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Copyright 2015 by Ram Lakhan Pandey Vimal, Shilpi Bhrdwj, and Vision
Research Institute. Authors permission is needed for re-producing and/or quoting any portion (except the
quotes from other authors). For referring, the following content should be included: Vimal, R. L. P., & Bhardwaj,
S. (2015). Metaphysics, Science, Religion, and Spirituality: Bringing them Closer via Extended Dual-Aspect Monism
(Dvi-Paka Advaita). Vision Research Institute: Living Vision and Consciousness Research [Available: updated version:
http://sites.google.com/site/rlpvimal/Home/2015-Vimal-Spirituality-Science-Closer-LVCR-7-6.pdf], 7(6), 1-14. Added to
Academia and Research Gate: 2015-10-04. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1198.6642. [Recent update: Monday, October 05,
2015, 10:28 AM]. This article started in Sept. 2015 and major updates are in: Oct. 2015. Submitted to the Twenty
Second International Vedanta Congress that will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, on
December 27-30, 2015. Comments and suggestions are most welcome and should be emailed to rlpvimal@yahoo.co.in
.
Abstract
We need both science and religion in our daily lives, but they have opposite
foundations. The dominant metaphysics (foundation) of science is materialism:
non-mental matter is fundamental and mind2 somehow arises from it, which is
close to eastern Crvka/Lokyata view. However, religion is based on: (a)
idealism, where non-material mind is fundamental and matter-in-itself
somehow congeals from it, which is close to Advaita, and/or (b) interactive
substance dualism, where both matter and mind are fundamental but they can
interact, which is close to Skhya. These three metaphysics have serious
problems: the explanatory gap problem in materialism and idealism, and the
association problem in interactive substance dualism. Any person (theist,
atheist, agnostic, humanists, hedonists, and so on) can be spiritual. Thus, the
metaphysics of science and science-based spirituality and that of religion and
religion-based spirituality contradict each other.
We propose the least problematic five-component extended Dual-Aspect
Monism (eDAM, Dvi-Paka Advaita) framework. This addresses the
contradiction, the problems of other metaphysics, and brings science, religion,
1
Corresponding author.
The western/scientific term mind is different from eastern term manas or mana, which is a
subtle matter, the central processor, and is liaison between Purua and Prakti. As per Rao
(1998), The manas is the central processor which selectively reflects on the material provided
by the senses and determines its character by assimilation and discrimination (p.319).
1. Introduction
Metaphysics: There are four major groups of metaphysics (Vimal, 2012b,
2013):
(i) Materialism/Crvka/Lokyata, where matter is fundamental and
mind is somehow derived from it.
(ii) Idealism/Advaita, where mind is fundamental and matter-in-itself is
somehow congealed from mind).
(iii) Interactive substance dualism/Skhya, where mind and matter
both are fundamental and independent but they can interact as needed.
(iv) Dual-Aspect Monism, where mind and matter are the inseparable
aspects of the same entity state. This is close to Kashmir Shaivism and
Viidvaita. These views are extended to the five-component extended DualAspect Monism (eDAM: Dvi-Paka Advaita) framework (Vimal, 2008, 2010a,
2013, 2015b, 2015e), which is summarized in (Vimal, 2015a).
Religion: As per (Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001), Religion is an
organized system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and symbols designed (a) to
facilitate closeness to the sacred or transcendent (God, higher power, or
ultimate truth/reality) and (b) to foster an understanding of one's relationship
and responsibility to others in living together in a community (p.18).
Spirituality: As elaborated in (Vimal, 2015d), there are many meanings
attributed to the term spirituality, which were categorized in two groups:
God module for a specific religious experience does not seem tenable; further
researches are not needed.
3. God Spot ((Hamer, 2005). p.135-137): Nonbeliever Persinger stimulated
his own temporal and parietal lobes (God spot) using TMS (Transcranial
Magnetic Stimulation) and had mystical experiences such as feeling of rising,
floating away into space (Persinger, 1987). Temporal lobe response is specific
for religion (Persinger, 1983, 1987; Ramachandran & Blakeslee, 1998).
4. The God module is a subsystem of the brain that is shaped by evolution
and causes us to have a religious belief and affect religious intensity.
5. Neuroscience and genetic researches suggests God modules in our brain
and God genes (Hamer, 2005) in our DNA.
6. The Homo religiosus notion is that religion or its some specific aspect(s) is
an adaptation. In other words, a universal trait or feature of species (such as
spirituality/religiosity) is favored over a long time by natural selection. This is
because it solved one or more adaptive problems in human ancestral
environments.
7. The controversial religion-as-adaptation hypothesis is that religion is (a)
somehow inherent in human nature or (b) part of the evolved design of the
human being.
amygdala through the stria terminalis and the medial hypothalamus to the
peri-aqueductal gray.
4. The functional neuroanatomy and clinical temporal lobe epilepsy
supports the argument that behaviors linked to the limbic temporal lobes
require densely interconnected and functional neural networks. This is because
the behaviors, such as spiritual transformation and religious conversion, may
be related to a series of neural networks contained in limbic and OFC areas.
The limbic system normally mediates emotional states, medial temporal lobe
mediates language comprehension, hippocampus mediates memory, and OFC
mediates personality.
5. In addition, as per (McNamara, 2006), the PFC has a supervisory or
regulative role. This is because it receives input signals from mediodorsal
nucleus of thalamus and sends output signals to the dorsal and orbital
prefrontal areas. These prefrontal areas send inhibitory efferent signals to other
areas of brain and spinal cord, primary motor cortex, premotor, and
supplementary motor areas. (Newberg et al., 2001) reported greater prefrontal
activations during meditative states using SPECT imaging techniques.
Moreover, (Azari et al., 2001) found activations in frontalparietal circuit (such
as dorsomedial frontal, dorsolateral frontal, and medial parietal cortex) during
religious recitation using neuroimaging techniques.
Furthermore, (Murakami et al., 2012) stated that the meditators with
mindfulness practice had positive correlations between the score of the
describing facet and the gray matter volume in the right anterior insular cortex
and in the right parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala.
10
11
3. Conclusions
1. The dominant metaphysics of science is materialism and that of religion
are idealism and/or interactive substance dualism; these metaphysics have
serious problems as elaborated in (Vimal, 2012a, 2012b). The five-component
extended dual-aspect monism (eDAM, Dvi-Paka Advaita) framework (Vimal,
2008, 2010a, 2013, 2015b, 2015e) is the least problematic metaphysics.
2. The eDAM metaphysics brings science and religions closer as elaborated
in (Vimal, 2012a, 2012b). Any person (atheist, theist, agnostic, humanists,
hedonists, and so on) can be spiritual and the eDAM framework brings
religion-based and science-based spirituality closer as well.
3. The 1pp-mental and 3pp-physical aspect of a state related to spirituality
and/or religiosity are elaborated in Sections 2.3 and 2.4 respectively.
Competing Interests
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Acknowledgments
The work was partly supported by VP-Research Foundation Trust and
Vision Research Institute research Fund. The authors would like to thank
anonymous reviewers and colleagues for review, critical comments, discussion,
and suggestions. RLPV is also affiliated with Dristi Anusandhana Sansthana,
A-60 Umed Park, Sola Road, Ahmedabad-61, Gujrat, India; Dristi
Anusandhana Sansthana, c/o NiceTech Computer Education Institute, Pendra,
Bilaspur, C.G. 495119, India; and Dristi Anusandhana Sansthana, Sai Niwas,
East of Hanuman Mandir, Betiahata, Gorakhpur, U.P. 273001 India. URL:
http://sites.google.com/site/rlpvimal/Home.
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