which can be empirically verified, viz., ‘Life comes from life’ and ‘Matter comes from life’ and these axioms also indicate the non-dual or the advaya concept of Vedanta. He said that in the western world there were some great philosophers like Hegel who also held a wholistic view of life and came to the conclusion that soul is the first principle of life. Modern biology is indicating that we need to address the
question of intelligence in the scientific explanation of life processes. These intelligent concepts are being revealed from the precise molecular description of the biological phenomena. As the biological real is not an outcome of any external intelligence, it indicates that unlike artefacts, the biological nature displays concepts of internal intelligence. Thus, in 21st century frontier biology we need philosophical tools to address the question of intelligence. Vedanta since antiquity holds that life is fundamental and this paradigm is experimentally verifiable. We have to base our theories on evidence and not on prejudices. Life displays higher order logic in nature than chemistry. Professor John J. Kineman from University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, explained that just as Vedic concepts guided scientists in the scientific revolution from modern to post-modern science, the Vedic worldview may now help us understand more deeply the casual relations that explain complexity and wholeness in natural systems. He said that Western science cannot address through mechanistic approaches because they are based exclusively on mathematical fractioning of systems. Prof. Kineman advocates a wholistic explanation of reality to address the systems approach and he also made a few observations about the Harappa Civilization. M.V. Jagannadham, Ph.D., Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad, said that starting from the Vedic period to the present age, the question about life remains unsolved despite astonishing progress in the state of knowledge in various branches of science witnessed during the past few decades. Being a cell biologist he said that he is always amazed to see the complexity in the cell and no biologist can say with evidence how a cell originated. We only see that cell comes from pre-existing cell. In his presentation he summarized the various postulations made on the ‘origin of life’ starting from Vedic period to the modern science and he concluded that the Vedantic idea that “Supreme Cognizant Being” is the original source is still relevant. He also told that he wrote a rebuttal “Vendantic view on life and consciousness: BN Shanta is correct” to Dr. Gustavo Caetano-Anollés’s responses “Creationism and intelligent design are incompatible with scientific progress: A response to Shanta and Vêdanta” to Dr. Shanta’s paper “Life and consciousness – The Vedāntic view”. Shilpi Saxena, Ph.D., Women Scientist, Center for Advanced Studies, University of
Delhi, Delhi, explained that scientists have continually tried with their best of abilities to prove that Life comes from nonlife (push-pulls of atoms and molecules), as explained in a ‘Warm Little Pond’ theory. There are also some scientists [Haldane, (1928), Bernal (1947), and Miller-Urey (1953)], who have tried to support this theory by their own laboratory experiments. However, till date none could produce even a single blade of grass in their sophisticated laboratories. They are gradually realizing that Life is not mere outcome of accumulation of inert molecules. They could not find the secret of transition between chemistry and biology. In other words, Chemistry is helpless to address the complexity of biology. Thus, we should be open to accept the alternative from Vedic view that Life is the source of both Life and Matter and the opposite claims are mere dogmas. We have empirical evidence to accept Life comes from Life concept and hence there is a scientific basis for the explanation of Vedanta sutra (1.1.2) and Srimad Bhagavatam (1.1.1), that the origin of everything is the Supreme Cognizant Being. In this International Conference, a number of renowned scholars from USA, France, Israel, Belgium, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago along with many Indian scholars from more than 15 states presented their research findings on Scientific Aspects of Vedic Knowledge. Many prominent scientists in this conference during other sessions also advocated the scientific explanations of Vedic literature. Professor Bal Ram Singh, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, MA, USA, explained about an integrated approach to knowledge by applying principles of known physical and biological science to religious dimensions. Professor Bhu Dev Sharma, Mathematics Department, University of Delhi, explained about the origin of physics and chemistry from Vaisheshika system, Astronomy from Vedanga Jyotish of Lagadha (1300 BC), Geometry and Mathematics from Atharvaveda. He also explained about how science and mathematics in some field were led by basic Vedic ideas. Mr. C.Carpentier de Gourdon (Writer, Analyst, convener of International Editorial Board, World Affairs, The Journal of International Issues, India and France) supported the concept of exobiology that is elaborately explained in Vedic literature. Dr Jeffrey Armstrong, Founder, Vedic Academy of Sciences and Arts, Vancouver, Canada, said that the next use of scientific powers and tech-
nological innovations must be governed by the universal Vedic Principle of “Loka Samgraha” or acting to hold the world together for a sustainable future. Dr Kumar S. Sharma, Founder, SAVYTRI, USA, explained that the scientists’ view of the Neutrino has a Vedic interlude in which its supraphysical role is revealed and he said that this is confirmed by the Vedic Scriptures. Mr Michael Sternfeld, Producer, Fairfield, USA, explained that the Upanishads are the poetic expression of the Absolute level of life and it seems very far from the objective field of science. He said that after deeper examination of the ancient wisdom which is expressed by Vedic sages, one finds a rich field of objectivity emerging from their inner subjective experience. Professor R.S. Kaushal from Department of Physics & Astrophysics, University of Delhi, explained about the origin, existence and survival of both animate and inanimate matter in the same finest subtle cosmic consciousness field. He said that analogies from physics such as the concept of the field, particles, holes, quanta of interactions, second quantization are freely used and it is recognized that a generalisation of panchikaran rule of Vedic science for the panchamahabhuta clearly reveals the concept of many universe and higher dimensions prevailing in modern grand unified field theories of physics. Dr Robert H. Schneider, Director, INMP & Dean, MCPH, Iowa, explained that the combination of the modern and ancient Vedic view can lead to an integrated vision of possibilities for enhancing the aging process in contemporary society. Dr V.K Hampiholi, Emeritus Fellow, Dr AVB College of Art & Science, Kumata, Karnataka, explained about the systematic study of embryology and its beginning. He said in western countries this field of medical science has started after 17th century but it has been already present in our ancient Vedic literature, for example ‘Bhagavata Purana’. . Life, which seems to involve much more complex subjects like mind, sentience, consciousness, and subjective experiences like love, affection, anger, happiness, motherhood and so on, is certainly beyond the comprehension of this limited domain that we have created for science. At the present state of extreme perplexities modern science can be greatly benefited if it can try to systematically study the five epistemological levels (1. pratyakṣ, 2. parokṣa, 3. aparokṣa, 4. adhokṣaja, 5. aprākṛta) as well as the ontological truths explained in Vedanta.