editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies
editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies
editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies
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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES IN SCIENCE<br />
AND SIKH RELIGION<br />
HARDEV SINGH *<br />
ABSTRACT<br />
Religion and Science are both engaged in the exploration <strong>of</strong><br />
ultimate reality, but they are following two different routes, viz;<br />
consciousness and material world. However, the quantum theory has<br />
broken the barrier between the two modes <strong>of</strong> perception by accepting<br />
the role <strong>of</strong> consciousness in both theory and experiment. The conflict<br />
between Science and Religion which started in Europe during 15 th<br />
century is yielding place to an era <strong>of</strong> reconciliation and dialogue during<br />
recent times. Inter-faith dialogue and global perspectives <strong>of</strong> sciencespirituality<br />
dialogue have an important role to play in this era <strong>of</strong><br />
globalisation. Global perspectives in Science find an echo in the<br />
philosophy <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> religion.<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
Human life is based on the interaction <strong>of</strong> physical, cultural and<br />
even religious forms <strong>of</strong> life. Man is part <strong>of</strong> nature. Human mind has<br />
access to reality through four modes <strong>of</strong> knowledge : sensory experience,<br />
discursive cognition, intuition, and revelation. In the first two modes, the<br />
subject-object duality remains intact. Hence the religious experience,<br />
which transcends this distinction, does not belong to the realm <strong>of</strong><br />
these modes. While mysticism involves intuition, spiritualism bases<br />
its self-certifying validity on revelation. The revealed word has no<br />
transcendental source, but is immanent in the cosmos and is revealed<br />
to and heard by the sages. This is how the Vedas were revealed as<br />
shrutis.<br />
* # 360, Sector 71, SAS Nagar (Mohali),