Meru Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt educational foundation
established
in 1983 to support the ongoing research begun by Stan Tenen, Meru's
research
director. The root-word "Meru" refers to the name of the Hebrew
alphabet, Meruba; "Mt. Meru", the cosmic mountain that supports the
world in the
eastern traditions; Merudanda, the spinal column; Moriah, the temple
mount in Jerusalem; and Su-Meru, an ancient name for the Pascal
triangle
(which is of fundamental importance in mathematics).
What is the basic finding of Meru Foundation research?
We have re-discovered the use of geometric metaphor in the
Bible
traditions and a wide range of related teachings. Religious and
academic
scholars know that Bible stories, histories, and spiritual lessons are
expressed in metaphor, but it is believed that this must be word-based,
poetic and literary metaphor. The re-introduction of geometric metaphor
enables us to clearly understand and appreciate many perplexing and
controversial
passages and teachings, and to see them in a more functional, modern
perspective.
How was this geometric metaphor discovered in the Bible?
We are working with the sequences of letters in the standard
traditional
Hebrew text of Genesis. This text has always been associated with
claims
of meaning at the letter level. It is well known that ancient texts did
not include word divisions (nor vowel markings), and letter sequences
in
the original language cannot be incorporated into any translation. We
found
the elements of geometric metaphor in the letter patterns that have
avoided
the scrutiny of modern scholars.
How can geometric shapes tell a story?
An embryo develops from one simple shape, a sphere, to a cluster of
many spheres, to a hollow ball, then indents and becomes much more
complicated.
That progression of shapes is the same for all embryos. If you wanted
to
communicate to someone who did not speak your language about how an
embryo
develops, you would draw a cartoon of those shapes rather than
try
to describe the process in words. That is one example of how geometric
patterns can be called a universal language.
Meru Foundation findings suggest that the letter-text of Genesis
specifies
geometric patterns, illustrating a universal embryonic process. In
fact,
the letter-text of Genesis includes this geometric metaphor for
creation,
in the very place that the word-text talks about creation.
How is an appreciation of geometric metaphor helpful in building
a better society?
Geometry is used by architects to build structures in our world.
Two-dimensional
blueprints are used to construct a three-dimensional building. The
identification
of geometric metaphors as suggested by Meru research enables us to
unify
and transcend our many current cultural, political, and geographical
limitations.
Meru's models are snapshots of a natural ongoing process of embryonic
growth.
By applying these models at many levels, we can view the "big picture"
of how our universe and our planet work as whole systems, where each
element
shares and interacts simultaneously, for the benefit of all.
The metaphors of geometry can provide concrete, logical, functional
tools to statespersons, who can use them to accomplish what they now
cannot
envision using word-based metaphors alone. The re-discovery of
geometric
metaphor enables us first to learn how to take the higher view needed
to
reconcile what appears to be irreconcilable, and then to bring this
higher
view down to the earth we all inhabit. We can use this higher view to
reconcile
our cultural, personal, and political differences, by seeing the vital
function of each unique political and social expression within the
greater
human whole.
What does this geometry indicate?
The geometric forms woven into the letter sequences of the Hebrew
text
of Genesis enable us to gain a precise mathematical view and a deep
experiential
sense of the text that is complementary to, but not available from, a
narrative
translation.
Our findings also demonstrate that the sequence of letters in
Genesis
can define a mathematically meaningful model human hand. When a person
wearing this model hand makes gestures, they and those watching them
can
see 2-dimensional outlines of all of the rabbinic Meruba Hebrew
letters,
with each letter-outline seen in a gesture that carries the same
natural
meaning as the name of the letter. (Greek and Arabic letters are formed
by a closely related model.) These gestures are truly universal; for
example,
some gestures match those made by blind persons -- who have never seen
anyone else gesture -- while they speak.
Although the story is roundly dismissed by modern scholars as no
more
than legend or myth, our research suggests that this universal gesture language, not phonetic speech, is the form of language referred to in
the
episode of the Tower of Babel.
How does the re-discovery of geometric metaphor affect our
understanding
of our religious traditions?
The model hand, which represents the geometric metaphor for choice
and
will, generates the Hebrew alphabet, and particular styles of Arabic
and
Greek letters as well. This is why the geometric metaphor(s) based on
this
common model can show the inter-relatedness of Judaism, Christianity,
and
Islam. It is similar to the way the same DNA demonstrates the
inter-relatedness
of the very different-appearing organs in our own bodies. When we view
our religious traditions in the light of geometric metaphor, we find
both
their necessary differences, and their essential commonality. Geometric
metaphor does not replace or devalue the poetry and narrative of
traditional
Bible translations. It enhances all of these perspectives, and shows
them
in respectful relationship to each other.
Does this research have to do with coding in the Bible?
Yes and no. Meru research was conducted independently of the
statistically
discovered "codes in the Bible". Our findings suggest that prophetic
claims
made for these coded patterns are not valid, but that the
letter-patterns
themselves are real, and are better explained by the geometric models
suggested
by Meru research.
Our models show that what appears to be coding in the Bible is a
natural
result of the way the letter-text was originally woven. (See
below.)
This form of weaving is not mysterious, and is very similar to
techniques
that were known to have been used in the ancient world.
