(Minghui.org) (Continued from Part 1)
Two Tai Chi Diagrams
A paper by scientists at the University of Ottawa in 2023 caught broad attention for the connection it draws between quantum mechanics and ancient wisdom. Published in Nature Photonics with the title “Interferometric imaging of amplitude and phase of spatial biphoton states,” this article illustrates how scientists used biphoton digital holography to perform quantum state tomography.
Biophoton digital holography: a) interference of two photons, b) reconstructed amplitude and phase structure. A yin and yang Tai Chi symbol is shown in the inset.
Interestingly, the entanglement between two photons displayed an image almost identical to the Yin and Yang Tai Chi symbol. “The resultant image of the wavefunction of these entangled photons is strongly reminiscent of a Yin and Yang symbol, which in Chinese culture represents the concept of interconnected forces,” commented a September 2023 article in Advanced Science News titled “Quantum entanglement visualized for the first time ever.”
This was not the first time quantum mechanics and Tai Chi have been linked. Ten years after Bohr conceived the principle of complementarity in 1927, he visited China and was impressed by ancient Chinese philosophy. Later on, the King of Denmark, Frederick IX, conferred the Order of the Elephant on Bohr in 1947. This honor is normally awarded to royalty and heads of state. Bohr designed his own coat of arms with the Tai Chi diagram and a motto in Latin, contraria sunt complementa (“opposites are complementary”). This shows his deep understanding of China’s ancient wisdom and its connection with quantum physics.
The design of Bohr’s coat of arms in 1947.
Archaeological evidence shows that the Tai Chi diagram appeared in China at least 7,000 years ago and was left from a prehistoric civilization. Although yin and yang contradict each other, they also complement each other to form a harmonious unity. There is a Chinese saying that “Yin and yang together is called Tao.” Taoist theories of yin-yang and the Five Elements also embody the principle of “mutual generation and mutual restraint.”
The double-slit experiment and quantum entanglement provide us with a deep understanding of reality in this world. Bohr’s complementarity believes particles exist as part of the universe and are not isolated. The particle and wave properties are two features of the same existence.
Similar ideas also existed in ancient Greek civilization. The philosopher Heraclitus believed that “everything flows.” That is, he saw the world constantly changing with a unity of opposites. He said, “The way up and the way down are one and the same.” He also said, “God is day and night, winter and summer, war and peace, satiety and hunger.”
Similar ideas are often seen in traditional religions and communities of spiritual cultivation. They include an understanding of the microscopic and macroscopic worlds, as well as the unity of matter and mind. The Buddha school also believes that “everything has Buddha nature,” which shows the harmonious blessing for beings in this world.
This idea is also supported by recent discoveries, including the ability of water to receive messages, prayer healing, the incantation effect, the twin connection, the couple’s sense, the Baxter effect of plants, and reincarnation.
Miracles Seen in Falun Dafa Practitioners
The connection between mind and matter has also been seen in practitioners of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), a meditation practice that improves mind and body. Introduced by Mr. Li Hongzhi in 1992, it consists of easy-to-learn exercises and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As learners continue their practice, their alignment with the universal values will improve the energy field in their bodies, and many illnesses disappear.
In 2005, scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine published a paper in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that examined the health benefits of Falun Gong (FLG) on the molecular level. “The changes in gene expression of FLG practitioners in contrast to normal healthy controls were characterized by enhanced immunity, downregulation of cellular metabolism, and alteration of apoptotic genes in favor of a rapid resolution of inflammation,” wrote the article titled “Genomic profiling of neutrophil transcripts in Asian Qigong practitioners: a pilot study in gene regulation by mind-body interaction”.
A peer-reviewed paper by scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine in 2005 on the health benefits of Falun Gong.
More specifically, out of the 13,000 genes the scientists examined, the gene expression of 250 was changed in the group of practitioners. “The lifespan of normal neutrophils was prolonged, while the inflammatory neutrophils displayed accelerated cell death in FLG practitioners as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,” the authors continued. “Correlating with enhanced immunity reflected by microarray data, neutrophil phagocytosis was significantly increased in Qigong practitioners.”
