Thanks to Mumon for posting the following quote from H.H. The Dalai Lama the other day:If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview...
The goal here is not to prove Buddhism right or wrong - or even to bring people to Buddhism - but rather to take these methods out of the traditional context, study their potential benefits, and share the findings with anyone who might find them helpful.
After all, if practices from my own tradition can be brought together with scientific methods, then we may be able to take another small step toward alleviating human suffering.
My respect for the Dalai Lama increased fivefold upon reading that. As I've ranted before, it is my observation that science does not exactly disprove reincarnation, but certainly raises disturbing questions about the belief. Clearly, science shows that there was a time when there was no life on earth, and that primitive life forms appeared about 600,000 years after the earth was formed. What did those lives reincarnate from? Since it took literally billions more years before sentient beings evolved, what bad karma had those early life forms accumulated that prevented them from returning as a creature even remotely capable of enlightenment?
I maintain that it is the very Buddhadharma, not science, that proves reincarnation to be untrue. The concept that there is some permanent thing that endures lifetime to lifetime is contrary to the very basic teachings of impermanence, emptiness and no-self. You can't have it both ways. Belief in the next life is just the ego clinging to its delusion that it is not impermanent.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure that I ever heard H.H. the 14th ever claim that he was the reincarnation of Number 13; I've only heard his followers make that claim. But then, I've not read the Dalai Lama all that extensively.
2 comments:
I maintain that it is the very Buddhadharma, not science, that proves reincarnation to be untrue. The concept that there is some permanent thing that endures lifetime to lifetime is contrary to the very basic teachings of impermanence, emptiness and no-self. You can't have it both ways. Belief in the next life is just the ego clinging to its delusion that it is not impermanent.
This is a great point, which I hadn't actually considered; in computer engineering terms, you can do things serially or in parallel.
I'd looked at it "in parallel," mostly because that's how emptiness can be experienced now.
But your point shows that a literal reincarnation doesn't make sense from a serial point of view either.
Good post.
so it happens that this is where I first read HHtDL's understanding of the compatibility of scientific truth-finding and Buddhist ways of understanding our existence. I am grateful to both Shokai and Mumon.
Both your posts and your comments are instructive.
I am heartened by this statement but reminded also of the gaps that grow between the perfection of the discipline and the weaknesses of the disciples: Buddhism, at least in the person of this great Buddhist, is open minded enough for science but are scientists open minded enough for Buddhism? [you will know which neuroscience conference I am talking about]
I just picked up a copy of The Essential Dalai Lama which I hope to find full of such quotes as Mumon posted.
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