Is there a connection between Vedanta and Quantum Science

As soon as the above question is put forth, there are instant, zealous responses that come up on both sides of the argument. However, most of these responses and assertions are coloured with bias, with a fair sprinkling of emotionalism. This leads to a dilution of the importance of this question. Yet, if we ask if there is a connection between Vedanta and quantum physics, the correct answer would be a nuanced combination of no and yes.

The ancient Indic philosophy known as Advaita Vedanta and the modern scientific discipline known as quantum physics are not directly connected with each other, in the sense of proximity, collaboration, influence, or hierarchy. But if the two disciplines are studied in conjunction, it is impossible to ignore the jaw-dropping parallels between the two. Quite incredibly, multiple discoveries in contemporary quantum physics find an echo in the concepts crucial to Vedanta.

Why this is Stunning

The similarities are awe-inspiring, to say the least, because Vedanta is a school of philosophy that is more than 3,000 years old, compiled, explained and commented upon by ancient sages and scholars in India, whose primary methodology was understanding the nature of reality through spiritual pursuit. On the other hand, quantum physics is incomparably young, having taken a concrete form only in the last few decades. Moreover, its methodology seems to be the opposite of spirituality – understanding this world through observation, experimentation and inference.

The Blurring Boundaries

For long, science and spirituality have been treated as polar opposites, but the coming of quantum physics has changed everything. Spiritual philosophy looks inwards, into the inner world, while science looks outwards, at the physical world. This long-held clear differentiation between the two seems to melt away when we look through the quantum lens.

Quantum science is a world apart from classical science. There are many reasons for that, but the most outstanding one is that it is open to seemingly weird possibilities. Unlike classical physics, quantum physics is comfortable with non-determinism, with exploring what would appear illogical or mystical on the surface.

Interestingly, Vedanta, in spite of being a spiritual pursuit, is based entirely on logic and reasoning. There are profuse explanations and examples to prove the concepts presented in this system of thought. And like in science, unless you can ‘see’ the result for yourself, the quest is not considered complete. Thus, when it comes to Vedanta and quantum mechanics, it is as if the two have intertwined methods, while looking for the same goal.

Why This Shouldn’t be Surprising

The ultimate truth of the cosmos is one. It has to be one, else, it won’t be the definitive truth. There are a multitude of ways in which you can approach this truth. Of these Vedanta and quantum science happen to be two travellers whose respective journeys not only have the same destination, but they also cross paths now and then. Their approaches are different. The terrain they travel through could be entirely different. Yet, when the get closer to their destination, they begin to notice similarities in the topography, vegetation or the weather conditions.

Why These Two?

If all the approaches lead to the same truth, why consider only these two disciplines? That is a valid question, and the answer is not difficult to find. Vedanta and quantum science happen to be two such approaches which differ from all others because they are open to counterintuitive possibilities, but at the same time, are strongly rooted in logic and reasoning. Such pairing is hard to find. Both look as much outwards as inwards into the factor of the mind. If that sounds like a paradox, wait till you discover the incredible sets of paradoxes present all around us in this universe.

Why Even Bother About the Connection?

Well, you don’t have to. But if you are seeking answers to the enigma of life and death, happiness and suffering, and looking for conclusive answers, Vedanta and quantum science can help. Studying these two parallelly is not essential, but since the two cross paths like no other disciplines, the excitement is hard to ignore. In many of us, there is a hidden hesitation to follow only spiritualty or only science. Quantum science and Vedanta would resolve that conflict for you, since both are talking about the same concepts.

The Jaw-Dropping Parallels

The amazing similarities between Vedanta and quantum science can not be fully explained in the small space of this article. * To give a quick overview, here are a few mind-blowing points.

At the quantum level, the nature of reality is without shape, all-pervasive, universal and true for every entity, just like Brahman (the name for the ultimate reality in Vedanta), in the words of the Katha Upanishad is this – “…as bodiless in the midst of bodies, as permanent in the midst of the impermanent, and as great and pervasive…”

The modern world has come to terms with space and time not being absolute only after Einstein. Centuries before him, Vedanta considered space-time to be a relative aspect of reality, not absolute. That immediately puts causation into the picture. Space, time and causation, thus, are relative states, not absolute ones for both the disciplines.

In quantum physics, the reality of our existence is that of potentiality, just like the infinite Brahman, the basic nature of which is unsullied by the countless manifestations it acquires – be it the creatures, fields or forces. “Apparent duality is present everywhere, but it is only two simultaneously existing states of the same entity.”

The superposition of two or more states in quantum systems sounds paradoxical. For instance, an electron can be both a wave and a particle at the same time. A packet of solar energy can travel through multiple paths during the process of photosynthesis in plants. Any system can be in multiple states at the same time. Now, see this stunning echo in the Isha Upanishad: “That moves, That does not move; That is far off, That is very near; That is inside of all this, and That is outside all this.”

Two particular concepts in quantum mechanics – quantum entanglement and quantum tunnelling have been found to be the spookiest. The former means that two particles in an entangled states can share information instantaneously, even if they are placed in the opposite corners of the universe. The other one, quantum tunnelling refers to something even more unbelievable. It refers to the phenomenon of an object disappearing and then reappearing on the other side of an otherwise impenetrable barrier.

As unbelievable as these may sound, these phenomena are happening all the time in various cells of our very bodies. Only, science did not have an explanation for this till now. Does it then sound mysterious when Isha Upanishad reiterates: “It is unmoving, one, and faster than the mind. The senses could not overtake It, since It had run ahead. Remaining stationary, It outruns all other runners, It being there…allots or supports all activities.”

Even more mystical than the above is the observer problem in quantum science, that is an astounding reflection of the Vedantic concept of Maya. The 2022 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to three physicists who observed (to oversimplify), that the objects in the universe do not have definite properties till they are observed. In Vedanta, this is explained through the concept of Maya, which is a power of Brahman that seems to give a relative existence to the absolute, making us perceive things that do not actually exist.

If that is not spectacular enough, consider this – the ‘information’ about an entity is not lost even if it falls into an all-gorging black hole, but remains suspended on the horizon. That is, even if the physical identity of the object is lost, the ‘soft information’ that constituted it, does not. That is a near-perfect echo from Vedanta – the true nature of an entity is eternal, even if its physical form is dissolved or annihilated, because the true nature for that time being appeared to be covered by Maya.

A Continuing Journey

Approaching the mysteries of existence through spirituality challenges our everyday understanding of the world, every step of the way. It is more about unlearning than about learning. Interestingly, as quantum physics continues revealing the mysteries of the cosmos, it keeps challenging our brains with near-mystical revelations. The echoes are becoming louder and clearer. For any seeker of truth, the choice of the medium is not important. The better question to ask is – what is your inclination? For those who want both, the journey promises excitement and fulfilment like none other.