The Universe in a Single Atom
The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
Ratings4
Average rating4.5
15
The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
Ratings4
Average rating4.5
"After forty years of study with some of the greatest scientific minds, as well as a lifetime of meditative, spiritual, and philosophical study, the Dalai Lama presents an 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. Science shows us ways of interpreting the physical world, while spirituality helps us cope with reality. But the extreme of either is impoverishing. The belief that all is reducible to matter and energy leaves out a huge range of human experience: emotions, yearnings, compassion, culture. At the same time, holding unexamined spiritual beliefs - beliefs that are contradicted by evidence, logic, and experience - can lock us into fundamentalist cages." "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."--BOOK JACKET
Reviews with the most likes.
This guy really gets it! And: aaaaargh, no he doesn't. And: hmmmm, maybe it's me who doesn't get it. Those were my reactions, often simultaneous, and I'm in awe of the Dalai Lama for his ability to think, reason, and express himself so clearly. Would that any other religious authority (or religious person, for that matter) be willing to put his beliefs under scrutiny. He does, sometimes despite discomfort, and that is what makes a scientist. This is an admirable man.
Unfortunately, there's a little too much “we Buddhists got this right”: this or that holy book, or some scholar's revered interpretation thereof. Cherrypicking scripture and trying to get it to fit in with a scientific worldview. Alas, that's what he doesn't get: it just doesn't work that way. More importantly, it's just not even necessary. We don't look to Buddhist teachings for answers to cosmological questions—we seek to learn about ourselves. And there is where the two worldviews can coexist in harmony, and even support each other.
I dream of a world without religion. That is: a world without hatred, without intolerance, without child rape. I will not live to see such a world, but if we have to have religion, maybe we can work to make that be Buddhist or Buddhist-leaning. Self-reflective. Joyful. Curious. Seeking improvement... and not afraid to be questioned. This book is a start; a big step that way.
A note about the audio version: prepare for a love/hate. The reader is terrific, and (other than mispronouncing Feynman's name) does a great job of conveying difficult material at a suitable pace. But quite often the subject is too dense; you want to pause, think, reread, highlight, come back to. And with non-print, you can't. It's frustrating. But even with that, I think you can't really go wrong by listening to it instead of reading.
One mind explosion after another, one jump off a cliff from something understood to something not yet understood after another.
This book, I plan to buy and put next to my meditation cushion for contemplation in tiny bites.
