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136 of 140 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wise Human Looks At Scientific Knowledge, December 13, 2005
This review is from: The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality (Hardcover)
--I'd like to add another five-star vote for this gentle, insightful book. It's a gift for everyone.
--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 perspecitve -- 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.
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88 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review by ex-scientist and current psychological professional, December 29, 2006
I have an extensive background in science including quantum physics at the graduate level. I have also studied world religions for 20 years and I'm currently a coach who uses integral psychology as a model. Integral psychology studies the psyche on every level and draws on the world's wisdom traditions in addition to current psychological, cognitive and neurological research. Given my background, I feel I am in a good postion to give this book a fair and thorough review.
On the plus side, it is obvious that the Dalai Lama is not approaching this topic with an agenda. His genuine humility, sincerity and openness comes through on nearly every page. It is also clear that he is not entrenched in particular religious ideas and openly states that he is willing to abandon them if empirical science proves them "untenable." It is also evident that the Dalai Lama has respect for science, the scientific method and a natural curiosity in this area. He has also more than casually acquainted with numerous famous scientists and has enough scientific background to speak on a variety of intersections between Buddhism and science.
The scope of this book is very broad and touches on many important and relevant questions about the nature of reality, the beginning of the universe, quantum physics, evolution and consciousness. It also addresses ethical issues especially as they relate to genetic research.
For the average layperson, this is an extremely accessible book that does not make a lot of assumptions about Buddhism or scientific knowledge. This is both a strength and a weakness. For people who don't know much about either, it is a great introduction to all of the areas above. For those with more of a background in Buddhism and especially science, it may be a somewhat elementary although thought provoking with respect to the parallels between fundamental ideas in Buddhism and science.
The Dalai Lama offers many good insights on the parallels between emptiness and quantum physics. He makes a good case that Buddhism's notion of emptiness and dependent origination agree with the findings of modern physicists and also goes out of his way to mention other possibilitiess posited by a number of other scientists.
In his origin of the universe discussion, he presents a variety of religious perspectives on creation myths including the dominant ones in Tibetan Buddhism. He is very quick to point out that these obviously need to be revised, but provides insight into deeper layers of meaning within these models. However, it is clear that he is not trying to defend them or find an interpretation that will save them in the face of contradictory facts. This was quite impressive to me and his openness even surprised me.
I agree quite a bit with both a Buddhist perspective on reality, consciousness and methodological approach. As a psychology professional, I feel that Buddhism has much to offer on our exploration of consciousness and quite a bit of pages of this book is dedicated to this area. The Buddhists have in a real sense been performing phenomenological reasearch in this area for over two thousand years and I believe they have many useful insights. The Dalai Lama shares the most important of these insights in a simple and easy to understand manner.
Basically everything in this book can be related back to real life as it is lived in the world. There is a strong emphasis on the interconnectedness of everything and the necessity for compassion and a responsible approach to how we use technology and make ethical decisions with respect to the use of technology and areas of inquiry within science.
I rated this book a 4 overall because it not as comprehensive as I would like to see for more advanced readers. A bit more complexity would have been better for even a lay audience. However, people looking for a provocative, fairly simple read might rate it a 5+. It depends upon what you are looking to get out of it.
I am a great admirer of the Dalai Lama for a variety of reasons and I think this book is worth reading just to familiarize yourself with his thinking and general approach to these types of questions. This is truly an inspirational book offered at a bargain price. You can be comfortable reading it whatever your level of expertise and I believe even seasoned scientists will get some important insights from a thoughtful reading of the ideas presented here as viewed through the lens of Tibetan Buddhism.
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Book That Really Delivers On Its Title, April 10, 2006
This review is from: The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality (Hardcover)
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.
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