The quantum and the lotus: a journey to the frontiers where science and Buddhism meet

320 Pages·2004·1.41 MB·English

by  Matthieu Ricard

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Q
TH E
UANTUM
L OANTD TH E U S
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A JOURNEY TO
THE FRONTIERS
WHERE
SCIENCE AND
BUDDHISM MEET
C R O W N P U B L I S H E R S , N E W Y O R K
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS
L’INFINI DANS LA PAUME DE LA MAIN
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Q
T H E
UA N T U M
L OA NTD T H E U S
M A T T H I E U R I C A R D
A N D
T R I N H X U A N T H U A N
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Translation copyright © 2001 by Ian Monk
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopying,recording,or by any
information storage and retrieval system,without permission in writing from the
publisher.
Published by Crown Publishers,New York,New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group.
Random House,Inc. New York,Toronto,London,Sydney,Auckland
www.randomhouse.com
CROWN is a trademark and the Crown colophon is a registered trademark of
Random House,Inc.
Originally published in the French language as L’Infini dans la Paume de la Mainby
Nil Éditions/Librairie Fayard in 2000. Copyright © 2000 by Nil Éditions.
Printed in the United States of America
Design by Lauren Dong
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ricard,Matthieu.
[Infini dans la paume de la main. English]
The quantum and the lotus: a journey to the frontiers where science and Buddhism
meet / Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan—1st ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Buddhism and science. 2. Physics—Philosophy. 3. Buddhism—Psychology.
4. Reality—Psychological aspects. 5. Physics—Religious aspects—Buddhism.
6. Spiritual life—Buddhism. 7. Enlightenment (Buddhism). I. Trinh,Xuan Thuan.
II. Title.
BQ4570.S3 R5313 2001
294.3'375—dc21
2001028852
ISBN 0-609-60854-1
S 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
N First American Edition
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To our mothers
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Contents
Introduction 1
1.
AT THE CROSSROADS
7
2.
TO BE AND NOT TO BE
23
3.
IN SEARCH OF THE GREAT WATCHMAKER
37
4.
THE UNIVERSE IN A GRAIN OF SAND
61
5.
MIRAGES OF REALITY
79
6.
LIKE A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
101
7.
EACH TO HIS OWN REALITY
113
8.
QUESTIONS OF TIME
127
vii
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Contents
viii
9.
CHAOS AND HARMONY
141
10.
THE VIRTUAL FRONTIER
161
11.
ROBOTS THAT THINK THEY CAN THINK?
183
12.
THE GRAMMAR OF THE UNIVERSE
205
13.
REASON AND CONTEMPLATION
229
14.
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
251
15.
FROM MEDITATION TO ACTION
257
THE MONK’S CONCLUSION
267
THE SCIENTIST’S CONCLUSION
275
Notes 283
Scientific Glossary 297
Buddhist Glossary 302
Acknowledgments 306
S
Index 307
N
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I
NTRODUCTION
By Matthieu Ricard
H
ow should I lead my life? How should I live in society? What is
knowable? These three questions have puzzled mankind through
the ages. Ideally,our lives should lead us to a feeling of plenitude,so
that we have no regrets at the moment when we die. Life in society
should inspire us with a sense of universal responsibility. Knowl-
edge should teach us about both the nature of the world around us
and about our own minds.
These same questions lie at the heart of the practices of science,
philosophy, politics, art, social work, and spirituality. Artificially
compartmentalizing these activities,as so often happens in our lives
today, leads inevitably to diminished perspectives. Without a wis-
dom bred of altruism,science and politics are double-edged swords,
ethics is blind,emotions run wild,and spirituality becomes illusory.
From the seventeenth century,the time of the scientific revolu-
tion,to the present day,many people have considered science to be
synonymous with knowledge. The exponential increase in the accu-
mulation of information driven by the rise of science is not about to
slow down. Meanwhile, religious practice has declined in demo-
cratic,secular states,while often becoming more radical in religious
states. The great spiritual traditions,whether they were dogmatic or
based rather on pure contemplative experience,provided powerful
ethical rules that people could use to structure and inspire their
lives. As science has developed, many people have become disillu-
sioned with the teachings of the world’s religions,and a secular faith
in the revelations of science and the efficiency of technology has
1
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Q L
The uantum and the otus
2
evolved. Others,however,point out that science is incapable of revealing
all truths,and that while technology has produced huge benefits,the rav-
ages it has caused are at least as great. What is more, science is silent
when it comes to providing wisdom about how we should live.
The correct view of science is as an instrument,intrinsically neither
good nor bad. Either praising it to the skies or damning it is as senseless
as applauding or criticizing strength. The strength of an arm can kill as
well as save. Scientists are no better or worse than other human beings in
general. Science does not produce wisdom. While the insights of science
can help us change our world, only human thought and concern can
enlighten us about the path we should follow in life. As a complement to
science,therefore,we must also cultivate a “science of the mind,”or what
we can call spirituality. This spirituality is not a luxury but a necessity.
Over the last twenty years, a dialogue has been conducted between
Buddhism and science,largely because of an interest in science shown by
certain Buddhist thinkers,notably the Dalai Lama. In 1987,businessman
Adam Engle and scientist Francisco Varela first organized what has
become a regular series of encounters between the Dalai Lama and a
number of eminent scientists: neurologists, biologists, psychiatrists,
physicists,and philosophers. As the participants wrote: “An extraordinary
quality of these meetings has been the open-minded yet critical attitude
of the Buddhists and the scientists, both eager to expand their horizons
by learning of the methods of inquiry and the insights of the other. Pub-
lished accounts of these ‘Mind and Life’1 meetings have been received
with growing enthusiasm by people interested in cross-cultural and
interdisciplinary dialogue, especially concerning the nature of the
mind.”2 Their titles include Gentle Bridges; Healing Emotions; Sleeping,
Dreaming and Dying; and Science and Compassion.3 They have been
complemented by more-in-depth studies such as The Embodied Mind,4
by Francisco Varela et al.,and Choosing Realityand The Taboo of Subjec-
tivity5 by B. Alan Wallace. The conversations recorded in this book were
undertaken in very much the same spirit.
The main difference between the pursuit of knowledge in science
versus the same pursuit in Buddhism is their ultimate goals. In Bud-
S dhism, knowledge is acquired essentially for therapeutic purposes. The
N objective is to free ourselves from the suffering that is caused by our