Living in the modern age brings many challenges to humanity, especially when it comes to traditions clashing with the advancement of knowledge. Many people are aware of the seemingly continuous debate between Darwinism and Creationism, however popular debates like these often over shadow the parallels science and religion have in common. Religion is not always limited to western Christianity, and science isn’t always locked up in the laboratory. Therefore there are things that science and religion have in common and the parallels are easily recognizable when brought together for comparison.
When looking for parallels in science and religion, the easiest place to turn to is Buddhism. This religion separates itself from many others in that Buddhism offers no form of greater deity except for the Buddha himself, and even Buddha preferred that his followers understand the four noble truths over worshipping him.
But where does science fit into this? Well here are a few examples.
Jorge Luis Borges was a famous Argentine poet and writer born at the turn of the 20th century. Borges was fascinated with Buddhism, encountering it from a young age of just seven years old in his fathers library.
Borges had some very important insights to Buddhism and the world in general. He loved Buddhism because at the core of the process it was a form of critical inquiry, rather than static certitude like many western religions and philosophies. He also attributed this to the natural beauty of science, where as science has no problem admitting mistakes if the evidence is there.
Borges also realized that, “Everything has been thought by the Indians and Chinese first,” but he was quick to note that eventually the west will catch up as well because the themes of Buddhism and eastern thought are enduring because of their tolerance.
This observation allows science to stand out in western culture, because as an institution science is the only prominent western school of thought that subjects itself to rigorous testing and transformation.
Another parallel of science and Buddhism is to look at the Buddhist concept of suffering that Buddha himself wrote.
Science by nature seeks to understand, accept, and move forward in progression. Basically the process of critical inquiry described earlier. The thing that makes this so interesting is that it isn’t so different from Buddha’s realization of suffering.
Suffering must be confronted in Buddhism, and its laid out in the four noble truths. First one must accept life is suffering, then one must look at the causes of the suffering. After looking at the causes of suffering, the person must then understand and accept the suffering. This is what makes Buddhism so liberating for some, because the Buddha says that once someone understands suffering they must simply “let go”.
Now how does that even relate to science? Well here’s how. Science is a process of understanding, and its also a process of transformation. In science, when looking at the process of discovery, many parallels start to appear.
First one must accept that a phenomenon is occurring, then the scientist must pinpoint the cause of said phenomenon. Cause could be viewed scientifically as anomalies in scientific revolution if terms are to be assigned. Once the cause of the phenomenon is discovered, understanding of the cause must take place. In science this can take from a instant “Eureka!” to endless years of research, however science does seek to understand either way.
Now this is where this metaphor strays the parallel of science and Buddhism. In Buddhism once suffering is understood, the sufferer lets go. However in science, once the phenomenon is understood, scientific progress is made. But one thing to remember is that the parallel is still there because scientists “let go” of old paradigms and accept the new ones readily.
Too often Westerners get too caught up in the partisan act of debate, often times overlooking the nature of what it is that is being debated. Many Westerners think that science and religion are incompatible, yet look to the east and most Buddhists will tell you otherwise.
Buddhism seeks to understand nature as much as science, and it may be the critical spiritual side that science needs to keep itself in check.
Perhaps it would be best to end this with the words of Jorge Luis Borges who saw the world with a peculiar yet scientific eye, “Every man is an organ put forth by the divinity in order to perceive the world.”
