The God Logic

This article appeared in the November-December issue of the Back To Godhead (International) magazine.

Can scientists accept God?

Many modern scientific-minded people find it hard to accept that God exists. The scientific method consists of conducting physical experiments and verifying the results, and God just doesn't seem to fit in: He can't be produced or studied in a laboratory, His behavior can't be analyzed, His interactions with elements can't be plotted on a graph. But throughout history the realm of science has expanded, with newer tools and methods enhancing the power of experimentation and perception. It's about time we expand it more.

God and the Scientific Method

Spirituality is as scientific and logical as any branch of science. To understand how, we need to first understand the general definition of the scientific method. In principle, the scientific method consists of collecting data through observation and experimentation, and then formulating and testing a hypothesis. Subsequent experiments then try to prove or disprove the hypothesis. If the results of the experiments match the predictions of the hypothesis, the hypothesis gains credence. Otherwise, ideally at least, the hypothesis is discarded. (Unfortunately, hypotheses are often prematurely accepted as truth. The Big Bang theory and black holes are examples of this.)

We can quite easily apply the scientific method in our quest for spiritual truths. Around us in nature we see laws, design, beauty, majesty, symmetry, intricacy, and so on. We can surely hypothesize the existence of a supremely intelligent being who is the source of all that exists. Many of the most celebrated scientists and thinkers have expressed such views. For example, Isaac Newton said, "The wonderful arrangement and harmony of the cosmos would only originate in the plan of an almighty omniscient being. This is, and remains, my greatest comprehension."

The scriptures of most major religions have always asserted the existence of God. Along with assertions, they detail processes by which one can perceive God in lesser or greater degrees. For example, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.31) Lord Vishnu says, "Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully."

Following scriptures and sincere devotees of God is not blind faith. It is accepting the existence of God as a sound hypothesis, and then experimenting, by following the prescribed process, to establish or disprove the hypothesis. By sincere effort on a well-documented path

revealed in the scriptures, one can perceive God.

Initially, a little bit of reasonable faith (hypothesis) is required to start off (experiment) on a path suggested by the scriptures and the devotees of God. A systematic understanding of the science of God fortifies one's faith, which strengthens even more when one sees that the results of following the process match the theory. And the fortified faith, in turn, inspires one to follow the process even more sincerely, leading to even deeper experiences of God. As with any other form of learning, a teacher advanced in the practice of the science is a must. One can take practical instructions from the teacher, ask him deep questions, and study the scriptures under his guidance. Of course, the teacher must a devotee of God; otherwise how can he guide his students toward direct perception of God? As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita (4.34), "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."

Direct Experience

Even though God is beyond the perception of the common man, He appreciates the sincerity of the seeker's efforts and responds accordingly. To the degree that God reciprocates, the internal world (essentially the desires) of the seeker transforms. Although direct audience with God is difficult to achieve quickly, one can reap many other tangible results in a short time, and thereby gain confidence in the scriptural instructions.

A sincere seeker's realizations are in line with the principles of the scriptures, and therefore are not hallucinations. Powerful transcendentalists in all spiritual traditions have spoken or written about their experiences with God. To discard all their experiences as irrelevant is presumptuous. Furthermore, realization of spiritual truths helps the practitioner lead a better, more meaningful life, and to have better control of his life than others. While results of material processes can be verified in a laboratory, the results of spiritual ones can be verified in the laboratory of one's own heart. Lust, greed, anger, and other dirty things in the heart reduce drastically and quickly when one practices spiritual processes. The practitioner can easily verify these internal transformations, which manifest externally in the form of positive changes in one's life. A person progressing spiritually will give up bad habits like intoxication, increase spiritual activities like prayer and meditation, and improve in qualities like patience, mercy, cleanliness, and tolerance.

Along with these changes comes the lasting joy of spiritual happiness. The practitioner discovers a positive energy driven by the lofty goal of spiritual progress and enjoys the process itself. Spiritual activities are natural to the soul, and consequently the most joyful.

