The Impact of Materialism
Materialism is commonly considered the dominant and correct worldview, but both in theory and practice, materialists are unable to substantiate their claim that "matter is the fundamental substance of the natural world, and spirit is the result of material interactions." This assertion remains merely a hypothesis, lacking any mathematical formula or physics equation that has concluded the world is composed of matter. Furthermore, this hypothesis cannot be proven through direct valid cognition.
The belief that the world is composed of matter is a rough conclusion that arises from our sensory experiences. When we see an object like a mug, we perceive it as a tangible material item without any doubt. Its existence seems obvious and taken for granted. However, we can question whether the mug we see in our dreams is also made of material substance. Many might argue that dreams are not real since they disappear once we awaken.
Yet, suppose I were to suggest that our current reality is a dream. In that case, the distinction between the material world and the dream world becomes blurred, and we may begin to question the fundamental nature of existence.
Cyclic existence can be compared to a massive, complicated dream, but the good news is that we all possess the potential to awaken from it. As previously explained, when Buddhist practitioners enter a state of cessation of their six senses, their mind becomes lucid and sharp, leading to the realization that their bodies and surroundings are not truly existent. While this realization is a significant achievement, it is only a half-awake, half-asleep state, and not the complete awakening. Nonetheless, this realization is far from insignificant. Upon reaching this stage, one can comprehend that the world is not composed of matter and develop a firm belief in the nature of the world as being the mind. For instance, a Taoist practitioner who reaches this stage can discover Wu Ji, and this is where hidden magical powers can manifest.
The reason why having magical powers seems like pure fantasy nowadays is that people no longer meditate regularly with the same intention as before. The root of meditation is being destroyed from childhood. Children start using computers and smartphones at a very young age, spending a lot of time watching TV shows and playing video games, which bombard them with an enormous amount of information every day. Their minds are constantly stirred up, leaving no room for peace. Without the ability to bring the six senses to a halt, it is impossible to observe the world accurately. As a result, cultivating magical powers is like trying to grow a tree without roots.
In ancient times, life was much simpler, and distractions were scarce compared to the overwhelming amount of distractions we encounter today. As a result, people had more time to meditate, leading them to develop magical powers. Some individuals even attained a high level of magical power. Even today, there are people in Tibet and India who possess such powers.
When a trained meditation practitioner sits still on their cushion, both their body and mind immediately come to rest, entering a state of calmness that is nothing like falling asleep. However, for those untrained in meditation, it's a different story. They may be able to hold their body still and straight, but their mind (mental consciousness) is constantly wandering, preventing them from experiencing true stillness. As soon as their consciousness ceases, they fall asleep without perceiving anything.
The difference for the trained practitioner is that their mind does not wander nor fall asleep while they sit in meditation. Instead, their mind is at rest to such an extent that it becomes very lucid and sharp. This state is referred to as "calm abiding" in Buddhist terms. In this state, the meditator may discover that certain phenomena are beyond what our six senses are capable of perceiving and comprehending. For instance, they may see certain deities in a certain realm such as Ishvara. With their magical powers, they may even see events that occurred a long time ago, or witness the destruction of the world many times over. These experiences would be incomprehensible to the untrained.
In our everyday experience, we perceive things as they appear in the present moment. Although we can remember events from the past and imagine what may happen in the future, we do not take them as truly existing in the present. However, for trained meditators who have achieved the state of cessation of the six senses, they are able to directly observe past events as they actually occurred. This is known as direct valid cognition, which is different from memory, fragmented and incomplete. In the state of calm abiding, the meditator's perception of the chair they saw yesterday is just as real and clear as it was when they saw it yesterday, although it is not actually the real chair from yesterday. This ability to perceive past events with such clarity and comprehensiveness is what is known as magic power.
