BUDDHISM AND SCIENCE

Albert Einstein in the 1930’s said about the scientific approach of cause and effect of Buddhism. "The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion", he said, "it should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism".
While the antipodean blossoming of Buddhism seems to have gone from strength to strength since the 1980’s, this has not always been the case. It is in the Buddhist principle of godlessness that the journalist can find opposing and dissenting voices to the Buddhist cause. This theological bone of contention is the main source of friction with other religions.
The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (born in 563 B.C.), turned his back on the royal family he had been born into, to live life as a simple ascetic monk. At the age of thirty-five he became enlightened and ‘saw things as they really are’, having achieved a mental state of absolute egolessness, where he no longer felt any sense of narcissism or craving. He taught that everyone is capable of achieving this, providBuddhism is not a faith. It is not technically a religion either, though when discussing systems of worship it is easier to work with that label. It is more a psychology and a philosophy wrapped around a moral code of mind training. Buddha taught his disciples that he was not a god, should not be revered and no rituals should be developed around his teachings. Heaven and hell, he taught, are not external places that we travel to after we die; they do not in fact exist. Rather, both places dwell only in the hearts of people. People are either good or bad, pious or evil. Paradise exists within our spirit, it is here and now, and not some destination in the after-life. Meditation, he believed, is the process required for all adherents to achieve Buddhahood. This is one of the main differences between Buddhism and other religions. Practitioners are offered an ultimate equality to all his followers.
This is a radical departure for all persons to realise when they first start studying the principles of Buddhism. The best a faithful Christian, Hindu and others could hope to achieve with his devotion was entry to heaven as an angel where he is still subject to the will of a greater being who could smite him anytime at will. The Buddha teaches his disciples too become the same as he, which is why he is not a god. In Buddhism there is no pecking order in the after life, because that would require the presence of an ego, which is the Buddhists life work to gradually eliminate. Buddhism dispenses with the notion of a Supreme Being, as does science, and explains the origins and workings of the universe in terms of natural law. All of this certainly exhibits a scientific spirit.

The Buddha advised that we should not blindly believe him but rather question, examine, inquire and rely on our own experience. Even as the Indian media could not keep its eyes off Hollywood celebrities Goldie Hawn and Richard Gere attending Mind and Life X, the crucial exchange between modern Science and Buddhism, concluded at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala.

Over five days, Nobel laureate physicist Steven Chu, leader of the human genome project Eric Lander, chemist Luigi Luisi, geneticist Ursula Goodenough, physicist Arthur Zajonc and biophysicist Michel Bitbol discussed the nature of matter and life with Buddhist monks led by the Dalai Lama. Most scientists knew little or nothing about Buddhism, but felt it was important to have a dialogue. Explained Chu, who was jointly awarded the Nobel in 1997 for his work with bio-molecules: ‘‘As scientists, I think our sight often becomes too narrow and we are unable to touch the broader humanistic issues that concern us all. This is what brought me here.’’ Agreed Lander: ‘‘ Science is posing ethical questions today that need to be answered urgently... For me, this conference is really about posing those questions to Buddhism and looking at the reactions." Each day began with a scientist‘s presentation, followed by an afternoon discussion with the Dalai Lama and other monks, including the young Karmapa. The origin of life, the testing of fetuses for genetic abnormalities, and the use of animals in research were among the topics discussed. While refusing to give absolute answers, the Dalai Lama was willing to examine each case individually. It is the motivation at the core of every choice that makes it ethical or unethical, he said. This gave scientists another point to ponder. As Zajonc said, their research was often supported by companies whose motives might not be pure. There are two levels of reality, said the Dalai Lama, referring to Buddhism‘s ordinarily perceived reality and the Ultimate Reality, where the mind stills to such a degree that everything appears in its true nature. Nothing is intrinsically real, he said. Things that appear to be real are so because of our perception, which solidifies them. Lander had the last word on the conference: ‘‘I have a lot of respect for the thoughtful dialogue that happened. No one was trying to convince the other. They were trying to open perspectives, which can always do with a bit of opening.’’