One thought on “The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality”

1. very few people are able to give me hope about mankind and our future as a species the dalai lama delivers that and so much 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, etc 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 but presents them in conju [...]

   Reply

---

2. A thought provoking analysis and exposition on why the subjective, first person investigative methodology of spiritual tradition without its fundamentalist trappings and the objective third person investigative methodology of scientific tradition without its reductionist trappings are both indispensable and must go hand in hand if we are to fully comprehend reality and genuinely alleviate suffering The ease and sharpness with which the Dalai Lama draws parallels and acute phenomenological simila [...]

   Reply

---

3. This is a brilliant book The Dalai Lama s theme is that science s emphasis on non personal, third person study and religion s emphasis on first person experience and awareness could be complementary.If you have heard the Dalai Lama speak in his non native tongue English , he is a fantastic personality and he smiles a lot, but his communication is limited It is a pleasure to read his ideas written first and then translated into English This book reveals a mind that sparkles with wit, intelligence [...]

   Reply

---

4. This book might seem a strange reading choice since I am an atheist During my years of life and travels around the world, I have found that of all the world s multitude of religious beliefs it is generally Buddhism that seems most comfortable with the concept of a coterminous relationship, if not a synergistic symbiosis, with science This is not meant to imply that Buddhists make better scientists than say a Hindu or a Muslim, rather that the religion itself seems comfortable with the concepts o [...]

   Reply

---

5. Fresh off of reading books by the likes of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, this was an interesting change of scenery The Dalai Lama draws comparisons between the disciplines of science and Buddhism Buddhism, he notes, has many schools of thought and is comfortable with the idea that there can be competing viewpoints and no exclusive claim to the final truth If one is compelled to engage with spirituality, this seems to be the only sensible mindset Less convincingly, he draws parallels [...]

   Reply

---

6. I can t remember the last book I read that so far exceeded my expectations As soon as I finished the book I flipped right back to the first page and started all over again I m about half way through the second read now, and I still find myself jotting down notes, re reading passages, and taking long moments to pause and contemplate the profound ideas put forth in this text I ve never read a book by the Dalai Lama before, and to be honest I wasn t expecting him to be all that skilled of a writer [...]

   Reply

---

7. 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 of the br [...]

   Reply

---

8. 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 materialism and how B [...]

   Reply

---

9. With this book, the Dalai Lama shows that he is at once the most spiritual of persons, and the most practical In The Universe In A Single Atom, he shows one possible method for people living in the modern age of nuclear power, quantum physics and genetic engineering to combine the knowlege of science with the wisdom of spirituality Just as Einstein thought that religion without science is blind and science without religion is lame, the Dalai Lama believes that spirituality and science are differ [...]

   Reply

---

10. I find it encouraging that the Dalai Lama is so open to new scientific ideas Our world is changing at such a rapid rate The ideas exploding into the field of physics are absolutely revolutionizing the way we view reality It is interesting to hear some Buddhist commentary on the advancements of our age I really enjoyed the last bit where he talked about some of the ethical consequences of bio genetic engineering, and was proud that he addressed this issue with such a strong stance for both plants [...]

    Reply

---

11. El cosmos budista es visto de otro punto de vista, seg n ellos primero fuimos seres et reos, luego comimos materia, tuvimos que defecar y nos salieron rganos, finalmente la comida y el contexto nos hicieron diferentes y de ah nacen las emociones la envidia, el amor Est padr simo

    Reply

---

12. I ve been a Hawking fan for years, but couldn t quite reconcile science with religion till I read this book This was my introduction to the Dalai Lama, and I felt very comfortable first understanding his background and his curiosity, and, of course, his wisdom, as he explains, explores how empirical science and spirituality can coexist In fact, one cannot exist without the other I still have a lot of trouble with the Big Bang Theory, but am able to wrap my head around it a little better when you [...]

    Reply

---

13. In each atom of the realms of the universe, there exist vast oceans of world systems The great Flower Ornament, an ancient Buddhist scripture.In the book, The Universe in a Single Atom The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, His Holiness the Dalai Lama explores the fields of science and spirituality To begin, most people believe there is a distinct difference between science and spirituality and the two cannot co exist Despite this, the Dalai Lama suggests the two are confluent He recognize [...]

    Reply

---

14. A very insightful and meaningful look at the role of ethics buddhist as well as secular of science in the current global context His Holiness presents a very strong argument why ethical responsibilities have become, for the first time in world history, a matter of survival I didn t really understand or enjoy several of the essays in this collection but others have a lot of merit to them The ones on the nature and source of consciousness outlined particularly interesting overlaps between cognitiv [...]

