Explain the relationship between ‘Atom’ and ‘Anatta’

Editor: Rev. Mangala priya

Watsuthivararam,

Yannawa, sathorn.

Bangkok,10120.

Thailand.

 Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter that make up everyday objects. A desk, the air, even you are made up of atoms. There are 90 naturally occurring kinds of atoms. Scientists in labs have been able to make about 25 more.

          The truth revealed about the inside nature of the atom has undoubtedly invaluable influence not only upon the field of science itself but upon all other broachers of knowledge, psychology, philosophy and even theology.

          John Dalton who lived in 1808 believed that an element actually consisted of separate invisible and indivisible atoms. Faraday symbolized an atom as a starfish with a small body and comparatively long limbs which entangle the things the limps contact. The constituents of the material universe interact with one another and are really inseparable. Things do not exist individually; the existence of a single object is therefore nothing more than a mental illusion. The universe is simply a process, a system of inter-connected activities in which nothing moves independently of the reset and where all is in ceaseless motion. This is exactly the same in principle, through different in words, as the Buddha’s preaching of “Anicca” which means the impermanent nature of things.

          Atom, the original meaning of which is “invisible”, had been finally proven to be divisible. But in ordinary chemistry, the conventional theory of the atom still holds good for the most practical purposes. Paradoxically it might be put in the following way: An atom is not really an atom, it is called an atom for the sake of convenience. According to diamond sutta, Buddha talked about the universe, he does not mean really universe; he calls them universes only nominally. Finally proves the principle of anatta which means that there is nothing called a personal ego.

  

          The attachment of ego, is the tremendous, it is like the nuclear binding energy of an atom. It causes the arising of the superficial layer, in different forms, in the instinctive desire to live, to propagate, to possess, etc.  as a matter of fact, the ego-instinct originates and directs almost all the superficial functions, such as volition, emotion, etc, and even affects our system of reasoning. It distorts our conscious mind and hence creates the illusory picture of the individual existence of “I”, “Being”, “Things” Etc. Since all the faculties of the conscious mind are more or less affected by the blind attachment of the ego, it might be said figuratively that the field of sub consciousness is the nucleus in which the ego attachment id the blind force. The other mental faculties more around it like the electrons revolving around the nucleus of an atom. The arrangement of electrons in the orbits of an atom determines its chemical properties, so do the consciousness faculties like volition, emotion, intellect, Etc.

          The revival of egolessness foreshadows the possible recovery of their faith in reality which is built upon a rational philosophy closely related to modern science.  To understand the emptiness of the ego is one thing; to practice, to realize and to live an egoless life is quite another.

          Sakyamuni and His followers have already declared their attainment of the state of full enlightenment and annihilation of the ego, yet compared with billions of sentient beings they are just as rare as the self-radiating elements, uranium, radium, actinium and thorium, on this earth.

          Middle path essentially teaches one to refrain from going to extremes in both physical and mental practices. In the process of penetrating into the nature of an atom, scientist found that an atom consists of a complex system of negatively charged electrons widely spaced around a positively charged nucleus.

          Through atomic science and Buddhism seem to be entirely different, yet they are really tackling the same problem of energy and release of energy by breaking the highly concentrated form of energy, the so called atom in one case, and the ego in the other. The energy released through the breaking of an ego is not as evident as in the atomic bomb, yet the Buddha’s highest wisdom and infinite compassion are very much like the light and heat released from the natural source of atomic energy, the sun.