Ocean-wave is an ancient metaphor used to explain the nature
of human existence especially in non-duality literature1. According
to this metaphor human life is as independent as a wave on the ocean. Ocean is
the invisible vastness and the waves are you, me, tree, table and every form
that arises and goes back to the ocean of vastness just like a wave does. Most
of us find it difficult to relate to this metaphor. In the past few years,
another phenomenon called dancing
droplets is creating ripples among two communities in physics: hydrodynamics
and quantum physics. In this article, we will explore if this dancing droplet
phenomenon does any better as a metaphor to communicate the non-dual nature of
existence.
First, let’s see a few reasons why we find it difficult to believe
the ocean-wave metaphor.
1. As I walk around the room, there is a distinct
sense that I am an independent entity called “Vinay” which is choosing to walk
around. Wave, on the other hand, is so tied to the ocean, it hardly seems to
have any independence.
2. I remember past events. E.g. I can remember how
I walked around in the house say from a sofa to the kitchen to the dining table
etc. If I wanted I could retrace the path as well. It doesn’t appear as though
wave carries any memory and I am not aware of any waves that can reverse their
paths (go backwards).
3. I am responding meaningfully (at least I am
trying to) to the situation all the time. For example, if the doorbell rings, I
go and open the door. This is going on all the time. It is not clear whether
wave derives any meaning out of the situation and responds to the situation
meaningfully.
In summary, lack of (1) independence (2) memory and (3) meaningful
response seem to differentiate “Vinay” from a wave. And that is why it is
difficult to believe that life is like a wave on the ocean. Perhaps there are
more differences. But for now let’s stick to these three. Now, let’s turn to dancing
droplet and see if it can do any better than ocean-wave metaphor.
To appreciate the dancing droplet metaphor, it would help to
watch this video titled "Is this what quantum mechanics looks like?". It uses jargon from physics. But don’t worry, we don’t need
the physics jargon to appreciate it as a metaphor.
In the video we can see that there is an oil bath which is
vibrated by a speaker. Using a toothpick, Derek Muller is generating droplets. Now,
these droplets don’t seem to recombine with the oil bath immediately and keep bouncing.
This happens because of a layer of air between the droplet and the oil surface
which doesn’t become small enough size for it to recombine. Here are a few facts
about this experiment that are of interest to us:
- The droplets don’t seem to stand in one place but seem to walk around (under certain conditions). And they can do that for a long time, sometime for days. It is as though the droplets have a life of their own
Note that the information field created by
the successive bounces of the drop is active. It pushes the drop around. This notion
is different from the situation when information is stored in memory but not active.
In fact, we can say that the meaning of a situation at any point of time for
the droplet is the activity of the information2. i.e. slope of the
wave is the meaning.
Now, let’s ask, does this droplet have an existence
independent of the oil bath?The answer
is “no”. A droplet’s “life” is determined by the information field which, in
turn, is created by the history of the bounces. However, if we magically make
the information wave invisible then it may create an illusion that the drop has
independent existence. Now, let’s see how this dancing droplet phenomenon
compares with human existence.
When we respond to a doorbell, we are responding to the
information field influenced by another person who pressed the bell, which in
turn, could be result of an online order I made on the click of a button earlier.
In fact, we can say that our daily activity is guided by the information field
around us. Emails, TV, WhatsApp, Internet, newspaper, people are contributing
to the vast information field and the field, in turn, is guiding us. This
information ocean remains largely invisible to us except for the ripples which
show up in the form of TV news, WhatsApp messages, cars passing by, doorbell
ringing etc.
Now, let’s look at the similarity of meaning as the activity
of information for the droplet and for us. Let’s consider our thought as a
system of conditioned and shared reflexes. If the doorbell situation appears
threatening to me then a set of reflexes are fired (say, of conversing across
the closed door to find more about the visitor). On the other hand, if it means
“not dangerous”, then another set of reflexes would be fired automatically to
open the door. Thus what appears to be a “choice” seems hidden in the programmatic
nature of the conditioned reflexes. Thus information field is constantly acting
through a set of reflexes, which in turn, is conditioned by experiences. In
short, each of us is bouncing and influencing the vast information ocean and
that information ocean, in turn, is guiding us.
Now imagine that the droplet becomes conscious – i.e. it gets
a sense of “I am”. Moreover, let’s imagine that the oil bath is largely
invisible to the drop. And it mistakes this awareness of “I am” with its own
boundary (a drop of 1mm radius). So it might “think” that it is independent and
making “choices” about where to go next depending upon the situation. We are
doing the same.
Notes:
1. Reference to ocean-wave metaphor is found in Ribhu Gita,
one of the ancient Hindu scriptures. Ribhu Gita was advocated by Ramana
Maharshi, a 20th century spiritual teacher from South India.
Reference to ocean-wave metaphor can also be found in “I am that” a compilation of
talks with Nisargadatta Maharaj, a 20th century spiritual teacher
from Mumbai.
2. If you want to read further on “Meaning is the
activity of information” I suggest the article: “Meaning
and information” by David Bohm.
No comments:
Post a Comment