Instead of a "list of prophecies" as has been proposed by
non-critical
believers in the "Bible Codes," Meru Foundation research suggests that
the sequence of letters in the original Hebrew text of Genesis, when
taken
as "gestures in the mind," could represent specific meditational
exercises
that enhance particular mental skills. Or, to use a Christian metaphor,
we’re suggesting that the Hebrew Bible is not a "fish" (one or two or
just
a list of prophecies), but rather a "fishing pole" (a means by which a
qualified person could gain greater mental maturity).
How can Biblical verse be seen as anything but the stories we are
familiar with?
Uniquely, the Hebrew alphabet and language allow strings of letters
to be divided into words that make meaningful sentences in a very wide
range of possible ways. Traditional teachings suggest literally
hundreds
of acceptable narrative translations for the first verse of Genesis.
This
inherent flexibility in biblical Hebrew enables it to carry information
at more than one level. The narrative stories are there, of course, but
it is as if they are written on the threads of a woven lattice.
Our findings suggest that this "textile" is the framework on which the
stories are inscribed.
This is why we are looking at the arrangement of letters, and not at
the words and phrases. We are proposing that the alphabets, and the
texts
that make use of these alphabets, are multi-layered and
multi-dimensional.
The Hebrew alphabet is used for many purposes -- for the Biblical text,
as a modern language, and as a counting system. Our analysis of the
letter-text
of the Bible suggests that Hebrew is also a formal language,
much
like musical notation or computer languages. A wide range of references
suggests this formal structure, but without the rediscovery of the
particular
geometric metaphor on which this structure is based, it has not
previously
been possible to provide any functional and testable example of how
this
could be so. Meru’s findings bridge this gap by providing explicit,
testable
examples that can now be used to confirm the deep, precise, and functional meaning of many traditional teachings.
Use of the alphabet, understood as Meru research suggests, recovers
the formal language and provides us with the ability to
generate
the geometry of Genesis, which brings greater relevance to the
traditional
stories, narratives, and Biblical teachings.
Are there scientific applications for this research?
Meru research has always insisted on precision, objective
demonstration,
falsifiability, elegance, and informational depth. Because our findings
are based on the methods of science, they naturally have real
consequences
that can be demonstrated. For example, our findings have confirmed
earlier
work by mathematician Arthur M. Young, who presented a natural
"geometry
of meaning," and showed that information can be conveyed by pointing.*
Meru’s finding that hand-gestures -- basically, pointing our hand --
are
the basis of the Western sacred alphabets, is thus surprisingly
consistent
with the use of the quantum state vector in physics, which is itself
nothing
more than a pointing direction.
Another example is the direct parallel between the sequence of
geometric
forms that make up the geometric metaphor, and the stages of embryology
in biology, and self-organization in general. What we have found are
natural
models, from natural sources, that have natural and universal meaning
and
application.
*Young’s thesis is presented in two seminal books, The Reflexive Universe and The Geometry of Meaning.
Does Meru research suggest that all religions are or should be
the
same?
No. Our work shows why both the similarities and the differences in
our beliefs and traditions are necessary. We are suggesting an organic model. Just as we are each alive because our different bodily organs
perform
different vital functions, our "human body politic" also requires a
suite
of different spiritual and philosophical "organs" in order to express
the
full potential of humanity. Each and every faith and tradition is
vital,
and must maintain its distinctiveness in order to make its particular
contribution
to the whole. But at the core, we are all human.
Traditionally, geometric metaphor has been the preferred language
for
philosophers and sages of all traditions and all ages to express and
demonstrate
our commonality. The Greek philosophers insisted on it, stating that
"Only
those who know geometry can enter here." We propose that the Meru
findings
of an explicit geometric metaphor specified by the letter-text of
Genesis
can be a first, beginning step towards rediscovering the complete
"genome"
for the "organs" and families of the entire human body politic.
Do the methods of science used in Meru research conflict with the
many traditions of belief in the Transcendent?
Not at all. One of the beauties of the methods of mathematics and
science
is that when properly used, they are truly neutral, and acceptable to
all.
Meru Foundation’s work is based on definitions and axioms of unity,
which
are then explored in detail. Persons of faith and persons of no faith
alike
can appreciate logical deductions based on logical definitions. A
definition
of unity is in no way offensive to either a person of belief, or a
person
of no belief.
Why is the geometric perspective on ancient philosophical and
spiritual
texts unknown in modern scholarly studies?
Primarily because in modern higher education, the people who are
attracted
to studying Biblical texts and other philosophically oriented works are
not the same people as those who are attracted to studying mathematics
and science. A scholar of ancient texts would need to be familiar with
geometric relationships in order to recognize that an ancient author
might
use analogies from the world of nature (for example) to describe them.
What one concept most exemplifies the benefits of Meru research?
Reconciling the seemingly-irreconcilable. Spirituality and science,
inner and outer, consciousness and physics -- the Meru research
presents,
and depends on, a perspective for discovering the unity that joins a
wide
range of seeming opposites, and the appropriate diversity that
distinguishes
them. By "thinking outside of the box," Meru research offers new
conceptual
tools, providing the additional conceptual space required to "reconcile
the irreconcilable" and to effectively address problems which now
appear
to be intractable.
What material is available to learn more about Meru research?
Meru Foundation offers a series of 5 live-lecture DVD's spanning 10
years of Meru research. These DVD's, a 3-volume complilation of written
materials titled The Alphabet in
Genesis, and other materials are available for purchase on our
secure-server
website
at www.meetingtent.com.
A recommended reading list is HERE, http://meru.org/readlist/readlist.html
