Buddhism: Science vs religion and politics

by Dr Upul Wijayawardhana

Buddhism seems to be the last resort of greedy politicians desirous of capturing power or maintaining unexpectedly gained power as stated in a thought-provoking editorial, “When House oozes with religiosity” (The Island, 1 December). Our politicians seem totally oblivious to the continuing suffering of the masses; instead of discussing how to solve the economic mess they got us into, they seem keen on debating Buddhist scriptures, often with misinterpretations like confusing Devadatta with Angulimala!

Whilst totally agreeing with the editor on his comments, I hasten to add that the public reaction to all this was perhaps even better encapsulated in Jeffrey’s cartoon by the side of the editorial, showing the Sadhu Nada of the masses whilst Parabhava Sutra pervades the Palace of Diyawanna! Perhaps, if our elected representatives chant the Parabhava Sutta before the House commences daily proceedings, we may have better governance. But the majority of them will not understand the meaning of it because they are so conceited or daft!

Their behaviour is an insult to Buddhism, and all Buddhists will agree totally with the editorial comment: “The holier-than-thou frontbenchers of both sides of Parliament have been displaying their knowledge of Buddhism, of late, by quoting extensively from the Sutta Pitaka, the way drunkards use lamp-posts—for support rather than illumination. A discussion on Dhamma in Parliament is like a conference on animal rights at an abattoir, or a talk on chastity in a bordello.” (The holy and the unholy: The Island, 5 December)

“Science vs religion”, a two-part article which was printed on 26th and 28th November, reproduced from this newspaper’s Asia News Network partner in India, The Statesman, concluded as follows: “It is therefore for us citizens to shield our children from the corrupting influences of religion. It has no place in the fabric of the mind of civilised men and women, just as God has no place in the fabric of the space-time that science tries to untangle. We don’t need the ancient wisdom of the spirit to guide us, because religion which was supposed to imbibe it has lost its divinity. It is now for science to redeem religion.”

Whilst being very thought-provoking, I would have agreed with the author more had he stated instead “shield our children from the corrupting influences of religious extremism” as what seems spreading fast today are distorted versions of religion, often bordering on extremism. Many of the problems referred to are created by the massive organisations built around different religions and resultant extremism rather than actual religious teachings themselves.

Although I agree with most of what Govind Bhattacharjee stated, I am rather surprised that he has failed to give any credit to religion. More so, because he has overlooked giving any recognition to the leading role played in scientific thinking by the greatest son of his country; the Buddha who laid the foundation for scientific thinking in the Kalama Sutta.

Perhaps, Govind does not consider Buddhism to be a religion and if it so, I too am in agreement. As I have written in the past, the greatest disservice done to Buddhism is to categorise it as a religion. After all, the dictionary definition of religion is: “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” Buddhism being the only major religion that does not recognise a superhuman controlling power, defining it as a religion is paradoxical indeed! However, as it is referred to as a religion in common parlance; it is the fourth largest religion in the world, and in any discussion on religion Buddhism has to be considered, even in exception.

At a time when scientific thought and method were virtually non-existent, Buddha expounded the need for verification before acceptance. In Kalama Sutta, he went to the extent of stating that nothing should be accepted as a fact even though he said it! Faith, the foundation of many other religions, was thus replaced by fact. Therefore, Kalama Sutta can be considered the charter for free thought. What the Buddha elucidated in the Four Noble Truths is exactly the process we follow in scientific discovery; recognise there is a problem, identify the cause of the problem, find the solution to the problem and apply the solution.

The Buddha rebelled against the existing order for equality, decrying the caste system which was the great divider of the time by stating: “Not by birth is one an outcast; not by birth is one a brahman. By deed one becomes an outcast; by deed one becomes a brahman.” Paradoxically though, some Sangha in Sri Lanka go against this fundamental teaching of the Buddha and are keen to protect their castes in the guise of Niakya!

Buddhism was the first religion to offer equality to all including women. Those who question whether the Buddha showed ambivalence as regards the ordination of women overlook the fact that it was revolutionary, considering the social milieu of the day. The much-touted Athenian democracy was only for men. Most other religions do not offer equality even today.

There are other religions which deny equality to women justifying suppression as protection!!

The Buddha’s analysis of mind remains unsurpassed. Mindfulness, a concept of the Buddha arising out of Vipassana, is applied in many facets of everyday life though, unfortunately, commercialised by some. It is the concept of living in the moment, not for the moment. Vipassana is the type of meditation the Buddha introduced and according to Shri S N Goenka, who is responsible for its’ widespread: “Vipassana focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.” This exactly is what the world needs today!

Whether one considers Buddhism to be a religion or philosophy, or whether the Buddha is considered a religious leader or philosopher, the role he played in scientific thinking must not allowed to be underestimated.