It Is Manifestation & Not Creation
Science debunks creation, so does Vedanta, but is there any conflict between Vedanta & Science?
First lets understand why Science debunks Creator & creation.
Now since I'm no Science nerd I'm just basing this on what I read on the subject matter so don't blame me if I'm wrong.
First, the believers in "Creator" will have first to make up their mind whether this so called Creator (God/Allah) lives within or outside the purview of this Universe. If the Creator lives outside of the universe, then he cannot influence the universe or ourselves, he cannot influence the energy and the matter of our closed system universe. Fields of energy, flowing from this Creator, would disrupt gravity, the movement of the earth and all things essential to life.
That leaves us with the only logical possibility that the Creator lives in the Universe. Nothing escapes the universe because in essence we are the universe. Our bodies are made from the same subatomic particles as the universe is. Einstein proved that mass is energy and energy is mass, so we are made of frozen bits of the universe (this is similar to what the Upanishadic mahavakya Isavasyam Idam Sarvam connotes) We know that the universe has a finite lifespan as we can observe the second law of thermodynamics. It is the law of entropy. With entropy a fire burns to embers and dies. With entropy, a hot cup of coffee turns cold. With entropy our sun dies and explodes in a super nova. It has already done this in the history of the universe. The explosion causes its fires to light again, and the Earth is made from ejecta of the Sun's first explosion.
Everything in the universe is bound by natural laws. The Creator (if there is any) would be as well. If the Creator lives in the universe, He cannot be omnipotent, omniscient and eternal. Just as the energy of the sun dissipates according to the laws of the universe, so does the Creator. If the Creator lives in the universe, he is made of the universe. Otherwise the energy of his being would be destroyed like when matter and anti-matter meet. In short, the idea of a Creator violates the second law of thermodynamics. The energy that is the Creator would fizzle out, go cold and die just like the universe will. Our sun will also die in about 5 few billion years from now. Now according to Vedanta, Brahm is the ultimate cause of the macrocosmic and microcosmic universe. So Vedanta concludes that Purusha (a.k.a Brahm) is the cause of the material world, while Science deals with the phenomenal world of matter and laws of the Prakriti (nature).
From the Vedanta standpoint, the universe is manifestation (not creation) of Brahm. All derives from Brahm through its innate power called Maya. This is the truth of existence that an individual (jiva) has to realise. Life has a meaning deeper than the appearance it bears.
The absolute reality is non-dual, but when perceived as related to manifestation, It reveals itself as a Being, an Existent with the Ultimate Consciousness. The Consciousness is inherent, it is in fact the very nature of the Being. It is not merely an awareness of itself, it is a Consciousness that is at once self-aware and all-aware. It is the Maya by whom, the Consciousness(Brahm) manifests myriad Names and Forms, measures out finites from the depths of the Infinite, shapes the Many out of the One. Maya is energized and acts as a medium of the projection of this world of plurality on the non-dual ground of Brahm. Though empiric, Maya is bhavarupa, that is, not merely negative.
Well, this again gives rise to many questions, why does Brahm manifests? why should the absolute turn from its ineffable immutability towards movement, why the prefect express itself in imperfect ways? and what is it that it seeks which is not already contained in itself? A short answer is, it is Brahm's "Leela".
Sri Aurobindo explains this phenomenon as: Brahm manifestes himself not because of any want but for self-revelation, a self-deployment in the outpouring of his Bliss. It is this Ananda of his being that throws itself out for the sheer joy of an infinite movement and variation. Ananda is the base, Ananda the movement and Ananda the goal of manifestation. All creation is a surge of Brahm in an outflow of delight. This is the full import of the Vedantic dictum, all is Brahm (Sarvam Khalvidam Brahm). [The Teaching of Sri Aurobindo]
So even though both are apparently incompatible, Science doesn't debunk consciousness but look upon it as the product of the Prakriti. Since not much is known on how nature produces consciousness, quantum physicists like Stephen Hawking to qualify consciousness as a byproduct of the nature describe it as an "accidental byproduct". Scientists have no desire to go beyond Nature (Prakriti), but according to Vedanta, Brahm transcends the Prakriti. However, the Vedantic postulation that matter owes its origin to non-matter (Brahm) would be difficult to explain from scientific point of view. Now till the time scientists like Stephen Hawking don't meditate in their research laboratories or see a reason to meditate and realize this absolute truth (Aham Brahm Asmi) themselves, they're not going to accept such Vedantic postulates. Vedanta maintains that Nirgoon Brahm (impersonal) is not within the purview of the universe (Maya) so how can it influence us & the universe in general & how can we acquire knowledge of it? Well the answer is it doesn’t have any influence on us as Nirgoon, but it can only be realized in Nirvikalpa Samadhi, so it means from the empirical (Maya) point of view, the Nirgoon Brahm doesn’t exist & in Nirvikalpa Samadhi (from the absolute point of view) there's no universe & no Sagoon Brahm (personal).
