Report on Plenary Session ‘Life Comes from Life’ at WAVES-2016

[Dr Sumangala Devi Dasi]

Report on Plenary Session ‘Life Comes from Life’ at WAVES-2016

Prepared 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 12^th 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 address 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.

 

The first talk of plenary session was preceded by Sripad Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaja, Ph.D., General Secretary, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Bangalore, as a Keynote speaker. Dr B.N. Shanta 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 + 0 —> 0, which means 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 information-processing 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.”

 

He further highlighted the contributions of his spiritual masters Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, Ph.D. and Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaja, Ph.D. by following explanations:

 

Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaja, Ph.D. further made it more overt in Sadhu Sanga online discussion forum:  

“Anyone can take a single cell and put it into a sterile test tube with all the necessary ingredients to sustain its life. If you then puncture that cell with a sterile needle, the contents of the cell will pour out into the solution. Even if you wait for hundreds of years, life will not be generated from those original biochemicals of the cell. This tells us that life is not simply cellular in nature. The life principle is the apriori formative cause of the cell or the body of any multi-cellular creature. We can see this in action by watching any seed or egg or embryonic zygote go through its development to maturity. Science cannot explain this development by simple reference to chemical activity.”

 

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 was the second Keynote speaker and his spiritual insight enlightened the participants from his in-depth knowledge, he 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 21^st 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 causal 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. It 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 technological 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 supra-physical 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 17^th century but it has been already present in our ancient Vedic literature, for example ‘Bhagavata Purana’.

 

Sripad Bhakti Niskama Shanta, Ph.D. General Secretary, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Bangalore was honored as the Chief Guest in the Valedictory Session of this event where he enlightened how modern materialistic science is leading us towards self-destruction by teaching young innocent students that Man is simply an enclosed membrane of chemicals. Teaching of this unscientific concept affects how people think about themselves as spiritual beings, and thus it influences the way they think about such concerns as abortion, euthanasia, bioethics in research and medicine, cloning, genetic modification of food, animal rights, etc. Our attitude is shaped by the way our education has conditioned us to think about the world. Many young people have confessed that they became atheists due to the teachings of the theory of evolution – even those who were formerly theists. This produces a loss of faith in religion, which comes with a whole tradition of moral teachings. The main goal of materialism is to reduce consciousness to natural processes, which in turn can be translated into the language of math, physics and chemistry. Following this approach, scientists have made several attempts to deny the living organism of its veracity as an immortal soul, in favor of genes, molecules, atoms and so on. However, advancement in various fields of biology has repeatedly given rise to questions against such a denial and has supplied more and more evidence against the completely misleading ideological imposition that living entities are particular states of matter. In the recent past, however, the realization has arisen that cognitive nature of life at all levels has begun presenting significant challenges to the views of materialism in biology and has created a more receptive environment for the soul hypothesis. Therefore, instead of adjudicating different aprioristic claims, the development of an authentic theory of biology needs both proper scientific knowledge and the appropriate tools of philosophical analysis of life. Like the man searching for his key under the lamppost, we currently focus our scientific studies about life almost completely on limited tools available in physical sciences, because our ability to study and control the matter (abiology) lies at the heart of modern day science. This unreasonable belief that the tools that are used in physical sciences are the only means to know the reality, certainly limits the ‘knowability using science’ to a very insignificant domain of entire reality. 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. We should not bring science under such speculative limitations and to overcome this great lacuna modern science badly needs proper philosophical tools. 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.

 

A few photos from the event are attached below: