Buddhism and science
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Buddhism and science are generally compatible with each other, especially compared to the conflict between science and the Abrahamic religions. Buddhism itself, being generally neutral on the subject of the supernatural, is open to scientific discoveries. With its focus on the nature of mind and its implications for the concept of reality, Buddhism is seen by some scientists as offering fresh insights in psychology and studies of consciousness, as well as occasional applications to evolution, quantum theory, and cosmology. As both Buddhism and science are open to criticism from within, there is some disagreement over whether one is being badly influenced by the other.
Attempts to link Buddhist concepts such as nondualism to concepts in physics such as wave-particle duality, while popularised through books like The Tao of Physics and The Dancing Wu Li Masters, have so far proved only suggestive. Claims that the pioneers of quantum theory such as Einstein, Heisenberg and Schrodinger were deeply impressed or influenced by Buddhist concepts are not substantiated by either their own writings or standard biographies. Einstein did comment that Buddhism "contains a much stronger element of [the cosmic religious feeling, by which] the religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished."<ref>Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science". New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930 reprinted in Ideas and Opinions, ISBN 0517003937, p. 36.</ref>
In 1974 the Kagyu Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa predicted that "Buddhism will come to the West as psychology". This view was apparently regarded with considerable skepticism at the time, but Buddhist concepts have indeed made most in-roads in the psychological sciences. Some modern scientific theories such as Rogerian psychology, show strong parallels with Buddhist thought. Some of the most interesting work on the relationship between Buddhism and science is being done in the area of comparison between Yogacara theories regarding the store consciousness and modern evolutionary biology, especially DNA. This is because the Yogacara theory of karmic seeds works well in explaining the nature/nurture problem. See the works by William Walron on this topic.
During the 1970s, several experimental studies suggested that Buddhist meditation could produce insights into a wide range of psychological states. Interest in the use of meditation as a means of providing insight into mind-states has recently been revived, following the increased availability of brain-scanning technology such as fMRI and SPECT.
These studies are being enthusiastically encouraged by the present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso who has long expressed an interest in exploring the connection between Buddhism and western science, and regularly attends the Mind and Life Conferences. However, some scientists are concerned by the popular coverage given to Buddhism's applications in neuroscience, believing that it will open up the field to mysticism.<ref>Christina Reed, "Talking Up Enlightenment." Scientific American, 6 February 2006.</ref>
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References
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Further reading
- Robin Cooper, The Evolving Mind: Buddhism, Biology and Consciousness, Windhorse (Birmingham UK 1996)
- Daniel Goleman (in collaboration with The Dalai Lama), Destructive Emotions, Bloomsbury (London UK 2003)
- B. Alan Wallace, Choosing Reality: A Buddhist Perspective of Physics and the Mind, Snow Lion (Ithaca, NY 1996)
- Rapgay L, Rinpoche VL, Jessum R, Exploring the nature and functions of the mind: a Tibetan Buddhist meditative perspective, Prog. Brain Res. 2000 vol 122 pp 507-15
- Tenzin Gyatso, The Dalai Lama XIV, The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, Morgan Road Books (2005)
External links
- Full text of 2004 paper examining effects of long-term meditation on brain function
- Full text of 2003 paper examining the effect of mindfulness meditation on brain and immune function
- The Mind and Life Conferences