Buddhist Communication Center

  ..:: Vandana Quarterly ::..

Whilst Buddhism has its roots in the thinking of a man from an ancient Nepali Kingdom, it is still a religion and a way of life appropriate for dealing with the modern world. Its deep and subtle doctrines, built by scholars over the centuries, seem to be closely mirrored in much of the current thinking surrounding the interpretations of physical theories, such as quantum theory and string theory, and in contemporary western philosophy.

It is a stunning thought that Buddhist ideas originating in the distant past seem to contain within them fundamental proposals about the underlying fabric of the universe and the possible structure of reality. Scientists have only just begun to examine and discuss these similarities in recent decades, but then only tentatively and rather informally. This small but growing movement in western science towards an eastern inspired interpretation of physical theories probably has its popular origins in the sixties, and more specifically in Fritjof Capra’s famous book, “The Tao of Physics.” In his work, Capra explored the close relationship between what is loosely termed “eastern thought”- that is Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Zen- and western scientific thinking, in the guise of particle physics and quantum theory. Whilst his book has its flaws it provoked, and continues to prove, much discussion and controversy. Discussion because the parallels he draws are persuasive, and controversy as it is still viewed as a little eccentric for a scientist to openly court eastern ideas. The only scientists who have ventured openly on their writings beyond the conventional have done so only after they have fully established their reputations - the most notable are perhaps the Nobel laureates Schrödinger and Bohr writing in the early days of quantum theory and long before the publication of Capra’s book .

It is deeply sad that no detailed, systematic scholarly analysis of the intimate relationship between Buddhist philosophy and scientific thought has yet been undertaken. This absence is partly sociological in origin - reputations and continued research funding depend on being seen to be largely conventional in published work; and partly because it is unusual to find a scientist who is fully versed in the breadth and depth Buddhist philosophy or a Buddhist scholar who is fully versed in the subtleties and controversies surrounding the interpretations that tend to envelop scientific theories. Perhaps the growing body of scientists actively courting these ideas will eventually provide sufficient momentum to propel the links between Buddhism and science into a more prominent position in the literature.

Buddhist thought has also had some small influence in the field of alternative economics . Dr E F Schumacher, an eminent economist, called for a more just and compassionate economic structure for the world in his influential 1973 book, “Small is Beautiful”, He wanted to see a paradigm shift in the way people perceived society and their place in it, loosely based around the noble eightfold path, and which reinstated humankind’s place in control of resources and capital rather than having capital dominating and being used to control and exploit much of mankind. He wanted to see a world where compassion for fellow humans is to be the core political motivation rather than the pursuit of profit. 

Buddhism has much to teach the world, not only from its profound philosophical doctrines, but also from its fundamental tenets of compassion and tolerance . Much of the fast paced developed and developing world has become fixated on wealth and status, to the direct detriment of people, community and culture. Nepal is relatively fortunate as it still has strong cultural values, an underlying respect for wisdom and strong family ties underpinning its society and providing extended social support networks. In contrast, the family has collapsed in many countries and with it much of the social cohesion and moral grounding that accompanied it. The individual and selfishness has become the mantra of the modern world; the compassionate and tolerant are seen as weak and exploitable. Certainly Buddhists ideals, of widely adopted, could lead to a mere peaceful, equitable society where people are no longer exploited and where a sense of community and equality could flourish. It can only be hoped that a dialogue will begin where Buddhist ideas are disseminated widely and used to alter and strengthen our understanding of the world through science, the way we structure our economies and the manner in which we conduct ourselves in our dealings with each other.