Buddhism, Spirituality and Science

Many eminent philosophers and scientists have remarked on the enduring appeal and relevance of Buddhism to the modern age.

- VIDYA JYOTI PROF. CHANDRA WICKRAMASINGHE

A statement frequently attributed to Albert Einstein suggests that a future religion might transcend dogma, avoid theology and bring together the natural and spiritual worlds asa meaningful unity — an ideal that Buddhism is often said to approach. Bertrand Russell likewise observed that Buddhist doctrines are notable for their intellectual depth, their emphasis on reason and their relative absence of historical cruelty. Such reflections point toward a broader truth. Buddhism does not rest on revelation or authority, but invites inquiry, reflection and personal understanding. In a world shaped by rapid technological change and expanding scientific knowledge, this openness continues to speak powerfully to successive generations.Some 800 km East of Bhutan is the city of Varanasi in India. In the 2566" year of the Buddhist era, human beings — members of the species Homo sapiens sapiens - total some eight billion individuals and still increasing. There is an estimated total of over two million separate species of animals, plants and microorganisms, with humans evidently poised at the pinnacle of evolution, on a planet that is 4.500 million years old. Today humans comprise a species ill at ease with itself, uncertain of its place and role in the scheme of things. Evidence of our cave dwelling ancestors date back to over two million years and our stone-age ancestors nearly 12,000 years ago.