Where Science and Spirituality Converge

Questioner: Is there some scientific context to spirituality? Because, at the end of the day, as you said, ‘Religion forms a boundary, an outer shell, within which spirituality remains.’ Because this has to be something that stops you from doing something wrong or something that is fundamentally upsetting. So, how can we define spirituality and align it with something which can be seen or proved, or is more scientific?

Acharya Prashant: The only thing that spirituality and science have in common is an honest urge to know the Truth. In science, you work on observations and experiments, numbers and data and you don’t fudge them. If you see something, you record it as it is. Spirituality is about the inner world; by that, I mean the mind. Science observes the external universe using the senses that we have, so you use your eyes, you use your hands, and all other faculties possible to know the facts of the visible observable universe as you experience it.

Spirituality is about observing the mind; seeing how the whole thing functions inside. And these two have to be in tandem.

In fact, the Upanishads put it very clearly and very succinctly, they say that you cannot have one of these without the other. The knowledge of the mind is called Vidya and the knowledge of the universe, the domain of science is called Avidya .

The Upanishads say that someone who wants to have inner knowledge, without having worldly knowledge will fall into a very, very deep well. In fact, they say, the same will be true of the person who respects worldly knowledge without having any inner knowledge (Atmagyan) , he too will suffer. But the one who intends to be spiritual without being scientific will suffer even more.

So, this clear and very categoric comparison is there, that if there are two kinds of persons, one, who is worldly without being spiritual, that person will suffer deeply. But the suffering of the person who claims to be spiritual without understanding the world will be even deeper.

So, these two have to go together and the one thing that will help a seeker be both spiritual and scientific is the common value that enables the generation of true knowledge of any kind, and that is honesty and integrity.

In fact, if you observe a vehicle moving, it would be very difficult for you to refute that you did see a vehicle moving because the vehicle was there and a camera can record the movement of the vehicle and there can be five other people who can testify that a vehicle did indeed go this way. But if the vehicle that passed by aroused jealousy within oneself, there would be nobody to testify that, there would be nobody to prove it and there is no camera that can record the jealousy that arose within.

Honesty then becomes even more important because if you are someone who wants to deny the inner facts, it can be very easily done.

So, what is happening outside of you, if you study that with honesty, and curiosity and enquire into it deeply without any bias, then you are scientific. And if you carry the same spirit of inquiry to your mind, ‘What is it that is happening within? From where do my thoughts arise? How do I get emotional when triggered in a particular way? Why does anger explode when subjected to such stimuli? What am I fearful of? These feelings that I call as ‘my own’, where did I really get them from?’

If you enquire into these things and enquire into these things has to be a very live thing. It has to be something that happens at the moment. You cannot reflect on anger after it has passed. It would not be of much use. Spirituality says, ‘At the moment when things are happening within, know them.'

So, the approach is similar to that of science except that it requires a much more honest mind. Because the incentive to lie to oneself, to deceive oneself is great and there are hardly any tangible repercussions or punishments.

You can be a self-deceptive person who keeps telling himself, ‘Oh, I am very compassionate, I am very caring, I listen with empathy, and I am not prejudiced or biased’ and you can convince yourself that you are that way, and there can be just no tangible proof that I have been lying to myself.

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