Universal Appeal

11 Jan 2013 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Stargazing Live - Jodrell BankWatching Stargazing Live on the BBC over the past three nights has left me feeling comfortable in the knowledge that we are all part of an incredibly beautiful Universe.

Whether the inane comments of David Baddiel left you saddened at the continued ‘dumbing down’ of science programs on the BBC, or not, you could not have failed to be in awe of the wonders on view.

The numbers involved in astronomy are are simply mind blowing, astronomical you might say. The Earth is our own very special piece of rock, orbiting a very ordinary star, but that star is one of billions that we know of up to now. So to imagine that we are the only life in that Universe is little short of preposterous. Just because we haven’t found it, or it found us, doesn’t mean life isn’t out there.

With the Buddhist view of the Wheel Of Life, the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, I believe we experience changes in external form, whilst remaining the same ‘packet’ of energy throughout eternity and across the entire Universe. The more science learns about the laws governing energy, be that by way of quantum physics or the nature of astronomical phenomenon, the better the fit with Buddhist teaching seems to become.

Dara O’Briain and the ever popular Professor Brian Cox have again brought us another excellent program about astronomy. Their enthusiasm is infectious, reminding us of the late great Sir Patrick Moore, who will be sadly missed by many viewers. I’ve been keen on astronomy for more than fifty years, and it never ceases to amaze me to see Buddhism and its principles, going hand in glove with a science I love.

A Blinkered View

27 Mar 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

A Blinkered ViewThe fourth and final part of Professor Brian Cox’s Wonders Of The Universe covered the role that light has played, and continues to play in the evolution of the Universe as well as our understanding of it.

By examining the properties of the light reaching the Earth from the most distant galaxies, we can determine the age of the Universe and track its history from the Big Bang, right up to today.

All the scientific evidence shows us that the beginning of every thing was around 13.7 billion years. 13.7 Billion, not Million, Billion years ago. That is a mind blowing figure, a figure that puts our three score and ten lifetime into true perspective.

Even the widely accepted time that man came into existence, 2.4 million years ago, is belittled by such timescales.

I find these figures fascinating, and it lends a certain credence to my Buddhist belief, that we are born, live, and die, again and again through reincarnation. Whilst I respect everyone’s right to their own beliefs, I find some faiths more credible than others.

One branch of faith, which is growing in strength and following, is Creationism or Intelligent Design. Although they purport to be different, they appear to try to overturn the science of evolution from opposite ends of the same argument. The theory that all the creatures on Earth, including man, were created or designed by God flies in the face of accepted and verifiable proof of the process of evolution.

Harping back to my post about youth, and that our youths are our future, I feel strongly that they should be given all the ‘facts’ to allow them to make up their own minds. Hence the growing pressure to abandon the teaching of Darwinism in US schools is a blinkered and foolish path to tread.

If the protagonists of this determination are so confident of their beliefs, why do they ban the teaching of alternative views. I hope that they will open their eyes, and their minds and see that ‘channelling’ their children down this blinkered route, can only end in tears once the betrayal becomes clear.

Buddhism In The Stars

14 Mar 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Birthplace of stars and usThe new series of the BBC’s Wonders of the Universe with Professor Brian Cox is superb. Brian Cox is the new pin-up boy of science, but his easy style and the excellent way he conveys some difficult concepts make this a must-watch series.

I have my own telescope and have seen many amazing sights around the night sky, but the graphics on the program are stunning. The nebulae are some of the most beautiful objects, but are also the birth place of new stars the eventually create the building blocks of you, me and everything on Earth.

As I listened to Professor Cox explaining how all the elements are created during the death of a star, and that all the elements on Earth were create that way, it struck me that again, science is coming ever closer to the Buddhist understanding of the Universe and the Wheel of Life.

Our bodies are made of a collection of the same elements as those created in the stars, iron, carbon even a little gold, but in essence, we are all stardust. When we die, those elements are returned to the Universe and the cycle goes on.

The Universe is around 13.5 billion years old and the cycle of birth and death has been going on for much of that time. We have come from the Universe, we will go back into the Universe. Science facts for the last few years and Buddhist beliefs for more than two millennia. As I say, science is finally catching up with Buddhism.