Astrophysics and the Middle Way

The parallels between science and mysticism are explored as Mansfield, a professor of physics and astronomy at Colgate University, speaks of how he as a physicist has been influenced by exposure to eastern philosophical systems, especially Buddhism. He talks about his association with the philosopher-mystic Paul Brunton and one of Brunton's principal adherents, Anthony Damiani. In the process, Mansfield provides numerous insights about the connection between the world of science and the realm of spirit. Pointing to the future, quantum physics may indeed provide a bridge to the spiritual. Vic Mansfield is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University and is the author of Synchronicity, Science, and Soul-Making (Court Publishing 1995), Head and Heart: A Personal Exploration of Science and the Sacred (Quest Books 2002), and the forthcoming Tibetan Buddhism and Modern Science: Toward a Union of Love and Knowledge (Templeton Foundation Press 2008).