    Reply

---

15. The author writes with compassion, depth, and frankness This is not a light and easy read, as the book contains some heavy scientific discussion His assertion that science and spirituality do not have to be at odds with one another resonates with me When a religious dogma conflicts with scientific proof, I believe, a religion can prove its strength and does not show weakness by acknowledging the expansion of our knowledge base and adjusting accordingly, rather than denying reality or conflicting [...]

    Reply

---

16. This guy really gets it And aaaaargh, no he doesn t And hmmmm, maybe it s me who doesn t get it Those were my reactions, often simultaneous, and I m in awe of the Dalai Lama for his ability to think, reason, and express himself so clearly Would that any other religious authority or religious person, for that matter be willing to put his beliefs under scrutiny He does, sometimes despite discomfort, and that is what makes a scientist This is an admirable man.Unfortunately, there s a little too muc [...]

    Reply

---

17. Gained on loan from my Buddhist sister at my own whim, I ve found the spirit of the writing very much like what I d expect calm, concise, and worth consideration Though there are some places where the logic does not come to one readily, the essence is fascinating almost readily agreeable Namely, that science and spirituality religion are never to be seen as opposites, or even enmeshed, but rather interdependent Being a Christian myself, with interests in many things religious regardless of confe [...]

    Reply

---

18. I m a humanistic skeptic and an anarchist, so I have an uneasy relationship with organized religion And yet, many people who are dear to me care deeply about and believe in one religion or another, and I really dig certain aspects of many religions So I try to keep an open mind A Buddhist friend loaned this book to me and it was just what I needed It made me love the Dalai Lama He s a smart guy, a science lover, who s changing the way that Buddhism is taught he hosts science and spirituality dia [...]

    Reply

---

19. This is the first book I ve read by HHDL I was most interested in his descriptions, conceptions, and usages of quantum mechanics and metaphysics HHDL starts off with a strong discussion of the people in his life, many of them being prominent religious and scientific scholars, that introduced him to scientific fields and theories leading to important philosophical paradigm shifts.His discussion of ramifications of these shifts was the most profound and thought provoking aspect of the book HHDL wo [...]

    Reply

---

20. Well, the Buddhism and physics thing has been done to death frankly, it s a little old fashioned now Fortunately, Universe doesn t dwell on this entirely, but it s a big theme When it s there, the Dalai Lama sounds a bit like a smart, scientifically inclined teenaged boy I can certainly recognize much of his speculation.The book is stronger in its exploration of the moral and ethical dimensions of science predictably, the D.L is staunchly not a scientific materialist , though it tends to come do [...]

    Reply

---

21. Excellent Prior to this, the only books I had read by His Holiness were his two outstanding autobiographies This was the first of his books I have read that is philosophical in nature and as usual, His Holiness does not disappoint Science and religion can be seen as two opposing views, but this book brings the two together as compliments to one another The Dalai Lama looks at both from the perspective of his own encounters with each, and also within the context of this modern age and the ethica [...]

    Reply

---

22. I enjoyed the book and probably would have given it a higher rating had I had 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 I have no do [...]

    Reply

---

23. A great read The falseness of mental constructs that we create and seek to get rid of through meditation juxtaposed with what physics tells us that the basis of solid matter the nothingness of the space between the particles Fascinating stuff, but a bit weaker when the Dalai Lama turns his attention to consciousness and neuroscience His contention that the self must be than the sum of the physical processes in the brain were less convincing to me, but nonetheless what a positive and powerful to [...]

    Reply

---

24. 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 lec [...]

    Reply

---

25. I had really, really high hopes for this book, and I feel awful for giving the freaking Dalai Lama a bad book review of all things , but it was a major disappointment I couldn t help but continuously wonder where the narrative was going, the anecdotes and stories weren t particularly intriguing or compelling, and it was frankly hard to finish There are other, interesting books on this and related topics I hope this assault on the Lama s writing doesn t mean that I m slated to reincarnate as a r [...]

    Reply

---

26. Maybe my favorite read so far about how science and faith can work together The Dalai Lama is rapidly becoming one of my favorite religious figures.

    Reply

---

27. His Holiness is so enlightened as he explains how Budisum strides side by side with science in it s explanation of our place in our universe.This book makes me want to become a Budist.

    Reply

---

28. Excellent I will certainly reread this and found myself on Gere s audio edition moving back to hear what was said again Highly recommend, particularly the final chapters on Ethics Science.

    Reply

---

29. While he attempts to reconcile science and religion, the Dalai Lama also tries to bridge the gap between personal narrative and scientific analysis He succeeds in the former but fails in the latter After reading this, I came away with a much better understanding of Buddhism and, consequently, a greater respect for it hell, it definitely kicks Christianity s ass as far as logical religions go Despite some of the interesting philosophical questions and various schools of thought discussed by the L [...]

    Reply

---

30. Interesting topic I didn t always follow the religious philosophy but I think that may have been an issue of word choice I always find the areas where science and religion overlap or meet to be of interest.

    Reply

---