The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
by Dalai Lama XIV
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Read in January, 2006
For all my introspection and soul-searching on the subject of how to integrate Western science into my philosophical views of the world, I wish that I had read this book years ago – it would have saved me a lot of hard thinking on my own. Ouch. As it turns out, the Dalai Lama has been on a decades-long campaign to import much of the Western science canon into the training of new Tibetan Buddhist monks. A large part of the book is spent discussing where science fails (reductionism/materiali...more
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Read in March, 2008
I like the way this book is put together, covering a nice array of topics from HHDL's intrigue with science, his meetings with famous scientists and researchers, his ideas for the direction science should be heading and the last half of the book devoted to the study of consciousness. He writes with clarity and and contagious curiosity. I welcomed his reminders about how the point and intention of science should be to alleviate suffering and help us gain a better understanding of things so that...more
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4 comments
very few people are able to give me hope about mankind and our future as a species and shit. the dalai lama delivers that and so much more in all his books, but this one stands out to me because of my interest in science, and especially my fascination with (if complete misunderstanding of) the universe and quantum physics and shit. this book contains all those big universe questions that are usually way too scary to ask (where did time begin? how big is space? what existed before the big bang?) ...more
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recommends it for:
scientists and students of religion
This was a pretty nice exploration of the intersection of Science and Buddhist religion. The Dalai Lama came at this material from a very humble standpoint and makes that his religion could be greatly improved by approaching it from the standpoint of science (e.g. he admits that Buddhist cosmology is hopelessly archaic and should be replaced with current models).
Interestingly, he also points to some current research where Buddhist monastic disciplines have made contributions to the science ...more
Interestingly, he also points to some current research where Buddhist monastic disciplines have made contributions to the science ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
those interested in science and/or spirituality
I enjoyed the book and probably would have given it a higher rating had I had more of a science background. Despite the fact that the Dalai Lama has had no offical science training, he is quite knowledgeable on the subject. I respect his attempt at tying in the spiritual world with the world of science. He believes it is important to extend science to the understanding of all humanity, whether, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. etc. The Dalai Lama is clearly highly intelectual....more
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Read in December, 2007
I found out about this book from a recommendation from Amazon.com. The topic is one I am very interested in. The reviews were mostly very positive. Given the Dalai Lama's reputation, I was very interested to see what he had to say. While I applaud his effort to take on this topic, I was surprised and disappointed to discover several blatant misunderstandings about physics. Although I would not expect someone of his background to necessarily have a thorough grasp of physics, I would expect h...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
someone with insomnia
I really wanted to like this book, but I decided to quit about 50 pages in. I skimmed the rest and decided that I had made the right decision. I found that the majority of this book was a bland and unfocused account of the Dalai Lama's friends who happened to be scientists over the years. It reads more like a biography than an intellectual exploration of the compatability (or lack thereof) between science and religion. I was hoping for a Jared Diamond-like narrative of facts and insights, bu...more
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Read in March, 2008
The Dalai Lama is my favorite all-time hero, so I was excited about reading this book. In the beginning he discussed his childhood, which has always intrigued me. The thought of a young child being taken from his home and raised in a palace to be a ruler almost has a fairy-tale quality to it. The juxtapositioning of Buddhism and Science also interested me. However, the book itself wasn't very readable beyond the first few chapters. I became bored with it, then finally put it down and never ...more
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Read in April, 2006
I truly respect his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He tries much, much harder than any other religious leader to try to truly understand science and to try to reconcile it with religious teachings.
That said, in the end, he never quite bridges the gap. He spends whole chapters building towards a cohesive solution, only to bail out at the last minute and site historic texts as an escape route.
It's still definitely worth a read by anyone interested in the science vs. spirituality debate, b...more
That said, in the end, he never quite bridges the gap. He spends whole chapters building towards a cohesive solution, only to bail out at the last minute and site historic texts as an escape route.
It's still definitely worth a read by anyone interested in the science vs. spirituality debate, b...more
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1 comments
Fantastic reflection on and insight to various popular topics in science such as the Big Bang, genetic modification of crops, and consciousness. Through these examples, he shows how science and Buddhism agree in areas and disagree in others. Throughout, he expresses the joy conversations with scientists have brought him in learning about another perspective and integrating that knowledge with his already extensive understanding of Hindu and Buddhist knowledge.[return][return]It reads much like a...more
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Read in October, 2007
The book melds Buddhism and Science in interesting and thought provoking. The Dalai Lama suggests in his book science and religion do not have to be at odds. It is an interesting for those out there who have studies Buddhism and would like a modern perspective of science and its relationship with Buddhism. I really enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to compare some of the universal themes between ancient Buddhist thought and modern science.
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Read in January, 2004
Of all the religious leaders in the world, my sense is that the Dalai Lama is most open to modern science. While I detest some of the new age fluff out there like the movies "what the bleep do we know" and "the secret" since they are mostly pseudoscience, I think the Dalai Lama has a very high regard for science to the point that he has said if science could disprove reincarnation or other tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, then they would have to accept that.
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Read in April, 2007
I was fascinated with his description of his life growing up - then intrigued with his fascination with science. His discussion on Buddhism and science - so deep that I had to take it in small bite size parts, reflect, digest before moving on. Very thought provoking, about religion, sprituality, science, western culture and eastern culture. Yet, you feel like you could sit down to tea with him and just chat.
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Read in January, 2005
This is a great book on a subject rarely (if ever) touched upon. I like the Dalai Lama's willingness to update Buddhist teachings if science makes them obsolete, rather than trying to suppress or ignore science as many other religions do. If I had a better understanding of quantum physics, I probably would have been able to give this book five stars.
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Read in November, 2007
I was just too confused with the concepts and details in this book. I really gave it an honest effort and read as much as I could. This is probably the first book in 8 years that I have started and not finished. I just didn't have it in me.
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Theology and science? Where does Buddhism stand, according to the Dalai Lama? If science disproves their beliefs, they change their beliefs. Wish everyone did that. Was recommended by a mentor of mine.
Read by Richard Gere.
Read by Richard Gere.
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Read in March, 2006
The empirical slant of Buddhism lends itself well to this bridge with science. I would recommend this book to anyone, but I would first recommend having a little foreknowledge of the history and tenets of Buddhism and maybe a primer in neurobiology/psychology for a full appreciation of what His Holiness does in this text.
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Enlightenment Thinkers
I almost gave it a four because of the Lama's scientific name dropping but it does such a good job of dealing with the importance of incorporating science into religion(or religion into science if you are so inclined). I would love to talk to this man and you can be sure that I'd drop his name everywhere I went.
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Still in the midst of listening to the audio version on my "daily" neighborhood walks. Some of the more in-depth discussion of Buddhist philosophy and practice get confusing, but contemplating the intersection of science and Buddhism -- and where each can learn from the other -- is fascinating and enlightening.
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What can I say? HH the Dalai Lama is such an amazing and inspiring communicator. This book describes, in his own words, his passion for science and technology and his feelings about why it is of utmost importance to forge and maintain an open communication between the scientific and spiritual communities.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.89 (309 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.91 (292 ratings) number of reviews: 63popular shelves
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quote
"If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims."
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