Restructuring Physics From Its Foundation in Light of Maharishi Vedic Science

Restructuring Physics From Its Foundation in Light of Maharishi Vedic Science

https://www.mum.edu/pdf_msvs/v03/hagelin.pdf

About the Author

Dr. John Hagelin is Professor of Physics and Director of the

Doctoral Program in Physics at Maharishi International University.

Dr. Hagelin received his A.B. Summa Cum Laude

from Dartmouth College in 1975. After completing his Ph.D.

at Harvard University in 1981, Dr. Hagelin joined the theoretical

physics groups at the European Laboratory for Particle

Physics (CERN) and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

(SLAC), where he became actively engaged in fundamental

research at the forefront of super symmetric unified field

theories. Following his positions at CERN and at SLAC, Dr.

Hagelin joined the faculty of Maharishi International University,

where he established a doctoral program in elementary

particle physics and unified quantum field theories. Dr.

Hagelin has published extensively in the area of supersymmetric

unified quantum field theories in such journals as

Physics Letters, Nuclear Physics, and The Physical Review.

In addition, Dr. Hagelin has gone more deeply than any other

scientist into the profound connections between modern physics

and the Vedic Science of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

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Restructuring Physics

From Its Foundation in Light of

Maharishi Vedic Science

Joh n S . Hageli n

Maharishi International University

Fairfield, Iowa, U.S.A.

Abstract

In this article, we present a new understanding and language of physics based

directly on the unified field. This understanding is made possible through the latest

developments in our understanding of the unified field provided by the superstring

and the understanding and experience of the unified field provided by Maharishi

Vedic Science and its experiential technologies. Our discussion begins with a consideration

of the unified field itself viewed from its own level and in terms of its own

intrinsic properties and behavior. We subsequently extend this analysis to include a

systematic investigation of its fundamental modes—the elementary particles and

forces of nature, in which we explicitly identify all known particles with specific

vibrational states of the field. We propose a new language and terminology of physics

in which the elementary particles are named for the specific vibrational states of

the field they correspond to. The special significance of the Vedic terminology in

this context is explained and discussed. We conclude with a consideration of the

implications for society of a fully developed science and technology of the unified

field made possible through the subjective approach of Vedic Science and its

applied, experiential technologies.

Address correspondence to: Department of Physics

Maharishi International University, Fairfield, IA 52557

Modern Science and Vedic Science, Volume 3, Number 1, 1989

© 1989 Maharishi International University

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Contents

I. Introduction 4

II. Th e Essential Characteristics of the Unified Field 8

III. Th e Hilbert Spac e Formulation of Quantum Mechanic s

and the Three-In-One Dynamic s of Intelligence 13

IV. Th e Elementary Particles and Forces of Nature as

Mode s of the Unified Field 25

V. Quantum Cosmology and Vedi c Cosmology 36

VI. Unified Field Based Civilization 44

Acknowledgements 49

Appendi x A: Field Effects of Consciousness 49

Appendi x B: Th e Vacuum Wav e Functional 61

Appendi x C: Deriving Flipped SU(5) from String 61

References 68

I. Introduction

It wa s Einstein's deep conviction that the laws of nature had a simple, geometric,

unified foundation, and that this unification could be understood by the human intellect.

Within the past two decades, a numbe r of important breakthroughs in this area have led

to a progressively mor e unified understanding of the laws of nature, culminating in the

recent discovery of completely unified field theories. Thes e theories afford, for the first

time, a self-consistent and completely unified description of the elementary particles

and forces in terms of a single, self-interacting field. The heterotic superstring with an

internal E 8 x E 8

gauge symmetry, in particular, unifies all known forces in a consistent

quantum theory of gravity. Recent formulations of the heterotic string, including manifold

compactifications [1], orbifold compactifications [2], and especially string formulations

directly in four dimensions [3], have produced impressive derivations of the

observe d low-energy SU(3)xSU(2)xU(l) gaug e grou p and all known matte r fields

directly from the underlying, unified superstring field.

Thes e achievements mark the beginning of a new era in physics—one in which the

unified source and foundation of the entire discipline is fully in view. This unprecedented

situation calls for a new understanding and language of physics—one in which

the elementary particles and forces, and indeed the entire discipline, are clearly understood

and expressed in relation to their unified source in the unified field. Until now, the

understanding and associated terminology of physics has been dominated by historical

and/or random influences. An exampl e of the former is the term "lepton" (meaning

"light" ) which is used today to denote the electron, muon, and tauon and their associated

neutrinos. In fact, the tau lepton is actually heavier than most baryons—a term

that mean s "heavy. " Th e term "quark, " which is used to denote the elementary subconstituents

of baryons and mesons, is a prime example of the randomness of the nomenclature.

Originally taken from Joyce's Finnegans Wake, the term commonly refers to a

breakfast cheese found in Germany and Switzerland.

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The term "lepto-quark" is used in physics to denote the proposed unification of leptons

and quarks at the level of grand unification. It illustrates the historical tendency to

base the understanding and interpretation of deeper, more unified levels of nature's

dynamic s (i.e., grand unification) in terms of more superficial, incomplete and fragmented

levels (i.e., electroweak unification). It also illustrates the proliferation of terminology that

w a s already inappropriate (i.e., historical, as in lepton, or random, as in quark) to increasingly

fundamental scales.

A mor e illuminating perspective would be one in which the mor e superficial and

diversified levels of the discipline wer e based upon mor e fundamental levels, and wher e

these mor e fundamental levels wer e in turn connected to their unified source in the unified

field. All aspects of the discipline would then be seen in terms of their sequential

unfoldment from the unified field, providing a natural logic and organization to the

entire discipline. Provided the terms wer e chosen accordingly, each aspect of the discipline

would indicate its position and purpose with respect to the whole . Th e vision of

the whol e would, in turn, give significance to each part.

This foundational approach to knowledge has been applied at Maharishi International

University by faculty from numerous different disciplines through their development of

"Unified Field Charts. " Thes e charts provide a conceptual ma p of an entire discipline.

The y illustrate the interrelation of all the different parts of the discipline, from the most

abstract foundational levels to the most superficial and applied levels, and show how

the whol e discipline sequentially emerge s from a unified source (e.g., the universe of

sets in mathematics, the transition state in chemistry, or the superstring in physics). By

relating the parts of knowledge to the wholeness of knowledge , these charts bestow

knowledg e at a glance. They also provide a powerful research perspective: any gaps in

the current understanding of the discipline tend to be starkly exposed as areas requiring

further study.

Some shift towards this new, unified field-based perspective is already occurring in

the context of the string. The low-energy effective field theory governing physics at

observable scales (i.e., the known particles and forces) are now being described as the

"massless modes " of the string. Thes e massless string modes, and thus the elementary

particles and forces they represent, can be classified according to their purely stringy

characteristics—their periodicity conditions on the string world sheet. For example , the

graviton, the dilaton, and the two-index antisymmetric tensor belong to the NeveuSchwar

z (antiperiodic) sector of the string, and so forth. However, the choice of language

(e.g., "Neveu-Schwarz " sector) is mor e historical than descriptive, and remains

the exclusive province of string theorists.

Man y students and lay physicists with a sincere desire to understand the most fundamental

knowledge of natural law now available through modern science have expressed frustration

at the inappropriate and often confusing language of fundamental particle physics. In

the following sections, we will begin to develop a new perspective and terminology of

physics based directly on the unified field, and not primarily upon historically prior levels

of physics. We will begin this analysis with a consideration of the unified field itself,

viewed from its own level and in terms of its own intrinsic properties and behavior.

In this analysis, in addition to the latest developments in our understanding of the

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unified field provided by the superstring, we make use of the very complete description of

the unified field and its self-interacting dynamics provided by Vedic Science as recently

formulated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi [4]. Maharishi Vedi c Science is based upon the

ancient Vedic tradition of gaining knowledge through the exploration of consciousness.

Many thousands of years ago, the seers of the Himalayas discovered, through the exploration

of the silent levels of their own awareness, a unified field where all the laws of nature

are found together in a state of wholeness. This unity of nature wa s directly experienced to

be a self-interacting field of consciousness which is unbounded, all-pervading, unchanging,

and the self-sufficient source of all existing things. They experienced and gave

expression to the self-interacting dynamics through which this unified field sequentially

gives rise to the diversity of all the laws of nature. The expression of this knowledge , and

the techniques by which it is gained, has been passed on over thousands of years in wha t

is now the oldest continuous tradition of knowledge in existence [5]. In the past three

decades, Maharishi has reformulated this knowledge in a scientific framework that is

both accessible and empirically testable, placing the Vedi c knowledge in the intellectual

mainstream of the West and reviving it in the East as well. This revival of the Vedi c

knowledge has given rise to a new, quantitative science of consciousness with practical

applications and proven technologies in every major area of human concern, including

health, education, rehabilitation, and world peace [4-7].

Vedi c Science, like modern science, seeks to identify and explore the most fundamental

and universal principles of intelligence at the basis of nature's functioning. In

addition, Vedi c Science (unlike modern science) provides systematic experiential technologie

s which allow the direct exploration of these most fundamental and universal

principles of intelligence in consciousness [8-10]. Thes e subjective technologies allow

the mind to experienc e deeper, mor e fundamental and unified states of awareness.

Thes e fundamental states of awareness have been found to possess a close structural

correspondenc e to the physical structure of natural law at fundamental scales [11].

This dee p parallel between the structure of huma n intelligence and the intelligence of

nature is well known to physicists. Wigne r referred to this connection as "the unreasonable

effectiveness of mathematic s in the physical sciences, " i.e., the subtle structures

of huma n intelligence codified in mathematica l formulas correspond precisely to

the subtle structures of intelligence displayed in nature. For Einstein, this connection

between huma n intelligence and the intelligence of nature also had deep significance.

For him "the eternal mystery of the universe [was] its comprehensibility" by the

huma n mind. This deep parallel between huma n intelligence and the intelligence of

nature make s it possible to gain profound physical insight into the mechanic s of nature

through the understanding and experienc e of the most fundamental mechanic s of

huma n intelligence.

This important realization fulfills a principal need of modern physics. It is commonly

stated that there is no common-sens e basis for the understanding and teaching of modern

physics. The understanding of advanced concepts in physics has historically been

based on the classical intuitions gained from the experience of simple mechanical systems

and wav e tanks encountered in mor e elementary courses. However, these concrete

classical concepts no longer provide an adequate basis for understanding physics at the

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quantum-mechanica l or quantum field-theoretic levels, and are often mor e confusing

than illuminating. If one's outer, sensory experience fails to provide a viable common -

sense basis for physics, then the only obvious alternative is the inner experience of the

dynamic s of consciousness itself. From the arguments presented above, it is already

clear that such an approach can indeed provide an effective intuitive foundation for

physics which extends to the dynamics of fundamental scales. (As our analysis proceeds,

this point will become increasingly clear.) Using this consciousness-based

approach, the MIU faculty have developed a twenty-lesson introduction to the conceptual

foundations of unified field theories which is taken by all first-year students, in

which we have found that even the most abstract principles of the discipline are easily

grasped by students with no prior scientific background.

The experiential technologies of Maharishi Vedi c Science—which include the

Transcendenta l Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs—have revealed a single, unified

field of intelligence at the foundation of conscious experience. In this fundamental state

of awareness, the knower, the known, and the process of knowing are united in a state of

pure, self-interacting consciousness, in which consciousness knows itself alone. This

inner subjective experience is marked by the onset of a unique constellation of physiological

[12], neurophysiological [13], and biochemical changes [14], consistent with the

proposal [15] that the experience of pure consciousness corresponds to a fourth major

state of consciousness distinct from waking, dreaming and deep sleep states of consciousness.

From this experience, we conclude that huma n consciousness, like material creation,

has at its basis a unified field of intelligence. The most parsimonious explanation,

provided by Maharishi Vedi c Science [4], is that these two fundamental fields of intelligence

are not independent, but one and the same, providing a profound and previously

unexpected unification of subjective and objective realms of experience. Indeed, such a

framework appears to be required [11] to account for experimentally observed field

effects of consciousness* and other phenomenological aspects of higher states of consciousness.

It also explains the otherwise "unreasonable " parallel between human intelligence

and the intelligence of nature.

