Acta Neurochir (Wien) (1990) 105:75-77 :Acta N6urochirurgica @~ by Springer-Verlag 1990

The Buddhist World-View and the Scientific World-View: A Comparative Analysis

R. Bhavilai*

In the first science class, the teacher will tell his students that the Universe consists of two components called matter and energy. Matter is that which occupies space and has inertia or mass. Energy is that which makes matter change. Motion may be described as changes in position. Matter is subdivided into mole- cules, atoms and fundamental particles. Energy is quantized. Matter and energy are interchangable there- fore they are two aspects of one primordial substance. The phenomenal world can be described in terms of the interplay of matter and energy. This includes the non-living things and the living things. Biological ev- olution is viewed as a special kind of chemical evolu- tion. Life and consciousness are therefore the results of the evolution of the primordial substance. This, in essence, is the foundation of the scientific world-and- life view. It is laid early in the intellectual life of every educated person in the present technological civiliza- tion.

Scientific theories combine to describe existence as it is, as the result of cosmological, chemical and bio- logical evolutions of the primordial substance. A pop- ular theory, the Big Bang, states in simple terms, that the universe started fifteen billion years ago in a cat- astrophic explosion of the primordial substance whose temperature initially exceeded ten trillion degrees Cel- sius. As time passed, the plasma-fragments which were still flying apart cooled down and condensed to form galaxies, stars and planets. The earth is one of the satellites of an ordinary star in a galaxy. Chemical evolution on earth started some four billion years ago after it cooled down. Five hundred million years after, living molecules resembling virus appeared and bio-

* Correspondence and Reprints: Rawi Bhavilai, Director, Dhamma Centre, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

logical evolution began, gradually forming plants and animals. Man entered the scene only a million years ago.

In the scientific world-and-life view, therefore, life and consciousness are the results of the evolution of the primodial substance in a cosmic time scale. Mind or consciousness thus depends upon matter and energy for its existence. Carrying this line of reasoning to its final conclusion, one has to admit that consciousness begins after birth, when the brain tissues has developed adequately, and ends at death, when the brain stops to function and starts to decay.

The science based technology impresses the world with its success in producing devices which make life comfortable. This makes most people believe unques- tionably that science knows the truth of existence and that the scientific world-andqife view is correct. The scientific-materialistic philosophy thus pervades the whole intellectual atmosphere of the world.

Scientists believe in the regularity underlying natural phenomena and attempt to describe it by formulating what they call the laws of physics. Data collected from observations and/or experiments are classified and an- alysed. Hypotheses or theories advanced on the rela- tionships between variables are usually presented in the form of mathematical equations. They are then used in computations to predict events which should be ob- servable in different contexts. Verifications by obser- vations and/or experiments follow. Hypotheses and theories which stand such tests are accepted as good approximations to the Law of Nature. They are used as guides for practical applications and form parts of the accumulated knowledge of mankind. These hy- potheses or theories may be corrected or revised or replaced by new ones when found later to be inadequate in explaining satisfactorily observations obtained in

76 R. Bhavilai: The Buddhist World-View and the Scientific World-View

wider contexts. Scientific knowledge does not itself claim to be the final formulation of the Truth of Nature. It remains always incomplete.

Science preoccupies itself mainly with the material aspects of existence from the start therefore it is not well prepared to describe the totality of human expe- rience. Buddhism, which is also observational and ex- perimental as well as empirical, views existence in a different way. Buddhism lays great emphasis on the present moment. It regards the instantaneous now as the only reality where truth may be discovered. The past is gone and the future is but an imaginative pro- jection of the present. Buddhism, without advancing any hypothesis beforehand, urges the truth-seeker to analyse the immediate experience of living, moment to moment, rigorously. The seeker, however, needs to equip himself or herself with adequate tools for ana- lytical work. These tools are some of his wholesome mental properties, particularly mindfulness, which can be developed to its utmost capability. In this way, the Buddhist world-and-life view is obtained.

In Buddhism, consciousness or mind is the funda- mental factor of existence, and of immediate experi- ence, which does not need proof. Without conscious- ness, the world and life would not appear. They are not separated but can be analysed, for the purpose of understanding, into consciousness and the objects of consciousness. The latter may be referred to as objects. We can say that the world and life is consciousness and objects. Without consciousness, objects would not be known. Without object, consciousness would not arise. The two are interdependent. Consciousness is that which knows object. Also, consciousness is not stable. It is not static. It is a changing entity. It comes and goes quickly in succession like the flashes of the strob- oscope or a firefly. Trained mindfulness will help one to verify this fact. In this sense life itself is dynamic because it changes from moment to moment. It is a process; not an enduring entity. There is the law of nature encompassing the relationships and the changes which can be understood by observation and analysis.