These tangible results inspire the practitioner to continue following the process, leading to more results, all of which are tangible. In fact, what was abstract and theoretical yesterday

becomes practical and tangible today. What was once just the word of scripture becomes the reality of one's own life. What more proof could one ask for?

In the Bhagavad-gîtå (9.2) Lord Sri Krishna summarizes this point succinctly: "This knowledge [spiritual knowledge] is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed."

It's a Science

Following a spiritual process as described above is as scientific as the so-called scientific method. Spirituality is a verifiable science, and moreover, it is genuinely helpful to everyone who practices it. The tools and methods for practicing this science might not be prevalent in the scientific world today, but surely the ancient wisdom traditions suffered from no such handicap. Their system of logic and reasoning did not exclude God from its domain; on the contrary, all their logic was used to eventually establish the existence of God as an undeniable fact. Indeed, theirs was the God logic.

The God Logic

The following article appeared (with minor edits) in the Back To Godhead (India Edition) of January 2010.

I was sitting in my lab in the basement of the Computer Science Department in IIT Mumbai. Aditya walked in, as if in a trance, and sat down in front of his computer without even noticing me. After half an hour or so, he was still in his reverie.

“Aditya!” I called out from across the lab.

“Oh! Hi! You are here. I have been looking for you”.

I didn’t tell him that I was here for the last half an hour.

“Want to come for a walk,” I suggested. It was mid-morning of a gorgeous winter day. Streams of water came in bursts from the rotating sprinklers and sparkled brilliantly under the morning sun, and then splashed over the beautifully manicured lush green lawns inside the IIT Mumbai campus.

Aditya is a brilliant B.Tech., Computer Science student in IIT Mumbai. He is fun loving and jolly, but at the same time he is looking for answers to the deepest questions of life.

“I went to the ISKCON temple yesterday,” Aditya opened up, “and the speaker said that spirituality was as scientific and logical as any other branch of science. In what ways is spirituality scientific? Can you please explain? The answer to this question is very important to me.” I have been associated with ISKCON for a few years now, and I am also Aditya’s fellow IITian. This combination led him to me.

While walking past the lawns I collected my thoughts. I replied, “To understand this, we need to first understand what the general definition of the scientific method is. In principle, the scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses. The hypotheses act as guiding light for the subsequent experiments. The results of those experiments give the hypotheses various degrees of truth. If the results of the experiments match with the predictions of the hypotheses, the hypotheses are declared as truths. Otherwise, the hypotheses are discarded.”

Aditya nodded. “So then, can we apply the scientific method in our quest for spiritual truths?” he asked.

“Yes, we can. Based on what we see around us in nature—the symmetry, the design, the laws, the beauty, the majesty, the intricacy, etc.—we can surely hypothesize the existence of a supremely intelligent being who is the source of all that exists. Since hypotheses are part of the scientific method, we are still within the realms of science. This assertion has been confirmed by many of the most celebrated scientists and thinkers that we know of. For example: Newton said, ‘The wonderful arrangement and harmony of the cosmos would only originate in the plan of an almighty omniscient being. This is and remains by greatest comprehension.’ ”

“But what about the experiments? And what about the results of those experiments? Until we get those results, God will just remain a hypothesis.” Aditya was quick to point out.

I was ready. “The Holy Scriptures of all major religions have asserted the existence of God. Along with the assertions are given the processes by following which one can perceive God in lesser or greater degrees. Therefore, all that is needed in perceiving God is sincere efforts along a well-documented path as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. The effects of following the Holy Scriptures, including the effect of being able to perceive God directly, depend a lot on the sincerity of the seeker. God knows everything, including the seeker’s sincerity, the seeker’s motivations behind approaching God, the seeker’s past deeds, and many other factors. Based on all these, God reciprocates with the seeker. Based on the degree of reciprocation by God, the internal world (essentially the desires) of the seeker surely gets transformed, whether the seeker’s external circumstances do so or not. And perception of God no longer remains mere theory. Although direct audience with God is very difficult to achieve quickly, many other tangible results are experienced in quite a short span of time, and this builds one’s confidence in the scriptural instructions.”

A cloud of doubt covered Aditya’s bright face. Meanwhile we had turned right on the main road towards the IIT Mumbai guesthouses. “But how can we be sure that what we experience is not some hallucination?”

We were going deeper and deeper into the subject matter now. I replied simply, “A sincere seeker’s realizations are in line with the principles of the scriptures. As one progresses along the spiritual journey, God reciprocally empowers the senses of the seeker to perceive Him. Hallucinations are illusory perceptions characteristic of mentally deranged people, whereas realization of spiritual truths helps the practitioner, even in day-to-day affairs, to lead better and more meaningful lives. A spiritualist is in much better control of his life than many others, and certainly more so than one gripped by hallucinations. Many sane and highly intelligent people have experiences of God. Powerful yogis and other transcendentalists in all traditions of world, in past and present have spoken or written about their experiences with God. Would you call all their experiences as hallucination?”

Aditya was starting to enjoy this discussion. He was getting answers to the questions that had disturbed him. And he liked a light-hearted verbal fight. “Why should I follow the Holy Scriptures and the holy men blindly? Is that scientific?” As soon as he asked the question, the answer also struck him. Even before I replied, he exclaimed, “Let me answer that myself! Having reasonable faith in the words of the Holy Scriptures and of the sincere devotees of God is like accepting the existence of God as a sound hypothesis. Following the processes they recommend is like the experiments.”

I was impressed. I elaborated a bit more on that. “Yes, that’s correct. Initially a little bit of reasonable faith is required to start on a path suggested by the scriptures and the devotees of God. But that faith is quite a reasonable one. Along with that is also needed a systematic understanding of the science of God. This understanding, along with the sincere practice, will fortify our faith when we see that the results of following the process match with what the process states. And the fortified faith, in turn, will inspire us to follow the process even more sincerely, leading us to even deeper experiences of God. This science is presented in the Holy Scriptures. As with any other form of learning, a teacher advanced in the practice of the science is a must. From him one can take practical instructions, ask questions, and study the scriptures under his guidance. Quite naturally, such a teacher is himself a devotee of God, otherwise how can he guide his students towards a practical direct perception of God?”

Sharp that he was, Aditya asked me, “What tangible effects can be seen by following the processes? How can we know that they work? We can verify other processes by the results they produce. What about spiritual processes?”

We had entered into the area of the guesthouses, which overlook the Powai lake. As we walked along the bank of the lake, I replied, “Spiritual processes also produce tangible results. While results of other processes can be verified in a laboratory in a university campus, the results of spiritual processes can be verified in the laboratory of one’s own heart. By practicing spiritual processes, the dirty things in the heart like lust, greed, anger, etc., reduce drastically. These are very tangible transformations and can be verified by the practitioner. For example, before taking up spiritual practices, a person may have many bad habits like smoking, drinking, etc., which he may find almost impossible to give up. But as if by magic, without too much effort, these bad habits disappear from the life of the practitioner. Along with that relief, comes the lasting joy of spiritual happiness; he thoroughly enjoys the process itself. This is because spiritual activities are natural to the soul, and consequently most joyful. The practitioner experiences a positive energy by coming in touch with his real spiritual nature and eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. And based on these tangible results, the practitioner is inspired to continue following the process, leading on to more results, all of which are tangible. In fact, what used to be abstract and theoretical yesterday, becomes practical and tangible today.”

To drive the point home, I challenged him, “If the scientific method of gaining knowledge is considered scientific, how then is following a spiritual process as described above not scientific?”

