Physics, Meditation, Oneness, and the Bhagavad Gita By Glen Kezwer, Ph.D. Author, Teacher and Speaker “If you see the world and understand it with your current awareness, which has been developed in the company of people who have not realized the Self, then the world as it actually is, is not really as you understand it to be. If you see yourself based on all that you have known and learned, then who you really are is not the same as you understand yourself to be.” Science, physics, meditation, spirituality, oneness and the Bhagavad Gita all rolled up into one package? I never could have imagined that such an unlikely combination was possible when I first set out for India in the summer of 1979. Here I was a physicist, fresh from earning my doctoral degree, with the road to a fascinating career in science stretching out before me. But for reasons of curiosity, travel and adventure, rather than sliding directly onto that path, I, along with my wife Arlene, had decided to set out on a journey around the world. We were to take a year in exploring various destinations, seeing what other places on our planet had to offer. What we found was something we never could have expected. India was one of the places that was high on our priority list, and was undoubtedly the country that most piqued our curiosity with thoughts of exotic beaches, ancient temples, the Himalayas, and a fascinating and varied culture. On the way there, we spent a sun-filled couple of weeks on the Greek island of Skiathos. One night early in our stay we happened upon a South African couple, Arthur and Maureen, who were about our age. Arthur, who was of Greek origin spoke the language and was very helpful whenever translation services were required. He and Maureen were vegetarian. Inevitably the four of us would get into discussions about the reasons for their choice of diet—Arlene and I had previously been vegetarian but had since dropped the practice — and I remember being most fascinated by their regard for the life and consciousness in all living creatures. They spoke of the “one spirit” in everything, and especially in all their fellow human beings. It turned out that Arthur and Maureen were daily meditators and had been for years. Their universal respect for life and their interest in and knowledge of spiritual matters went hand in hand with their daily routine of meditation. As with vegetarianism, Arlene and I had dabbled in meditation for a while, even taking a series of home lessons by mail, but with little if any success. So we had dropped this practice also. One reason for our doing so was the concept that undertaking the practice of meditation meant giving up what we considered to be the “pleasures in life”: financial success, nice clothes, certain of our friends, and so on. But here were Arthur and Maureen, obviously well-off, both very nicely dressed, loving to shop, owning a large home back in Johannesburg, and evidently enjoying the finer things in life. We wanted to know more, and every night we would close down the cafes on the waterfront of Skiathos town talking about meditation, immortality, freedom, consciousness, inner peace, and enlightenment. Questions arose: What is the purpose of life? I call myself “I”, but what is the nature of that “I?” Where is it located? Can suffering be eliminated? Why do I never suffer when I am asleep, but only when I am awake or dreaming? Is there such a thing as immortality? If so, what part of me is immortal? I know it is not the body because it certainly was born and will eventually die, so there must be some other transcendent existence that goes beyond birth and death. All of these are existential questions perhaps, but they were both genuine and practical to me. We would continue our talk late into the night, until one or two in the morning when the café owner would let us know that it was well past closing time. We would then have to return to our hotel rooms, eagerly looking forward to the next evening’s discussion. On our last night together, Arthur posed a simple question: “What is taking you to India?” We gave the stock answer, enumerating the reasons I stated above: beaches, mountains, exotic culture, architecture. Arthur shook his head, saying words that turned out to be prophetic: “People often to go India for reasons they never suspect.” Fast forward a few months to India. As Arthur had predicted, our lives changed profoundly with one unexpected event: We met a man of great wisdom. I posed a question to him: “What am I missing in my life?” His response: “You are missing ‘you.’” I did not understand what he meant, but I sensed the truth of what he had said. At the same time, I had no idea of what that “you” was that I was missing, how I could find it, or what its qualities were. Yet I knew that find it I must, and I also knew that the key to finding it lay within. His cryptic answer to my query started me on the path of meditation. Fast forward once again, this time some thirty years hence to the present day. Meditation has become the central focus of my life. I have been practicing meditation and discussing its philosophy with others since those early days. One of the first aspects that struck me about this technique was that it is scientific in character. As a scientist, I am convinced of the validity and viability of the scientific method because of its clarity, consistency, reproducibility and attention to detail, and the fact that only what can pass the test of experimentation is acceptable. I have found that the same attributes apply to the technique of meditation which I consider to be a science in its own right. The method is clear and simple. Sit in a comfortable posture in a clean spot where you will not be disturbed for a while, close your eyes and begin to watch. You will notice that thoughts will come and go in your mind. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. One of the most prevalent misconceptions about meditation is that it necessitates emptying the mind of all thoughts, often using great effort. Try as you might, you will not be able to curtail your thinking. The good thing is, you don’t have to. Just watch and be easy. Nothing can ever go wrong in meditation. Behind your closed eyelids you will perceive a space. It may appear to be black, blue or multi-colored, dynamic or still. It doesn’t matter. Simply watch that space and be aware of how your thoughts originate from it. That space is your essence, the essential “you” that the wise man had disclosed to me. As you sit with closed eyes, maintain your awareness and alertness, focusing your attention on the Knower of your thoughts. By “Knower,” I mean the conscious awareness in your head which knows the thoughts which come and go in your mind field. The Knower is there at all times, whether you are entertaining a thought or not. Even if there are no thoughts, or in the gap between two thoughts, the Knower remains. It is the essential “I” of everybody. It is the space you perceive behind your closed