LIVING ON THE EDGE Uma Vethathiri We are living on the edge of the totality; we all literally live a marginal

existence. Not in the usual sense of poverty keeping us in the margin of society. I mean our entire existence, perceptions of movements and objects, all amount to no more than a miniscule, marginal bit of Space. Our entire body, mind and surroundings amount to a very few particles in the all-encompassing space. The Space substratum is really unimaginable. It is not only far, far more vast than the stratum it supports, it is unimaginably vaster than our comprehension. In a lighter vein, the scientist JBS Haldane said that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, it is queerer than we can suppose. Every schoolchild is taught that in an atom there is a nucleus and there are several electrons are in orbit around it. Right. It is common knowledge that the empty space in an atom is enormous in comparison to the volume of the particles. Since this applies to all atoms, what does it mean? It means that all we perceive at any moment is a mere handful of particles in small groups that are spinning and floating in dark, boundless space. We perceive a world of built up of particles and functioning by waves because our brains and senses are composed of particles and their wave interactions. We might wonder what else exists beyond what we can perceive: if we subtract the particles we find that the space is virtually everything -- it is over 99 percent of our immediate surroundings, our world and our universe. Swamiji disclosed to us even more: he realized that even what we perceive as mass and energy is also nothing but transformed space. There is no example to explain the totality; a limited example cannot be used to illustrate that which is unlimited. But we can attempt to find a similarity with a fish that doesnt observe or think about the water: its the substratum, the medium of life in which it is born, lives and dies. For the fish, water is so basic and subtle that it is beyond objective perception. If there is land somewhere far away beyond its area of ocean, or even other oceans, the fish wouldnt know or care about it. Only a few exceptional creatures think about the substratum of existence what lies beneath and beyond them. Swamiji gave us methodology and guidance in analysing the nature of life, the universe and Space, bringing us to a deeper perspective. However, like all living beings we are bound to live in our natural environment as perceived by our minds and senses, even though we realize its illusionary nature. Acknowledging our inevitable bondage to this perceived reality also, Swamiji gave us tools such as introspection, exercises and meditation to live wisely and well in society. Science and religion were brought out and developed by the wisest people who have lived through the ages. These two approaches to Truth have quite different axioms and methods, different theories of knowledge altogether. But in common they basically tell us that we cannot accurately understand the world as it appears to our senses. Both have

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ways of helping us to be aware of our human limitations and keep reminding us that the totality is much, much more than we can ever imagine. There is nothing but fluid Space and its inherent force that we understand as masses with functions and results in the linear progression we call time. As long as we live we have only our perceptions of this apparent matter and movement. Space is All and we cant directly perceive the very thing that we are; as Swamiji used to say, we can only assume it. We are made of and perceive a very few particles and waves we are so small, so limited, so marginal we may live 100 years but its all spent in the very small playground of particles and waves on the edge of the grand totality of Space.

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