Aditya’s face became grave. He thought for a while. The sunlight was dancing on the ripples of the lake. Aditya replied, “What you just told me sounds very logical to me. Let me summarize. There are well-defined processes laid down in the scriptures which the sincere devotees of God have always been following. Moreover, there are well-known effects of following the spiritual practices. Therefore, while one is following them, one can easily cross-check whether he is experiencing the same effects or not as he continues to practice spirituality. I am convinced. In fact, I wonder why so many people oppose the idea of God and spirituality? It’s a verifiable science, and it is genuinely helpful to everyone who follows it.” As we reached towards the end of the road, Aditya’s mood was once again happy and bubbling. “Hey, you know what, your logical presentation has really enlivened me. I liked the way you mapped the scientific process to the spiritual process.” Aditya’s joy was contagious. I replied, “I could see that you were following the logic of the reasoning competently too. That’s what made our conversation so lively.”

After a thoughtful pause, Aditya said excitedly, “I have just thought of a name for the logic behind spiritual practices that we just discussed.” “So, what’s the logic called?” I played up to his mood.

“The God Logic”, he roared.

The God Logic

Based on observations made by our senses, existence or non-existence of God cannot be proven by logic and argument. If we stick to the principle of “seeing is believing”, or in more generalized terms, directly perceiving is believing, then we will reach to the conclusion that there exists no God, because a general person in this world cannot directly perceive the existence of God.

But if we accept that our powers of perception are limited, then we can at least come to the allowance that there might exist God, who is beyond the power of our direct perception. This is not a proof for the existence of God, but at least, by discarding the certainty about the non-existence of God, it lays the foundation for further enquiry into the topic of existence of God.

The holy scriptures of all major religions have asserted the existence of God. Along with the assertions are given the processes by following which one can perceive God in lesser or greater degrees. How can the senses which we have accepted to be powerless to perceive God suddenly gain the required power? God appreciates the sincerity of the seeker’s efforts, and to that degree empowers the senses of the seeker to perceive God. Therefore, all that is needed in perceiving God is sincere efforts along a well documented path as revealed in the holy scriptures.

The effects of following the holy scriptures, including the effect of being able to perceive God directly, depend a lot on the mood of the follower. God knows everything, including the seeker’s mood, the seeker’s motivations behind approaching God, the seeker’s past deeds, and many other factors. Based on all these, God reciprocates with the seeker. Based on the degree of reciprocation by God, the internal world (essentially the desires) of the seeker surely gets transformed, whether the seeker’s external circumstances do so or not. And perception of God no longer remains mere theory.

So, have we proved the existence of God? No. We have just stated what the holy scriptures state and what sincere devotees of God have been telling us all along. These statements cannot be proven unless one follows the process. But they can be proven to oneself, by direct perception, if one follows the process. Now, the only question is: are the devotees of God bluffing us? If we think so, then obviously we will continue to not accept the existence of God. And if we do believe the devotees of God, we will accept that God exists and can be perceived by following devotional practices and processes.

Well, there you go! The non-believers will jump on to this explanation saying that it relies on faith and not on hard evidence. That it depends on abstract things like perception, and that too on others’ perceptions. What is the proof that that perception is not a hallucination? But hallucinations are a characteristic of mentally deranged men, and devotees of God hardly show any symptoms of mental derangement. So, the question that remains, in its more refined form, is: should one believe the verifiably sane (and in a lot of cases verifiably very intelligent) devotees of God when they say that God can be perceived by following a certain process? For most neutral people, the reasonable answer is Yes.

Yes, initially a little bit of reasonable faith is required to start off on a path suggested by the scriptures and the devotees of God. But that faith is quite a reasonable one. Along with that is also needed a systematic understanding of the science of God. This understanding, along with the sincere practice, will fortify our faith when we see that the results of following the process match with what the science states. And the fortified faith, in turn, will inspire us to follow the process even more sincerely. This science is presented in the holy scriptures. As with any other form of learning, a teacher advanced in the practice of the science is a must; from whom one can take practical instructions, to whom one can ask deep questions, and under whose guidance one can study the scriptures. Quite naturally, such a teacher is himself a devotee of God, otherwise how can he guide his students towards a practical direct perception of God?

