EXPLORING INNER - AND OUTER -SPACE

 by Swami Nishchalananda Saraswati

‘… This world … that so solid seems, would vanish on
an instant, if the mind but change its theme.’

W.B. Yeats

We all know what space is ... or do we? Since it is such an evident part of our daily experience, it is something we rarely think about. If we do reflect a little about the nature of space we will perhaps conclude that it is the medium in which ‘objects’ or ‘things’ exist - whether the smallest atoms or the most enormous galaxies. Moreover, it is also the medium in which the five senses - especially sight, hearing and smell - function.

Scientific Perspective. Despite the seemingly indisputable evidence of our senses, space is NOT an unchanging reality. Albert Einstein has shown that three-dimensional space, together with time, are variable principles of the material universe in which we live. This scientific understanding alone defies our moment to moment sensory experience. How can space be variable?
Quantum Physics further tells us that space (and indeed everything in it) is a projection of an underlying Field which is called the Quantum Vacuum. Again, this widely accepted scientific understanding is contrary to the evidence of our senses, for space seems unquestionably real in itself and not the projection of something else!
Moreover, an atom, the fundamental basis of matter (at least, according to the Atomic Theory) is mostly space. Imagine a pinhead at the centre of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, surrounded by a cloud of microscopic dust specks far up in the dome, about one hundred metres away. The pinhead represents the atomic nucleus and the dust particles are its retinue of electrons. This well-known analogy illustrates vividly that most of ‘solid’ matter is indeed space!
The quantum physicist Sir Arthur Eddington described this revolutionary concept - that solid matter is mostly empty space - as being even more fundamental than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
In addition, science tells us that even the seemingly empty space we see in the heavens is NOT empty: it is seething with activity, a maelstrom of virtual particles and energy. This is also contrary to what we ‘sensibly’ perceive in our daily life.

Yogic Perspective. The Yogic point of view concurs with science on this point: in Sanskrit the word for space is shoonya, which has always been philosophically associated with purna – plenitude. It seems that the ancient seers already had a profound understanding that space is not empty at all, but full! In Yoga, this outer space – the material universe associated with material objects and their sensory perception - is called the maha-akasha (Sanskrit, maha, great; akasha, space) – ‘The Great Space’.
Then, based on the insights of sages, Yoga goes beyond this to say that both space and every particle therein are permeated by an intelligent principle which we call Consciousness. In fact, more correctly, Consciousness is the underlying basis for both space and objects.
But Yoga goes even further: it says that there is also Inner Space which is equally valid in terms of human experience. This space encompasses the different energy levels and states of mind of each human being. It is the medium by which Essential Being, Consciousness, expresses into our personality and into our daily activities, putting us into creative interaction with the outer universe.

The Inner is not Really Inner. The word ‘inner’ is a misnomer. More correctly, it should be said that there are more subtle levels of our being, subtler than the physical, which we take to be ‘inner’. Our mind seems to be inner, but actually it is not inner, just more subtle. Still it is convenient to use the word ‘inner’, since in order to explore our own being (as we do in Meditation) we look ‘inwards’ away from the external world that we perceive through the senses. Looking inwards really means that our perception becomes more refined so that we are able to ‘see’ on a more subtle level.
Moreover, this Inner Space is as much outer as inner, for according to Yoga, the inner reflects the outer and the outer reflects the inner. This is indicated in the Tantric adage, ‘what is here, is there, and what is there, is here’ and in the alchemical dictum that ‘the without is like the within of things; the small is like the large.’
Interestingly, certain scientists, such as the London University physicist David Bohm, have proposed that the entire universe is based on holographic principles. If this is the case, then there is no real difference between inner and outer: “The inner processes of the mind and psyche can spill over and become as much a part of the objective universe as the flowers and the trees; reality itself becomes little more than a mass shared dream.” This is also what mystics say: that everything is MAYA, an illusion. What is out ‘there’ is really a vast, resonating symphony of wave forms, a frequency domain that is transformed into the world as we know it only after it entered our senses. That is, the inner is a projection of the outer and the outer is a projection of the inner; or more correctly, they are both projections of underlying Reality.
Of course, as embodied beings, we are conditioned to feel that what is within the body is inner and what is outside is outer. And so it should be, otherwise we would not be able to function in a reasonably normal way.
So Inner Space does not mean ‘imaginary space’ but rather those realms of human experience which are non-physical; that is, energy and mental realms more subtle than the physical and which lie beyond the perceptible reach of the five senses.

Exploring both Inner and Outer Space. Throughout history we have fumbled around on the surface of the planet, on the seas, on the plains, in caves, on mountains and in outer space. We have explored almost every nook and corner of this incredible world in which we live (except maybe the ocean depths). We have even walked on the moon and, possibly, it will only be a matter of time before humans reach out into other galaxies. Using powerful telescopes we are able to see to what we think is the edge of the universe. All of this exploration is motivated primarily by the need to find meaning and to solve the riddle of existence.
Yet, we will never find meaning unless we also explore Inner Space. We are obsessively staring outwards when, in fact, meaningful answers to our own Essential Nature are to be found by directing our gaze inwards.
Moreover, it is a basic premise of all mystical sciences that by knowing ourselves we can know the secrets of the universe. This is why the Greek philosopher Socrates insisted on the dictum ‘Know Thyself’. This is also the promise of Yoga, indicated by the hermetic dictum ‘as above, so below’; that is, by knowing what is within the depths of ourselves, we are able to know what is in the depths of the universe at large.
Remember: we shouldn’t assume that this Inner Space relates only to our personality – in fact it reflects into, and relates directly to, the outer world. After a lifetime of scientific research, the renowned quantum physicist Sir Arthur Eddington concluded that the nature of the mind is the nature of everything, including the entire universe! The background for all the material objects of the universe is an underlying organising principle and intelligence which in Yoga we call the Universal Mind. Obviously, this Mind is not the little mind which we assume is located in the human brain, but a much wider and greater Intelligence, of which the individual mind is but a reflection.
Despite what we have been conditioned to believe, Inner Space is every bit as real as outer space. In fact, if we think about it, our capacity to understand the outer world comes only through insights which are intuitively realised within. All insights (literally: ‘inner sights’) and scientific discoveries into the laws of Nature have come by an intuitive flash, or illumination, from within. (This also explains why mystics throughout the ages and in every part of the world have had such profound insight into the nature of the universe.)
Our capacity to perceive and understand the world around – the outer space – depends on the quality of the instrument of perception: that is, the Inner Space from which our capacity to perceive and understand arises. One of the purposes of Yoga is to explore inner space and, for this, Meditation is indispensable. In this way, we are enabled to explore the realm of the Quantum Potential which quantum physicists tell us is the underlying background for all things. Moreover, according to Yoga, the Meditative State enables us to be in more intimate conscious contact with the Underlying Intelligence, or Consciousness.
The exploration of Inner Space has already been pioneered by the intrepid mystics, yogis and sages who have lived all over the world since time immemorial. They have marked out the path. All we have to do, if we wish, is to follow their instructions. Yoga and Meditation have been bequeathed to us by them. These are the tools. All we have to do is use them.
Finally, accessing Inner Space shows us conclusively that, from the perspective of Consciousness, there is no outer or inner! Everything is included within the all-inclusive embrace of Consciousness, the Underlying Reality.