Science Meets Mysticism: Sadhguru on Gravitational Waves

Will modern science and mysticism ever find common ground? Sadhguru discusses, time, space, the recent discovery of gravitational waves, and the potential for science and mysticism to converge.

Sadhguru: In yogic perception, time is the basic aspect of creation. It is because of time that there is gravity and because of gravity, everything else. Gravity is a consequence of time. It is not the other way round. The physical exists only because time – which is nothingness – takes a curve.x

The word “time” itself may not conjure that image in most people’s minds. From atomic to cosmic, all that is physical is cyclical in nature, and hence the experience of time as we know it, as the spin of the planet or its revolution around the sun. But kala, the Sanskrit word, is more appropriate. Kala means two things: time, and emptiness or darkness. You have heard of kali – not the goddess. Kali means empty. Kala means darkness. We are talking about time and space as one thing because if there was no distance, there is no time.

The No-thing

It is a significant acknowledgement of the brilliance of Albert Einstein that scientists have now recorded what they refer to as gravitational waves on the fabric of space-time. This discovery is a confirmation that our experience of the physical world is relative. This is like a scientific complement to what has been known in yogic culture for ages.

In this culture, we realized that when we speak of a dimension not in our logical perception, it is best to speak dialectically. So, we personify and call it “Shiva”. Today, the world is divided in terms of which religion you belong to so if you utter something, it looks like you belong to some “party.” But this is not religion, this is science. “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” That which is, is physicality. That which is not, is Shiva.

It is in the lap of this vast emptiness that all creation happened. If you go out in the night and look at the sky, the stars are only a smattering. It is the vast nothingness that predominates. To maintain the integrity of a little bit of physicality in this vast kala, you need some force to hold it together – that’s gravity. What we refer to as gravitation is just one expression of a dimension that transcends all physical nature, or that which is not.

Science and Mysticism: Converging Lines

Modern science has come to this in a roundabout way. It is trying to build a staircase, and it is a long way. Science looks outward for its knowing. But mysticism looks inward for this knowing. Physicists are calling it an endless universe. If it is endless, travelling across the universe to find out its nature is untenable. The only way you could know the nature of creation and the source of creation is by going inward because the source of creation is within you.

If you eat a piece of bread, it turns into a human being over the course of a few hours. No one else can do this except the source of creation. When the source of creation is within you, isn't that the best place to consult?
India is a land where we explored various technologies to access the source of creation. Powerfully consecrated spaces were created where the physical becomes less manifest, and if you are willing, that dimension beyond the physical becomes apparent or visible to you.

At one time, it was made to look like science and mysticism were parallel lines – they would never meet. But with the recording of these waves, no one can deny that they are converging lines. It is a tremendous step for humanity that science and mysticism are coming very close. The consequence of them merging is very encouraging and promising for the entire humanity.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in The Week. Find more of Sadhguru’s insights in the ebook “Of Mystics and Mistakes”, available on Isha Downloads.