Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

Description: Buddhist scholar José Cabezón looks at the history of the dialogue between Buddhism and science. He outlines the way Buddhism has been an object of scientific investigation in various ways and the ethical issues involved in this manner of interaction. Buddhism has also figured in discussions on the history of science as the embodiment of an intellectual and ideological tradition in which science never took root, a thesis which, the author suggests, neglects the complexity of exactly how science arose in Europe. In describing the basic themes that have dominated the interaction between Buddhism and science, the author presents a three-fold typology of confilict/ambivalence, identity/similarity, and complementarity. Conflict and ambivalence has been expressed, for example, by Tibetan meditators concerning the findings of modern science. Identity and similarity interactions have taken a variety of forms, some of which assert Buddhism and science are similar both in content and in the methods they employ. Authors arguing for the complementarity of Buddhism and science, while advancing several nuanced perspectives, present a model wherein Buddhism and science each are authorities in separate domains of reality, often with Buddhism knowing about the mind and science the authority on the material world. The author cautions on some of the potential limits of these approaches and, by way of a conclusion, suggests ways in which future dialogue may advance. (Zach Rowinski 2005-01-22)