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1. Focusing on the human world, we can expand our “awareness” or consciousness in two ways so that we can be more “aware” of the “world” around us.
- One is using the scientific approach and by developing new techniques that enable us to “see” or “be aware” of things that are not directly accessible to our senses.
- For example, we have infrared sensors that allow us to see in the dark; we have constructed particle accelerators that allow us to “see” elementary particles; we can even “see” supernova explosions that happen millions of light years away using our sophisticated instruments. In the latter two cases, we do not actually see with our eyes, but we are aware of the existence of these events.
2. However, it must be noted that we can “see” only about 6% of the “stuff” that our universe is made of. Scientists don’t know what the rest of the “stuff” is made of and have labelled it as “dark matter” and “dark energy”.
- This means we are “not aware” of 94% of our own universe! For those interested, you can also do a Google search on dark energy and dark matter and learn more.
3. The scientific methods which have been developed over only the past few hundred years are still at a very early stage; even though science and technology has greatly expanded our “awareness” of the external world, according to Buddhism there is much more to be explored, i.e., our consciousness is still very limited.
- We have not been able to contact any life form outside the Earth, even though scientists now accept the existence of life outside the earth to be a certainty.
- Possible existence of life forms that exist in the “form-sphere” and the “form-less sphere” are not even contemplated at this time.
Next, “Expanding Consciousness by Purifying the Mind“, …………
Also see, “Quantum Mechanics and Dhamma“.