Whe n first proposed, such a framework seeme d to require a radical rethinking of

physics and/or the relationship of consciousness to the physical world. In retrospect, it

seems rather natural that the most fundamental level of human experience—the unified

field of pure self-interacting consciousness—would be the same unified field found at the

basis of all other forms and phenomena in nature. According to this perspective, the unified

field is the unified source of both subjective and objective realms of existence. As

such, the unified field is fundamentally as much a field of subjectivity as it is a field of

objectivity. From this perspective, the use of a subjective approach to knowledge appears

both justified and natural.

Indeed, one might worry that the purely objective approach of modern science would

fail to apply at the level of super-unification, both in principle and in practice. In principle,

since by assumption there is only one dynamical degree of freedom at the scale of

super-unification (the unified field), a subject-object relationship might be difficult to

See Appendix A on field effects of consciousness.

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sustain. In practice , the time and distanc e scales characteristic of super-unification

are far beyond the range of any conceivable accelerator technology. As the principal

focus of theoretical physics has shifted to the experimentally inaccessible domains of

grand unification and super-unification, already theorists have had to rely increasingly

on their analytic and intuitive abilities—subjective competencies of their own consciousness.

Thu s the development and application of a subjective approach seems not

only natural, but increasingly necessary.

T h e viability of the subjective approach is amply demonstrated by the precision

and depth of insight into the most fundamental mechanic s of nature's intelligence—

the structure and dynamic s of the unified field and the mechanic s of symmetry breaking—whic

h is available in the Vedi c texts. In the following sections, we will therefore

incorporate insights from both the objective approach of modern theoretical physics and

the predominantly subjective approach of Maharishi Vedi c Scienc e to unfold a mor e

complet e and appropriat e understanding and terminology of physics based upon the

unified field.

II. Th e Essential Characteristics of the Unified Field

We will begin our analysis of the discipline of physics with a consideration of the unified

field itself. In the interest of generality, we will resist the temptation to place undue

emphasis on the model-dependent features of the E 8 x E 8

heterotic string. Instead, we will

focus on universal properties which are characteristic of any unified quantum field. Such

an analysis, in principle, is rather difficult to contain: a complete description of the unified

field would probably entail a full analysis of the entire, diversified structure of manifest

creation, since the totality of natural law is ultimately contained within the structure

and dynamic s of the unified field. The discriminating intellect will therefore discern,

within the structure of the unified field, the potential for the entire universe, as a tree is

contained within the seed. (Indeed, we will argue in a later section that the process of creation

can be viewed as nothing more than a sequentially more elaborated commentary on

the structure of the unified field itself.) We will, nonetheless, attempt to limit our discussion

to the most basic and fundamental properties of the field and reserve, until a later section,

the subsequent unfoldment of further details concerning the structure of the universe.

We will begin our discussion with a concise review of the essential characteristics of

the unified field as described by Maharishi Vedi c Science, which will provide a useful

direction and framework for our subsequent physical analysis. According to Maharishi

Vedi c Science, the unified field is fundamentally a field of consciousness [4]. The field is

known as atman, meaning "pure consciousness, " or "self," since the unified field

constitutes the deepest reality and hence the true identity of everything in nature. The

term "consciousness " is clearly distinguished from the highly individualized and

anthropocentric sense of the term commo n to everyday experience: it is used to denote a

completel y universa l field of "pure , self-interacting" consciousness—consciousness

awar e of itself alone, devoid of any individualizing influence or external objects of experience

[4,5]. Du e to its essential nature as consciousness, Maharishi explains, the unified

field ha s the dual characteristics of existence and intelligence [6,16]. Consciousness

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exists—all forms and phenomen a in the universe, which constitute its various expressions,

can be said to exist by virtue of its existence. The existence of consciousness is an

empirical reality which is self-evident in higher states of consciousness [10], if not necessarily

in the wakin g state, in which consciousness, being outwardly directed, is never the

object of experience. Th e intelligence property of consciousness is associated with its

self-interacting nature: due to its essential nature as consciousness, consciousness is

awar e of its own existence—i.e., consciousness "witnesses " itself [6,9]. This highly nonlinear

property of awareness sets up within the field of consciousness a three-in-one

structure of knower, known, and process of knowing: consciousness (the knower) is

awar e of consciousness (the known ) through the agency of consciousness (the process of

knowing). This self-interacting dynamic s of consciousness knowing itself and its associated

three-in-one structure of knower, known, and process of knowing is called the Ved

[4]. This self-interacting dynamic s is responsible for the spontaneous and sequential

emergenc e of the diversified structure of the laws of nature from the field of pure consciousness:

one (consciousness) become s three (knower, known, and process of knowing),

and these in turn become many through a precise and spontaneous sequence of

expression described in Maharishi Vedi c Science and open to direct experience through

its applied, experiential technologies, the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs.

This inherent capacity for consciousness to know itself, or "witnessing" property of

the field, is known as buddhi (meaning "intelligence" or "intellect") in the language of

Maharishi Vedi c Science [9]. It refers to the highly dynamic, discriminative (consciousness

discriminates between itself as knower, known, and process of knowing) and creative

(it creates three from the state of unity) property of the field responsible for the spontaneous

and sequential emergenc e of the diversified structure of the laws of nature. A mor e

complet e discussion of this self-interacting dynamic s and its associated three-in-one

structure will be presented in the following section. For the moment, we will focus on the

two essential characteristics of existence and intelligence, and their seemingly fundamental

role in the unified quantum field theories of modern theoretical physics.

In any unified quantum field theory, the most obvious and essential property of the

unified field is that it exists. As in Maharishi Vedi c Science, everything else may be said

to exist by virtue of its existence. For this existence to be substantial, it must be perma -

nent, i.e., the field should exist eternally. This property is expressed in physics as the

time-translational invariance of the Lagrangian density—an essential characteristic of

any realistic unified field theory.

The second major property of the unified field which one is led to expect on the basis

of our previous analysis is intelligence. By assumption, the unified field is the unified

source of all the laws of nature governing physics at every scale. Thes e laws of nature

formally express the order and intelligence inherent in natural phenomena . If there wer e

no laws of nature, there would be no consistent patterns of natural behavior, and nature

would be unintelligible. If, as particle physicists believe, all the laws of nature have

their dynamical origin in the unified field, then the unified field must itself embody the

total intelligence of nature's functioning.

To some extent, we can trace this property of intelligence to the fact that the unified

field, beyond its mer e existence, has a very precise and definite mathematical structure.

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it is clear that the quantum principle adds tremendous dynamism to the rather abstract

and inert characteristic of intelligence available in the classical description.

Beside s adding a degree of discrimination and dynamism to the abstract property of

intelligence available at the classical level, the quantum principle also endows the field

with a creative capacity which is far beyond that of any classical field theory. For

example , the dynamica l self-interaction of the gluon field induced by quantum effects

leads to strong coupling and henc e to the highly nonlinear process of color confinement.

Thu s the entire spectrum of bound-state hadrons results from the quantuminduced

self-interaction of the gluon field. Th e dynamical breaking of supersymmetry

and the resulting masse s for sparticles and higgs bosons probably results from a similar,

quantum-induced strong coupling phas e in the hidden sector gauge group. The

spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetrie s like the electroweak symmetry is also due

to a quantum-mechanica l mechanism. In this case, radiative corrections to the higgs

mass a t renormalization-group scales Mw

<< M P 1

trigger spontaneous symmetry breaking,

giving masse s to quarks and leptons and to the intermediate vector bosons. Mor e

generally, the emergenc e of _ discrete quanta from the continuous dynamic s of a

field is impossible in the context of classical field theory [17]. Quantum mechanic s is

needed to generate quanta (i.e., particles) from the field, and thus to create the material

univers e as we know it.

Thu s we conclude that the quantum principle introduces qualitatively new behavior

which is not found at the level of classical field theory. In particular, it introduces a

degree of discrimination, dynamism, and creativity not present at the classical level.

Thes e characteristics mak e the rather abstract and inert quality of intelligence present in

the classical description dynamic, discriminative, and creative, which corresponds precisely

to the dynamic , discriminative, and creative quality of intelligence, or buddhi,

found in our previous discussion of Maharishi Vedi c Science. For this reason, we will

associate the quantum principle with the intelligence (or buddhi) characteristic of the unified

field—that property of the unified field which, combined with its classical symme -

tries and structure, is responsible for the creative dynamics of nature—the spontaneous

and sequential emergenc e of the diversified structure of the laws of nature governing life

on all levels of the physical universe.

In this section, we have identified two essential properties of the unified field—

existence and intelligence. Concerning existence, very little can be, or need be, said. Its

reality can be inferred from the existence of the universe. The intelligence property is

abundantly displayed in the innumerable laws of nature governing natural phenomena at

every scale of the physical universe. We have traced this property of intelligence to the

unified field itself—to its classical symmetries and structure, and especially to the quantum

principle, which endows the field with a degree of intelligence—of discrimination,

dynamism and creativity—not present at the classical level.

supersymmetry. In the limit of exact supersymmetry, the positive vacuum energy contributed by the vacuum

fluctuations of bose fields is cancelled by the negative energy associated with the vacuum fluctuations of fermi

fields. Since supersymmetry is necessarily broken at some level, this cancellation cannot be exact, and some

additional cancellation mechanism is needed. There is some evidence to suggest that this mechanism could be

provided by wormhole interactions.

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It is interesting to note that in Maharishi Vedic Science, because the unified field is

fundamentally a field of consciousness, it automatically incorporates both characteristics

of existence and intelligence [6,16]. In the unified field theories of modern theoretical

physics, the quantum principle is always introduced as an extra, ad hoc assumption.

Ther e is no understanding in physics concerning the origin of the quantum principle,

and there is little hope that quantum mechanics will be derivable from string theory.

O ne can therefore appreciate the elegance and economy of Vedic Science, in which one

fundamental postulate (consciousness) automatically incorporates both characteristics

of existence and intelligence—both the field and the quantum principle.

In the language of Vedic Science, these two are known as atman and buddhi (see

Figure 1). The term Samhita, meaning "collectedness" or "unity," is also used to

describe the unified field [4]. Wherea s atman brings out the essential nature of the unified

field as consciousness, Samhita emphasizes its fundamentally unified nature. The

special significance of these Vedic terms will be discussed in Section IV.

In this section, we have identified the essential characteristics of the unified field

based on an elementary analysis of the algebraic form of the canonical commutation

relation (1). In the next section, we will present a more complete, geometric formulation

of quantum mechanic s in Hilbert space. We will find that the Hilbert space formulation

provides a far mor e explicit and comprehensive view of the self-interacting dynamics of

nature's intelligence governing the mechanics of creation from the unified field. It

thereby also affords a mor e complete and satisfactory framework for making precise,

quantitative connections between the unified quantum field theories of modern theoretical

physics and the Vedic Science of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

III. Th e Hilber t Space Formulation of Quantum Mechanic s

and the Three-in-One Dynamic s of Intelligence

In the previous section, we traced the dynamical origin of nature's intelligence to the

structure and dynamics of the unified field. At the classical level of description, this intelligence

is contained in the precise mathematical form of the unified field—its classical symmetries

and structure—which provides the unmanifest "blueprint" of the laws of nature governing

physics at every scale. With the introduction of the quantum principle, this passive,

classical view of intelligence acquires a level of dynamism, discrimination and creativity

not present at the classical level. This dynamic and creative view of intelligence afforded by

the quantum principle is sufficient to explain the spontaneous and sequential emergence of

the entire, diversified structure of the laws of nature from the unified field, as has been explicitly

demonstrated by the latest unified quantum field theories, particularly the superstring.

We have also noted that the clear discrimination between the field and its canoni -

cally conjugate momentu m П introduced by the quantum principle (1) suggests a witnessing

quality of the field, in which the field stands clearly divorced from its own

activity. The term "witnessing " tends to imply a degree of alertness not generally

ascribed to a classical field theory, but it is precisely this quality of dynami c intelligence

that the quantum principle provides. This dynamism has its roots in the algebraic form

of the canonical commutation relation (1) and in the resulting infinite-dimensional Lie

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algebra of quantum-mechanica l observables, and achieves its full physical significance

in the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (2), which endows the field with tremendous

dynamism at fundamental spacetime scales.

In the fundamental approach of Maharishi Vedi c Science, this highly dynami c and

alert quality of the field is present ab initio—the unified field is defined as a field of

dynami c intelligence, or consciousness [4]. Here, as we have previously noted, the term

consciousness is clearly distinguished from the highly individualized and anthropocentric

sense of the term commo n to everyday experience. It is used to denote a completely

universal field of "pure, self-interacting" consciousness—consciousness aware of itself

alone, devoid of any individualizing influence or external objects of experience [4,5].

