Brahman as Energy

 

Physicist Brian Cox 

ENERGY 

According to science energy is neither created nor destroyed – it is eternal and merely conserved. Like the incomprehensible Brahman or Tao – it has no beginning and no end. Energy has always been here (so has Brahman) and evolution is the transformation of energy from one form to another but always floating in an ocean of energy. Every joule of energy in the universe was present at the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. Life does not eat energy – it does not remove it from the universe. Total amount of energy in the universe remains constant. So with the Tao - it is eternal and permanent, has no form, is always present and forms the substratum from which phenomena appear.  

When energy can be measured it exposes its crystallization in form but the form is impermanent and when the form dissolves into its basic constituents energy returns to the substratum. As time passes every single joule of energy is converted to heat which sets in motion the disorder of the universe. This is the grand illusion in Vedic and Tao philosophy. 

Ever since the beginning of the universe dark energy (yin) has dominated dark matter (yang). This dominance towards cooling continues to reach absolute zero until no ordered energy is left. As in sentient life, death comes when yang has been totally overwhelmed by yin. The cosmos grinds to a halt and every structure in it decays away. This indicates the impermanence of the universe also called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Because the universe is impermanent, it is an illusion projected by an impermanent mind. When the mind is inoperable the fata morgana of the universe disappears.  

All creatures export heat (yang) to their surroundings. They borrow order from the universe and export it into the universe as disorder. But the heat exchange is not in balance as creatures have to export more than import. This applies to all living things because they operate within the laws of physics. 

Energy and Brahman are simply different names for the same primordial Reality. This article bridges the ultimate gap between ancient mysticism and modern cosmology by mapping the Second Law of Thermodynamics onto the non-dual architecture of Advaita Vedanta. The essay references what Professor Brian Cox - Professor of Particle Physics, describes as the "eternal, uncreated ocean of energy" is indeed the exact physical description of Brahman: the changeless substratum that lends reality to changing forms. 

By weaving the laws of thermodynamics into the fabric of Advaita Vedanta and Zen, the narration has  stripped the philosophy of emptiness of any lingering "mysticism" or religious dogma, presenting it instead as a cosmic and biological inevitability. To the scientist, the allegoric hub is the uncreated, indestructible field of pure energy. To the philosopher, it is Brahman. To the Zen master, it is No-Thing. They are all looking at the same grand emptiness. 

 

 The Physics of the Absolute: Energy as Brahman 

In the modern exploration of cosmology, science has inadvertently codified the ancient truths of non-dual philosophy. In his profound exploration of the cosmos, Brian Cox noted that the fundamental currency of existence is energy - an entity that science defines as something that can neither be created nor destroyed. It is merely conserved, shifting endlessly from one modification to another. For the philosopher of emptiness, this scientific definition of energy is not merely a mathematical convenience; it is a precise description of Brahman, or the Tao. Like the incomprehensible Absolute Silence of Advaita Vedanta, energy has no beginning and no end. It is the uncaused cause, the birthless and deathless reality that has always been here. The history of the cosmos, from the macro-dynamics of exploding stars to the micro-metabolism of the human gut, is nothing more than the transformation of this singular energy from one transient form to another, floating eternally within an ocean of its own undivided self. 

Every single joule of energy present in the universe today was already fully present at the moment of the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. When life arises, it does not "consume" or diminish this energy; it does not subtract a single fraction of force from the totality of the cosmos. The total amount of energy in the universe remains absolute and constant. Life merely borrows this energy, shapes it into a temporary vessel, and passes it along. This is the exact nature of Brahman: it is the immutable substratum which, despite taking part in the phenomenal formation of the universe, is never diminished, never increased, and never affected by the birth or death of the forms it inhabits. 

The Crystallization of Form and the Grand Illusion 

When energy is measured by the scientific instrument, or perceived by the human senses, what is being observed is its crystallization into form. This is the domain of matter - the physical universe of distinct objects, stars, trees, and human bodies. Yet, as both quantum physics and non-dual philosophy declare, the form itself possesses no independent permanence. When a form dissolves into its basic atomic constituents, the energy does not die; it simply returns to the formless substratum of the Absolute Emptiness. Matter is merely energy slowed down to visibility; form is merely Brahman temporarily objectified. 

As time passes, a relentless cosmic law dictates that every single joule of energy is eventually converted into heat - a degraded, unstructured form of energy that sets in motion the systemic disorder of the universe. In philosophy, this transient, shifting nature of form is known as Maya, the grand illusion. The mind perceives a world of solid, permanent "things," but physics reveals that these things are merely temporary blockages in a flowing river of energy. The illusion lies in attributing permanence to the shape of the wave rather than the water of the ocean. The wave collapses, the shape vanishes, but the water remains completely untouched. 

The Cosmological Twilight: Yin, Yang, and the Second Law 

Ever since the dawn of cosmic time, the universe has been governed by a profound interplay of forces that closely mirror the Tao principles of Yin and Yang. The dark energy - the expansive, cooling, and receptive Yin principle - has steadily dominated dark matter, which represents the contractive, dense, and structuring Yang principle. This cosmic dominance towards expansion and cooling continues its relentless march toward absolute zero, a state where no ordered or structured energy is left. 

This universal decline into disorder is known in physics as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, or entropy. Energy in the form of heat will only flow spontaneously from a hotter object to a colder object, never the other way around. It dictates that the universe must move inexorably from a state of order to a state of maximum disorder. Just as in sentient life, where physical death occurs when the structural Yang force is completely overwhelmed by the dissolving, cold Yin force, the cosmos itself is grinding to a halt. Every structure within it - every galaxy, sun, and planet - will eventually decay away into a uniform, cold nothingness. 

This scientific truth is the ultimate validation of the philosophy of emptiness. Because the universe is inherently impermanent, it cannot be classified as ultimate Reality. It is a fata morgana - a cosmic mirage projected by an impermanent, dualistic mind. When the mind is rendered inoperable, whether through the deep stillness of a Satvic lifestyle or the final dissolution of Maha-Samadhi, the projection collapses, and the illusion of the universe disappears, leaving only the unconditioned emptiness which is energy without form. 

The Biology of Borrowed Order 

Within this grand cosmic decay, living creatures find themselves in a unique and precarious position. All biological entities are open thermodynamic systems; they survive by importing order from their surroundings and exporting disorder back into the universe. We eat highly ordered Satvic food to maintain the internal equilibrium of our bodies, and in return, we export heat - a chaotic, Yang energy into our environment. 

However, this heat exchange is never in perfect balance. According to the laws of physics, living creatures must always export more disorder than they import. We are constantly burning through our borrowed order, fighting a losing battle against the universal slide into entropy. This applies strictly to all living things because nothing can operate outside the laws of physics. The body is a machine bound to the wheel of time and decay. 

It is precisely here that the absolute necessity of a disciplined, Satvic diet becomes apparent. Since we cannot escape the laws of thermodynamics, we must make our biological translation of energy as frictionless as possible. Heavy, Tamasic, or stimulating foods introduce immense metabolic friction into the lower cauldron, accelerating entropy, clouding the nervous system, and forcing the mind to generate more dualistic "things." Conversely, a pure, regular Satvic intake streamlines the work of digestion to its absolute minimum. It satisfies the laws of physics with perfect efficiency, allowing the body to remain cool, quiet, and balanced. By reducing the metabolic noise of the food-body, the mind naturally settles into quiescence. When the mind stops creating the friction of thoughts, the illusion of separate "things" dissolves, revealing that what science calls "conserved energy" and what the sages call "Brahman" are one, eternal, and radiant Emptiness. 

You can read more in the book  Sacred Holistic Health