Barnett Weekly

The immensity of the universe is inconceivable. No matter how far we look, there is still more beyond. No matter what we see, there is far greater yet unseen. No matter how much we come to understand, there is ever more about which we no nothing.

The Mahayana Buddhist Flower Ornament (Avatamsaka) Sutra describes nothing less than the nature of the universe and our existence within it. In its voluminous 1,800 pages, the sutra exhausts the capabilities of language and demonstrates its inadequacy to fully describe reality. It expounds upon the miniscule and the infinitely huge; objects of no dimension and of multiple dimensions; galaxies and universes of all types and descriptions and indescribable aspects of the formless; qualities of time and space and the truth of no time and no space. Moreover, it elucidates a sacred interdependent matrix and the profound wisdom and practices that can be cultivated in harmony with the profound.

The accumulated wisdom of the Hubble space telescope program is no less voluminous and equally profound. In its twenty years of observation (hubblesite.org), Hubble has captured images that show the birth of stars, the remains of supernovas that exploded five billion years ago, evidence of black holes, vast galactic systems covering thousands of light years of space, and an infinite variety of shapes and forms. It has revealed the invisible scaffolding of dark matter, the unbounded power of dark energy accelerating the expansion of the universe, hints of the faster than light-speed interconnectedness of all phenomena, and unconditionally bestows this entire treasure to all humanity. 

The 2,000 year-old Flower Onament Sutra tells of placing entire galaxies on the tip of a hair without in any way disturbing time and space, and in its way, this is precisely what Hubble has done. By capturing images of the uncountable galaxies spread across timeless heaven, the telescope has reduced the inconceivable immensity of the universe to human scale. Upon seeing such images, one cannot help but reflect upon individual existence, itself an expression of the interaction of billions of trillions of infinitesimal manifestations of matter and energy. Each one of us, after all, is simply star stuff.

The Flower Ornament Sutra was compiled in stages over a 300-year period beginning around 100 AD. One must wonder how, without the aid of telescopes, astronomical equipment or advanced technology, ancients could so fully describe what Hubble has so graphically revealed. At times, passages within the sutra read like Hubble photo captions, as in the sutra’s description of the myriad shapes and forms of world-systems, now evidenced by Hubble’s 10-day deep-field exposure revealing tens of thousands of galaxies in “empty” space. At other points in the sutra, one finds the language of string-theory and its explanations of multiple hidden curled-up dimensions.

The ancients closely observed the sky, more so than the average person does today. Some ancient peoples thought the heavens were the inside surface of a closed sphere surrounding the earth, and that the stars were simply placed upon this surface. This was not an unreasonable explanation, and sufficed for many.

The Mahayana sutras expound a deeper view that goes far beyond seemingly simple explanations. Having explored the inner space of being and plumbed its inconceivability, the Buddhist understanding of outer space is not surprising. That Hubble’s observations have affirmed that understanding, however, is remarkable.

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Literary critic and author Christopher Hitchens’ “God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” (2007) reached number one on the NY Times bestseller book list and biologist Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delusion” (2006) has sold over 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 31 languages. God and religion, it seems, have become popular and highly profitable targets.

Religion has always generated controversy, particularly among those of differing faiths or no faith whatsoever, and invoking God undoubtedly adds a quality of self-righteousness to an otherwise non-religious struggle. Many a tyrant has thus cloaked himself in sanctimonious religious trappings; accordingly, rotten politics has all too often been conflated with religion. With the passage of time sordid political history is forgotten and it’s the religious history alone which appears blood-stained and ugly. To consider politics and religion as if they were historically distinct and separate is to ignore the reality of interdependent power relationships, and this incorrect view inevitably leads to distorted conclusions. A list human atrocities committed in the name of religion as evidence of religion’s evil ignores that such deeds were committed by ordinary people and the institutions created by them. The blame has thus been wrongly laid too easily and too often.

It is upon organized religion that Hitchens and Dawkins heap their greatest scorn. However, it is only by state sanction that institutions of organized religion combined with national wealth and military strength have historically been deployed. The Popes of old may have moved hearts and minds with words or edicts, but it was their economic and geo-political influence that moved armies – armies comprised of men. Today’s lone zealot who commits suicide in the name of faith while destroying others is a likely instance of a confused and disordered messianic delusion, not the fault of religion itself. To blame religion for the confusion and madness of people is like blaming the sun for those who get sunburned.

There exists a modern distinction between religion and spirituality, and perhaps the current anti-religious penchant is buttressed by the ease with which so many feel simply spiritual. As is so often the case, our language blurs distinctions rather than clarifying them and defining “spiritual” or “religious” inevitably provokes us into gray areas. Nowadays, the term “spiritual” is associated with a myriad of beliefs and activities, such as the intercession of angels, the healing power of crystals, past lives, clairvoyance, divination, and the power of chanting. “Religion,” on the other hand, while incorporating spiritual components, is more closely associated with the mainstream institutional practices of organized faiths with large memberships that maintain churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues.

Ultimately, definition and affiliation matter far less than the specifics of practice. Calling ourselves spiritual yet holding to no framework of specific values, ethics or behavior risks embracing spirituality as mere affectation. However, acknowledging our interdependence with others, honoring and elevating decency, compassion and benevolence as an intentional daily activity are deeply meaningful practices, as is appreciating that sincere forms of religion and spirituality all point to the human yearning for meaning and connection. Indeed, the possibility of profound personal transformation and growth matters greatly.

Finally, no matter how well they turn a phrase nor how many books they sell, neither Hitchens nor Dawkins can diminish the value of our powerful human longing for transcendence.

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