Since 1905, it became apparent to physicists that this may not be so. That is when Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity. In it, underlying matter was energy; formulated as E=mc2.
"Relativity theory has had a profound influence on our picture of matter by forcing us to modify our concept of a particle in an essential way. In classical physics, the mass of an object had always been associated with an indestructible material substance, with some 'stuff' of which all things were thought to be made. Relativity theory showed that mass has nothing to do with substance, but is a form of energy. Energy, however, is a dynamic quantity associated with activity, or with processes. The fact that the mass of a particle is equivalent to a certain amount of energy means that the particle can no longer be seen as a static object, but has to be conceived as a dynamic pattern, a process involving the energy which manifests itself as the particle's mass."
Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics (Boston: Shambhala, 2000), p. 77
It seems physics may agree that we live in a world of process.
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The idea that it's all process is compatible with certain aspects of religion - for example the Buddhist concept of Anata or no-self.
Interesting parallel. Likewise, among references in the Moby Thesaurus for the Hindu “atman” are these: life process, breath of life, “pneuma” & “psyche” (Greek), “nephesh” & “ruach” (Hebrew), “anima” & “spiritus” (Latin), and “buddhi” (Sanskrit).
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