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When Einstein meets Buddha
By Yoon Tiem Leong, School of Physics,
USM
Talk given to Buddhist Society,
at DKG, USM,
5 Feb 2009
Our Universe
• Consciousness (spiritual aspect)
• Materialistic aspect
Philosophy of science: mind-matter
dichotomy
• René Descartes
• Mechanistic universe paradigm – focus
only on materialistic aspect of our
universe.
• Spiritual aspect lies beyond the domain of
science due to its non-empirical nature.
Some characteristic features of
science
• Scientific methodology.
• Believe in the existence of a set of
elementary laws governing the nature ‘out
there’.
• Empiricism.
• Reductionism.
• Logical consistency.
• Falsifiablility.
Some characteristic features of
science (cont.)
• Logical consistency (causal effect must be
respected).
• Quantitative - Mathematical language is
used.
• Predictive (use of mathematical language
of logic leads to prediction).
• Experimentally reproducible.
Some characteristic features of
science (cont.)
• Accumulative – existing knowledge is built
upon previous knowledge, and then
extended and modified when new finding
are discovered.
• Scientific knowledge evolves, hence the
content of science grows over time and
changes from time to time.
What are not science
• Things can’t be measured in principle can
not be treated scientifically.
• Reproducibility is crucial.
What are not science
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Ghost?
Consciousness
God
Supernatural power?
UFO?
Resurrection?
X-files?
Past life?
Hell?
Heaven?
Love?
Limitation of science due to its
nature
• Impossibility in principle:
• By nature, it is not able to access spiritual
aspect of the universe but only the
materialistic aspect
• Explanation of consciousness impossible
by science.
Practical limitations of science
• Impossibility due to practicality:
• e.g. to access deeper into the constituent
of matter, or earlier state of universe,
higher energy are required.
• Practically impossible to access these
domain despite they are in principle
empirically accessible.
• e.g. Superstrings prediction.
• Time travel.
Scientific knowledge changes over
time
• We have only ‘the best knowledge’
available to us at the moment.
• Hence we can’t claim that we have found
the ‘final theory’ in science as we never
know what will we discover later.
• Example: Lord Kelvin’s premature claim
“we have known all the laws of physics”
around ~ 1900
Science vs. religion
• Science only access materialistic aspect of
the universe
• Science is not everything, and should not
be granted a religion-like status
• It can’t solve our spiritual and mental
suffering even if we know all the law of
physics.
• This is the job of religions.
Science becomes a tool to probe
philosophical questions
• Science can now answer some
fundamental questions that are used to be
in the realm of philosophy in the past.
Fundamental (materialistic)
questions
• Is there a beginning of the universe/time?
• Is the universe finite or infinite in size?
• Is our universe eternal?
• What is, if there exist such entity, the
fundamental constituent of matter?
• Where does all matter come from?
Fundamental (materialistic)
questions (cont.)
• Is there life beyond Earth?
• What is the ultimate nature of space and
time (or how does space and time arise)?
• What is the origin of the universe (how is
it come into existence)?
Fundamental (materialistic)
questions (cont.)
• What are the ultimate laws that governs
the behavior of the materialistic universe?
• Why are the natural constants take on the
value as observed?
• What is the truth of singularity in the black
hole, big bang? (quantum gravity)
Fundamental (materialistic)
questions (cont.)
• How do life and consciousness arise?
• Is there such as an ‘objective’ universe,
evolves according to this laws and be
independent from its observer
(consciousness)?
No definite answer to most of these
questions from science yet…
• Modern day science, despite having been
progressed at awful pace since the
Renaissance, is still uncertain about many
open questions pertaining to the true
nature of the universe.
• Do we still stand any chance to ultimately
uncover the ultimate laws of nature?
Will we ever get to know the
ultimate answer to these questions,
through scientific approach?
• YES?
• NEVER?
• The answer is…
No one knows
Analogy of a lost traveler in a vast
desert
• The ultimate solution is still a dream far
away.
Features of Buddhist teaching
• Not so much to explaining the nature of
materialistic universe.
• The answer is suggested ‘top down’ by the
Buddha.
• Direct insight
• Qualitative
• The nature of the mind
• Consciousness.
• Ultimate aim: cessation of suffering.
Features of Buddhist teaching
(cont.)
• Dependent origination (causal interdependence),
pañicca-samuppàda
• Explanation of the rise and fall of mind-matter
• Everything is interconnected, rises and falls
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according causal inter-relations that ties
everything in a web of causality
Equivalent to ‘emergent phenomena’ by scientists
– no elementary constituent of matter. All
phenomena arises as a result of collective,
dynamical behavior within a system
The truth taught by the Buddha
are…
• Experiential.
• Transcendental.
• Not objectively measurable/quantifiable.
• Beyond worldly comprehensibility.
• “Absolute”.
• “super natural”.
• Ehipassiko.
Buddha’s description of the nature
of our Universe
• Three characteristics of existence:
• Anicca or "impermanence". This refers not only to the
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fact that all conditioned things (sankhara) eventually
cease to exist, but also that all conditioned things are in
a constant state of flux. (Visualize a leaf growing on a
tree. It dies and falls off the tree but is soon replaced by
a new leaf.)
Dukkha or "unsatisfactoriness" (or "disease"; also often
translated "suffering", though this is somewhat
misleading). Nothing found in the physical world or even
the psychological realm can bring lasting deep
satisfaction.
Anatta or "no-self" is use
The parallel between science and
Buddhism
• No blind faith.
• Intellectual investigation is emphasized.
• Causality – interdependence - wholeness –
entanglement
• Non-locality vs. locality, EPR paradox.
The parallel between science and
Buddhism (cont.)
• Singularity during creation of universe
entangles every single entity in this
universe.
• As experienced in deep meditation,
consciousness is like quantum fluctuation.
• Cosmology
• E.T. (extraterrestrial intelligence)
But still, we should not compare an
apple with an orange
• Both concern different aspects of the
universe
• Buddhism – life, mind, consciousness and
liberation from suffering
• Buddhism suggests the right ways to
cultivate spirituality as a means to
understand what life truly is.
What science does not provide
• Science is meant for materialistic aspect of the
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universe.
It’s an intellectual pursuit that may not lead to
insight of spiritual truth of life.
The fundamental purpose of science is in many
aspect different from that of Buddhism.
E.g. science does not teach us the cause of
suffering and the way leading to cessation of
suffering.
What science does not provide
(cont.)
• Science – fundamental laws governing the
materialistic universe only (not including
the non-materialistic aspect)
• Science can’t experimentally investigate
quantitative behaviour of kamma since it
is not measurable by any apparatus.
Closing remarks
• The truth expounded by the Buddha does not need
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science to prove its authenticity.
According to Buddhism, the truth in life has to be
experienced directly.
Knowledge in science evolves over time.
What is thought to be a trendy theory may be
overthrown tomorrow
Hence parallel or contradiction between science and
Buddhist teaching does not constitute an ultimate proof
nor falsification to the teaching of the Buddha
Suggested reading
• L‘infini dans la paume de la main, by
Matthieu Ricard, Thuan Trinh Xuan (
Chinese translated version: 《僧侣与科学
家-宇宙与人生的对谈》，台湾先觉出版社）
• 《哲学是物理学的工具》，方励之，湖南
科技出版社
• The Tao of Physics, by Fijtrof Capra.