An Ancient Philosopher Explains How the World Is Not What It Appears to Be

But first — a science experiment that supports his claim

In 1952, a scientist by the name of Donald. A Glaser launched a cutting-edge machine that measured the speed of subatomic particles.

Subatomic particles are tiny particles that are the fundamental unit of all matter here on Earth — including protons, neutrons, and electrons. So the key to understanding the material world is to understand how these little bits of energy operate.

The machine was called The Bubble Chamber because of the similarities between bubbles and subatomic particles and how they arise and pass away. The Bubble Chamber went on to record that each subatomic particle moves over a thousand billion times a second which amazingly, is what the Buddha discovered through meditation 2,500 years before.

The Buddha said that before he could click a finger or blink an eye, each one of these subatomic particles moves trillions and trillions of times. So fast, in fact, that they give life the illusion of being stationary.

Their methods may have been different but they reached the same conclusion and that is that life is in a constant flux or flow, always changing, never still. This relates to the cells inside our body as it does to mountain ranges, oceans, rivers, and forests.

An ancient Greek philosopher — Heraclitus — captured the essence of this best when he said:

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man”

When thousands of subatomic particles arise and pass away from second to second, our bodies are constantly changing. So, my body that swam in the river moments ago is not the same body that emerges.

This constant birthing and dying of new cells happens at such a rapid rate that the material world appears dense and rigid. But if all material things are made up of tiny bits of energy that are constantly moving, then this is the great illusion of life.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin brilliantly said:

“Matter is spirit moving slowly enough to be seen.”

And it’s probably why Heraclitus came to simply conclude:

“The only thing that is constant is change”

A question for the day:

As you look in the mirror — are you the person changing or are you the one watching the change?