This, however, does not imply that this most fundamental and universal value of consciousness

is beyond the range of human experience. The experiential technologies of

Vedi c Science are precisely formulated to bring this fundamental state of awareness

within the realm of huma n experience [4].

In this most fundamental and universal structure of experience, known as "transcendental

consciousness " or "pure consciousness, " consciousness is isolated in its pure form,

devoid of thought or any concrete object of experience. However, due to its intrinsic

nature as consciousness, consciousness is aware of its own existence—i.e., consciousness

"witnesses " itself [6,9]. This highly nonlinear, self-interacting property of awareness

sets up within the field of consciousness a three-in-one structure of knower,

known , and process of knowing : consciousness (the knower) is awar e of consciousness

(the known ) through the agency of consciousness (the process of knowing). This

self-interacting dynamic s of consciousness, or witnessing quality of the field, is

termed the intelligence aspect of the unified field, or buddhi in the language of Vedi c

Scienc e [4,9]. It is dynamic , discriminative (consciousness discriminate s betwee n

itself as knower, known , and process of knowing ) and creative (it creates three from a

state of unity), and corresponds precisely to the dynamic , discriminative, and creative

quality of intelligence found in our earlier discussion of the quantum principle.

This highly nonlinear, self-interacting quality of consciousness is a familiar property

of any unified non-Abelian gauge field. A non-Abelian (i.e., nonlinear) field possesse s

a degre e of self-interaction not present in an Abelian field, such as electromagnetism.

Becaus e the electromagneti c field equations are linear in the field strength, two beams

of light pass through each other with no interaction and hence no awareness of each

other's presence . A non-Abelian field, such as the gluon field of quantum chromody -

namics, the unified electroweak field, or a superunified gauge field, possesses the nonlinear

property of self-interaction whic h is lacking in an Abelian field. As a conse -

quenc e of its own self-coupling, a non-Abelian field responds dynamically to its own

presence—th e field interacts with the field through the agency of the field. It is this

highly nonlinear, self-interacting or "self-referral" property of the field, which achieves

its full significance in the presence of the quantum principle, that make s the unified

field a field of consciousness, according to Maharishi Vedic Science.*

In fact, it is essential for this argument that the field be purely self-interacting, as in the case of a unified

quantum field, and thus the self-sufficient source of all created things. —Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, private

communication.

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* See footnote on previous page.

+

Or possibly some subset of that structure, depending on whether the transformation is differentiable, linear, or

unitary.

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*The need to consider states of infinite norm in quantum mechanics introduces a further degree of liveliness not

present in the classical structure of a Hilbert space. It changes the structure of the space to what is called a

"rigged" Hilbert space, which involves a highly dynamic interplay between several different function spaces.

For a detailed discussion, see ref. [18].

+

In general, more than one observable may be needed to completely specify a set of basis vectors. In this case,

the set of observables needed to define the basis vectors is called a maximal commuting set.

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vectors spans the Hilbert space and thereby provides a complete characterization of

quantum-mechanica l knowledge . Although each, in itself, is entirely self-sufficient, the

availability of several different bases presents a variety of distinct but complementary

perspectives. For example, in one basis, energy serves as the defining characteristic of

the system; in a second, its position in space, and so on. This "complementarity" of different

viewpoints is one of the mor e striking characteristics of the quantum theory, and

has its clear correspondence in the different qualities of the knowe r or Rishi in Maharishi

Vedi c Science.

If the property of "knower " in the structure of quantum-mechanica l knowledg e is

provided by the Hilbert spac e of states, then the "process of knowing " is provided by the

quantum-mechanica l observables. Thes e quantum-mechanica l observable s represent

all the propertie s of a quantum-mechanica l system that can be known—its energy,

momentum, angula r momentum, etc., dependin g on the details of the quantummechanica

l system. Thes e quantum-mechanica l observable s correspond to operators in

Hilbert space, and can therefore be viewed as infinite-dimensional matrices. Thes e operators,

it must be emphasized, are distinct from the classical quantities they represent.

The latter depend intimately upon the state of the system, wherea s the quantummechanica

l observable s do not. They have a mor e universal status, and are associated

with the process of gaining knowledge, i.e., of extracting information about the quantum-mechanica

l system. The value of some classical observabl e (represented by a

lower case o) in a quantum-mechanica l system is compute d by taking the inner product

of the state vector |W) with the state vector acted upon by the corresponding quantum-mechanica

l observabl e (represented by a capital O):

The value of the quantity (o) is well defined only if the system is in an eigenstate of the

corresponding observable (O); i.e., if

Otherwise, the quantum-mechanica l system does not generally possess a definite value

of the observable, and a sequence of measurements performed with identically prepared

systems will yield different values. The average or expected value of o, averaged over

man y trials, is given by the expectation value (6).* Thus the quantum-mechanical

observable (O) is clearly distinct from its classically measured quantity (o); the latter

depends intimately upon the state of the system, wherea s the former is an operator in

Hilbert space associated with the process of gaining knowledge .

T h e quantum-mechanica l notion of an observable (O) is a far mor e dynami c concept

than the classical quantity (o) it represents. Due to their status as operators, these quantum-mechanical

observables are the dynamical generators of transformations in Hilbert

space. They actively transform one quantum-mechanica l state into another and, mor e

* A more detailed discussion of the quantum measurement process will be presented in Section V.

(6)

(7)

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T he Three-in-One Structure

of Quantum-Mechanical Knowledg e

Figure 2.

provided by the Hilbert space formulation of the quantum theory and examined this

fundamental knowledge in the light of Maharishi Vedi c Science. We observed a

close correspondenc e between the three-in-one structure of quantum-mechanica l

knowledge and the self-interacting dynamic s of nature's intelligence (Rishi, Devata,

and Chhandas) described by Vedi c Science. We have previously shown that the highly

nonlinear dynamic s of self-interaction introduced by the quantum principle endows the

field with a degree of dynamism, discrimination, and a creative capacity which is

essential for the emergenc e of creation as we know it. We have therefore identified the

quantum principle with the "intelligence " aspect of the unified field—that property of

the unified field which, along with its classical symmetrie s and structure, is responsible

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for the spontaneous and sequential emergenc e of the diversified structure of the laws of

nature. In Maharishi Vedic Science, this intelligence aspect of the unified field, or buddhi,

is considered equally fundamental: it is this dynamic, discriminative, and creative

property of the field which allows the field to know itself, i.e., to interact with itself in a

highly dynami c and nonlinear way. This self-interacting dynamic s of the unified field

has, in fact, been called by Maharishi the "first principle of nature's functioning" [4]. It

sets up within the unmanifest field the three-in-one structure of knower, known, and

process of knowing, whos e dynamical interactions sequentially unfold the diversified

structure of the laws of nature governing life at all levels of the physical universe.

In the following section, we will present a systematic analysis of the fundamental

mode s of the unified field—the elementary particles and forces of nature. Through the

combined understanding provided by Maharishi Vedi c Science and the latest fourdimensional

string formulations, we will develop a more natural understanding of, and

terminology for, the elementary particles based directly on the unified field.

IV. The Elementary Particles and Force s of Natur e

as Mode s of the Unified Field

In the previous sections, we presented a detailed analysis of the essential characteristics

of the unified field and its self-interacting dynamics. In this section, we will expand

this analysis to include a systematic investigation of its fundamental modes—th e elementary

particles and forces of nature. We have already seen that unified quantum field

theories provide a natural understanding of the elementary particles and forces as the

stable vibrational states of the field. Thes e natural resonant frequencies, known as

energy eigenstates, possess certain properties of stability and discreteness that lend

themselves naturally to an interpretation in terms of particles, and which are indeed

responsible for the classical understanding of the universe as composed of particles.*

D u e to their physical interpretation as particles, these energy eigenstates are also known

as "physical particle states " of the field. We have previously identified these particle

states with the "known " or Chhandas quality of the field in Section III.

In the simplest theories, these physical particle states exist in simple, one-to-one correspondenc

e with the fundamental dynamical degrees of freedom of the underlying

field. For example, in quantum electrodynamics, electrons and photons respectively correspond

to excited states of the electron and photon field. In mor e complicated, nonlinear

field theories, this is generally not the case. In quantum chromodynamics, for

instance, the complex spectrum of physical particles (the baryons and mesons) bears no

simple resemblance to the fundamental degrees of freedom of the underlying fields—

the quark and gluon fields. There may be many layers of quantum dynamic s separating

the fundamental degrees of freedom of the underlying field and its emergent, physical

spectrum of stable vibrational states.

*The discreteness of the energy levels of a quantum field results from the fact that the amplitude of vibration

associated with each of these resonant modes is constrained by the quantum principle to be in discrete multiples

of Planck's constant. For a more complete introduction, see ref. [11].

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Until recently, there wa s no known field theory with a physical spectrum rich enough

to accommodat e the great diversity of elementary particles and forces observed in

nature. Previous unified field theories based on extended supergravity had a physical

spectrum rich enough to include some , but not all, of the known forces—the strong,

electromagnetic and gravitational forces, but not the weak force. It wa s once hoped that

the remaining forces and particles could be explained through a mor e complicated

dynamic s involving bound states of the fundamental components of the underlying

theory (bilinears in the N= 8 supergravity multiplet), but these efforts met with severe

technical difficulties. It is only with the recent discovery of the superstring that a completely

unified field theory of all the elementary particles and forces has become possible.

Now , for the first time in history, all known particles and forces of nature can be

explicitly identified with mode s of the unified field. A detailed investigation into the

structure and dynamics of the superstring field reveals a rich spectrum of vibrational

states in direct correspondence with the observed elementary particles and forces: the

graviton, the spin-1 force fields, chiral matter fields, and all their supersymmetric partners.

Within the framework provided by the superstring, all the necessary building blocks

of creation can be clearly understood as the natural resonant mode s of the unified field.

In our effort to connect all aspects of physics to their unified source in the unified

field, we will briefly explain how all the known forces and particles of nature arise from

the superstring, clearly identifying each of these particles with specific vibrational states

of the field. This identification has been considerably simplified by the recent derivation

[3] of supersymmetric Flipped SU(5)xU(l) from the superstring using the free-fermionic

formulation in four dimensions [19]. This derivation provides the most direct link

between the heterotic string and the observed elementary particles and forces of nature,

while naturally avoiding the problems of cosmological baryogenesis, rapid proton

decay, tree-level flavor-changing neutral currents, and Cabibbo universality generally

associated with manifold and/or orbifold constructions in ten spacetime dimensions.

Indeed, the discovery of a fully realistic grand unified theory, which is wha t supersymmetri

c Flipped SU(5)xU(l) represents, can be counted as one of the major achievements

of this current project to restructure all aspects of physics in light of the unified

field. Prior to the knowledg e provided by the superstring, it wa s impossible to know,

based on the partial and fragmented understanding of physics available at the electrowea

k scale, exactly wha t new forces and new gauge symmetries were relevant to the

physics of fundamental scales. As a consequence, grand unified mode l building was

largely a matter of guesswork, and in the historical development of these theories,

Flipped SU(5)xU(l) wa s essentially overlooked.* Now, based on the knowledg e of the

unified field provided by the superstring, one can easily show that Flipped SU(5)xU(l)

is the only viable grand unified theory that can arise from the unified field in the context

of string theory. The canonical grand unified theories, based on conventional SU(5),

SO(10), or E6, all require adjoint or larger self-conjugate Higg s representations to break

them, and these are not available in string theories (see Appendix C). In contrast,

Flipped SU(5)xU(l) breaks uniquely to the Standard Mode l using just antisymmetric

* See, however, ref. [СЗ].

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* In the interest of technical completeness, we note that the specification of these periodicity conditions is performed

not on the string per se, but on the string world sheet. The world sheet is the 1 + 1 = 2 dimensional

spacetime surface that describes the classical history of a string as it evolves through time. At the one-loop

(quantum) level of the string dynamics, these world sheets have the topological structure of a torus. The periodicity

conditions described above actually refer to the behavior of these world-sheet fermions under parallel transport

around this one-loop string world torus.

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From this analysis, we conclude that within the framework provided by the superstring,

all the elementary particles and forces of nature can be clearly understood in

terms of the unified field. We have explicitly identified all known particles with specific

vibrational states of the string (10). Thus, the elementary particles and forces of

nature, whic h provide the stable building blocks for the whol e material universe , stand

clearly revealed for wha t they are—the natural resonant mode s of the unified field.

This clear understanding provided by the superstring lays the foundation for a new

interpretation and language of physics, in whic h the elementary particles and forces of

nature, and indeed the entire discipline, are clearly connected to their unified source.

In the light of this new understanding, man y of the historical perspectives and languag

e of physic s will give wa y to a mor e natural understanding and terminology based

directly on the unified field. Instead of their currently random and/or historical names,

the elementary particles will be name d for the specific vibrational states they correspond

to: periodic, antiperiodic, etc., revealing their rightful place in the internal structure

and dynamic s of the unified field. This natural labeling of all aspects of the discipline

in terms of the unified field provide s a natural order and organization to the

entire discipline whic h wa s not possible as long as its unified foundation wa s hidden

from view.

At the present time, we have also seen that the labeling of mode s provided by the

free-fermionic string formulation is rather awkward. Du e to the numbe r of string degrees

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of freedom, the many possible choices of periodicity conditions, and the richness of the

resulting spectrum, the labeling of these string mode s (10) is necessarily somewha t cumbersome

. Vedi c Science, in comparison, provides a very natural and compact language

of nature which is also based directly on the unified field. In the language of Maharishi

Vedi c Science, the five fundamental categories of matter and energy (10) responsible for

material existence are called tanmatras (meaning elementary in the sense of noncomposite)

[6,9]. Respectively they are known as akasha, vayu, tejas, apas, and prithivi.

Ther e is a striking correspondence between these five tanmatras and the five quantummechanical

spin types of a unified quantum field theory: between the akasha or "space "

tanmatra and the gravitational field; between the vayu or "air " tanmatra, which stands as

a link between space and the other tanmatras, and the gravitino field; between the tejas

or "fire" tanmatra, responsible for chemical transformations and the sense of sight, and

the spin-1 force fields; and between the apas and prithivi ("water" and "earth") tanmatras

and the spin-1/2 and spin-0 matter fields, respectively.

This correspondenc e is even mor e striking in the context of a supersymmetri c unified

field theory, such as the superstring. In a supersymmetri c theory, there is a natural

pairing of the five spin types into three type s of N= 1 superfields (see Figure 3). Th e

spin-2 graviton and the spin-3/2 gravitino become unified in the context of the gravity

superfield, the spin-1 force fields and spin-1/2 gauginos combin e to form gauge

superfields, and the spin-1/2 matter fields and their spin-0 supersymmetri c partners

give rise to matter superfields. Thes e same pairings are also considered fundamental

in Vedi c Science , wherein akasha and vayu appea r unified in the structure of vata prakriti,

tejas and apas become united in the structure of pitta prakriti, and apas and prithivi

combin e to form kapha prakriti [20]. Like the N= 1 superfields, the prakritis pertain to

the structure of natural law at fundamental spacetime scales—at or near the scale of

super-unification. This striking correspondence, which has been discussed in greater

detail elsewhere in the literature [11], adds further weight to the fundamental identity

between the unified field of pure, self-interacting consciousness and the unified field of

modern theoretical physics: not only do they possess identical properties and characteristics

(see Sections II and III) but they share the same spectrum of excitations.

It is very interesting in this context that the unified field or atman (self) is also

known as sutratma (literally, string-self) [21]:

31

Like the heterotic string, this string (sutratma) has the topology of a circle, or mandala

[4]. The self-interacting dynamic s of consciousness described in the Ved gives rise to

several distinct categories of mandala, which include the five tanmatras or spin types

introduced above (10) in addition to others (manas, etc.) which correspond to subjective

realities that have little to do with physics below the Planck scale. Her e again we observe

a close correspondence between the structure and dynamic s of the unified field described 

MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE

by Maharishi Vedi c Science and the unified quantum field theory of modern theoretical

physics. The essential knowledge , and even the technical details, appear to be the same.

T h e difference in terminology can be naturally understood as a consequence of the different

approaches.

To understand the significance of the Vedi c name s akasha, etc., in relation to the unified

field, we first recall wha t the five fundamental categories of matter and energy

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actually represent in the context of a unified field theory. They represent the stable vibrational

states, or natural resonant frequencies, of the unified field. We have explicitly

identified the five quantum-mechanical spin types with specific vibrational states of the

field—periodic and/or antiperiodic, fundamentals and/or harmonics of the string (10).

We have therefore discovered a level of nature's dynamics where all matter and

energy—the elementary particles and forces—correspond to specific "sounds " or vibrational

patterns of the unified field.

This same understanding is considered fundamental in Maharishi Vedic Science.

Vedi c Science posits an intimate relationship between sound and meaning, or name and

form, at the unified level of nature's functioning: nama (name) becomes identified with

rupa (form) at the level of the unified field [10]. This intimate relationship between

sound and meaning, which we have also seen in the context of the superstring, suggests a

profound system of nomenclature which is both novel and natural: to name every object

or expression of the unified field with the actual sound or vibration of the field which

that object corresponds to. According to Maharishi, this is precisely what the Vedi c

name s akasha, vayu, etc., represent. They are the actual "sounds " or vibrational patterns

of the unified field associated with those fundamental objects. The spoken words (akasha,

etc.) directly reflect these fundamental sounds, amplified, translated in frequency, and

articulated on the level of speech.

Due to this intimate connection between sound and meaning, Vedic Science has been

aptly described as a highly refined and sophisticated science of sound. This is perhaps

most profoundly illustrated in the case of the Rig-Ved, the most fundamental aspect of

the Vedic Samhita and, according to Maharishi, the foundation of the entire Vedic literature

[4]. According to Maharishi Vedic Science, the Rig-Ved presents a complete

record of the structure and dynamics of the unified field in the form of sound. Indeed,

the syllables of the Rig-Ved are the actual sounds generated by the self-interacting

dynamic s of the unified field and the mechanics of symmetry breaking through which

the unified field sequentially gives rise to the diversified structure of natural law seen in

nature [10]. For this reason, this fundamental aspect of the Vedic literature is also

known as shruti, which means "heard. " This term refers to the manner in which the Ved

w a s cognized. Thes e primordia l sounds, or mechanic s of nature's functioning, wer e

heard by the sages in the most silent, settled state of their own awareness—the unified

field of pure, self-interacting consciousness.* These sounds were subsequently recorded

and preserved in the form of speech. Thus the Rig-Ved, according to Maharishi, is not

an intellectual commentary on the fundamental mechanics of nature's functioning. It is

an actual acoustic record of the total structure of the unified field and its selfinteracting

dynamics. This explains why the Ved is primarily an oral tradition, a tradition

of sound painstakingly preserved and passed down from generation to generation.

Transcription, translation and interpretation of the Ved is given very little importance in

the Vedic tradition. The true meaning and significance of the Ved is vested in the Ved

itself. This understanding is aptly summarized in a verse from the Rig-Ved [6].

*At this fundamental level of awareness, it is more correct to say that the Ved hears itself, since in this unified

state of consciousness the knower, the known, and the process of knowing are one and the same. This is why

the Ved is called Samhita, meaning unity of knower, known, and process of knowing [4].

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The sounds of the Ved are generated by the

collapse of unity within itself, in which reside

all the dynamical impulses of natural law

responsible for the whole manifest universe.

This is the specialty of the Vedi c language, the intimate connection between sound

and meaning whereby the name corresponds precisely to the form of the object. Such a

language, in which every expression of the unified field is named with the actual sound

of the unified field which that object corresponds to, is unified field-based in the fullest

possible sense. Such name s possess a level of authenticity that is not shared by the historical

and/or random nomenclature currently in vogue .

Maharishi explains that the Vedi c name s are especially significant for an individual

possessing the requisite level of consciousness. Due to the intimate connection between

sound and meaning at the unified level of nature's functioning, an impulse of sound automatically

carries with it the associated form, with all its various properties and characteristics.

If the awareness is lively at this fundamental level, the sound automatically structures

the corresponding experience, with all its associated properties and characteristics.

This level of awareness in which the name automatically invokes the form of the object is

known as ritam bhara pragya, meaning "that level of the intellect that comprehends only

truth" [4]. Given access to this fundamental level of awareness, the Vedi c terminology

provides a powerful research methodology. All the fundamental mode s of the unified

field can be systematically stimulated on the level of consciousness through the introduction

of these Vedi c terms [4]. Without this ritam level of awareness, the Vedi c name s lose

their special significance, much as a hologram loses its special significance in the absence

of coherent light. Maharishi explains that it wa s the lack of widespread availability of this

fundamental level of consciousness in recent history that had placed the Vedi c knowledge

in a state of decline [9]. This situation is also described by the previous verse from the

Rig-Ved, which continues [6]

34

He whose awareness is not open to this field,

what can the sounds of the Ved accomplish for him?

Those who know this level of consciousness are

established in unity, wholeness of life.

The current revival of the Vedic knowledge by Maharishi has largely been possible

through his rediscovery of the specific subjective technologies, the Transcendental Meditation

and TM-Sidhi programs, needed to restore this basic experience. The Transcendental 

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Meditation technique naturally produce s this fundamental level of awareness, in which

consciousness is identified with the unified field. The TM-Sidhi program then stimulates

sequentially all the fundamental mode s of the unified field using specific mental

formulas or impulses of sound prescribed by Maharishi Patanjali thousands of years

ago [4]. The resulting experience of all the fundamental aspects of natural law as mode s

of one's own awareness indeed provides the most striking experiential confirmation of

the proposed identity between the unified field of pure, self-interacting consciousness

and the unified field now being glimpsed by modern theoretical physics [11]. This

direct experience is as repeatable, as striking and unambiguous for the experiencer as

any data obtained through the use of particle accelerators. It can be replicated at any

time by anyone possessing the requisite apparatus and training. This apparatus and

training, respectively, consist of a human nervous system and instruction in the experiential

technologies of Maharishi Vedi c Science—the Transcendental Meditation and

TM-Sidhi programs. Indeed, the direct experience of the unified field of pure, selfinteracting

consciousness as the unified field of all the laws of nature is self-evidently

mor e real than any experience in the domain of ordinary waking consciousness, for the

same reason that wakin g experience is self-evidently mor e real than dreaming—it represents

a mor e integrated, holistic and logically self-consistent state of functioning of

the brain physiology.

T h e knowledg e of the Vedi c sounds and their classification by Maharishi ha s had

profound application in many different areas. This knowledge presents a complete scienc

e of transformation based on the unified field. Through the introduction of specific

impulse s of sound (specific frequencies or patterns of vibration of the unified field),

one can induce a transformation from one frequency or pattern to another, in a manne r

familiar to experimentalists and theorists working with scattering experiments or Feynman

graphs. The introduction of a new frequency or "particle " into the initial-state

configuration leads to a whol e new range of final-state possibilities, in accordanc e

with a set of selection rules and conservation laws appropriate to physics at that level.

This has opened up an entire field of "Vedi c engineering" or Maharishi Yagy a [9],

which applies the knowledg e of the Vedi c sounds to effect transformations at any and

all levels of the physical universe. Although Vedi c engineering is not a new science, it

had fallen into a state of relative disuse becaus e its application must be from the level

of the unified field. Withou t the corresponding level of consciousness, the Vedi c

sounds are just gross expressions on the level of speech, and have a correspondingly

limited effect.

O n e interesting and widespread application of the Vedi c terminology is known as

Maharishi Vedic Vigation Technology, which addresses specific imbalances in the

physiology through the application of certain sounds. This represents just one small

aspect of a complet e science of health known as Maharishi Ayur-Ved, which is based

directly on the fundamental knowledge contained in the Rig-Ved [4]. The principal

focus of Maharishi Ayur-Ve d is on the level of the unified field, i.e., the restoration of

balance in the physiology through direct experience of the unified field of pure, selfinteracting

consciousness. However, Maharishi Ayur-Ve d also include s numerou s

approache s based on mor e expressed levels of natural law if and whe n necessary,

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including the restoration of physiological balance at the level of the three prakritis or

superfields through the application of primordial sounds, herbs or minerals with the

appropriate balance of these prakritis. As in modern science, there are many different

levels of structure on which any organ or tissue can be described and treated: the gross

structural level, the molecular or biochemical level and, in the case of Maharishi AyurVed,

increasingly fundamental levels including the five spin types, the three superfields,

and the unified field itself.

A complete discussion of the numerous applications and approaches of Maharishi

Vedi c Science is beyond the scope of this work. However, the spectacular achievements

and proven effectiveness of the Vedi c language and approach in the field of health alone

[22] clearly demonstrate the practical value of a unified field-based approach and terminology

in whic h all objects are named with the actual sounds or vibrations of the field

that they correspond to.

Such a level of perfection of nomenclature is what we would like to achieve for physics.

Such a system will necessarily include the use of Vedi c terms, since these are the actual

sounds corresponding to the fundamental objects studied by physics. We have therefore

included these Vedi c Science expressions in our graphical presentation of the structure of

a unified quantum field shown in Figure 1.

In this section, we have understood all the elementary particles and forces of nature

in terms of the unified field. We have explicitly identified all the elementary particles

and forces, along with the origin of space itself, with specific vibrational states of the

field using the free-fermionic string formulation. Thes e elementary particles and

forces, which compris e the five quantum-mechanica l spin types, are shown in relation

to the unified field in Figure 1, together with their corresponding Vedi c Science expressions.

The addition of these Vedi c Science name s should provide the student of physics,

as well as the advanced researcher, with a powerful research methodology whe n

these name s are applied via the TM-Sidhi program at the appropriate, unified level of

awareness, wher e the correspondenc e between name and form is lively. In addition to

the abstract knowledge such experience provides, the applied, practical value of these

fundamental fields is obvious and automati c at that unified level of awareness.* The

implications of a complet e science and technology of the unified field will be further

considered in Section VI.

V. Quantum Cosmolog y and Vedic Cosmolog y

The most obvious practical expression of the unified field is the universe itself. The

study of the origin and evolution of the universe is the science of cosmology. In this

section, we will review the mechanic s of creation from the unified field and their implications

for a unified field-based cosmological theory, using the combined perspectives of

modern science and the Vedi c Science of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

*The practical application of the five tanmatras is described in Patanjali ref. [23]. Research has shown a restoration

of physiological balance and efficiency [24], improved health and resistance to disease [25], growth of intelligence

[26] and creativity [27], improved moral reasoning [28], and many other benefits [29] from the regular

practice of the TM-Sidhi program.

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consciousness and its self-interacting dynamics; it results from the discriminative (buddhi)

nature of consciousness to know itself more and more completely. From this fundamental

perspective, put forth by the Vedanta aspect of the Vedi c literature, the mechanics

of creation do not begin with the field of consciousness and proceed towards matter;

the entire sequence of expression is understood to occur within the field of consciousness

[4]. The process of creation simply represents a sequentially mor e elaborated selfcommentary

on the nature of consciousness itself.

Similarly in physics, the entire dynamic s and sequenc e of expression shown in Figure

1 can be viewed as a sequentially mor e expanded commentary on the unified field

itself. Every stage in the sequential unfoldment of the laws of nature from the unified

field is an automatic consequenc e of the detailed structure of the unified field and its selfinteracting

dynamics. At no stage in this sequential unfoldment is it necessary to introduc

e additional ad hoc postulates and assumptions: the creative process occurs entirely

by itself in a self-sufficient manne r as a spontaneous and inevitable consequenc e of the

unified field itself. Herein lies the predictive powe r of a unified quantum field theory—

the entire diversified structure of the laws of nature can be derived from the highly compact

and unified structure of the unified field—provided one possesses the analytic tools

needed to unfold its detailed dynamics.

This spontaneous and sequential mechanics of creation is summarized in a verse from

the Vedi c literature describing the mechanics of speech. Because the individual and the cosmos

are unified at their basis, the individual awareness (atman) and its self-expression

through speech is directly parallel to the mechanics of creation in nature. This mechanics

is analyzed in shiksha [30], on which Maharishi has offered the following commentary:

Atman buddhi arthan manas vivarta kayagni vayu akasha

Speech is an expression of atman, the self. Its development begins whe n the intelligenc

e aspect of atman, or buddhi, discriminates the self into the knower, the known,

and the process of knowing. Thes e three are represented by arthan, which mean s the

"objects of buddhi. " All possible relationships amon g these three, and their associated

shade s of meaning, constitute the domain of manas, or "mind. " The four (atman, buddhi,

arthan, manas) are traditionally associated with the subjective aspect of existence.

Thes e are followed by vivarta, which mean s "transformation in appearance. " It

describe s the transition from subjectivity to objectivity which occurs, according to

Maharishi, whe n the subjective impuls e of thought gets translated, through the DNA,

into neuropeptide s and other complex proteins whic h compris e the biochemistry of

thought [4]. This transition also represents the junction point between the quantummechanica

l and the classical in the structure of the huma n physiology. It is called a

"transformation in appearance " because , according to Maharishi Vedi c Science, the

transition from quantum-mechanica l to classical, or from consciousness to matter,

neve r really occurs. Natur e is never separate from consciousness, and the emergenc e of

classical behavior is a matter of appearanc e only. Th e classical viewpoint merely

affords a natural and convenient perspective onc e the system achieves a certain degree

of complexity, or once matter become s sufficiently precipitated. On the level of the

"cosmi c physiology, " this apparent transition from quantum-mechanica l to classical

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begins at the Planck scale, wher e the field of gravity decouple s from the rest of physics

and spacetime begins to display its classical 3 + 1 dimensiona l structure. At the

same time , the dynamic s of the superstring begins to be replaced by an approximate ,

effective low-energy field theory of elementary particles. Neither of these transformations

are genuine: the transition from quantum gravity to classical gravity and from

string dynamic s to field theory are "transformations in appearance " only. Next come s

kayagni, or "fire of intelligence." Onc e the impulse of thought enters the biochemistry,

it creates (along with other physiological changes) a spur to exhale, leading to a move -

ment of air (vayu) and to the production of sound through the vocal chords which then

propagate s through space (akasha). Henc e the emergenc e of the physical elements

(vayu, etc.) follows the transformation (vivarta) from quantum-mechanica l to classical,

just as the five spin types follow the transition to classical spacetime in the structure of

a unified quantum field theory (see Figure 1).

Here again, the key point which emerges from Maharishi Vedi c Science description

is that the transition from atman to buddhi, to arthan, etc., never really occurs. Buddhi,

arthan, manas, etc., all exist within the nature of atman itself. Intelligence is not outside

of consciousness: it is the very nature of consciousness. Discrimination between the

knower, the known, and the process of knowing is not outside of intelligence, but is the

very nature of intelligence. The entire sequential mechanic s of creation exists within the

field of consciousness. It is just a sequentially mor e elaborated commentary on the

nature of consciousness, as intellectually conceived by its own discriminative aspect, or

buddhi. Henc e the notion of diversity disconnected from unity is a fundamental misconception.

This misconception is known as pragya-aparadh or "mistake of the intellect"

[4]. Because it plays an important role in our subsequent cosmological discussion and is

considered so fundamental in Maharishi Vedi c Science, we will take a moment to elaborate

on this concept here.

Pragya-aparadh results when , in the mechanic s of creation from the field of consciousness,

the intellect loses sight of the essential unity which is the true nature of

the self. Due to an inflexibility in the neurophysiology, somewher e in the sequential

progression of unity to diversity the experience of unity is lost. The intellect gets

caught up in its own creation, i.e., gets overshadowed by the perception of diversity to

the exclusion of the unity which is the actual nature of the self being discriminated.

According to Maharishi, this mistake of the intellect is so fundamental to the nature of

huma n experience that it is responsible for all problems and suffering in life.

Psychologically, this experienc e of a fragmented and disconnected existence cause s

disorientation. Uncertainty, instability, isolation and limitations automatically result

whe n the unified sourc e and basis of existence is hidden from view. Neurophysiologically,

this fragmented structure of experienc e give s rise to the highly unintegrated

style of brain functioning known as wakin g consciousness, which is considered norma

l throughout the world. Physiologically, this fragmented state of psychology

leads, through imbalanced thinking and its associated neurochemistry, to imbalanc e in

the physiology, leading to a degradation of the immun e system and a resulting susceptibility

to numerou s disease s and disorders, and to an acceleration of biological

aging. Sociologically, the lack of understanding and clear experienc e of the holistic

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MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE

and unified basis of existence results in behavior which is less than harmonious and

universal in its scope .

This fragmented structure of knowledg e and experienc e is reflected in the current

systems of education, as well as in the structure of the individual academi c discipline

s themselves. Of all the disciplines, only physic s has achieved some partial

understanding of its unified source in the unified field, and this relatively recent

understanding has had little impact on the manne r in which physic s is understood and

taught. Th e primar y purpos e of Maharishi Vedi c Scienc e and its applied, experiential

technologie s is to restore a mor e integrated state of neurophysiologica l functioning

in which all aspects of experienc e are clearly connected to their unified sourc e in

t he unified field of pure , self-interacting consciousness. The Transcendenta l Meditation

technique , for example , by taking the awareness repeatedly from the localized

channels of thought and perception to the silent, unmanifest source of thought, culture

s within the brain physiolog y a flexibility which simultaneousl y comprehend s

both silence and dynamism—unbounde d awareness together with the localized boundarie

s of waking , dreaming and deep sleep states of consciousness. The TM-Sidhi

program, by taking the awareness repeatedly through the fine mechanic s of creation

from the unified field, clearly reveals all the diverse aspects of natural law as various

mode s of the unified field. This experience , in particular, develops an integrated state

of neurophysiologica l functioning in which all aspects of experienc e are directly perceived

as mode s of one's own intelligence. In this expanded state of awareness, the

psychology , physiology, and social behavior are restored to a natural state of integration,

harmon y and balanc e [24-29]. This quality of experienc e is summarize d in a

vers e from the Bhagavad Gita [9], which Maharishi ha s described as the encapsulated

essence of the Vedi c wisdom:

He whose self is established in unity, whose vision everywhere is even, sees the

Self in all beings, and all beings in the Self.

This Vedi c conception of the entire universe residing within the unified field, as

opposed to emerging from it, has its corresponding understanding and expression in a

relatively recent area of physics know n as quantum cosmology . Quantu m cosmolog y

applies the principles of quantum mechanic s to the universe as a whole . Becaus e the

univers e incorporates gravity in addition to the other fundamental forces and particles,

a prope r treatment of this subject necessaril y require s a unified field theory such as

t he superstring , sinc e without unification the force of gravity is not quantum -

mechanicall y consistent. The first papers on superstring cosmolog y are now beginning

to appear.

We have previously seen, based on general principles, that the vacuu m state of a

field, or indeed any state characterized by a finite energy density, must represent a

simultaneous coexistence of many classical field shapes. Indeed, in Appendi x В we

show that the vacuum state of a scalar field is given by a quantum-mechanica l superposition

of all possible shapes. The vacuu m state represents the natural starting point

for any cosmological study, since it is the only stable, unbounded, Lorentz-invariant

state of the field. Let us now consider wha t would happen if the unified field, through

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MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE

structure of the Rig-Ved Samhita, whos e sequential progression of sound and silence*

perfectly reflects the mechanics of creation itself [4]. Unfortunately, the available translations

of the Ved do not mean much, since there are no corresponding English words

that capture all the information stored in the Vedic phonemes. Maharishi has, however,

placed considerable emphasis on the phonetic analysis of the Rig-Ved [10], and we will

therefore briefly summariz e the mechanic s of creation as revealed through a phonetic

analysis of the first word of the Rig-Ved: AGNIM.

According to Maharishi, the letter A represents fullness—the field of all possibilities.

Phonetically, it corresponds to the most wide open and least obstructed position in the

physiognomy of speech. It is the first letter in every major phonetic (or alphabetic) system

and is said to include all other sounds, in the sense that its modulation by the

tongue and lips produce s all other sounds. The letter G represents its extreme opposite—complet

e emptiness or "point value " of speech. Phonetically it corresponds to the

most closed or fully obstructed value of speech. The combination AG, according to

Maharishi, represents the collapse of fullness to a point, which occurs when consciousness,

the field of all possibilities, become s aware of its own point value. It is precisely

analogous to the collapse of the vacuum wav e functional which would occur if the field

wer e to observe its own amplitude (see Figure 4). The letter N represents negation,

whil e the letter I indicates a leading out. The combination NI represents a negation of

the point value followed by a leading out from the point back in the direction of

infinity. In the word s of Maharishi, "consciousness recoils from its own point value,

which represents a highly restricted and hence unnatural state of the awareness. " This is,

again, closely analogous to the situation in quantum mechanics, wher e the field

rebounds dynamically from the highly unnatural classical shape state (11) which results

from quantum measuremen t to again become a quantum-mechanica l superposition of

shapes. Finally the M in AGNIM represents continuance, and implies that the mechanics

of creation, once set into motion by the collapse of infinity, continues indefinitely, in

direct analogy to the situation described by quantum mechanics.