There are five categories of objects of consciousness: (1) consciousness itself, (2) mind constituents or mental properties, (3) materiality, (4) Nirvana, which are the ultimate realities and (5) concepts, ideas, notions, names or terms which may be called conventional truth. There are 52 mental constituents. When a conscious- ness arises and decays it is always accompanied by certain appropriate mental constituents, 7 of which always accompany every consciousness, and they are classified as universals. Some 6 others arise as a whole

or in parts in some consciousness. The remainder are morally good or bad and they arise in different com- binations in different consciousness.

Materiality or the ultimates in matter contains 28 categories; 18 of which are real ultimates while the remainder 10 are characteristics of the former. Mate- riality may be understood as including matter-energy of physics and much more. The 8 qualities called Octad which are inseparable and occur in all materiality are (1) hardness, or softness, (2) cohesion or fluidity, (3) heat or lack of heat, (4) motion or resistant to motion, (5) colour, (6) smell, (7) taste and (8) nutriment. Ma- teriality may be generated by (1) Karma, (2) Con- sciousness, (3) Temperature, which means the physical causes and (4) nutriment.

The total number of ultimates is 72. They are: 1 consciousness, 52 mental constituents, 18 real materi- ality and 1 Nirvana, being the bedrocks of the world and life. It is interesting to note that there are 72 stupas on the top levels of the Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia. Each stupa contains a Buddha Image. The number 72 probably symbolizes the ultimates of ex- istence.

The ultimates are observable because they are the objects of consciousness although the faculties of the person must be adequately trained as mentioned pre- viously. When the world and life are observed as an eternally changing process comprising the interplay of the ultimates, the Truth of Existence is understood.

The law of causal relationship between events is accepted in Buddhism as well as in science. The law of Dependent Origination or Dependent Genesis of Bud- dhism includes consciousness, mind constituents and materiality while science regards only matter-energy which are parts of materiality. This is the reason why science leads to materialism while Buddhism looks at the world and life in a broader view. According to science, mind or consciousness is the product of matter- energy, therefore it ends abrupty at death. In Bud- dhism, consciousness is as real as materiality. Both are interdependent. Both arise and decay, causing new ones to arise in endless chain of causal relationship. At death, those parts of materiality which could be observed by the five senses deteriorate. The subtle parts, conscious- ness and mind constituents continue the chain of causal relationship in the transitory state unrecognized by peo- ple who have not developed the appropriate faculties to see. Here Buddhism is in contradiction with science because it asserts that death is not the end because the chain of causal relationship cannot be abruptly stopped.

R. Bhavilai: The Buddhist World-View and the Scientific World-View 77

The materialism of science inevitably leads to an ethic of irresponsibility because when people believe that everything in their lives ends with death, they are not really responsible for their deeds. At best, they may control their behaviour only for the sake of good and smooth relationships with their fellow men while they are still alive. This materialism is certainly contributing to moral decay and hosts of problems in the present world. We need a much broader view and deeper un- derstanding about the world and life than what science can offer. Buddhism can answer to that need.

The source of the Buddhist world-and-life view is the enlightenment of the Buddha. It is appropriate therefore to explain briefly the concept of Buddhahood and the concept of Enlightenment. A Buddha is a per- son who, through his own efforts in self development, perfects his wholesome mental constituents and attains insight concerning the Law of Life and Existence. The insight is total and all encompassing. A new and rev- olutionary outlook on life is attained which results in the ending of all miseries. The problems of life, in- cluding death, are totally solved. He also achieves the ability to teach and lead others to their enlightenments. In brief, in the Buddha, Man attains to omniscience,

ethical perfection and immortality. The historical Sak- yamuni Buddha who became enlightened twenty five centuries ago in Northern India did not claim that he was the only discoverer of the Truth of Existence. On the contrary, he talked about the Buddhas who came before and predicts the coming of the future Buddha. The faith in Buddhahood is, therefore, the belief that Man has the potentialities to be perfected. It is the faith in the Supreme Goodness, Beauty and Truth of Life itself. To arrive at such a lofty ideal, however, a person has to spend innumerable lives through the rounds of rebirths and deaths in self development with diligence.

It may be asked: how is it possible that a man be- comes a Buddha? The answer is: Man and the Cosmos, that is the World and Life, are not separated. The ultimates, i.e. consciousness, mind constituents and materiality, which constitute a person are the World and Life or the Cosmos itself. Man is Existence. Ex- istence and Nirvana are not two separated entities. In every person, there exist already the potentialities of omniscience, ethical perfection and immortality. The veil of Ignorance has only to be pulled away for the realization. Enlightenment is Life looking at Itself in the Cosmic Mirror.