How does Buddhism and Science Relate?

Intro

If there is a famous book author - and personality - I admire, that's the Dalai Lama. I've first found some of his books in the bookshelf of my grandmother, and continued to read many of them.

Today, I picked "The Universe in a Single Atom" to summarize and share with you, probably because of some other reading I have been through - like "Scare Smart" - and others that I summarized, like "Sapiens".

How are all these books interconnected?

Through thinking about what the future holds for humans. In that sense, what is useful for leaders to either know, or reflect upon.

A Role Model

Why is that I like his books and what he says so much?

Because he talks and preaches about love, about understanding, about respect, and human values that are dear to me.

And probably because of his courage, too.

Thinking about this book... what does it mean that such a religious leader is willing to write about science? Or in his words:

My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief that as in science so in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is pursued by means of critical investigation: if science analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.        

I'm not Buddhist, and yet that kind of attitude, the openness, the curiosity, the willingness to accept changes and to learn are truly inspiring.

And well, probably exactly because I am not Buddhist and can learn so much from a person who is a reference in the field!

Being Curious is Part Yourself, Part Your Experiences

It's undeniable, as I read the book, that he has always been a curious cat. As he narrates his childhood stories, and how he would dismantling and reassembling things became one of his hobbies, it's evident that the interest for learning was already in his core.

And good that it was, because I felt a bit envious and much relieved as I understood how much his entire life has been dedicated to learn and contemplate, as early as from the age of six.

And people doubt that teenagers and young adults can take up more responsibilities for their lives...

That also means though that nature wasn't alone in his curiosity journey. First, he was assigned to many different tutors and even philosophical assistants, who worked like thought sparring in his upbringing.

Then, because of his position and life history, he came in contact with some of the most brilliant scientists of the world, all too happy to exchange with him for hours if not days, providing him with all sorts of inputs and ideas and allowing the time and space for questions and reflections.

If it wouldn't be part of his nature, would those experiences had even been offered to him? Where does it start? Maybe a question for the reader to reflect upon.

Because of how much more curious he has got through life, I am personally convinced that the more we expose ourselves to learnings, to experiences, to novelty, the more we can tap into that advantage, too.

In a way, it is what he writes about the value of education.

How Science and Spirituality Converge

If you ever studied the two, you know they do converge and diverge in many ways. People on both sides often choose to highlight the disagreements only, because it becomes difficult to explain the agreements and remain closed.

To start things with, and speak to the title of this book, the Dalai Lama introduces us into the Buddhist Theory of Emptiness:

"Any belief in an objective reality grounded in the assumption of intrinsic, independent existence is untenable. (...) Things and events are essentially empty, in that nothing possesses any kind of essence or intrinsic being. "

What does that mean? It positions reality within the context of the interaction of the many life forms on Earth, which are therefore not completely independent within themselves.

Then he moves into connecting that thought with Schrodinger's cat experience, which if you don't know... would be worth to research about and even watch a few episodes of the Big Bang Theory to have fun with it.

The next step from there is to link matter and mind, realize they are co-dependent - and then link it to Einstein's theory of relativity.

That means what we do and think in our own lives, then, becomes of extreme importance as it affects everything we are connected to. That's reality.

While that chapter doesn't really conclude anything - if it would, then we would be settled! - it is a very elegant invite to think about how science can contribute to philosophical thinking and religion, and vice-versa.

The next step? Quantum physics. It is a wonderful source of challenge for so many of the paradigms we have established in both scientific and religious fields, that it's further exploration can only lead to more questions than answers. Eventually, to the realization that there is no singular truth, as we would love to have it, but rather contextual truths, with completely different rules riding them.

All those questionings lead into the question of the creation of the Universe: was there a start, with the big bang? is there a God, or intelligence, that started it? will there, therefore, be an end to it?

According to the Buddhist belief of the many worlds, which start and exist and end, throughout time - there is no such thing as a start, and therefore no such a concept as God is needed. Which matches with what some scientists are open to believe, when they interpret the Big Bang not as an absolute start but rather a point of thermodynamic instability.

But what if we would get further, through Quantum physics, into a different understanding of time and space?

Darwinian Theory of Evolution and Karma

All of a sudden, the book takes a huge leap into the past and the creation of life, examining it from two different perspectives: theory of evolution (natural selection) and karma, not as in "something bad will happen to you because you were bad first" but more in a cosmic sense, seeing how sentient being's actions become the natural cause of what continues to happen in the world.

Here, I'd bring several other books to try to follow the conversation, and extend it already into the future. It was impossible for me not to think about "The Vital Question", which explains life as pivoting from the exchanging of energy, then "Homo Deus" and "Scary Smart", which talk about the future of what we are getting into thanks to all scientific and technological development.

Why?

Because it becomes difficult to detach from this idea that both natural selection and karma played a role in the development of our world, and how natural selection can eventually become less "natural" because of the influence from karma, through the actions of this very unique species called us.

Life, in a sense, could have started as a random episode of luck. A mathematical problem of probabilities. In that sense, the development of life could be perceived as a perpetuation of the same problem in which the odds increase as diversity increases and life interacts with each other. Would that be... karma?

But What About Consciousness?

Starting with the question... what is consciousness again?

I just love a book and an author who is so open about the little we know despite our efforts to talk about it.