Some people often go to see a fortuneteller and ask: “Tell me what stock I should buy Many people visit fortune-tellers and ask questions such as "Which stock should I buy tomorrow?" or "Will I get married next year?" The fortune-teller typically pretends to do some calculations with their fingers before giving an answer, such as "You will get married next year." However, the reality is that you may not get married for many years, if at all. Similarly, the recommended stock may seem like a good investment before you buy it, but once you've purchased it, its value may decrease.
Those who possess real magical abilities do not need to rely on calculations like fortune-tellers. There are different levels of magical power, with the highest being realized through Buddhahood, which allows one to perceive everything in all time and space. Although ordinary people with magical powers and Bodhisattvas cannot see as far as a Buddha can, they can still, to some extent, see into the future after their six senses are ceased. This is not a fairy tale or a myth; we will discuss related phenomena regarding time and space later on. It's essential to understand that what I have said is not mere superstition. Different worldviews can give rise to different phenomena.
During certain levels of meditation, those with magical powers may see deities that have persisted even after the earth has been destroyed numerous times. As a result, they may perceive these deities as the essence, leading to the notion of objective idealism. However, it's important to note that these approaches and their realizations are incomplete and merely observational methods.
Materialism Is Not Science
It is important to emphasize that materialists cannot provide theoretical or practical proof that "matter is the fundamental substance of the world in nature." Some may ask if science is a form of materialism, but it is not. Science is the study of categorized subjects that aim to discover the laws governing things, which differs from materialism. Both science and Buddhism share a common goal of seeking truth. While materialism may have contributed to the development of science and science may seem to support materialism, there is no definitive evidence that the world is entirely composed of matter. Materialism is a cognitive philosophy that perceives matter as the fundamental substance, with spirit as a byproduct of material interactions. It is critical to differentiate between materialism and science because opposing materialism does not equate to opposing science, as some may assume.
There Is No Mutual Proof
As said earlier, in science, there are two observational approaches: mathematical reasoning and experiment. Experiment must be repeatable. There is a third observational method called the mutual proof, which can be explained by the following example: There is a cup here on the table. You can see it. I can see it. Everyone in this room can see it. This way the existence of the cup is proved. This is the mutual proof.
As mentioned earlier, science has two observational approaches: mathematical reasoning and experimentation. Experiments in science must be repeatable for their results to be considered reliable. There is also a third observational method known as mutual proof, which can be illustrated using the example of a cup on a table. If multiple individuals, including yourself, can see the cup, its existence can be considered mutually proven.
Buddhism argues that the mutual proof cannot be established and is, in fact, a pseudo mutual proof. This is because what you perceive as a cup may not be the same as what I perceive as a cup. Rather than claiming that we see the same cup, it should be phrased as seeing similarities. Through a scientific approach, we can understand that the cup you see is actually a visual signal formed in your posterior thalamus. Light patterns reflecting off the cup are gathered by your eyes and transmitted to your retina, eventually forming the image of the cup in your brain. The cup I see undergoes the same process and is also a visual signal formed in my posterior thalamus. What you see is your unique signal, and what I see is mine. Therefore, these two visual signals may not be identical, raising the question of whether there is a real objective thing out there.
Buddhism challenges the concept of objective reality, as it recognizes that what we perceive and experience is unique to each individual. While similarities in perception allow for repeatability in scientific experimentation, mutual proof is not a means of validating true cognition, as differences in perception are inherent and can never be fully eliminated. For instance, it is impossible to mutually validate the depth and intensity of one's emotions, such as love. External expressions of love, such as gifts or actions, cannot fully represent or prove the internal feeling. For example, in a scenario where a billionaire and a poor man both fall in love with the same girl and offer different gifts, it is difficult to determine who loves the girl more based solely on their external actions. The poor man's gift of five dollars may represent everything he has, while the billionaire's gift of ten million dollars may be a small fraction of their vast wealth. Additionally, people's emotions and feelings can change over time, making it impossible to establish a definitive mutual proof.
Buddhism rejects the idea of a universally accepted objective standard for validating internal experiences, leading to the development of its own study of epistemology.