Ther e are several aspects of this cosmological model based on the collapse of the vac -

u um wav e functional that require refinement. First, the collapse of the vacuum wave

functional, wer e it really to happen, would require an enormous expenditure of energy,

since it takes the field from the vacuum state to a highly excited state of the field, and it

is not clear wher e this energy would come from. This, by itself, is not sufficient to

invalidate the model, since it is not clear how to interpret or enforce energy conservation

at the superunified scale, given the presence of wormhole s and other nonperturbative

quantum-gravitational effects. Second, there is no evidence in physics for the reduction

of the wave function in closed, quantum-mechanica l systems with no external, classical

observer. In particular, highly sensitive experimental tests of nonlinear corrections to

the Shrodinger equation of the form that could lead to a reduction of the wave packet

have found no evidence for such nonlinear behavior. Both arguments indicate that an

* Maharishi explains that much of the creative dynamics of nature is contained in the gaps between the Vedic

phonemes, i.e., in the sequential mechanics of transformation from one syllable to the next. The mechanics of

collapse of sound to silence, the mechanics of transformation within the silence, and the sequential emergence of

sound from silence are all essential components of the Vedic Samhita [4].

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RESTRUCTURING PHYSICS

actual collapse of the vacuum wav e functional based on any intrinsic field-theoretic

mechanism appears unlikely.

It seems much mor e plausible, from the standpoints of both modern science and

Vedi c Science, that the "collapse of infinity" doe s not constitute an actual collapse of

the vacuum wave functional, but merely represents a shift in attention—from the quantum-mechanica

l superposition of all possible field shapes, which represents the true

structure of the quantum vacuum, to one of the infinite numbe r of field shapes which

comprise this state. Onc e the awareness has become localized on a particular value, the

subsequent evolution of that state would appear to follow in precisely the same dynamical

manne r described above. However, due to the simultaneous coexistence of all such

states, each of which undergoes a highly nontrivial time evolution, the overall structure

of the vacuum remains completely unchanged and retains its perfectly balanced and symmetrical

structure.

This basic notion of a shift in attention may provide a more useful interpretation of

quantum measurement generally. Besides the fact that there is no physical evidence for

wav e function reduction in closed quantum-mechanical systems, there are other arguments

and experiments which suggest that the reduction of the wave function may be

mor e a matter of perspective than an actual physical event. First, the reduction of the

wav e packet has been experimentally shown to violate strong causality: i.e., the collapse

extends to space-like separated components of a quantum-mechanical system. This

make s any physical interpretation of the collapse of the wave function as an actual, causal

event extremely difficult. Second, the collapse of the wave function has been shown

to obey weak causality, which means that it cannot be used to communicat e any information.

Thus there is no indication whatsoever for a second observer that a collapse has

occurred as a result of a measurement performed by the first observer, which also suggests

that the collapse of the wave function is a phenomenon in consciousness and not a

physical event per se. It appears to be intimately associated with a fragmented perspective,

in which the quantum-mechanical system is assumed to possess an objective existence

independent from the system that measures it.*

According to this expanded cosmological framework, the true quantum vacuum is

seen as a simultaneous coexistence, or quantum-mechanical superposition, of all possible

universes. Some of these universes correspond to deSitter manifolds in a state of

exponential inflation, while others are in a state of contraction. We are the inhabitants

of one such inflationary universe. As long as our awareness remains permanently confined

within the localized boundaries of thought, speech and action, this will be the

extent of the reality we know. If, through proper education, our comprehension is

expanded to include the wav e function of the universe, we become identified with a

much greater wholeness in which time and evolution cease, and the eternal, Lorentzinvariant

reality become s the dominant perception.

This is the knowledge and experience provided by Maharishi Vedi c Science. The

localization of the awareness within boundaries become s a matter of conscious choice—

a shift of the attention from infinity to a point. There is no harm in experiencing the

*This view has also been expressed recently by J.S. Bell. [31]

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MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE

point—of enjoying isolated possibilities in the field of all possibilities—provided the

experience of the whol e is maintained. In this highly flexible state of awareness, in

which the parts are enjoyed while the whol e is maintained, there is no collapse and no

associated loss of wholeness. It is the loss of wholeness, not the enjoyment of the parts,

which is known as pragya-aparadh. It make s one a captive of one's isolated experiences

and a victim of circumstances in the endless field of change. The capacity for localized

experience through the machinery of the nervous system is a precious gift, provided

such experience is not at the expense of the understanding and experience of the

unbounded wholeness which is the true nature of the self. The juxtaposition of dynamism

and silence, of change and nonchange , within the integrated structure of human

experience, is the natural state of life in enlightenment [9]. Silence without dynamism,

or atman without buddhi, is existence without intelligence—flat and inert. Dynamism

without silence, or buddhi without atman, is intelligence with no stable existence, localized

and unstable. Both, together, constitute the true nature of consciousness—eternally

existing, eternally creating.

T h e availability of this integrated structure of knowledg e and experienc e will have

a profound impac t on quantum measuremen t and quantum cosmology , for whic h a

consistent interpretation ha s not been available within the fragmented structure of

ordinary wakin g experience .

VI. Unified Field Base d Civilization

In this article, we have presented a new understanding and language of physics based

directly on the unified field. We have based this analysis on the most recent developments

in our understanding of the unified field provided by the superstring and on the

very complet e understanding and experience of the unified field provided by Maharishi

Vedi c Science and its applied experiential technologies. Our analysis began with a consideration

of the unified field itself, viewed from its own level and in terms of its own

intrinsic properties and behavior. In Section IV, we extended this analysis to include a

systematic investigation of its fundamental modes—the elementary particles and forces

of nature. Using the latest, four-dimensional string formulation, we explicitly identified

all known particles and forces with specific vibrational states of the field. We proposed a

new, unified field-based language and terminology in which the particles are named for

the specific vibrational states they correspond to: periodic, antiperiodic, etc., revealing

their rightful place in the internal structure and dynamic s of the unified field. By connecting

all aspects of physics to their unified source in the unified field, the whol e of

physics can be clearly seen in terms of its sequential unfoldment from the unified field,

providing a natural logic and organization to the entire discipline.

Althoug h the labeling of these string mode s wa s somewha t cumbersome in the

framework provided by the free-fermionic string formulation, we found that Maharishi

Vedi c Scienc e provides a very natural and compac t system of nomenclatur e in

whic h every expression of the unified field is name d with the actual sound or vibration

of the field which that object corresponds to. Thes e Vedi c name s also provide a powerful

research methodology whe n applied, via the TM-Sidh i program, at the appropriate,

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unified level of awareness where the correspondence between name and form is lively.

T h e experiential technologies of Vedic Science thereby provide knowledge through direct

experience of the most fundamental mechanic s of nature's functioning.

Man y physicists will, at first, view the use of a subjective methodology and

approach to knowledge with skepticism. This is because , historically, there has been

no stable, reliable basis for subjective knowledge . Howeve r the shift away from the

purely objective methodologies of elementary particle physics to incorporate mor e subjective

approaches is inevitable. Already particle theorists are forced to rely increasingly

on their analytic and intuitive abilities as the principal focus of theoretical physics has

shifted to the experimentally inaccessible domains of grand unification and superunification.

According to some well-placed estimates, the practical life span of conceivable

accelerator technologies is at most one or two decades.

The historical basis for rejecting a subjective approach is that there has been no

stable foundation to conscious experience that could serve as a basis for reliable knowledge.

Howeve r the rediscovery, through Vedi c Science, of a stable ground state of consciousness

which is non-variable and completely universal provides a common , stable

basis for subjective experience. Knowledge gained on this basis has been found to be

reliable, repeatable, and open to verification at any time by anyone with appropriate

training in the relevant experiential procedures [32,33]. The rediscovery of this stable

foundation to conscious experience thereby eliminates the historical grounds for rejecting

a subjective approach to knowledge. During the past twenty years, a large body of

published scientific evidence has grown to support the efficacy and effectiveness of this

subjective approach [12-14,22,24-29,A1-A15]. To continue to resist this approach in

the face of this evidence simply because it stretches the prevailing world-view must be

regarded as highly unscientific.

Science is meant to be beneficial to life. Every step of progress in our scientific

understanding of natural law has found its practical application in a corresponding level

of technology: chemical, electronic, nuclear, etc. Thes e practical technologie s have

brought great comfort and convenience to man y areas of life in society. However, the

technological application of specific, isolated laws of nature based on a partial and fragmented

understanding of natural law has resulted in psychological, sociological, and

ecological imbalance, and has even threatened mankind with annihilation. The continued

progress of society now demands the practical utilization of a level of nature's functioning

which is at once more powerful and more holistic—a technology based on the

total potential of natural law available in the unified field. The practical application of

this most fundamental and profound knowledge of natural law has already demonstrated

its capacity to create a quality of life [22,24-29] and civilization [A1-A15] which wa s

not possibl e based upon prior levels of scientific knowledge .

Through the knowledge and technologies of Maharishi Vedi c Science, every aspect

of life become s profoundly unified field-based: the mind, body and behavior remain profoundly

connected to their unified source in the unified field of pure, self-interacting

consciousness. With the elimination of pragya-aparadh, the physiological and neurophysiological

functioning become s integrated and balanced [24]. The immune system

and other homeostatic mechanisms become spontaneously capable of resisting any

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MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE

physiological imbalance or disorder, creating a natural state of health and well-being

[22]. In contrast, modern medicine, which relies on increasingly exotic and expensive

cures, has led to a crisis in health care, with spiraling medical expenditures in the U.S.

of ove r $50 0 billion annually, of whic h an estimated $125 billion is wasted on

unproven and/or ineffective treatments [34]. Many of these expensive and highly intrusive

treatments, such as coronary bypass surgery, have no statistical effect on the future

history of the disease [35]. In addition, the poisonous side effects of allopathic drugs are

often mor e dangerous and far-reaching than the diseases they are intended to cure [36].

T h e widespread use of some of these medicines, such as antibiotics, has le d to the emergenc

e of a whol e new generation of drug-resistant diseases, which thrive in highly sanitized

hospital environments. Up to 36 % of hospitalized patients contract iatrogenic diseases

(diseases caused by the side effects of modern medicine), which have been shown

to contribute to many mor e deaths than AID S and other diseases at the forefront of public

concern [37]. Maharishi Ayur-Ved, which is based primarily on prevention and, when

necessary, natural and effective cures that are completely free of negative side effects

[22], provides a more humane and effective health care system, which is also affordable

for the many countries for which allopathic medicine is completely inaccessible.

In the field of education, Maharishi Vedi c Science has given birth to a highly innovative,

integrated, and successful approach in which every aspect of every discipline is

profoundly linked to its unified source in the unified field. All academi c disciplines have

their ultimate origin in the dynamic s of huma n consciousness, and the systematic understanding

of the dynamic s of intelligence provided by Vedi c Science thereby provides a

natural and much-needed interdisciplinary foundation for education [38]. Through the

introduction of unified field charts described in Section I, every aspect of each academi c

discipline is clearly located within the structure of the whol e discipline, and the entire

discipline is shown sequentially emerging from its unified source in the unified field—

i.e., the pure consciousness of the artist, the pure intelligence of the mathematician, or

the heterotic superstring in the language of physics. This method of presentation

achieves its full significance with the introduction of the Transcendental Meditation and

TM-Sidhi programs, in which all streams of knowledge are directly experienced as mode s

of one's own consciousness. In this way, as students gain knowledge of the different disciplines,

they automatically awaken mor e and mor e to the reality of the creative potential

of their own intelligence, realizing that all fields of knowledge are just different

expressions of their own intelligence [38]. In addition, while the students are gaining

intellectual knowledge of the laws of nature they are simultaneously growing in the

ability to act spontaneously in accordance with the laws of nature: i.e., to not make

mistake s that create the ground for problems and suffering in their own lives or in the

life of society. This quality of spontaneous right action [8] is the automatic result of a

properly functioning brain physiology, in which the unified field of all the laws of

nature is fully lively in the conscious awareness [28]. This integrated system of education,

whic h combine s intellectual understanding of natural law with the direct experience

of the most fundamental dynamic s of natural law in consciousness, has been shown to

develop the intelligence [26] and creativity [27] of the student, wherea s conventional

education ha s no impact on basic tests of intelligence or creativity.

