Space and Eternal Life: A Dialogue between Chandra Wickramasinghe and Daisaku Ik

Chandra Wickramasinghe, Daisaku Ikeda,Space and Eternal Life: A Dialogue between Chandra Wickramasinghe and Daisaku Ikeda

Journeyman Press | ISBN 185172060X | 1998 | PDF |1.88 MB | 246 pages

This is a book of discussions and dialogue between an eminent astronomer and a leading Buddhist scholar. They examine life on Earth, an issue which concerns all major religions, from two different starting points: the religious Buddhist and the natural science of the astronomer, largely concerned with physics. They discuss the use of natural science in its exploration of the physical world, its treatment of psychology and states of consciousness, and Buddhist ideas of cosmology; and how these concepts are in tune with each other. They also debate reductionism, one of the key factors that distinguishes the practice of scientific investigation against the pacifist, holistic and ecological world view that is inherent in Buddhism and its underlying philosophy. In the last chapter, the two protagonists discuss key issues of today and how they relate to these tenents: nuclear arms, ecology, AIDS, youth and education, the family, democracy, human rights, suicide, abortion, genetic engineering and organ transplants.Chandra Wickramasinghe is Professor of Applied Mathematics and Astronomy at Cardiff University and Director of the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology. He was born in Sri Lanka, and currently lives in Cardiff, Wales, UK.He was a student and collaborator of Sir Fred Hoyle. Their joint work on the infrared spectra of interstellar grains led to developing the modern theory of panspermia. This theory proposes that cosmic dust in interstellar space and in comets is partly organic, and that life on Earth was 'seeded' from space rather than arising through abiogenesis.He is currently working on developing methods for detecting life processes in space.Daisaku Ikeda is the president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist association with about 15 million members in more than 190 countries and territories, and founder of several educational, cultural and research institutions.Ikeda is a prolific writer, poet, peace activist,pianist,environmentalist,photographer and interpreter of Nichiren Buddhism (a form of Buddhism based on the final teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, in what is called the Lotus Sutra. The basic premise of this teaching is that Buddhahood and enlightenment are states of being that are as innate to each and every human being, as are the more commonly experienced states of, say, anger, hunger (as in greed, thirst, or insatiable desire), or tranquility (as in calm, complacent, or satisfied)). He has traveled to more than 60 countries to hold discussions with many political, cultural, and educational figures, as well as to teach, support, and encourage practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism living in these countries.

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