To get a
sense of how would we know and see a 4D object or being, we can use the analogy
of how 2D beings would see us 3D beings. The popular world we usually resort to
when describing this is called Flatlanders world. The beings on Flatlanders magically
can be alive and some of them are even scientists. One day, a 3D being had
bounced their ball into the Flat sheet of the Flatlanders world and went
through it. The Flatlanders did not see a 3D sphere, instead they see the cross
section of the sphere as it crosses through their world.
So they see
a point, expanding to a circle, then contracting all the way into a point
again. Putting this insight into use for 3D beings to see 4D objects, we would
not be able to see or even imagine what 4D is like, but we can mathematically
and very accurately represent 4D objects and their 3D cross sections if they
happen to cross our 3D sheet in 4D space. A 4D sphere would look to us like a
point enlarging itself via a sphere shape until it reaches a maximum size,
followed by it contracting back into a point again and disappear!
So naturally
the most attractive feature of this explanation is that there are more space in
the higher dimension to house supernatural beings who can seemingly appear and
disappear at will! Parallel universes have this very same feature of more space
too, but the difference between parallel universes and higher dimensions is
that parallel universes does not require extra dimensions, there can be 3D parallel
universes without anymore extra higher dimensions. Extra dimensions too does
not imply parallel universes, there can be this universe which has a grand
total of 10 spacial macroscopic (large) dimensions of which we are living in a
3D subset of, and another universe which there can be 26 spacial macroscopic
dimensions. In the brane world parallel universes, both concepts are used.
●
Spontaneous rebirth: A bit of cheating way to get around the
difficulty of spontaneous rebirth is to assume that the devas’ birth is considered as the part of their body
which is in the 3D world. There can be their own special kind of biological
reproduction at higher dimensions which may or may not be spontaneous birth but
once they cross over to our 3D sheet, we consider them as appearing
spontaneously out of seemingly nowhere.
Or a more
difficult way to fit this in is to assume that the laws of physics and biology
in 4D or higher dimensions are so much more varied and flexible that
spontaneous rebirth happens as no surprise to them. One way to justify this
view is to consider how much more restricted the laws of physics and biology
are in the 2D world compared to the 3D world. To read a book or computer screen
in the 2D world, they can only use 1D screen or page, so they can at most read
in dots, dashes, space and their combination thereof. A 2D being cannot have a
tube inside their body to put in food at one end and feces out at the other end
or they will split open into two halves, they will have to eat and poop out via
the same hole, so that the cavity inside them will be connected by their body.
Or they may have the same structure as a single celled organism, transferring
the food container in a bubble from the eating hole to the pooping hole by
covering it with its fluid-like body.
A 4D or
higher dimensional being would similarly see us 3D beings as being super
limited in our powers and ability due to the way our laws of nature works in
3D. What is impossible to imagine for 2D beings would be trivial for us 3D
beings; what is impossible for us 3D beings maybe trivial for 4D beings.
●
Invisible, but can reveal themselves, or be seen via divine eye: As
mentioned, this is the main advantage of considering higher dimensions, that
there are more space in the higher spacial dimensions to house the gods so that
they are mostly invisible, unless they choose to cross into our 3D sheet or if
someone can somehow see higher dimensions (like via divine eye).
●
Blissful, but not end of suffering: If we think of blissful as
having easily fulfilled sensual pleasures, then as higher dimensional beings,
the devas would have more power and means to help them fulfil their heart’s desires. However, without abandoning craving,
suffering would still follows. If we think of blissfulness as the Brahma level
of bliss in Jhana, which is attained from letting go, we can fit this in with
Brahma as higher dimensional beings, so that they can see a bigger perspective
compared to our 3D limited view and not be attached to our 3D world. However,
one of the fetters which still even a none returner still have is attachment to
the form world. So the Brahma being can still be attached to its own existence
and thus have the roots of suffering still present.
●
Long life: If we model the length of life with the maximum
possible entropy which can be packed into one volume of space, then there is
more space in higher dimensions to max out entropy. Maximum entropy is a
measure of how many different mircostates can form different macrostates, in
other words, how much information can be packed into a volume of space.
The
structure of a cell is determined by the contents of its DNA, in 2D, the DNA
would need more area of space to contain the same amount of information as our
3D cells. In 3D, DNA is first able to twist itself into a double helix shape,
next able to fold up into complicated structure called chromosomes. Both
strategy make uses of the advantage of the extra dimension of 3D space as
compared to 2D space. In 4D and above, that same amount of information can be
packed into even smaller 4D volume, thus making the cells of the living beings
there more complicated or smaller, both of which has advantage towards living
longer. The more complicated or more information able to be packed into the
cell, the more repair mechanism it can handle and thus becomes more resistant
to injury, warding off death for longer. The smaller the cells, the less energy
it needs to continue to survive and easier for heat to dissipate.
If we think
of entropy as a measure of disorder, then we can think of a living cell can
only tolerate a certain amount of disorder before it dies. The process of
living, which is eating, bathing, sleeping, defecating, taking out bodily waste
is merely the body as an open system trying to lower back its entropy to
continue to survive. The higher dimensions cells can afford higher maximum
entropy, thus more space to accommodate the amount of disorder before it dies.
Higher dimensional biology can be so strange to us that maybe their cells do
not even need to do the usual process of living to lower entropy as its entropy
is stored up sufficiently to determine a fixed maximum lifespan for the devas.
●
Many levels: This maximum lifespan naturally increases as the
number of dimension increases. However, to just increase the maximum lifespan
by a factor of two (or four if you consider the time from earth’s point of view) per additional dimension
increase to model the many levels of the devas seems too little. Each
dimensional increase should considerably increase the powers, abilities and
various other things a being in the higher dimension could have. However, this
is just an subjective opinion, no hard calculation was done, or could be done
without a concrete proposal of the exact laws of physics and biology in higher
dimensions. It is just a nice structure that the many levels of gods can
correspond to the many additional higher spacial dimensions available.
A crazy
coincidence seems to happen with the number of possible dimensions in string
theory and M-theory as compared to the number of different levels of gods in
Buddhism. In one of the old versions of string theory, there can be up to 26
different dimensions for physics to remain self consistent. This would include
the one time dimension, so 25 spacial dimension, minus 3 for the normal human
and animals realm existence, there are 22 additional dimensions, just nice for
6 levels of devas, and 16 levels of form Brahma realms as described in the
Theravada texts.
For most
other string theories there are only 10 total dimensions, which breaks down
into 1 time, 3 macroscopic space and 6 other dimensions presumably curled up
into microscopic spacial dimensions which is present at every point in 3D
space. Those 6 additional dimensions would correspond to the 6 deva realms
then. For M-theory, the current combination of the different types of string
theories, there are a total of 11 dimensions and M-theory allows for the
possibility of macroscopic spacial dimensions. This additional one dimension
can account for the 6 deva realms and one more for the Brahma realm which is
associated with each world system. However, take this with a pinch of salt, for
me it just seems like a crazy coincidence and in no way does it confirms the
speculation that gods are higher (or curled up) dimensional beings.
●
Superior powers, but limited knowledge: Imagine what powers would
a Flatlander attribute to us 3D beings. We can see the insides of a flatlander
being, we can even reach into their insides and pull out the organs of our
choosing, likely it’s a defective one, so
that we can replace it with an artificial organ to help them.
Similarly, a
4D being can see the inside of our 3D bodies, they can reach into our bodies
and pull out the organs into the additional spacial dimension we do not see.
They can perform surgery without the need to open up our bodies. As we upgrade
from 2D to 3D, our vision can see much more stuffs which a Flatlander would not
be able to see. We can see what lies behind houses in a 2D world because we are
viewing it from another additional dimension. Similarly, a 4D being can have
much more information from one 4D picture compared to our 3D picture, they will
be able to see everything on earth and its inside, nothing can hide from them
and they can reach into any parts of it just as easily. That’s the superior powers of the higher dimensional
beings, but still, being able to see everything in 3D doesn’t give them the
abilities to automatically know the laws of physics in the 4D world, they have
to do their own experiments and come out with theories to explain the results.