Speaking of the relationship between them, Swami Vivekananda had hinted as early as in his 19 September 1893 address at the Parliament of World Religions that, “Science has proved to me that physical individuality is a delusion, that really my body is one little continuously changing body in an unbroken ocean of matter; and Advaita (unity) is the necessary conclusion with my other counterpart, soul.” The truths of Vedanta would be justified by modern science; this was Swamiji's dream: "Manifestation, and not creation, is the word of science today" [Vedanta & Modern Physics: Why The Marriage Of Spirituality And Science Is Difficult]
That leaves us with the only logical possibility that the Creator lives in the Universe. Nothing escapes the universe because in essence we are the universe. Our bodies are made from the same subatomic particles as the universe is. Einstein proved that mass is energy and energy is mass, so we are made of frozen bits of the universe (this is similar to what the Upanishadic mahavakya Isavasyam Idam Sarvam connotes) We know that the universe has a finite lifespan as we can observe the second law of thermodynamics. It is the law of entropy. With entropy a fire burns to embers and dies. With entropy, a hot cup of coffee turns cold. With entropy our sun dies and explodes in a super nova. It has already done this in the history of the universe. The explosion causes its fires to light again, and the Earth is made from ejecta of the Sun's first explosion.
Everything in the universe is bound by natural laws. The Creator (if there is any) would be as well. If the Creator lives in the universe, He cannot be omnipotent, omniscient and eternal. Just as the energy of the sun dissipates according to the laws of the universe, so does the Creator. If the Creator lives in the universe, he is made of the universe. Otherwise the energy of his being would be destroyed like when matter and anti-matter meet. In short, the idea of a Creator violates the second law of thermodynamics. The energy that is the Creator would fizzle out, go cold and die just like the universe will. Our sun will also die in about 5 few billion years from now. Now according to Vedanta, Brahm is the ultimate cause of the macrocosmic and microcosmic universe. So Vedanta concludes that Purusha (a.k.a Brahm) is the cause of the material world, while Science deals with the phenomenal world of matter and laws of the Prakriti (nature).
From the Vedanta standpoint, the universe is manifestation (not creation) of Brahm. All derives from Brahm through its innate power called Maya. This is the truth of existence that an individual (jiva) has to realise. Life has a meaning deeper than the appearance it bears.
The absolute reality is non-dual, but when perceived as related to manifestation, It reveals itself as a Being, an Existent with the Ultimate Consciousness. The Consciousness is inherent, it is in fact the very nature of the Being. It is not merely an awareness of itself, it is a Consciousness that is at once self-aware and all-aware. It is the Maya by whom, the Consciousness(Brahm) manifests myriad Names and Forms, measures out finites from the depths of the Infinite, shapes the Many out of the One. Maya is energized and acts as a medium of the projection of this world of plurality on the non-dual ground of Brahm. Though empiric, Maya is bhavarupa, that is, not merely negative.
Well, this again gives rise to many questions, why does Brahm manifests? why should the absolute turn from its ineffable immutability towards movement, why the prefect express itself in imperfect ways? and what is it that it seeks which is not already contained in itself? A short answer is, it is Brahm's "Leela".
Sri Aurobindo explains this phenomenon as: Brahm manifestes himself not because of any want but for self-revelation, a self-deployment in the outpouring of his Bliss. It is this Ananda of his being that throws itself out for the sheer joy of an infinite movement and variation. Ananda is the base, Ananda the movement and Ananda the goal of manifestation. All creation is a surge of Brahm in an outflow of delight. This is the full import of the Vedantic dictum, all is Brahm (Sarvam Khalvidam Brahm). [The Teaching of Sri Aurobindo]
So even though both are apparently incompatible, Science doesn't debunk consciousness but look upon it as the product of the Prakriti. Since not much is known on how nature produces consciousness, quantum physicists like Stephen Hawking to qualify consciousness as a byproduct of the nature describe it as an "accidental byproduct". Scientists have no desire to go beyond Nature (Prakriti), but according to Vedanta, Brahm transcends the Prakriti. However, the Vedantic postulation that matter owes its origin to non-matter (Brahm) would be difficult to explain from scientific point of view. Now till the time scientists like Stephen Hawking don't meditate in their research laboratories or see a reason to meditate and realize this absolute truth (Aham Brahm Asmi) themselves, they're not going to accept such Vedantic postulates. Vedanta maintains that Nirgoon Brahm (impersonal) is not within the purview of the universe (Maya) so how can it influence us & the universe in general & how can we acquire knowledge of it? Well the answer is it doesn’t have any influence on us as Nirgoon, but it can only be realized in Nirvikalpa Samadhi, so it means from the empirical (Maya) point of view, the Nirgoon Brahm doesn’t exist & in Nirvikalpa Samadhi (from the absolute point of view) there's no universe & no Sagoon Brahm (personal).
Speaking of the relationship between them, Swami Vivekananda had hinted as early as in his 19 September 1893 address at the Parliament of World Religions that, “Science has proved to me that physical individuality is a delusion, that really my body is one little continuously changing body in an unbroken ocean of matter; and Advaita (unity) is the necessary conclusion with my other counterpart, soul.” The truths of Vedanta would be justified by modern science; this was Swamiji's dream: "Manifestation, and not creation, is the word of science today" [Vedanta & Modern Physics: Why The Marriage Of Spirituality And Science Is Difficult]
I really believe this - the Vedic hymns I feel is closest to the real nature of our entities - I feel we are all immortal and reincarnated time and again. I think the Vedic hymns although I don't truly understand them in my mind I try to in my heart
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