Buddhism and Science

In my view, there is a firm link between scientific research, and the awareness, understanding and practicality in Buddhism. I have drawn on the thoughts of the Venerable Dr. K.Sri Dhammananda, a monk and author, and in doing so have tried to simplify some esoteric propositions he presented to fellow Buddhists.

To begin, the Buddha is not some illusionary, supernatural deity.

He was a very real documented person who was born the wealthy son of a Nepalese king around 2500 years ago, questioned the reasons behind human existence, left his luxurious lifestyle, and travelled on a tortuous path to find his answers. During a meditation practice, he became totally aware of the entire nature of existence.

The term “Buddha” is Sanskrit for “enlightened one.”.

Following this enlightenment, he travelled widely around the Ganges region spreading knowledge about his revelations and still millennia after his death, is respected, particularly in Asia, as an unsurpassed teacher of truth, fact, and logic.

Of course in many countries where Buddhism spread, populations tended to blend its teachings into local cultural rituals and ceremonies which persist even today.

Nonetheless, it is less a religion than a lifestyle. It is centred around psychology, philosophy and spirituality, and sits very comfortably alongside regular scientific research. How?

Today we live in a scientific age in which almost every aspect of our lives has been affected by science. Since the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, science has continued to exert tremendous influence on what we think and do.

Many basic religious concepts are crumbling under the pressure of modern science, and are no longer acceptable to the intellectual or well-informed man.

No longer is it possible to assert truth derived merely through theological speculation, or based on the authority of religious scriptures in isolation from scientific consideration.

For example, the findings of modern psychologists indicate that the human mind, like the physical body, works according to natural causal laws without the presence of an unchanging soul as taught by some religions.

Some religionists choose to disregard scientific discoveries which conflict with their religious dogmas. Such rigid mental habits are indeed a hindrance to human progress.

Since modern man declines to believe anything blindly, even though it had been accepted traditionally, such religionists will only succeed in increasing the ranks of non-believers with their faulty theories.

On the other hand, some religionists have found it necessary to accommodate popularly accepted scientific theories by giving new interpretations to their religious dogmas.

A case in point is Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Since all enlightened thinkers have accepted Darwin’s theory, theologians today have little choice except to give a new interpretation of their doctrines to suit an idea which they had opposed for so long.

It is generally true to say that religions have contributed greatly to human progress and development; they have formulated principles to guide human life.But for all the good they have done, religions no longer can survive in today’s scientific age if their followers insist on imprisoning truth into set forms and dogmas, and encouraging ceremonies and practices which have become depleted of their original meanings.

Until the beginning of the last century, Buddhism was confined to countries untouched by modern western science.

Nevertheless, from its very beginning, the teachings of Buddha were always open to scientific thought. One reason is that the Buddha never encouraged rigid, dogmatic belief. He did not claim his teachings were based on faith, belief, or divine revelation, but encouraged great flexibility and freedom of thought.

A second reason is that the scientific spirit can be found in the Buddha’s approach to spiritual truth. His method for discovering and testing truth is very similar to that of the scientist. A scientist observes the natural world objectively and only establishes a scientific theory after conducting successful practical experiments. The Buddha took a similar approach 25 centuries ago; he observed the inner world with detachment and encouraged his disciples not to accept any teaching until they had investigated it critically, and verified its truth personally.

Buddha was as analytical as the present day scientists; he established a practical, scientifically worked-out method for reaching ultimate truth and the experience of enlightenment.

However, while Buddhism is very much in line with the scientific spirit, it is not correct to equate it with science.

It is true that the practical applications of science have enabled mankind to live more comfortable lives, and experience wonderful things undreamed of before, yet the sphere of knowledge acceptable to conventional scientific wisdom is confined to empirical evidence.

Scientific truth is subject to constant change, and cannot give man control over his mind. Neither does it offer moral control and guidance. Despite its wonders, science has many limitations not shared by Buddhism.

One hears so much about what science can do, yet so little about what it cannot do.

Scientific knowledge is limited to those data received through the sense organs, and does not recognise the reality which transcends sense-data.

Scientific truth is built upon logical observations which are changing constantly. It is therefore relative truth not intended to stand the test of time, and a scientist aware of this fact is always willing to discard a theory if it can be replaced by a better one.

Science attempts to understand the outer world, but has barely scratched the surface of man’s inner world.

Today, so many people are plagued with fear, restlessness, and insecurity, yet science fails to succour them. It is unable to teach the common man how to control his mind when he is driven by the nature which burns within him.

Science is thoroughly secular in nature and unconcerned with man’s spiritual goal, denying to his psyche anything higher than material satisfaction.

The transcendental mind developed by Buddha is not limited to sense-data, and goes beyond the logic bounded by the limits of relative perception.

On the contrary, human intellect operates on the basis of information it collects and stores, whether in the field of religion, philosophy, science, or art. This information is gathered by our sense organs which are inferior in many ways, and the very limited information perceived makes our understanding of the world distorted.

The less we know, the more certain we are in our explanations. The more we know, the more we realise our limitations. In this regard, Socrates had this to say when asked what he knew: “I know only one thing – that I do not know!”

Buddhism goes beyond modern science in its acceptance of a wider field of knowledge than is allowed by the scientific mind. It admits knowledge arising from the sense organs, as well as personal experiences gained through mental culture, and by training and developing a highly concentrated mind, spiritual experience can be understood and verified.

This experience is not something which can be understood by conducting experiments in a test tube, or examined under the microscope.

The truth disclosed by science is relative, and subject to change, while that found by the Buddha is final and absolute – it does not change according to time and space and is known by its Sanskrit name, Dhamma.

Science devoid of morality spells only destruction - it becomes a draconian monster which man discovered. Unfortunately, this very monster is becoming more powerful than man himself unless he learns to restrain and govern that monster through the practice of spiritual awareness. Science, when coupled with a lifestyle such as Buddhism, can transform this world into a haven of peace, security, and happiness.

Spirituality without science is crippled, while science without spirituality is blind.

Albert Einstein paid a tribute to Buddhism when he said in his autobiography: “if there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism”.

It requires no revision to keep it “up to date” with recent scientific findings.

It need not surrender its views to science, because it embraces science as well as going beyond it.

It is a bridge between spiritual and scientific thought, because it stimulates man to discover the latent potentialities within himself and his environment. Buddhism is a timeless, enjoyable lifestyle.