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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I will admit it took me a long time to read this. Even though I'm a science geek, a lot of the concepts do go over my head. It doesn't make it less interesting, it just takes me longer to try and grasp the concept or just give up and move on.
HHDL takes some of the concepts of science and compares and contrasts them to Buddhist practices. If you are interested in either, then this is probably a good book for you. We're taken through the Big Bang vs the Buddhist beginningless universe, Quantum physics and relativity vs Buddhist emptiness, evolution vs karma, several chapters on sentient consciousness vs neurobiology and finally into genetics vs the entire human race.
In the concepts I did grasp and make notes on, HHDL makes excellent parallels between the scientific world and the spiritual world, something that the majority of religions maintain cannot happen. HHDL is all to happy to point out the similarities and encourage scientific progress, but with warnings of keeping the human compassion and ethics along for the ride.
HHDL has often said that every human on this earth is the same, and should all be treated with compassion. He was essentially proven right when the human genome was finally sequenced.
In his own way, he implores (nicely and gently) for society to get better educated about science so that we don't fear it and so that we do not cross a line. "We must be willing to be revolted when science - or for that matter any human activity - crosses the line of human decency, and we must fight to retain the sensitivity that is otherwise so easily eroded."
HHDL takes some of the concepts of science and compares and contrasts them to Buddhist practices. If you are interested in either, then this is probably a good book for you. We're taken through the Big Bang vs the Buddhist beginningless universe, Quantum physics and relativity vs Buddhist emptiness, evolution vs karma, several chapters on sentient consciousness vs neurobiology and finally into genetics vs the entire human race.
In the concepts I did grasp and make notes on, HHDL makes excellent parallels between the scientific world and the spiritual world, something that the majority of religions maintain cannot happen. HHDL is all to happy to point out the similarities and encourage scientific progress, but with warnings of keeping the human compassion and ethics along for the ride.
HHDL has often said that every human on this earth is the same, and should all be treated with compassion. He was essentially proven right when the human genome was finally sequenced.
In his own way, he implores (nicely and gently) for society to get better educated about science so that we don't fear it and so that we do not cross a line. "We must be willing to be revolted when science - or for that matter any human activity - crosses the line of human decency, and we must fight to retain the sensitivity that is otherwise so easily eroded."
Nicely written; enjoyed the discussion of a potential crossover of Buddhism (subjective 1st person experiences) and science (objective 3rd person observations).
This book was more about Buddhism than it was science, but it was worth time invested in it nonetheless. I would be encouraged to see a Christian leader stating there are parts of the tradition that need to be set to the side in light of scientific discoveries. That's exactly what HHDL suggests in this learned, humble and forward thinking exploration of matters of faith and science. Long live the Dalai Lama.
Interesting topic. I didn't always follow the religious philosophy- but I think that may have been an issue of word choice. I always find the areas where science and religion overlap or meet to be of interest.
This book is an absolute breath of fresh air. Encountering a religious leader who embraces science without rigid reaction or fear that his questioning might lead to a loss of faith is not the experience of my youth. 3/5 Stars
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I definitely wanted this to be more in depth about the relationship between science and spirituality than just his interest in science, but I would still rate this 3.5 stars. He obviously is very wise and interested in learning, as well as devout in his faith, and believes that you can invest in both science and spirituality. The line that really resonated with me was fairly early on in the book, when he said "Just as we must avoid dogmatism in science, we must ensure that spirituality is free from the same limitations." The world is not science vs faith/spirituality, there is room for it all to intertwine.
3.5!
Great teachings on how to navigate science and spirituality,
Great teachings on how to navigate science and spirituality,