A meditating figure floats in and out of existence, symbolically portraying the theory of entropy and a central tenant of Buddhism as well as most spiritual doctrines: The physical body atrophies over time while a person’s essence or soul grows from experience before reuniting with a divine energy source.

Similarly, the laws of thermodynamics postulate that dispersions of energy enable temporary phenomena to occur until the energy returns toward equilibrium or maximum entropic state. Such dispersions of energy may partly explain the emergence of the smallest known particles and, on a larger scale, the births of universes or galaxies, which fueled by energetic activity could materialize into matter, expand, and disappear.

These phenomena provide some insight as to why inorganic and organic activity on earth naturally moves toward balance in order to survive. From the tiny atom achieving neutrality by balancing its protons and neutrons to complex ecosystems moving toward long-term sustainability, the fluctuations or dispersions of energy are moving toward equilibrium in our experiential realm. 

Analogous to the larger cosmos, a single human life materializes into organic matter, expands, and also disappears. Self-realized beings apparently find mental and physical harmony within their existence, allowing them to discover their true essence and achieve an entropic state allowing them to die and reunite with the source energy.  Such parallels raise the intriguing possibility that a pool of energy could have created its own volatility and created temporary waves of existence.

What an atheist may call the maximum entropic state, a Buddhist may call Nirvana, but as our awareness expands, it seems that at some point, science and religion will converge and come to the same inevitable conclusion.

[The explanation of entropy provided above is but a small reflection of a human living in a time-space continuum. The notion of entropy is a timeless phenomenon that is more easily felt than experienced through our senses. Many people claim to unite with the source energy through prayer, meditation, near-death experiences, extraordinary physical feats,b or other periods of heightened awareness caused by internal and/or external stimuli. The image in the artwork is drawn from the subconscious and thereby conveys the feeling that is impossible to put in words. The viewer is asked not to rely on the explanation of what the work portrays, but simply stare at the work until the image elicits an inner response.]