This finding shows that these immune cells have a dual regulation mechanism. Under normal circumstances, without inflammation, the immune cells of neutrophils have a longer lifespan than those of ordinary people. Together with stronger phagocytic power, they are more effective at protecting the body. During inflammation, however, the neutrophils will quickly die in a process called apoptosis. This helps resolve inflammation and avoid the harmful effects of a cytokine storm.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine said the article was a long-awaited study that examined the interaction between mind and body. It is notable that Falun Gong practitioners can improve their health through meditation and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
The increasing popularity of alternative healing methods was reflected in a press release from the National Institutes of Health in December 2008 titled, “According to a New Government Survey, 38 Percent of Adults and 12 Percent of Children Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine.” A separate survey found that those with higher levels of education tended to consider complementary and alternative medicine more compared to the general public.
Such popularity can also be seen in the presence of Falun Gong practitioners at tourist sites all over the world, including New York, London, Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, and Taipei. In fact, people in more than a hundred countries now practice Falun Gong. From their demeanor, people have seen the reemergence of traditional values and improved morality.
Quantitative Study on Cancer Patients
The miraculous effects of Falun Gong have also appeared in other publications and conferences. One paper presented at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting was “An observational cohort study on terminal cancer survivors practicing Falun Gong in China.” With over 40,000 members around the world, ASCO is one of the largest medical associations.
A presentation on the effect of Falun Gong on the ASCO website.
The data was collected from Chinese cancer patients between 2000 and 2015 via a web platform. They included diagnosis, FLG practice duration, Actual Survival (AS) till report date, symptom improvement, and Quality of Life (QoL). In addition, Predicted Survival (PS) was assessed using the NIH Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data if the treating physician’s Clinical Prediction of Survival (CPS) was unavailable.
Reports of terminal cancer patients (PS ≤ 12 months) with sufficient and verifiable medical information were considered eligible. Symptom-Free Survival (SFS) was also calculated. Among 152 eligible terminal cases (PS ≤ 12 months), there were lung (n = 38), liver (n = 29), stomach (n = 17), leukemia (n = 12), esophagus (n = 10), gynecological (n = 9), pancreas/bile duct (n = 8), colorectal (n = 7), and others (n = 22).
In addition, the onset age was 53.3±15.6 years. Based on the data, 65 patients experienced cancer treatment failure, 74 patients did not take any further cancer treatment after diagnosis, and 13 patients received treatment along with FLG practice. The FLG practice duration was 53.1±58.9 months. As of the report date, 149 patients were still alive.
“Compared with PS (5.1±2.7 months), AS was significantly prolonged to 56.0±60.1 months (P < 0.0001). A total of 147 patients (96.7%) reported complete symptom recovery with 60 patients confirmed by treating physicians. Time to Symptom Recovery was 3.6±3.3 months, and SFS was 52.7±61.1 months,” wrote the paper. “QoL after FLG practice significantly improved (all Ps < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed FLG practice duration was the dominating predictive factor for AS and SFS.”
Based on these, the authors concluded, “We observed that FLG practice can help terminal cancer patients survive significantly longer, in addition to notable symptom improvement.”
Besides these two examples described above, there are a large number of cases and stories published on Minghui.org explaining the significant improvement of mind and body. Many of those practitioners had recovered from cancer, leukemia, and other fatal illnesses.
In Zhuan Falun, Falun Gong’s founder Mr. Li Hongzhi wrote, “In fact, let me tell everyone that matter and mind are one and the same.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) and “Good or evil comes from that instant thought.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) Aligning with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and constantly improving one’s mind nature (xinxing) is a fundamental way to elevate one’s spiritual realm.
Summary
The universe has always been a mystery for mankind. Where did we come from, and where are we going? In this gigantic cosmos, how many things has mankind yet to understand? Quantum theory is like a key left by the divine for us to get a glimpse of the wonder.
Falun Gong, on the other hand, has shown us even more miraculous things. It has enabled a hundred million people around the world to gain a deeper understanding of the universe, human body, and life. Facing an unprecedented era of renewal, we are fortunate to witness all these and make choices that lead to a brighter future. After all, that is what we are here for.
(The end)
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