It starts again by having a taxonomy that helps defining what reality is, and here is what I've learnt: both Buddhism and Karl Popper, the father of falsifiability, share a common structure: the first, second and third worlds (matter, mind and abstract composites). Again, since and religion being closer than they are apart.

But where they currently disagree and that in science we pursue to proof that there is a correlation between the parts of the brain (matter) and mental states, while his religion rejects this idea. And the interesting aspect to be observed is: we can continue to investigate and to learn and eventually get into a conclusion. Or not.

Sometimes, we just literally don't know.

What the Dalai Lama suggests here is a collaboration between modern science and contemplative traditions, such as Buddhism, as from a methodology and model perspectives it would bring the experiences to the same field of the object of inquiry: subjectiveness.

There he invites us to learn more and understand the power of both mindfulness and meditation exercises, going through the different psychological and/or mental states accessed by practitioners, not to find answers but to suggest those as interesting places to look for the answers.

(...) a sevenfold typology of mental states: direct perception, inferential cognition, subsequent cognition, correct assumption, inattentive perception, doubt and distorted cognition.        

And that's again another reason why I appreciated this book: there are dead ends, lose ends and suggested paths to be explored, all accepted and embraced as part of a thought exercise that aims to acquire knowledge and understand the world.

Before closing the chapter, and getting things a bit out of order here, it may be important for the reader of this summary to know the Buddhist four noble truths:

They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

That's because as conscious creatures, we can decide to accept such truths and pursue the path that leads to the end of suffering. And that's how we know we are conscious.

Ethical Concerns and Concluding

I would be surprised if the book wouldn't have such a section, and it wouldn't be towards the end. It's really difficult to observe the world, human development, and not have ethical concerns.

Let me start there with the word in bold: it's not that there is something necessarily wrong. It's more about the questioning, the reflecting about what we are doing - and even more important, why we are doing it.

The question the Dalai Lama starts the chapter with,

(...) the issue is how to use this new knowledge and power in the most expedient and ethically responsible manner.

reflects were we where 20 years ago when he wrote the book. At that time, I bet, he wouldn't have guessed we have got so quickly and so close to a general AI, which could at any point raise and starts making the decisions about how to use this knowledge according to a non-human ethical code.

Back then, his main concern was medicine and genetic manipulation. He was genuinely concerned with a new form of eugenics, as he was not sure on how such amount of new information about us becoming available would be handled by people. Especially if there is a way to modify a few genes to modify the outcomes.

At the time of writing, he was terrified with the idea of hybrid semi-humans, breeding to become sources of organs, or as he says, spare parts. This week I just read we actually did it with piglets. Is that so much less terrifying? As much as it is equally promising?

Different than what I expected at that time though, he was not generally against any of these therapies or developments. He was in favor of what he called a "question of compassionate motivation".

That's inspiring. I don't take it lightly, that someone performing such a role, with so much influence, has the courage to openly talk about it, and support it - obviously, with a long list of disclaimers.

But...

How can we find this moral compass? We must begin by putting faith in the basic goodness of human nature, and we need to anchor this faith in some fundamental and universal ethical principles.         

Despite the many challenges, he believes it's possible. I believe that, too.

What is the conclusion, then?

That we can and should take advantage of science, learn and develop with it, while at the same time taking an opportunity in this century, which we didn't have before, to bring spirituality into it, both as a partner in the investigations and as a moral compass to guide us through this adventure.

What does it finally have to do with leadership?

When I consider the ideas of spiral dynamics - summary shared a few weeks back - and the upcoming challenges with technology - summary upcoming in the following weeks! - we will need a completely different breed of leaders if we are to survive, and thrive.

Leaders who are capable of grasping the complexity of the problems we have to solve and deal with them, rather than just following the capital market cookbook. Leaders who will truly incorporate a different moral compass into their toolbox, and who will remain so curious that the only option for their companies will be to grow and develop.

And funny enough - those will be the most celebrated and successful leaders in the capital markets.

Observations

Because (a) this book is from 2005 and (b) neurology / neurobiology and psychology / human development and such hot topics and (c) I haven't done further research before publishing this summary...

... I am certain there have been many further developments that complement the book, the questions and the investigations proposed by the Dalai Lama. Which only makes it even more interesting! In a way, writing this summary has been a trigger to go back into the topics discussed to understand what have happened since.

And no, I don't expect any definitive answers, not anytime soon. The kind of questions asked are those questions that, the more you research and study, the more you realize how much we still don't know.

Wonderful, though, because that's how we learn so much.

Perhaps the most important point is to ensure that science never becomes divorced from the basic human feeling of empathy with our fellow beings.        

About the book?

• Easy of reading: 4 stars. Delightful, as it introduces many topics without making any of them felling heavy or difficult to grasp. It's a bit misleading like that though, because one may get the impression of "understanding" it, and that couldn't be further from what's happening.
• Learning something new: 4 stars. Both about Buddhism and the many interconnections of the Dalai Lama's spirituality and science.
• Interesting and Engaging: 4 stars. Very easy to get interested into it because the stories that accompany the concepts are so well developed. Funny. Connected to our world and many of our experiences, even if his life... is nothing at all like my life!

What to do after summarizing this one? I think I'll meditate... for a few weeks ????♂?