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Buddhism and Science brings together distinguished philosophers, Buddhist scholars, physicists, and cognitive scientists to examine the contrasts and connections between the worlds of Western science and Eastern spirituality. This compilation was inspired by a suggestion made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, himself one of the contributors, after one of a series of cross-cultural scientific dialogues in Dharamsala, India, sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute. Other contributors such as William L. Ames, Matthieu Ricard, and Stephen LaBerge assess not only the fruits of inquiry from East and West but also shed light on the underlying assumptions of these disparate worldviews. Their essays creatively address a broad range of topics: from quantum theory's surprising affinities with the Buddhist concept of emptiness, to the increasing need in the West for a more contemplative science attuned to the first-person investigation of the mind, to the important ways in which the psychological study of "lucid dreaming" maps similar terrain to the cultivation of the Tibetan Buddhist discipline of dream yoga. Reflecting its wide variety of topics, Buddhism and Science is comprised of three sections. The first presents two historical overviews of the engagements between Buddhism and modern science or, rather, how Buddhism and modern science have defined, rivaled, or complemented one another. The second describes the ways Buddhism and the cognitive sciences inform each other; the third addresses points of intersection between Buddhism and the physical sciences. On the broadest level this work illuminates how different ways of exploring the nature of human identity, the mind, and the universe at large can enrich and enlighten one another.
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Buddhism and Science
columbia series in science and religion
Columbia Series in Science and Religion SERIES EDITORS
Robert E. Pollack, Professor of Biological Sciences, Columbia University Richard Bulliet, Professor of History, Columbia University Roald Hoffman, Professor of Chemistry, Cornell University Ryuichi Abe, Professor of Religion, Columbia University ADVISORY BOARD
Rita Charon, Professor of Medicine, Columbia University George Fisher, Professor of Earth Science, Johns Hopkins University Wayne Proudfoot, Professor of Religion, Columbia University Don Shriver, Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary Adin Steinsaltz, Program in Judaism and the Life Sciences Robert Thurman, Professor of Religion, Columbia University
The Columbia Series in Science and Religion consists of peer-reviewed scholarly and general interest titles that probe salient issues relating to science and religion. The series is a forum for the examination of issues that lie at the boundary of these two complementary ways of comprehending the world and our place in it. By examining the intersections between one or more of the sciences and one or more religions, the CSSR hopes to stimulate dialogue and encourage understanding.
Buddhism & Science BREAKING NEW GROUND
B. Alan Wallace, editor
columbia university press / new york
Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 2003 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Buddhism and science : breaking new ground / B. Alan Wallace, editor. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-231-12334-5 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-231-12335-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Buddhism and science. I. Wallace, B. Alan. BQ4570.S3 B836 2003 294.3′375—dc21 2002031502
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to the memory of Francisco J. Varela (1946–2001