The Universe In A Single Atom By The 13th Dalai Lama

628 Words3 Pages

Benjamin Lockwood
HST 365
Dr. Jonathan Klauke
3/28/2023
The Universe in a Single Atom The author of this book, the Dalai Lama, is the highest spiritual figure and the leader of Tibet. The Universe in a Single Atom, written by the 13th Dalai Lama is naturally not a text with traditional source material. He explains that his scientific knowledge is a collection of stories read in the news and magazines and some personal experience, and certainly not that of traditional scientific education. The book is a message to those interested in science or religion that both have great innate value and a unique method of searching for truth in the world. The book follows a path of discussion concerning the complex relationship between religion and science from a unique perspective. The Dalai Lama, having a …show more content…

The Dalai Lama explains that one of these parallels in modern science and Buddhism is their view of arriving at the truth. The book states, “… I explored the ways objective scientific method may relate to meditative practice, which is, from the Buddhist point of view, equally empirical.” (Page 31). The book covers a wide array of topics from relativity and quantum physics to evolution. While it is stated that the Dalai Lama has limited knowledge of quantum physics and relativity, he is still able to understand the middle ground shared by the scientific world and his religious beliefs. We can see that is true on page 65, which states, “I spoke about the meeting ground between my own Buddhist tradition and modern science, especially in the Buddhist arguments for the relativity of time and for rejecting any notion of essentialism.” The author makes clear that his experience in critical thought allows him to both appreciate his religion’s arrival at the same truth science has derived, but also correct teachings that differ from was science had taught him. The Dalai Lama explains what was taught about evolution in