A Bridge Between Western Science and Eastern Faith

[cbayer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/us/seeking-a-bridge-between-western-science-and-eastern-faith-with-the-Dalai-Lama.html?_r=0


Members of the local Tibetan community waited for the Dalai Lama on Wednesday during his visit to Emory University in Atlanta.

By KIM SEVERSON
Published: October 11, 2013

ATLANTA — Quantum theory tells us that the world is a product of an infinite number of random events. Buddhism teaches us that nothing happens without a cause, trapping the universe in an unending karmic cycle.

The Dalai Lama has started a project to translate science textbooks for use in monasteries. He hopes to meld the interior world of meditation with the exterior world of matter.

Reconciling the two might seem as challenging as trying to explain the Higgs boson to a kindergarten class. But if someone has to do it, it might as well be the team of scholars, translators and six Tibetan monks clad in maroon robes who can be spied wandering among the magnolias at Emory University here.

They were joined this week by the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, who decided seven years ago that it was time to merge the hard science of the laboratory with the soft science of the meditative mind.

The leaders at Emory, who already had created formal relationships with Tibetan students there, agreed, and a unique partnership was formed.

more at link

[skepticscott]

1. "Merge" in this case just means a lame attempt

to legitimize mystical and quantum woo woo by some vague association with legitimate science.

The so-called "soft" science of the "meditative mind" can either demonstrate scientific legitimacy on its own, or it can't. So far, it's failed miserably for many, many centuries.

[Humanist_Activist]

2. The first sentence is factually wrong, it seems this writer is trying to reconcile their ignorance..

of science with the beliefs of Buddhists. In other words, they are trying to be stupid.

ON EDIT: Scratch that, they aren't trying, they succeeded at being stupid.

[Act_of_Reparation]

3. Who better to explain quantum theory than a monk?

From the Dalai Lama to Deepok Chopra, there seems to be no shortage of mystics looking to legitimize themselves through quantum physics. Notice the dearth of physicists drawing the same conclusions. The author of this puff piece obviously couldn't locate any.