●
Virtuous conduct needed to be reborn here: If the Flatlanders live
on 2D world sheet we can hold in our hands to manipulate and we have the
abilities to pull them into the 3D world, wouldn’t we only choose those who behave virtuously to bring to life in
3D? (After their death in 2D world of course.) After all, once they became a 3D
being, they can have powers over their previous existence, including powers of
destruction.
Similarly, a
4D or higher dimensional being would likely only choose virtuous person from
our 3D world to be reborn in their higher dimensional world so as to help
prevent abuse of powers. Or it could be a passive law of nature which allows
beings from lower dimension to transcend into higher dimension via the power of
good merits. Or if the higher dimension maps to Brahma realms, perhaps by
training of the mind to Jhana, one unlocks the key to go up to higher
dimensions!
●
Powers of instant travelling: Instant travelling in 3D world can
be explained by normal travelling in the 4D world. To see this, we return to
the Flatlanders vs us example. To travel from one point to another in the
Flatlander’s world, the
Flatlanders will have to walk all along their 2D world. However, for us 3D
beings, we can just bend their 2D sheet to join together the starting and
ending points of our travel together, and just cross from the starting point to
the ending point via a little bit of travel via the third dimension.
The higher
dimensional beings would do exactly the same to our world when they want to
travel from one point to another, just bend the 3D sheet they have on hand and
travel via the fourth dimension. So it makes sense that the terrasect, a 4D
cube is associated with instant travelling, the infinity gem of space in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe.
●
Luminous light shining forth from them: This is pure speculation,
but maybe when we cross into lower dimensions, some of the energy from higher
dimensions leak through thus making it look like we are shining and luminous.
Of course, this explanation fails to capture why 4D gods can be luminous in
their own 4D world. Perhaps it is just due to the extra dimension that light
can travel which changes the laws of physics so that things in higher dimension
would automatically emit light.
●
One for each world: This one is harder to reconcile with gods as
higher dimensional beings theory. Distance in 3D world means little to higher
dimensional beings, except just more storage space needed to keep the 3D sheet.
Perhaps it makes sense if we stretch the 3D sheet out just like a 2D sheet
between two stars which are light years away can be laid out for light years
distance in 3D, so does a 3D world of the distance between two stars can be
laid out for that same distance in 4D. Then the gods for each solar system is
just the corresponding gods at that specific location in 4D.
However,
when we transition to higher dimensions, this analogy breaks down, a 5D being
can crumple our 3D sheet to a 5D sphere of very little 5D volume just like we
can compress a 1D string to a 3D ball of yarn. There is no reason for the
higher than 4D beings to be identified with individual solar systems in the
comparatively low dimensional 3D world. Unless, that the six heavenly devas are
something else on the list here, whereas higher dimensional space are reserved
for the Brahma realms.
For Agganna
sutta, the gods who devolve into humans would be those who loses their higher
dimensional bodies to become courser bodies until end up like humans. The lower
dimensional bodies being courser because it lacks the powers of the higher
dimensional bodies.
Potential
experimental verification: If we ever discover someway to access higher
dimensions, we can then search for any sign of civilisation or living beings in
there. Or else, we can just devote more research time into theoretical
speculation of how higher dimensions affects the laws of nature to try to
picture what higher dimensions are actually like.
Likelihood
of gods as higher dimensional beings if higher dimension exists:
1.
Spontaneous rebirth: 99%
2.
Invisible, but can reveal themselves, or be seen via divine eye:
99%
3.
Blissful, but not end of suffering: 99%
4.
Long life: 80%
5.
Many levels: 95%
6.
Superior powers, but limited knowledge: 99%
7.
Virtuous conduct needed to be reborn here: 89%
8.
Powers of instant travelling: 99%
9.
Luminous light shining forth from them: 70%
10.
One for each world: 50%
Total possibilities: (product of all ten scores
after converting them to probabilities): 22.51%. Possible, the price of each
devas occupying higher dimensions seems like a high price to pay, but still
this is the most probable one compared to the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment