Modern astronomy shows us the model of a universe with a diameter of more than 25 billions lightyears(1 lightyear = 10^13 km) and with the form of a flat ball (infrared background measurement). Until today we know over 1 000 000 000 galaxys or similar objects. In our galaxy are over 1 000 000 000 suns ....

Some mathematicians say that it is statistically absolutely unprobable that there is life in other parts of the universe (because of the specific conditions that life needs to exist) - but they forget that we are not probable then too.
Other scientists speak of 20000 solar systems, for which the probability exists, that organic life exists.
UFO-NOTICE:

But we dont know what is behind that - or whether there is something behind it at all - and how it came into existence. Even the " Relativitätstheorie" of Albert Einstein is only one modern and still incomplete model.
The common explanation with the "first bang" would mean that we came out of the NOTHING - but that is not logical either.
Modern physics has now new mathematical models ( thread- theories und Quantum mechanics which use more than 3 dimensions (a maximum of seven dimensions) and can even explain gravity with that.. Hinduism teaches imilar that the world hangs on the threads of KARMA, but on a higher plane. which use more than 3 dimensions (a maximum of seven dimensions) and can even explain gravity with that.

Even in physics exist new theories about the existence of two parallel universes.

Modern science is now analyzing man down to the genetic level and sees him as a highly evolved genetic pattern which needs a society to ensure this evolution which is not possible in the nature but only within a culture, an education and the safety of a society.
The human beeings can so be seen as a purely biological product which is now able to analyse itself and manipulate itself and has problems to find the right rules while it tries to leave the rules of nature behind.

But are we really so modern and progressive ?

Modern scientists have found many laws of the material plane and were able to use them for a better life, and we have developed unknown technologies with that - but the majority of mankind lives in concurrence with each other.

Mankind has developed its mind but not the soul - which does not exist for science - and which is dying und mostly already has died and exists as a gray shadow.

Until some centuries ago western religions beleived that our earth is flat - until Galilei came - as an hereteic. There are theorys that our earth consists of interstellar dust, but the mother(Aurobindo) said that our planet was at first an eruption of gas from our sun. Rodulf Steiner said, that our planetary logos left the sun at that time.

Western exoteric religions beleived that the earth is flat, but in the east that was different, because the world views were created by enlightened masters :

In trantristic hinduism we find drawings of Lord Krishna who fills out the Universe and is much bigger than the universe on a higher plane of creation, as well as drawings of the "cosmic man".

There are descriptions of stars which circle within 100000s of years around higher systems of stars.
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam (Book3) stand detailed descriptions of the time-cycles of the universe inclusive of the higher worlds (Further under "Kashmir Shivaism" on this website )

In buddhism exists the teaching of " Microcosm and Macrocosm" : The world is built up with shells.
In Zen-Meditation "SARTORI" means to see the smallest things (the "Anu" - which is not the neutron or the quarks), and true enlightenment means to see and be ONE with the Universe. True masters can even see much further than that.

Buddhism says that there are millions of universes - like Hinduism does - and tells us about higher worlds as the background of our physical existence.

The eastern religions see man as a carrier of his soul who is bound to his karma - his destination. They teach methodes to develop the soul and to liberate it from the influences of the lower planes of creation (Moksha).
In the old western cultures comparable hermetic teachings have been kept secret because of the influence of the christian church. Nowadays most people in the west laugh about these things because they are slaves of their wishes which they want to fulfill and think that these things are from ancient times. Success counts for them, their souls have primitive wishes and visions.
In many regions of asia religions are slowly dying because of western influences and because people dont understand their own religions which have not been able to make themself understandable to realizing reason. They were and are blinded by the possibilities of modern techniqs.

There are now new religious christian movements and oriental and asiatic religious movements with millions of people. But these movements are mostly collections of people who flee into religion as a safe place in a too modern and intolerant world. Therefore these movements of mostly simple people do not really change the spiritual climate of our planet. Real religions would lead people on the path to be at least a "spinner of the wheel", but the majority of mankind is sunk in their bodies and does not want this developement.

The further disadvantage of these movements is the modern interpretation of the scriptures of their founders, which were either written for their specific time and culture or were symbolic stories of the path. Many movements have their basis in the interpretations of the successors of the founder. Therefore these religions give a separatistic feeling of the rebirth of the specific religion, which is catastrophical for the global understanding of religion, and which indirectly directs global life into an atheistic direction because the contents are very infra-rational.
A modern religion must wisely integrate the scientific progress.
On the other hand this is only a theoretical lost chance for spirituality because the masses are not enough developed for a spiritual religion, and the step would be too big for the majority of mankind.

If i speak about science in this chapter, then i think of the universal " Holy science" which includes the higher worlds and transcends our material world as the lowest plane.
The modern science uses concepts, models and mathematics and nowadays widens and deepens the knowledge on such a broad horizontal front, that life seems to be a combination and interaction of certain fundamental formulas, even if it steps down to such fundamental things like the "tree quarks" als elementary bricks.
But modern science must stay on the material surface of creation and it becomes very often the servant of the things which it created. Modern science cannot reach the astral planes or the mental planes , despite of the transcendental planes and the spiritual planes. It can only describe single laws and it cannot describe the gnostic infinite planes with their unusual laws and characteristics.
The "Holy science" acknowledges the laws of the material plane which come from the limitedhood of the underlying material energy which is still unknown in physics.
when the kabbalistic "Sepher Yetzirah" speaks about "Counter, number, counted" the this origin of the numbers is already on a spiritual plane. Therefore the astral plane could be a similar world with its own planets and its specific science and characteristic laws.
The "Holy Science" must stay a secret science in its details, and therefore it is only the description of the process of Evolution, of Transformation and of Transfiguration, because these things should not be a toy in the false hands, a problem that always exists because of the polarity of creation.
It is not important whether these forces are viewed at as good and evil, as light and darkness, or as destructive and creative forces. Our momentary material world obeys the laws of unconsciousness, and the higher consciousness is always in danger to be drawn down to by these involutionary forces. This is the main reason for the spreading decandency which likes these hidden vital forces as a fundamental part of the momentary human nature.
It must be emphasized in this context that even the spiritual planes stand under certain mathematical laws, and the laws of physics are only the consequence of the laws of these planes. Our world is the final result of the " Atman" which made the Maya-Ethers vibrate in time (Kalachakra).
But it cannot be the aim of the "holy science" to find these mathematical formulas and to publish them to the undeserving ignorance. Even if a very high master is able to understand these laws he would never do this because it is a secret of his 5th initiation. It is the purpose of the "Holy science" to show which forces are necessary to go the path and to show what has to be transformed to reach the next step of the 22 steps, either with the model of the seven "rays" or with the " four elements or with the direct synthetic spiritual energy : The description of the spiritual worlds and of the divine regions must therefore be very gross.
The "Holy science" creates and is based on "Holy scientists" who are busy with their work on the path to the gnostic individuality. They have left behind the small human ego, which is a servant and a controller of the lower worlds. Their EGO has its roots in the spiritual soul. It is a science which makes spiritual experiences understandable through the transferred knowledge.
The cosmic world views in Hinduism and in Buddhism and the knowledge about the many planes and about the many successful techniques come from the selfrealization of single outriders and masters.
Finally it should not be forgotten, that even behind the highest divine worlds stands a highest synthetic hidden consciousness, under whose control everything unconsciously works and functions.