Buddhist Philosophy in Dialogue with Modern Science | ULFAT
- Admin Ohana
- May 24
- 2 min read
Kumar opened the session with the chant of "Om Mani Padme Hum," invoking the Buddha of compassion, before embarking on an engaging exploration of how Buddhist philosophy speaks to contemporary scientific thought. He began with the life of Prince Siddhartha Gautama — how his encounter with human suffering drove him to renounce royal life and seek the nature of reality through deep inquiry and meditation. This journey, Kumar noted, culminated in his sacred realization, enshrined in the title Buddha — the awakened one.
The heart of the talk walked through the Four Noble Truths. Kumar used Jataka stories — including that of a crow consumed by self-perceived worthlessness and a grieving mother clinging to her dead son — to bring alive the Buddha's teachings on suffering, its causes in craving and attachment, and the possibility of its cessation through nirvana. He emphasized the Buddha's exhortation appa dipo bhava (be a light unto yourself) as a call to personal inquiry and experimentation rather than passive belief.
Further, the speaker highlighted how the Eightfold Path encourages an experimental orientation to life, and how the sangha (community) enacts a form of lived, participatory democracy, especially in the context of the knowledge creation.
The session turned lively when exploring Buddhist rituals — the creation and dismantling of the sand mandala in Himalayan Buddhism, the mindfulness embedded in the Zen barbecue practice, and the Cham dance of the Vajrayana tradition — each used to illustrate core philosophical concepts such as impermanence, emptiness, and non-self.
In his concluding remarks, Kumar linked the core Buddhist philosophies discussed earlier to modern science and technology. He drew on Alvin Weinberg's concept of trans-science. Most scientific and engineering practices, he noted, lie beyond the boundaries of settled science. Yet dominant scientific culture treats them as definitive and permanent solutions. Citing uranium mining for nuclear energy and river-linking projects, he argued that Buddhist teachings offer a corrective. Non-attachment to existing models and epistemic humility, he suggested, are the need of the hour.
The next session of Ohana's Ulfat will focus on the subaltern philosophical tradition. The date will be announced shortly.
Love dissolves hatred. Sayonara!
Comments