Beyond the Tao of Physics - The Spirituality of Science

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Physics: A link to the past

It has been a third of a century since Fritjof Capra's bestselling book The Tao of Physics. Capra related the similarities between the physics and cosmology of the time (1975) to Eastern mysticism. Since then scores of scientific discoveries have left scientists mystified and the general public stymied.

In order to make observations fit into theory, scientists have recently proposed that 96% of the universe is missing dark matter and dark energy, that space is not empty but full of energy, that there are at least seven concealed dimensions, that the "fundamental particles" in Capra's book are not fundamental, that there are an infinity of parallel universes, that the universe is but information, and that simply knowing an organism's DNA sequence does not reveal the secret of life.

Capra's book suggested a theory in which everything is interconnected and manifests only with consciousness. Do the recent scientific assertions support this? Yes. But they also go well beyond just Eastern mysticism and intimate the original teachings of religions and the ancient spiritual teachings of all the world's cultures. Capra predicted that new scientific revelations would lead to a more accurate portrait of our world. Indeed, in less than four decades we have a new world-view.

21st-century science: A beacon of light into the spiritual

I have collated cosmology, physics, biology, and other sciences with spiritual teachings and discovered that a new truth is emerging. Science of this century has caught up with spiritual teachings several millennia old. To understand the new truth we must comprehend that the universe is mental and spiritual, that matter is a convenient metaphor used by humans to make sense of our world, that our senses gasp but a billionth of what is out there, that the big questions such as the origin of life, the genesis of the universe, and the nature of reality still have no satisfactory scientific explanations.

Yet the astounding discoveries in recent years inch us closer to appreciating the inscrutable depictions of reality from Eastern mysticism as well as spiritual teachings from all ancient cultures. I have sought to bridge the gap between science and spirituality by explaining recent scientific discoveries dealing with our origins, reality, misperceptions, body/mind, consciousness, spirituality, and afterlife.

My journey took me on a tour of the mind-boggling scientific concepts of the creation of the universe, life, and humankind. New theories reveal a startling view of reality. Recent breakthroughs explain how mind and consciousness emerge from body and brain, overturning previous dogmas and offering new healing methods. New studies provide fascinating insights into the possibility of an afterlife. Comparing 21st-century science with spiritual beliefs, I discovered how the rift between science and spirituality can be healed.

Leo Kim, Ph.D. was a research associate at MIT, scientist, and executive in the biotechnology industry. He studied with healers such as Barbara Brennan, Bernie Siegel, and Deepak Chopra, and is a certified clinical hypnotherapist. For more information, and to learn about his new book, Healing the Rift, visit: http://healingtheriftbook.com