| Another aspect of long interest to the Buddhists has | | | | laboratories or research departments were opened in |
| been the scientific nature of Buddhism. There is a usual | | | | leading universities such as Harvard, Stanford and |
| claim, and also a pride, among the Buddhists that | | | | Duke Universities in the United States, and the |
| Buddhism is the most scientific of all religions. An | | | | University of Utrecht and Groningen University in the |
| instance of this can be found in the following words of | | | | Netherlands. Leading psychologists like William James, |
| U Chan Htoon, former justice of the Supreme Court of | | | | William McDougall, C.G. Jung, and Sigmund Freud took |
| Burma: "In the case of Buddhism.........all the modern | | | | an interest in the research. During the period from the |
| scientific concepts have been present from the | | | | 1930s to the 1960s the best-known work was that of |
| beginning. There is no principle of science, from | | | | Duke University in North Carolina. So far, however, |
| biological evolution to the General Theory of Relativity, | | | | except for hypnotism which is no longer regarded as |
| that runs counter to any teaching of Gotama Buddha."1 | | | | paranormal, parapsychology has been of |
| "There cannot be any achievement of science, no | | | | comparatively little interest to most professional |
| matter how revolu-tionary, that will ever contradict the | | | | scientists. But, a few years ago, much excitement was |
| teachings of Buddhism."2 Professor von Glasenapp, an | | | | caused among some groups of the Buddhists by the |
| eminent German Indologist, specifies the following | | | | research of psychologists and psychical research |
| Buddhist concepts as unchallenged by modern | | | | institutions working on the problem of remembering |
| scientific ideas: the principle of universal order | | | | past existences. It was Dr. Ian Stevenson of the |
| (dhamma); a positivistic denial of eternal substances; | | | | University of Virginia and Professor Gillbert Rhine of |
| the contention that soul or self is an artificial | | | | the Parapsychology Institute in Durham, North Carolina, |
| abstraction; the recognition of a plurality of worlds; and | | | | that did much for the progress of study in this field. In |
| the affirmation of the essential similarity between man | | | | Stevenson's "Twenty Cases Suggestive of |
| and animal.3 As Dr. Swearer says in his "Buddhism in | | | | Reincarnation," a study is made of a number of case |
| Transition": "There are at least three principal ways in | | | | histories of people who remembered past lives. |
| which the assertion of the scientific nature of | | | | Joseph Head and L.S. Cranston, in their compiled and |
| Buddhism is presented: Buddhism is more scientific | | | | edited work "Reincarnation in World Thought," present |
| than other religions, especially theism (viz., Christianity); | | | | an exploration of what great thinkers through the ages |
| there is a general agreement between the approach | | | | have said on the subject, examining the contributions |
| or method of Buddhism and science; and, science | | | | made to the discussion by the World's religions, |
| proves or validates particular Buddhist teachings such | | | | philosophies and sciences. Francis Story,1 probably the |
| as the doctrines of rebirth (samsara) and | | | | Buddhist most active in trying to prove the truth of the |
| impermanence (anicca)."4 Here, Buddhist meditation | | | | doctrine of rebirth, wrote a booklet entitled The Case |
| becomes the experimental laboratory where the Truth | | | | for Rebirth, made an inquiry into the memory of past |
| of one's existence can be proved by intuitive insight, an | | | | lives of hundreds of Burmese and Ceylonese citizens, |
| experience of the individual, each for himself. The | | | | and around the year 2511/1968 made a tour of the |
| concept of impermanence finds its confirmation in | | | | United States and Asian countries lecturing on this |
| Einstein's field theory of modern physics. | | | | subject. Finding in the alien-traditioned Western |
| THE ESP Also covered in the field of scientific study | | | | hemisphere their co-believers represented by historic |
| of Buddhism is the research on parapsychology, | | | | figures such as Pythagoras, Empidocles and Thomas |
| especially the ESP (extrasensory perception), and on | | | | Alva Edison, and their belief supported by scientific |
| the problem of rebirth. The growth of scientific interest | | | | study of modern Western scholars, some Buddhists |
| in these ancient beliefs was evidenced by the founding | | | | have become convinced that the truth of the doctrine |
| of the Society for Psychical Research of London in | | | | of rebirth has been proved. To the practising Buddhists, |
| 2425/1882, the American Society for Psychical | | | | however, the ESP is something peripheral. The positive |
| Research in 2431/1888, and other similar societies later | | | | report on it may rouse in some people a stronger |
| on in most European countries, especially in the | | | | belief or a more active interest in Buddhism. But, so far |
| Netherlands, France and Italy where active work has | | | | as the essential aspect of Buddhism is concerned, the |
| been carried on. Stimulated by the effective work of | | | | Buddhists realize that the attainment of the real benefit |
| these societies, a few universities in America and later | | | | of Buddhism is dependent on their own efforts and |
| in Europe have taken up psychical research as a | | | | striving, not subject to the scientific verification of the |
| serious subject for study. Parapsychological | | | | ESP. |