In the book Parallel Worlds, does Michio Kaku believe in Nirvana and Genesis?

Question

I'm curious because someone translated it into Thai that the eleven-dimensional hyperspace is actually Nirvana in Buddhism. Does Michio Kaku literally mean that? What's his religion. Sorry if my question is too nonsense.

“What is gradually emerging from the data is a grand synthesis of these two opposing mythologies. Perhaps, scientists speculate, Genesis occurs repeatedly in a timeless ocean of Nirvana. In this new picture, our universe may be compared to a bubble floating in a much larger “ocean,” with new bubbles forming all the time. According to this theory, universes, like bubbles forming in boiling water, are in continual creation, floating in a much larger arena, the Nirvana of eleven-dimensional hyperspace. A growing number of physicists suggest that our universe did indeed spring forth from a fiery cataclysm, the big bang, but that it also coexists in an eternal ocean of other universes. If we are right, big bangs are taking place even as you read this sentence.”

Excerpt From: Michio, Kaku. “Parallel Worlds.” Anchor, 2006-03-14T06:00:00+00:00. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.

Answer 1

Reading more from the excerpt which you quoted,

When I was a child, I had a personal conflict over my beliefs. My parents were raised in the Buddhist tradition. But I attended Sunday school every week, where I loved hearing the biblical stories about whales, arks, pillars of salt, ribs, and apples.

Perhaps that answers your question, "What's his religion?"

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I suppose that the following helps explain why he describes the "11^th dimension" as "Nirvana":

These creatio ex nihilo myths stand in marked contrast to the cosmology according to Buddhism and certain forms of Hinduism. In these mythologies, the universe is timeless, with no beginning or end. There are many levels of existence, but the highest is Nirvana, which is eternal and can be attained only by the purest meditation. In the Hindu Mahapurana, it is written, "If God created the world, where was He before Creation? . . . Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is, without beginning and end."

In Buddhism, "Nirvana" is I think described as a state which is:

• Unconditioned (i.e. it doesn't depend on or come into being as a result of other things as its condition)
• Timeless (perhaps also translated as "ever-present" or "eternal")

He's saying that the "11 dimensions" described in one of the theories of Physics has similar properties, i.e. it exists without a cause (perhaps unlike "this universe", which I take it is presumed to be embedded within those 11 dimensions, and which has a cause e.g. the "Big Bang").

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There's also this sentence:

What is gradually emerging from the data is a grand synthesis of these two opposing mythologies. Perhaps, scientists speculate, Genesis occurs repeatedly in a timeless ocean of Nirvana.

I don't think that means he literally believes in the Biblical story of Genesis. Its in a section of the chapter titled, "Baby Pictures of the Universe". I think the phrase "Genesis occurs repeatedly in a timeless ocean of Nirvana" is meant as, and should be understand as, "something-created (I guess/presume he's talkig about 'four-dimensional space-time' there) occurs repeatedly (or maybe 'fluctuates') within a timeless higher-dimensional space", and he's using pseudo-religious phraseology.

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My personal opinion is that it's a pointless (meaningless and unhelpful) analogy.

A similar tendency exists elsewhere, e.g. Quantum mysticism suggests a link between quantum theory and consciousness ... whereas this guy suggests we equate his cosmological/mathematical theory with Nirvana (or with certain characteristics/descriptions of Nirvana taken out of context).

It may or may not (depending on your preconceptions) be a helpful description/analogy of 11 dimensions ... I guess it's an idiosyncratic description of his ... and I'd guess it's not a good description (not a canonical description) of the Buddhist Nirvana.

Answer 2

Nirvana is the fuel burning out which keeps the recreation of the 5 aggregates, more particularly the elimination of the cause or roots (greed, hatred, delusion, non greed, non hatred, non delusion). So this description of Nirvana as a place is wrong.

Scientific theories are not eternal but in a flux of change unlike the Dhamma is a constant in any time period. So these theories of dimensionality cannot be related to Dhamma but can be perhaps treated as an approximation or an aid to understand at the conceptual level.

but that it also coexists in an eternal ocean of other universes

According to Abhidhamma there are infinite universes.

If we are right, big bangs are taking place even as you read this sentence

This again is a view found in Abhidhamma texts.

Answer 3

The forming and the destruction of the universe has nothing to do with Nibbana. Space is a secondary Rupa element and time is simply a concept based on the change of conditioned phenomena. "bubbles forming in boiling water" is an analogy for a physical behavior. Nibbanna is not physical and whether the beings attain it or not, the world systems keep getting destroyed and reformed.

It appears that the word 'Nirvana' is casually thrown in there to make some kind of connection with Buddhism or his notion of it is different than the Buddhist definition. This article says he is a Pantheist.

Pantheism can be a convenient diplomatic stance for scientists who wouldn't want to lose the majority theistic audience in the USA.