So, have we proved the existence of God? No. And we have already accepted at the very outset that God cannot be perceived with the limitedly powerful senses. But we have reasonably argued that sincere practitioners of the processes required to perceive God (which are documented in the holy scriptures) have stated that God can be perceived by following those processes. We have also stated that a systematic study of the science of God is required to help us sincerely follow the process and also to cross-check the theory of the science with its practical application.

Having reasonable faith does not fall out of the limits of the scientific method. The hypotheses of the scientific method are nothing but leaps of reasonable faith. These hypotheses act as guiding lights for the subsequent experiments. The results of those experiments give the hypotheses various degrees of truth. If the results of the experiment match with the predictions of the hypotheses, the hypotheses are declared as truths. Otherwise, the hypotheses are discarded.

Similarly, having reasonable faith in the words of the holy scriptures and of the sincere devotees of God is like accepting the existence of God as a hypothesis. Following the processes they recommend is like the experiments. The science of God is like the guiding principles based on which the hypothesis can be cross-checked with the practical experiences. If the scientific method of gaining knowledge is considered scientific, how then is following a spiritual process as described above not scientific?

The non-believers can choose not to take up any spiritual path. That is their choice. However, they cannot prove that God does not exist. There are a lot of things outside a general man’s power of perception and one cannot scientifically make conclusive statements about such things staying within those limiting boundaries of perceptionn. The non-believers generally tend to reject the instructions of the scriptures and the devotees of God, but put forward their own arguments about why God must not exist. In other words, they say that God does not exist because if he had existed he would have acted in such and such a way. And so on. But in making such statements, the non-believers propose their own idea of God. But God does not necessarily have to be like what people who deny God’s existence say. If on the other hand, one studies the science of God under proper guidance, one will get answers to a lot questions whose lack of satisfactory answers turn many people into non-believers. One cannot choose to deny God’s existence and at the same time propose how God should behave. And one who accepts God’s existence will naturally learn the science of God from the holy scriptures under the guidance of sincere devotees of God who have been applying the science in their lives for a lot of years.

The devotees of God encourage the general mass of people to take on devotional spiritual paths. This is out of their compassion. The devotees have experienced the grace of God and are eager to share it with others. They do not any vested interests in propagating the science of God. But what is the motive behind the non-believers’ vehement opposition to God-consciousness? Many non-believers say that God and science don’t go together. That God is fiction. But, we have already explained that in that sense, all hypotheses of the scientific method are fiction. They are not proved unless experiments are conducted to prove them. Some other non-believers point out that religion has been the cause of great violence all throughout history, and therefore one must just relegate God to being a non-entity. In other words, if God existed, He would not allow such violence in the name of religion. Therefore, God does not exist. Again, such an understanding reveals the lack of awareness about science of God. In fact, most of the arguments against the existence of God stem from a lack of even basic understanding of the science of God. The non-believers may retort with saying that they think the science of God is just a figment of someone’s imagination. But, we have already explained a few times that this science can be compared to an element in the scientific method, and only experimentation (actually following the spiritual devotional process) can prove it one way or the other.

Apart from these reasons, some non-believers just hate God. Most of their arguments are just to cover up this hatred. They don’t care whether God exists or not. They just hate Him. Why? Maybe life has not gone according to their plan and they see this as an evil act of God. There can be many other reasons. But all of this again point to a lack knowledge about the science of God. If God exists, why does He let me suffer? Unless one studies the science of God, how can one know the answer to this question?

So, have we proved the existence of God? Yes and No. We have definitely asserted that non-believers cannot make any conclusive statements about the non-existence of God. As for those who have at least a little faith that God exists, they can use the scientific method to verify their faith by following the devotional spiritual processes under the guidance of sincere and experienced devotees of God. Simultaneously, they can learn the science of God under the proper guidance so that they can verify the results of their practices against what the science states. If the practitioner can verify this, then he would have proved the existence of God to himself. For those who do not care to conduct the experiments, the existence of God still remains a mystery. They can not prove that God does not exist, and without following the devotional spiritual processes, they cannot prove that God exists. They are nowhere.

This, then, is the God Logic.