Universal Appeal

11 Jan 2013 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Stargazing Live - Jodrell BankWatching Stargazing Live on the BBC over the past three nights has left me feeling comfortable in the knowledge that we are all part of an incredibly beautiful Universe.

Whether the inane comments of David Baddiel left you saddened at the continued ‘dumbing down’ of science programs on the BBC, or not, you could not have failed to be in awe of the wonders on view.

The numbers involved in astronomy are are simply mind blowing, astronomical you might say. The Earth is our own very special piece of rock, orbiting a very ordinary star, but that star is one of billions that we know of up to now. So to imagine that we are the only life in that Universe is little short of preposterous. Just because we haven’t found it, or it found us, doesn’t mean life isn’t out there.

With the Buddhist view of the Wheel Of Life, the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, I believe we experience changes in external form, whilst remaining the same ‘packet’ of energy throughout eternity and across the entire Universe. The more science learns about the laws governing energy, be that by way of quantum physics or the nature of astronomical phenomenon, the better the fit with Buddhist teaching seems to become.

Dara O’Briain and the ever popular Professor Brian Cox have again brought us another excellent program about astronomy. Their enthusiasm is infectious, reminding us of the late great Sir Patrick Moore, who will be sadly missed by many viewers. I’ve been keen on astronomy for more than fifty years, and it never ceases to amaze me to see Buddhism and its principles, going hand in glove with a science I love.

Stargazing

16 Jan 2012 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The Great Orion NebulaI love all things astronomical, so I was glued to Stargazing Live tonight with Professor Brian Cox and Dara O’Briain. It’s the second series, and tonight was a perfect star gazing night, cold, clear and moonless. I do feel it is slightly sad that they tend to dumb-down the science, but it’s in a good cause if it entices a few youngsters into the hobby, or even enthuses them enough to want to become a professional astronomer.

After it finished, I rushed out with my own telescope, to have a look around the sky. Venus and Jupiter had already moved past my viewing window, although they were both clearly visible earlier in the evening. However, the constellation of Orion, The Hunter, was almost exactly due south, over the darkest skies out towards Brownsea Island, so I decided to focus on it and take a peek at the Great Orion Nebula.

I’ve seen it before, that little patch in the centre of Orion’s sword, but tonight was so clear, and the sky so dark, that it was wondrous to behold. The gas clouds were clearly visible, and it was easy to pick out the dozens of individual stars that merge together with the gas clouds to form the ‘smudge’ you can see with the naked eye.

It is amazing to think, that the light we see from stars, the twinkle that we so easily take for granted, left those stars hundreds, thousands, even millions of years ago. When we realise the vast expanse of our own universe and the incomprehensible numbers of other universes, it really puts our own planet and lives into true perspective. We really are just a tiny speck in the vast expanse of space, and an almost insignificant part of the whole.