4 6 

RESTRUCTURING PHYSICS

In the field of behavior, Maharishi explains [8,9] that the development through Vedi c

Science of a completely unified and universal state of awareness spontaneously results in

a quality of activity which is nourishing and life-supporting for the whol e environment.

When, through the elimination of pragya-aparadh, "all beings are seen in the Self and

the Self in all beings," one behaves towards oneself and one's environment in a completely

harmonious and evolutionary way. Short-sighted and harmful behavior towards

others or one's environment is highly unnatural in that expanded state of comprehension.

In a sociological setting, extensive research has shown that the collective practice of the

advanced TM-Sidhi program produces an influence of harmony and coherence that extends

to society as a whole [А1-А15]. These extended, field effects of consciousness, known as

the Maharishi Effect, have been shown to reduce crime, violence, hostility, and war in

recalcitrant areas where political and negotiated settlements have historically demonstrated

their inability to do so.* These effects result from collective functioning at mor e fundamental

and universal levels of awareness, and thus far provide the most spectacular experimental

confirmation of the fundamental identity between pure consciousness and the unified

field, and of the knowledge and applied technologies of Maharishi Vedic Science.

It is a fortunate fact that the utilization of natural law is often easier than the intellectual

understanding of natural law. The profound practical benefits to the individual and

society of the knowledg e and technologies of Vedi c Science are not gained on the basis

of intellectual understanding. It is the direct experience of mor e unified and holistic levels

of natural law in consciousness which produces the desired physiological, psychological

and sociological changes. These practical benefits arise long before a detailed intellectual

understanding of the structure and dynamic s of the unified field is gained through

such experience. Very quickly, the brain physiology become s accustomed to maintaining

pure consciousness, and a mor e integrated and balanced state of neurophysiological

functioning is permanently sustained [24]. The restoration of physiological balance and

efficiency, improved health and resistance to disease, and harmonious and lifesupporting

social behavior are the spontaneous results of this direct experience and its

associated physiological correlates [24-29].

Thus, the intellectual understanding of natural law is quite distinct from the spontaneo

us utilization of natural law in daily living. In particular, the former is not a prerequisite

for the latter. In the spontaneous mechanic s of desiring, for example , a simple

menta l impulse automatically activates dozens, if not hundreds, of laws of nature.

Through the desire to open a window, for example, the muscles mov e and the body rises

a nd walks toward the window, guided by the sense of sight and touch. Even a child with

no intellectual understanding of the laws of nature knows how to rise and mov e through

this simple and spontaneous mechanics of desiring. This natural ability to utilize natural

law spontaneously is built into the hardware of the human brain physiology. The thinking

process has therefore been compared to an automated switchboard, spontaneously

activating and organizing the laws of nature in a coordinated way for the fulfillment of

any specific desire.

Maharishi explains that the range of natural law which is spontaneously utilized by

* See Appendix A on field effects of consciousness.

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MODERN SCIENCE AND VEDIC SCIENCE

the mind depends on the natural range of one's comprehension—the degree of alertness

at mor e fundamental levels of nature's functioning [8]. Desiring from the transcendental

level, the level of the unified field, spontaneously make s use of the entire range of natural

law [9]. During the TM-Sidhi program, for example , an impulse of thought projected

from the unified field of pure, self-interacting consciousness mobilizes the total

potential of natural law, accomplishing the desired result with maximum efficiency and

the least expenditure of energy [4]. Whe n individual awareness functions from the same,

unified and holistic level from which nature conducts the evolution of the entire universe,

the fulfillment of desire become s a spontaneous and inevitable phenomenon [9].

This spontaneous ability to use natural law in a coordinated manner is already programme

d into the hardware of the human brain physiology. Its utilization simply

depends on the range of natural law that is lively in the awareness.

The spontaneous use of natural law to enrich all aspects of life in society is therefore

easier, as well as more important, than intellectual understanding of natural law. It is

not, after all, the intellectual understanding of natural law that makes natural law a living

reality in daily life. It is the expansion of the conscious awareness to incorporate

mor e profound and unified levels of natural law by taking the awareness repeatedly to

mor e fundamental and universal levels of consciousness that makes natural law a living

reality. There will continue to evolve innumerable theories of natural law and the unified

field put forth by all the academic disciplines as they gain an understanding and appreciation

of their unified source in the unified field, which forms the ultimate origin and foundation

of every discipline. Even within the discipline of physics, there will be many different

formulations of the unified field, e.g., vibrating strings in 26, 10 or fewer

spacetime dimensions, 1 + 1 dimensional conformal field theories, piadic numbers, etc.

All of these different viewpoints are correct, and merely provide different, complementary

viewpoints of the same, basic underlying reality. There is no harm in this intellectual

inquiry, provided it does not preclude the direct utilization and practical application of the

unified field now, while the fully developed, applied technologies of the unified field are

available through Maharishi Vedic Science. Without this simple, practical technology

to utilize the unified field spontaneously on the level of one's conscious awareness, this

most complete and profound knowledge of natural law would remain divorced from practical

life and living, and even the scientists would remain intellectual witnesses to the

reality of the unified field. It is this spontaneous and direct utilization of the unified field

to enrich all aspects of life which will make civilization unified field-based.

This spontaneous and direct practical application of the unified field to enrich all

aspects of life contrasts with the previous application, through technology, of specific,

isolated laws of nature based on the intellectual understanding of those laws. It wa s this

scientific understanding of specific laws of nature and their technological application

whic h laid the foundation for the industrial revolution, in which mor e and mor e rapid

development became possible through the use of increasingly sophisticated machine s

and technologies. The industrial revolution has, however, led to a highly machine -

dependent civilization, to a degree that ha s robbed life of some of its natural selfsufficiency

and dignity. In contrast, the very complet e science and practical technologies

of the unified field mad e possible through the subjective approach of Maharishi

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Vedi c Scienc e allows the spontaneous utilization of the total potential of natural law to

enrich all aspects of life in a completely balanced and holistic way, and provide s the

mean s to accomplish anything through the simple and spontaneous mechanic s of desiring

[7,8]. This supreme level of fulfillment and self-sufficiency based on the spontane -

o us utilization of the total potential of natural law, as opposed to the technological

application of specific, isolated laws of nature, lays the foundation for a post-industrial

revolution to a unified field-based civilization—a civilization based on the complet e

knowledg e and practical application of the unified field of all the laws of nature. The

practical applications of this complete science and technology of the unified field to

health [22], education [26-29], rehabilitation [39] and world peace [A1-A15 ] have

already demonstrated their capacity to produc e a quality of life and civilization which is

far beyond that which is attainable through the objective approach of modern science

alone . To resist such an approach due to its subjective methodology is therefore not

only unscientific, but inhumane .

Fortunately, the empirical approach of modern science is well equipped to distinguish

between fact and fancy, and to evaluate objectively the effectiveness of any approach

through its own empirical means of investigation. One is therefore optimistic that, in

time, mor e and mor e scientists will be drawn to investigate this subjective approach of

Vedi c Science and the profound knowledge and practical technologies it provides. With

the complete knowledge of the unified field and its self-interacting dynamic s provided by

Maharishi Vedi c Science, modern physics will achieve a level of fulfillment that is

unattainable through its present, limited objective methodologies. In the process it will

raise the quality of life in society to a level of dignity and supreme fulfillment that is

unparalled in the annals of recorded history—a unified field-based civilization enjoying

Heaven on Earth.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the understanding

and experience which led to this work. Everything I know about consciousness

and its self-interacting dynamics, and about Vedi c Science, is due directly to Maharishi

or to the experiential technologies of his Vedi c Science.

I would also like to thank C. Bech, J. Davies, M. Dillbeck, T. Egenes, A. Hankey,

R. Ticciati and G. Wells for valuable discussions. This work wa s supported in part by a

private grant from John Lloyd.

Appendi x A:

Field Effects of Consciousness

At present, the most striking empirical evidence in support of a unified field-theoretic

description of consciousness is the Maharishi Effect, which refers to extended field

effects of consciousness produced by the collective practice of the TM-Sidhi program.

Ove r thirty consecutive studies provide powerful evidence that the group practice of the

TM-Sidhi program by as few as the square root of one percent of a population can reduce

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political violence, crime, and other manifestations of societal incoherence. Thes e studies

employ standard sociological measures to assess the influence of groups of experts collectively

practicing the TM-Sidhi program on a surrounding population.

Historica l Developmen t

In 1960, Maharishi predicted that one percent of a population practicing the TM technique

would produce measurable improvements in the quality of life for the whole population.

The first study designed to test this prediction [Al] analyzed crime rate change in 22

U.S. cities (population > 25,000) from 1972-1973. Crime rates decreased in the 11 cities

with one percent of the population practicing the TM technique, while crime rates in the

matched control cities continued to rise. A more extensive study [A2] analyzed crime rate

trends in 48 U.S. cities (population > 10,000) over the eleven-year period from 1967 -

1977. This included all independent cities in this population range with one percent of the

population instructed in the TM program. Crime rates decreased significantly in the 24

"one percent " cities compared with their own previous trends and compared with 24

matched control cities over the same period. Subsequent replications have analyzed crime

rate trends in 160 cities and 80 metropolitan areas in the U.S. using increasingly powerful

design and analysis techniques [A2], and have further demonstrated Maharishi's prediction

that participation in the TM program would lead to a reduction in crime rate trends.

With the introduction of the mor e advanced TM-Sidhi program in 1976, Maharishi

anticipated a mor e powerful influence of coherence in the collective consciousness of

society. He subsequently predicted that the group practice of the TM-Sidhi program by

as few as the square root of one percent of a population would have a demonstrable effect

on standard sociological measures.*

T h e relatively small numbe r of participants practicing the TM-Sidhi program predicted

to generate this effect of societal coherence has made it possible for many direct

experimental studies to be performed, in which the necessary number of participants

come together on courses in various locations for periods of time ranging from one

wee k to several months. Most of these studies, including research at the metropolitan,

state, national and international scales, have used time series analysis to reliably estimat

e experimental effects independent of cycles and trends in time series data. This type

of research design, called an experimental intervention study, constitutes a unique and

rigorous approach for the social sciences.

Tim e Serie s Analysis

The effects of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs on quality of life indices are usually

assessed with time series analysis using the autoregressive integrated moving average

(ARIMA) approach of Box and Jenkins [A3]. (A time series is a sequence of equallyspaced

measure s on some variable, e.g., monthly crime rate.) This methodology has

become the standard for rigorously estimating the effects of an outside intervention on a

time series or for empirically determining the form of causal relationship between two

* This prediction is based on a field-theoretic model which assumes a coherent superposition of amplitudes,

such that the intensity of the effect generated is proportional to the square of the number of participants.

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continuous time series [А4]. Time series "intervention analysis" is used to assess effects

of hypothesized influences during specific time periods (e.g., when the numbe r of TMSidhi

participants exceeds a certain critical threshold). Time series "transfer function

analysis" is used to mode l the input-output relationship between a continuous independent

exogenous variable (e.g., the daily numbe r of TM-Sidhi participants) and the dependent

or endogenous variable (a social indicator such as crime rate).

With both methods, the time series approach controls for any serial dependenc e of

observations, trends, or seasonal cycles in the data over time by including these influence

s in a "nois e model" of the series [А4]. That is, as part of the time series analysis

a mathematica l mode l of the time-dependent regularities in the endogenous series is

constructed, and this mode l will account for, and therefore control for, patterns in the

endogenous time series that can be predicted from its own past history. The noise

mode l thus serves essentially as a "null hypothesis" for effects of the exogenous variable.*

Any intervention effects or transfer function effects on the endogenous variable

indicate effects of the independent variable that cannot be predicted either from the previous

history of the series or from any unmeasured continuous variables that ma y be

partially determining the endogenous variable. Thes e time series methods have proven

to be ideal for assessing the effects of the group practice of the TM-Sidhi program

upon sociological indicators.