eyelids. It is immortal, blissful, infinite, unchanging, indestructible and untouched by the events of the world. Keep watching. If you like, to keep your mind focused, use a mantra. The one I prefer is “Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum”—the letter “a” is pronounced like the letter “u” in the word “but”—which means “I am immortal. I am blissful.” If this is phrase is too long, use only “Amaram Madhuram”, or even “Hum, Hum, Hum, Hummm”. Repeat the mantra internally; its vibrations will reverberate with your inner consciousness, opening it up to new vistas of vastness and peace. If at some point you realize that you have lost your awareness of the mantra, gently bring your attention back to it and resume its repetition. Continue this process for as long as you are easy, and when you feel that your meditation session is over, open your eyes, gently rub your face with your hands a few times, and return to your daily activities. You will find that you have a renewed confidence, energy, vigor and zest for life. You will gain a sense of your own immortality and of the essential unity or oneness in the world that surrounds you. I personally practice meditation daily as a gateway to the inner, unchanging being which is the same in one and all. I have now tied together all of the elements in the title of this article with the exception of the Bhagavad Gita, which is probably the most widely read of all the texts of Indian philosophy. From my first reading of the Gita, I was taken by the combination of wisdom and practical knowledge which I found in its verses. It offers poetic and concise descriptions of the nature of the ultimate reality which we come to know through meditation, and how knowledge of this reality can be applied in a practical way in one’s daily life. The story of the Gita takes place on a battlefield where the leader of one of the opposing armies, Arjun, has surveyed the enemy ranks as the battle is about to commence, and has discovered to his horror that the enemy army is filled with his relatives, mentors and friends, or in short, people he loves and respects. He is now caught on the horns of a dilemma. As the commander of his army he is duty-bound to lead his soldiers into battle. The cause for which he is fighting is amply and morally justified, as his enemies have used devious means to usurp land which lawfully belonged to him and his brothers. So by all logical reasoning, he should commence battle. Yet, he is appalled by the thought of both killing and being responsible for the deaths of so many men whom he loves deeply. Incapable of coming to any clear decision as to what to do, he sinks helplessly in the back of his chariot, unable to move. Fortunately for Arjun, and for humanity at large who will benefit from the message of the Gita, his charioteer is by no means an ordinary man. He is Krishna, a being possessed of unparalleled wisdom who knows the ultimate truth of existence. In the allegorical sense, Arjun represents humankind struggling through the most harrowing of circumstances in search of this truth, and Krishna, as the knower of this truth, represents the highest ideal, oneness, and supreme consciousness. Knowing that Krishna’s wisdom is unrivalled, Arjun asks him for help in resolving his dilemma. Krishna’s response to Arjun comprises the message of the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna begins his teachings by giving a description of the ultimate reality, which he refers to as the Self: The Self is immortal. It cannot be cut by weapons, burnt by fire, wet by water, or dried by the wind. It is indestructible. (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, verse 23) Here the Self refers to our essential being or true nature, the Knower or “I” referred to earlier. It is called the Self in the Gita because it is who we all are, our own self, the essence of each and every one of us. If we are going to set out to know our Self or “I,” we have to both be able to describe it in words—although these inevitably fall short—and have a technique for finding it. The Bhagavad Gita fulfills both of these needs. If we look at the description of the Self in the above verse, it becomes clear that the Self cannot be perceived by any of our senses. What do we know of that cannot be destroyed, burned, made wet or dried? Nothing, or at least nothing that we can see with our eyes open. When we close our eyes in meditation, we experience that which we cannot see, hear, taste, touch or smell. That inner space is that which cannot be touched by weapons, wind, fire or water. There are many more verses in the Gita which describe the nature of the Self. It also provides several techniques or paths for getting to the Self, the principal ones being meditation, action, devotion and knowledge. Depending on an individual’s inclination and personality, any one or a combination of these paths will suit him or her. Each path leads to the Self. The Gita is an ancient scripture, but its applicability to modern life cannot be disputed. The wisdom it contains can lead a person to peace, ease, and success both in one’s personal and professional life. I have always been taken by Mahatma Gandhi’s heartfelt praise of the Gita: When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavadgita. I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies—and my life has been full of external tragedies — and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Bhagavdgita. The Gita’s message takes us to the real “Omplace,” the inner place of peace, silence, stillness, perfection, wholeness and deathlessness. To learn about Glen Kezwer’s course “The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita,” please go to Transformedu.com. His book Meditation, Oneness and Physics is available from your local bookstore, or online at Lantern Books, Sterling Publishers, or Amazon.com. View Glen’s nine-minute video on the Gita, or listen to his thirty-minute podcast on by clicking here, and then clicking on “Listen to His Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita.” Glen can be contacted by email. Glen Kezwer, Ph.D., is the author of Meditation, Oneness and Physics and The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Home-Study Course. He holds a doctorate in physics. In 1982 he joined a meditation institute in northern India. Since that time he has studied and practiced the science of meditation, published articles and taught meditation and its concomitant philosophy. He has lectured extensively in India, the United States, Canada, and Europe, and has been an invited speaker at various conferences. He has personally practiced meditation and the principles of Indian philosophy, applying them in his own life. He has found the truth of the vision of Oneness espoused in the Gita, where all of creation is seen as one unique, undivided existence. The results of such practice are happiness, clear thinking, peace of mind, self-sufficiency and fearlessness. RETURN TO OMPLACE HOME