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markandeya 108 dasa
19 December 2016, 04:17 AM
Namaste


Bridging Buddhism and Science
Sun, Dec 18 at 1:00am - Tue, Dec 20 at 7:00am GMT Science & Technology
The Emory-Tibet Symposium: Bridging Buddhism and Science for Mutual Enrichment

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will join scientists and scholars for a 3 day discussion from Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, Karnataka, India on December 18-20, 2016.

All times Indian Standard Time (IST=GMT+5.30)

December 18th: 9:00am - 11:30am & 1:00pm - 3:00pm IST
December 19th: 9:00am - 11:30am & 1:00pm - 3:00pm IST
December 20th: 9:00am - 11:30am & 1:00pm - 3:00pm IST
Namaste

https://livestream.com/DalaiLamaEnglish/emory-tibet2016



PROGRAM
December 18th
Session 1: Welcome remarks: and history of engagement between modern science and Buddhism; philosophy as a bridge between science and Buddhism
Session 2 - Philosophy: : How is knowledge established, and what constitutes valid reasoning?

December 19th
Session 3 - Physics: What are the fundamental constituents of the universe and how did it originate?
Session 4 –Biology: What is life and what are its origins?

December 20th
Session 5- Neuroscience: What is mind, and its relationship to the body, brain and subjective experience?
Session 6 - Secular Ethics in Education: Why does education need an ethical component?


India Standard Time now: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/ist

markandeya 108 dasa
19 December 2016, 11:13 AM
Namaste,

I am not sure if anyone will be following this, in the top link there are 4 video's, I am only a bit more than half way on the first one at the moment. There is quite a lot that anyone of any faith or scientific background can take from this, hopefully not everything will be taken as view or literal.

Although in some ways the true nature of consciousness is seen as transcendent, or beyond normal physical reality it is also very important to understand the dynamic between mind and matter, and how mind shapes matter to some degree, or mind affects the outside world of experience.

At 1 hour in the first video Dr Robert Paul talks about some of the history behind east and west, the reason for split and how the west became to engaged with empirical and external technology and the relation between mind and matter was given to a corrupt form of religion, i.e Christian/Catholic Church.

Since first reading the seminar transcriptions of the book synthesis of science and religion as held by Dr D.T Singh H.H Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami I gained some insights into why Modern science is in the situation it is today, why the understanding of subtle knowledge of mind and consciousness became divorced from empirical science, the historical separation is more or less essential to know to get some context on the current situation, and I think Dr Robert Paul highlights some of the important factors.

Now that the institutional and corrupt religion of the Church has been more or less refuted and is redundant to explain more or less anything, modern science has fallen victim of complete separation from the mind sciences. If religion demotes or refuses intellectual or freedom of investigation then it stunts the ability of man, so much so that ultimately we end up with a confused dynamic, science and faith or religion/spirituality are hand in hand partners, in Europe the intellectual class was suppressed, one could be thrown in jail but more than likely killed if they spoke out against the ruling religion, this made science or the intellectuals of science, who were more often than not religious and faithful people to start out with reject religion. Due to the churches and oppressive powers that relationship was divorced and both went into extremes, hence the current and recent situation, although its getting better slowly.

Personally I dont see much difference in essence or the core of Buddha Dharma and most of the other Dharma traditions that came from India or wider Asia, although at the same time they do have unique features., one can also make a lot of good connections globally in the ancient world, where people shared the same concepts but maybe different symbology.

Dharma traditions however have little to gain other than keeping their identity and ways acceptable to an outside audience, and I do feel that technological advancement and modern science is still and always will be a step in the wrong direction.