Recent Intervention Studies

Within the past few years, there have been an increasing numbe r of experimental

studies using time series intervention and transfer function analysis to assess the effects

of the group practice of the TM-Sidhi program at the metropolitan, state, national and

international scales.

At the metropolitan and state levels, time series intervention studies found reduced

crime in Metro Manila, Philippines, in New Delhi, India, and in Puerto Rico during perio

ds in which large groups had assembled for conferences involving twice daily practice of

the TM-Sidhi program [А5]. Time series transfer function analysis similarly found a

reduction in violent crime in Washington, D.C., in weeks following an increase in the

size of a permanent group of TM-Sidhi participants [А6]. Other intervention studies in

Metr o Manila and in Rhode Island found improvements in holistic indices of the quality

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of life composed of available monthly social indicators during periods of assemblies of

large groups of TM-Sidhi participants [А5].

T he most well-documented analyses at the national level have been in the U.S.,

wher e a permanent large group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program has been established

at Maharishi International University (MIU). The size of this group has exceeded

the square root of one percent of the U.S. population on a regular basis since 1982. An

analysis of annual change s in a quality of life index comprising 11 major variables

showed a significant improvement correlated with the size of the group of TM-Sidhi

participants [А7]. Mor e detailed analyses of the U.S. quality of life using time series

intervention and transfer function analysis during 1979-1985 found reduced weekly

fatalities due to violence (homicides, suicides, and motor vehicle accidents) on week s

immediately after the size of the MI U TM-Sidhi group exceeded the square root of one

percent of the U.S. population [А8]. This analysis showed that two-thirds of the

observed decrease in U.S. violent fatalities from 1979 to 1985 could be directly attributed

to the group practice of the TM-Sidhi program. Reduced violent deaths wer e also

found in Canada when the size of the MI U group exceeded the square root of one percent

of the combined populations of the U.S. and Canada [А9]. In addition, time series intervention

analysis of monthl y U.S. and Canadian economi c trends (a "misery " index combining

inflation and unemployment) showed improved economi c conditions in months

immediately after the numbe r of participants exceeded the required numbe r (1600) for the

population of the U.S. and Canada [А10].

Ther e have been three assemblies in which the numbe r of TM-Sidhi participants

approached or exceeded the square root of one percent of the world's population—about

7000 individuals. During each of these assemblies, there wa s a significant reduction of

international conflict, as indicated by time series intervention analysis of news events

[All] . The time series of news events wa s created from content analysis (rating of news

items) of major newspapers by raters who were unawar e of the dates of the news items

being rated. Time series analysis also indicated a significant reduction in fatalities and

injuries due to terrorism during and immediately after the period of these assemblies;

data on terrorism wa s collected by an independent agency [All] .

Reduction of Violence in the Middl e Eas t through the Maharishi Effect

O n e especially critical experimental test of the hypothesis that the group practice of

the TM-Sidhi program by the square root of one percent of a population would positively

affect sociological measure s wa s conducted in Israel in August and September of

1983 [А12]. Based on the results of previous experiments, the research hypotheses and

the specific measure s to be used in the study were lodged in advance of the experiment

with an independent review board of scientists in the U.S. and Israel.

I t wa s predicted that group practice of the TM-Sidh i program in Jerusalem would

reduce stress in the collective consciousness of Israel and Lebanon. Box-Jenkins ARIM A

intervention, cross correlation, and transfer function analyses were used to study the

effects of change s in the size of the group on several variables and composite indices

reflecting the quality of life in Jerusalem and Israel, and also the war in Lebanon.

Figure 5 shows a striking covariation between the size of the group of TM-Sidhi participants

(dotted line) and a composite index of quality of life that wa s the arithmetic

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Figure 5. This figure illustrates the covariation between the number of TM-Sidhi participants

(dashes) and a composite index of quality of life in a study conducted in Israel during August

and September of 1983. The composite index was the arithmetic average of standardized

scores for crime rate, traffic accidents, fires, stock market, national mood, and the number of

war deaths as a measure of war intensity in Lebanon. The sociological parameters employed

in this study were lodged in advance of the experiment with an independent review board of

scientists in the United States and Israel. (Figure courtesy of D. Orme-Johnson.)

average of standardized scores for crime rate, traffic accidents, fires, stock market,

national mood, and the numbe r of war deaths as a measur e of war intensity in Lebanon.

Increase s in the size of the group had a statistically significant effect on the individua

l variables and on the composit e quality-of-life index. Cross correlations and

transfer functions indicated that the group had a leading relationship to chang e on the

quality-of-life indicators, supporting a causal interpretation. Ther e wa s a 34 % reduction

in wa r intensity and a 76 % reduction in wa r deaths during periods of high numbers

of TM-Sidhi participants. Time series analysis demonstrated that the effect could

not be attributed to seasonality (such as weekend effects or holidays) or to change s in

temperature .

T he hypothesis that the influence occurs on a fundamental and holistic level of nature

is supported by the fact that the arithmetic average of the different measure s produced the

clearest results and by the observation that the different sociological measures tended to

change independently of each other when the group size wa s small, but all changed

coherently in a positive direction as the group size wa s increased.

A subsequent study (Figure 6) assessed the impact on the Lebanon wa r of three successive

assemblies in which large groups practiced the TM-Sidhi program during a sixmonth

period from Novembe r 13, 1983 to Ma y 18, 1984 [А13]. T he assemblies wer e

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Figure 6. During the six-month period from November 13, 1983 to May 18, 1984 a measure

of war intensity in Lebanon was most positive during three assemblies in which the number

of TM-Sidhi participants exceeded the predicted thresholds required for an influence on the

war. Time series analysis indicates significantly greater progress towards peaceful resolution

of the conflict during these assemblies than would have been predicted from the prior history

of the Lebanon war (p <. 00005). The particularly large effect coincident with the Lebanon

assembly held in the immediate vicinity of the conflict suggests the importance of proximity

in the generation of societal coherence. (Figure courtesy of C.N. Alexander.)

held in the United States, Lebano n and Yugoslavia , and wer e approximately two

week s long.

T h e authors used a time series intervention analysis of the Lebano n wa r to compar

e levels of conflict during the days on whic h the assemblie s occurred compare d to

the baseline period whic h consisted of all other days during the six-month period of

the study. Th e level of the conflict wa s measured by three indices: daily levels of a

Peace/Wa r Index [A14] of events reported in major Lebano n newspapers, daily

reported wa r deaths, and daily injuries due to the war. The scoring wa s performed by

representative s of the different factions involved in the conflict, and inter-rater reliability

wa s high.

As predicted in advance, the Peace/Wa r Index showed that prevailing negative conditions

wer e abruptly reversed, and greater progress towards peaceful resolution of the Lebanon

conflict wa s observed than would have been expected based on the prior six-month

history of the wa r (p < .00005). Wa r deaths fell by 55% , from a mean of 6.5 per day

during the baseline to a mean of 2.9 per day during the three assemblies (p < .0005).

W a r injuries fell by 38% , from a mean of 20.6 per day during the baseline to a mea n of

12.7 per day during the assemblies.

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sociological paradigm. In such circumstances, it is vital that leading physicists, psychologists

and other scholars carefully assess the impact of these findings on our

understanding of the natural universe. On e such analysis is presented in ref. [11],

wher e it is argued that these results are consistent with the current framework of

unified quantum field theories, but require an expanded physical framework for our

understanding of consciousness. For completeness, we will briefly review the main

elements of that analysis here.

Although it would be mor e accurate to say that the Maharishi Effect data constitutes

evidenc e for an "action at a distance " with respect to consciousness rather than

a "field effect" per se, physics has historically come to associate action at a distance

with field phenomena . The observed attenuation of the effect with distance (i.e., the

fact that a relatively small group in Lebanon produced an effect comparabl e to a

group of over 7000 halfway around the globe) would support such a field-theoretic

interpretation. The quadratic dependenc e of the intensity of the effect upon the size

of the coherence-creating group is also characteristic of a field phenomenon in which

the radiators are operating coherently. Mor e specifically, the coherent superposition

of amplitude s required to produc e such an intense constructive interference suggests

the behavior of a bos e field.

However, there are certain features of the Maharishi Effect that are not easily understood

on the basis of a conventional field. The main difficulty with a simple fieldtheoretic

mode l is in understanding the observed data on the basis of any of the known

fields. The only known candidates for such long-range interactions are electromagnetism

and gravity. Any conventional gravitational interaction between individuals is presumably

orders of magnitude too weak.* Moreover, it is generally agreed that the electromagnetic

interaction between individuals would also be too weak to give rise to any

significant effects. This conclusion is probably reasonable despite new evidence that the

physiology ma y be sensitive to environmental AC electric fields six to seven orders of

magnitude weake r than had been previously considered possible [А18]. In fact, the

brain appears to be particularly sensitive to EEG-modulated microwave radiation in the

0.5-10 gigahertz range, offering a potential mechanism for EE G communication and

entrainment. It has been shown by Tourenne [A19] that certain cellular structures within

the cortex that support the propagation of electromagnetic solitons could provide highly

efficient radiators of microwav e radiation, which would presumably be modulated in

the EE G band.

Whil e we therefore feel it is essential to pursue possible electromagnetic mechanisms

for the Maharishi Effect, these mechanism s at present appear unable to account

for the observed phenomenology . (Moreover, there wa s no evidence of attenuation in

an instance wher e the coherenc e creating group wa s electromagnetically shielded by a

metallic enclosur e [All].)

* This also holds true for possible spin-1 forces that interact with gravitational strength, such as a proposed

"fifth force" or the gauge bosons associated with a hidden sector. (The latter would probably operate only at

short distances anyway due to confinement effects.) The same is presumably true of other weaklyinteracting

bosons that have escaped detection in particle physics experiments.

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I f conventiona l mechanisms are unabl e to account for the observed data, then some

unconventiona l mechanism involving ne w physics is obviously needed. Since there

a re no other long-range forces of electromagneti c or comparabl e strength, one is led

to conside r alternative theoretical frameworks that could serve to bridge the substantial

distance factors involved. One such framework is suggested by the structure of

spacetime geometr y at the scale of super-unification—the proposed domain of pure

consciousness.

Although we do not currently possess the calculational tools needed to unfold the

full dynamic s of quantum gravity, there are several indications that the local 3 + 1

dimensiona l structure of classical spacetime geometry observed at energies far below

the Planck scale may provide a totally inappropriate framework for physics at the scale

of super-unification. In particular, topological effects in quantum gravity could lead to

inherently non-local phenomena . For instance Ellis et al. [A20] have shown that worm

holes ma y cause initially pure quantum states to evolve into mixed states. Such effects

cannot be accommodated within a local framework, or even a framework that is approximately

local on scales much larger than the Planck length, for this would necessarily

lead to large and phenomenologically unacceptable violations of energy and momentu m

conservation [А21].

Moreover, these non-local effects have been derived in a perturbative context in

which the non-local effects of gravity are expected to be relatively benign. The full,

non-perturbative theory of quantum gravity can be expected to contain even mor e profoundly

non-local effects. Indeed, there are strong indications that the Planck scale is

associated with a fundamental phase transition in the dynamic s of quantum gravity

and/or the structure of spacetime geometry (e.g., a transition from four dimensions to

ten dimensions). Such a phase transition would be expected to produce long-range correlations

that could enhanc e the non-local structure of the theory. Henc e the local

structure of a relativistic field theory ma y provide a totally inappropriate framework

for physics at the super-unified scale. Therefore, one might expect that if the domain of

consciousness is fundamentally the super-unified scale, then phenomena of consciousness

would include influences that are inherently non-local. The Maharishi Effect data

can thus be viewed as evidence that individual consciousness can access the scale of

super-unification, consistent with the proposed identity between pure consciousness and

the unified field.

T he question most often raised by physicists is how human consciousness could possibly

interact with physics at such fundamental scales. This question stems from a recent

but widespread understanding that consciousness is purely a product of complex biochemical

and electrophysiological processes in the brain. Such a viewpoint ma y seem

compatible with the restricted range of experience available in waking consciousness (in

which consciousness itself is not directly perceived), but it is clearly incompatible with

experience in higher states of consciousness. For example, in the state of pure consciousness,

consciousness experiences itself as the unified source and fountainhead of all the

laws of nature: all forms and phenomena in the universe are experienced to emerge from

there, and can be generated at will through the application of the TM-Sidhi program.

Henc e according to the understanding and direct experience provided by Maharishi

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