Well, you’re about to
find out. We’ve found a quote from Albert Einstein after he was asked
what he considers to be the religion of the future. Check it out: “Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a
cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids
dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and
it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all
things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.”
“The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should
transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the
natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense
arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a
meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any
religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be
Buddhism.” – Albert Einstein
Interesting words from Albert Einstein. Buddhism, like science, is
entirely concerned with understanding the world around us. According to
the Dalai Lama: “If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate
certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the
findings of science and abandon those claims.”
In the “Kalama Sutra”, the Buddha advises his audience to think critically when encountering new knowledge:
“Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher.’ Rather, when you yourselves know that these things are good; these things are not blamable; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness, then and only then enter into and abide in them.”
Furthermore, Buddhism does not demand blind faith from its adherents. Mere belief runs secondary to knowledge and experience. People do not seek refuge in the Buddha with the hope of being saved. The Buddha offers no such guarantee. Rather, Buddhism helps you find your own path to happiness and freedom.
Indeed, the Buddha himself is described as having emphasized that he isn’t a god and shouldn’t be treated as such. And, in fact, there are no creator deities in Buddhism, nor holy writ, and so forth.
However, in much of the world, Buddhism still involves daily rituals and belief in special charms. And let’s not forget that there are Buddhist traditions that believe in the notion of “rebirth”, which implies that after someone dies, they will eventually reappear in some other form, with their “karmic attributes” intact.
However, when you remove some of this mumbo-jumbo, it’s clear that Buddhism offers ways of thinking that lend itself to science.
Why Buddhism lends itself to a dialogue with science
Among the key aspects of Buddhism, we find insistence that knowledge must be gained through personal experience rather than reliance on the authority of sacred texts or the teachings of avowed masters; because its orientation is empirical rather then theoretical; and because it rejects any conception of absolutes.In the “Kalama Sutra”, the Buddha advises his audience to think critically when encountering new knowledge:
“Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher.’ Rather, when you yourselves know that these things are good; these things are not blamable; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness, then and only then enter into and abide in them.”
Furthermore, Buddhism does not demand blind faith from its adherents. Mere belief runs secondary to knowledge and experience. People do not seek refuge in the Buddha with the hope of being saved. The Buddha offers no such guarantee. Rather, Buddhism helps you find your own path to happiness and freedom.
Indeed, the Buddha himself is described as having emphasized that he isn’t a god and shouldn’t be treated as such. And, in fact, there are no creator deities in Buddhism, nor holy writ, and so forth.
This isn’t true for all of Buddhism, however.
While on balance, it seems reasonable that Buddhism be viewed in the West as free of irrationality and superstitious belief.However, in much of the world, Buddhism still involves daily rituals and belief in special charms. And let’s not forget that there are Buddhist traditions that believe in the notion of “rebirth”, which implies that after someone dies, they will eventually reappear in some other form, with their “karmic attributes” intact.
However, when you remove some of this mumbo-jumbo, it’s clear that Buddhism offers ways of thinking that lend itself to science.
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