Paperback 216 Pages Publisher Morgan Road Published September 2006
£9.99 GBP
Or
ISBN-10: 0767920813
ISBN-13: 9780767920810
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Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Niels Bohr, Einstein. Their insights shook our perception of who we are and where we stand in the world, and in their wake have left an uneasy coexistence: science vs. religion, faith vs. empirical inquiry.
Which is the keeper of truth? Which is the true path to understanding reality?
After forty years of study with some of the greatest scientific minds, as well as a lifetime of meditative, spiritual, and philosophic study, the Dalai Lama presents a brilliant analysis of why all avenues of inquiry, scientific as well as spiritual, must be pursued in order to arrive at a complete picture of the truth.Through an examination of Darwinism and karma, quantum mechanics and philosophical insight into the nature of reality, neurobiology and the study of consciousness, the Dalai Lama draws significant parallels between contemplative and scientific examinations of reality.
This breathtakingly personal examination is a tribute to the Dalai Lama’s teachers, both of science and spirituality. The legacy of this book is a vision of the world in which our different approaches to understanding ourselves, our universe, and one another can be brought together in the service of humanity.
Customer Reviews
A Wise Human Looks At Scientific Knowledge by Brad4d (United States)
Customers Rating:
“The Dalai Lama has been interested in science since childhood, and has collaborated with some of the best minds in science and psychology for many years. This book gives some perspectives on that collaboration. The author discusses evolution and consciousness, “karma” and causality, how we may improve reliability in knowledge, how we can manage unprovable concepts we believe to be true, how a refined Awareness can be used to help understand our mind and consciousness, a Buddhist perspective on genetic engineering, and above all else, the benefits of combining Wisdom and Compassion. The author notes that scientists, too, can and should add wisdom and compassion to their knowledge, and suggests they not just let their discoveries be managed by political leaders, lawyers, bureaucrats, financiers, or the media (gulp!). The author also warmly introduces us to his educational background and gives marvelous insights into classical Buddhist and Hindu views of issues that still intrigue Western philosophers and scientists. He also discusses why we may encounter a “dual nature” of truth — for instance, we are innately comfortable with a classical explanation for everyday events even when we know that we encounter a profoundly non-classical reality at the atomic or psychological level. This book makes a superb addition to all the wonderful books on quantum science, cognitive science, and cosmology.
In my opinion, BY FAR THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT OF THIS BOOK is the irreplaceably valuable perspective of a credibly Wise Human Being. One significant difference between valid science and spirituality is that science focuses on Knowledge while the spiritual approach seeks Wisdom (which includes compassion and ethics). Both should use integrity to seek truth. Because this latter goal is shared, many scientists (including atheists) respect one such as the Dalai Lama and have been more than eager to share their insights with him (I attended a recent medical conference and more than one leading scientist said that amidst all their years of honor and success in highly competitive and intellectually demanding fields, the chance to discuss their views with the Dalai Lama was the high point of their lives). The Dalai Lama does not have a technical degree, he may not have published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and his knowledge of mathematics is not great, but he provides an irreplaceably valuable perspective — a credibly wise, humble, and compassionate human being who embraces, understands, and appreciates scientific knowledge. It’s not always an easy read, sometimes you have to suspend your judgment for a few pages, and you won’t agree with everything but it’s a remarkable book.
–Those interested in spirituality should also find an appreciation of scientific knowledge will enrich their practices and their understanding. For instance, the author gives the best short technical description I have ever read of the Buddhist concept of Shunyata, often unsatisfactorily translated as Emptiness. Shunyata suggests that nothing has a detectable absolutely independent or unqualified existence, so instead of “things” or “ideas,” we experience causally-connected interrelationships between essentially transient events. Giving an entity some artificially conceptual permanence is often useful, but is often done at our peril — we cannot “possess” something we “desire” any more than we can “possess” a cloud or a fogbank (conceptually realizing this may be easy but integrating it into our lives is difficult). So Buddhist awareness, in addition to being a source of profound spiritual insight, can also add a valuable and cogent perspective to our understanding of Reality.
I hope this review helps you and that you consider looking into this wonderful book.”
A Beautiful Book That Really Delivers On Its Title by Dr. Richard G. Petty (Atlanta)
Customers Rating:
“Many people feel that one of the really important issues facing us all, is whether it is possible to find some middle ground between science and spirituality, or whether they are simply different experiential and philosophical categories that have no business trying to get together.
For over thirty years, the Dalai Lama has been at the forefront of efforts to find a rapprochement between the insights of Buddhism and the discoveries made using the scientific method. His journey has led him to have detailed discussion with some of the finest minds: the late David Bohm, John Eccles and Karl Popper to name just three. This is without doubt the clearest and most accessible of the Dalai Lama’s books examining the relationship between contemporary Buddhist thought and Western science.
There are many gems in here, but there are one or two of particular importance. I still hear people translate the term “Karma,” as “Fate,” or as a law of causality. The author makes it clear that karma means “action,” and he clearly differentiates it as the mechanism by which an intentional act will reap certain specific consequences. Karma refers to the intentional acts of sentient beings.
The book is full of such insights. It is an easy read and is both an overview of a number of critical areas in current scientific research and a spiritual interpretation and synthesis. This is not just a book for Buddhists, but for anyone interested in the broader issues of life and the Universe.
Highly recommended.”
Amazingly well written, great arguments, and extensive by Patrick (Detroit, MI)
Customers Rating:
“Many have written LONG reviews so I will try my best to contain my impulse to break off into rants.
Pros:
Very well written, great arguments, and very thorough.
The argumentative styling of this book is honest. The reason I choose that specific word is that its so easy to be biased and omit opposing arguments. This book is not written to convince anyone of anything, its merely presents what we know to be ‘most likely truths’ as well as counter points from different schools of thought and lets the reader make the conclusions. Its not a ‘socratic method’ of answering a question with a question as much as its a great teachers way of helping you to explore yourself.
This book covers most if not all the bases of modern science and relates it the core teachings of buddhist philosophy. For those that misconstrue buddhism to be a ‘hippie religion,’ this book should put that view to rest.Cons:
-Although the aim is to have a mass amount of people read this book, I am quite certain that an average ‘layperson’ will drop this book in confusion after about 1 page.
-For those of us that have studied genetics, theories on evolution, physics, einstein’s theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, mahayana buddhism, or any theory on consciousness, this book serves as an AMAZING ‘tie in’ to all these in depth subjects. HOWEVER, for a person that has never really studied any of these topics this book will probably confuse them beyond belief.Summary: Very well rounded and thorough. Amazingly well written with a high dialect. Filled with fantasic insight and wonderful ‘middle ground’ for a religion that emphasises the ‘middle way.’ Its almost poetic justice in that sense.
However this book is not an ‘intro’ book. This is a book you read AFTER you have an understanding of basic genetics, quantum mechanics, and buddhism.”
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