A way to support Buddhism

Casual conversation between friends. Anything goes (almost).
Post Reply
JamesNewell
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon May 26, 2014 3:57 am

A way to support Buddhism

Post by JamesNewell »

A good way to support a group of one or more monasteries, nunneries, residential communities for families, colleges, and non-profit movie making companies, would be as follows:

Tne people who wished to do this would organize a small corporation, which would later grow, which would start out making plush stuffed scientist toys for children. This could start with a cute and cuddly stuffed Einstein toy. All the profits would go to support the Buddhist organizations.

This would be a public service to the rest of humanity because it would get more children interested in becoming scientists.

It would also show that Buddhists like and support scientific research and scientists, so scientists have nothing to fear from Buddhism.
User avatar
dharmagoat
Posts: 2159
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:39 pm

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by dharmagoat »

Generally speaking, it is Buddhists that are threatened by science, not the other way around.

I agree that Buddhism has some serious public relations work to do here in the West, though I doubt what amounts to stuffing and mounting well-known 'scientific materialists' will do it.
JamesNewell
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon May 26, 2014 3:57 am

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by JamesNewell »

I don't know whether you are right or wrong about the stuffed scientists. You certainly could be right.

I don't think that Buddhism has anything to fear from scientists. In the long run, science is self-correcting, though of course it may take a long time to self-correct. The bits and pieces I have discovered in logical analysis of data show that the essence of Buddhism is correct. Some of the specific stories in the literature might not be true, but the basic foundation of Buddhism is true. That means that science will eventually discover that Buddhism is correct. It is only a matter of waiting.

Already, after great effort, scientists don't know how nerve impulses could be integrated into subjective images, subjective sounds, and so forth. Eventually, they will find that the brain cannot do that kind of integration itself. Then it will clear sailing to the Buddhist ideas. Of course, the more research scientists do on the brain, the faster they will eventually discover that Buddhism is true.

In the meantime, scientists are not suggesting that Buddhists be killed or put into prison or anything like that.

Therefore, I don't see a danger there, and so would like to reassure anyone who is scared of scientists. It's OK. Science is nothing that Buddhists need to worry about.
plwk
Posts: 2932
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:41 am

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by plwk »

Generally speaking, it is Buddhists that are threatened by science, not the other way around.
Scientism...
JamesNewell
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon May 26, 2014 3:57 am

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by JamesNewell »

In your use of the word "scientism" . I think you are being sincere and protective of Buddhism. If you don't believe what I am about to say, I believe in freedom of speech and will not say you should not use the word. However, I would like to ask you to monitor the situation and make your own decisions.

Scientists would not kill Buddhist, but in their fear, they would no doubt do something. I think that something is already set up and is ready to use if scientists think it is necessary. Mental health scientists have defined two new problems:

Meditation addiction and
Guru addiction.

It would not help Buddhism if all Buddhist students were publicly said, all over the media, to be mentally ill.

There are threats driving the panic of scientists. There are some Christan militia groups, growing in number, which are training for terrorist kinds of fighting and think liberals and scientists are followers of Satan. For more on the groups, go to the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center organization. There are also Islamic terrorist organizations, which hate scientists.

Now I have met both Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, and they are good people, even if they have been led to not understand the situation. Probably some leaders are in it for the power. So don't blame the ordinary Christians and Muslims.

Interestingly, while some amateurs may believe in scientism, professional scientists don't. For professional scientists, science is merely working to discover and confirm new discoveries using the best methods available. Since new methods frequently emerge, what the best methods are tends to shift over a period of time. So science isn't rigid.

In fact, what a number of well known Buddhist teachers have done over the centuries is very much like science. They have practiced meditation, continually trying to discover how to improve their meditation techniques. They have tested meditation techniques by noting the results from use of the techniques. So those Buddhist teachers have in fact been scientists by the real definition of science. Whether one wants to use the actual word "scientist" for those great teachers is something readers might wish to decide for themselves.
odysseus
Posts: 1125
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:50 pm

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by odysseus »

dharmagoat wrote:Generally speaking, it is Buddhists that are threatened by science, not the other way around.

I agree that Buddhism has some serious public relations work to do here in the West, though I doubt what amounts to stuffing and mounting well-known 'scientific materialists' will do it.
Don´t you folks worry about Buddhism or "strange" teachings in the West. It´s actually going very well, can you believe this? :sage:
plwk
Posts: 2932
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:41 am

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by plwk »

James, it was in response to dharmagoat's claim that Buddhists are 'threatened' by science which is a misleading one in my evaluation because science itself has no involvement per se in the raging debates between religionists and those who espouse scientism. So no, I am not threatened by science nor those who espouse scientism and there are traditionalist Buddhists who may feel that 'science' is a threat to their domain but in fact what they're reacting to is merely scientism and its adherents...

I distinguish science per se from those who espouse scientism to anyone else as below...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientism" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Scientism" has also been taken over as a name for the view that science is the only reliable source of knowledge by philosophers such as Alexander Rosenberg.
Scientism may refer to science applied "in excess". The term scientism can apply in either of two senses:
1.To indicate the improper usage of science or scientific claims. This usage applies equally in contexts where science might not apply, such as when the topic is perceived to be beyond the scope of scientific inquiry, and in contexts where there is insufficient empirical evidence to justify a scientific conclusion. It includes an excessive deference to claims made by scientists or an uncritical eagerness to accept any result described as scientific. In this case, the term is a counterargument to appeals to scientific authority.

2.To refer to "the belief that the methods of natural science, or the categories and things recognized in natural science, form the only proper elements in any philosophical or other inquiry," or that "science, and only science, describes the world as it is in itself, independent of perspective" with a concomitant "elimination of the psychological dimensions of experience."

The term is also used by historians, philosophers, and cultural critics to highlight the possible dangers of lapses towards excessive reductionism in all fields of human knowledge
ovi
Posts: 102
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 3:06 pm

Re: A way to support Buddhism

Post by ovi »

After two long threads of debating the compatibility of Buddhism and science (mainly the idea of rebirth), I would advise not to bring up the issue, it creates more harm than good. Yes, supporting Buddhist organizations is good, yes science is good and they are both based on reason. Organize with those with whom you share common values and are tolerant of differences, who want to act on these common values rather than create division based on the differences.
Post Reply

Return to “Lounge”