Soka Gakkai & the Alleged Compatibility Between Nichiren Buddhism & Modern Science by Ted J. Solomon

->physics has proven mass/matter and non-matter
In the March 1980 issue of the Japanese Journal ofenergy are the same, in reality the field becomes
Religious Studies Ted J. Solomon wrote an article titledmaterial when condensed, but the SGI counters that
Soka Gakkai and the Alleged Compatibility betweenstudying only the material side is incomplete, but, alas,
Nichiren Buddhism and Modern Science. He took ascience doesn't take into account the spiritual. On the
critical scientific approach to deciphering arguments forother hand, Solomon quotes Erwin Schrodinger,
a harmonious relationship between, as the title reveals,discoverer of wave mechanics, and former professor
some philosophies upon which the school of Nichirenof physics at the University of Vienna saying, "the
Buddhism is based and the branch of modern sciencescientific concept of the material world...the world
known as Theoretical Physics. Topics include thearound us... was developed by excluding mind or self
Quantum Field Theory, Einstein's Theory of Relativity,from the realm of nature", that, "our picture of the
and Causality, a.k.a. the Statistical Law of Causation.world is a mental construct" and that "the material
The article is centered on statements posed byworld has only been constructed at the price of taking
Daisaku Ikeda, president of the world's largest peacethe self, that is, mind, out of it".
organization and Underground Railroad for theThe SGI thinks that the Quantum Theory and the
resurgence of Nichiren Buddhism, the Soka GakkaiTheory of Relativity are approaching a holistic
International (SGI).perception analogous to ku, which is "latent potentiality"
Solomon first poses the stated purpose of the SGI'sor the "potentiality-charged void from which everything
points, and then he lays out the SGI's claims ofphenomenal derives"; in science language the "field" or
credibility for each argument, and adds his own critical"space". Ikeda describes it as where elementary
comments of each claim based on what appears toparticles are produced and changed. The SGI says
be his own background knowledge of physics includingthat Einstein "described matter as close composition of
examples and quotes from prominent physicists.fields...the field can produce new matter". In addition to
Solomon seems to take a fairly unbiased approach,matter, unlike science, ku includes the mental and
supporting parts of Ikeda's claims and discreditingspiritual. Physicist Fritjof Capra is quoted agreeing that,
others."the conception of physical things and phenomena as
The SGI is positive that the interaction betweena transient manifestation of an underlying fundamental
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and modern science hasentity is not only a basic element of the Quantum Field
the potential to be a harmonious one. They deduce ofTheory, but is also a basic element of the Eastern
this proposition that Nichiren Buddhism is the ethicalworld view". Capra, like Nichiren Buddhism, describes
framework needed to steer science in a positivethe field as the "basis of all particles and their mutual
direction in which humankind can peacefully thrive.interactions...that the being and fading of particles are
They firmly believe that without a "true religion",merely forms of motion of the field". Both Nichiren
science will never actualize its potential with concernsBuddhists and the physicist Capra view ku and the
to the human mind and moral values. The SGI definesQuantum field, respectively, as essentials in their areas
'religion' as a "kind of science which makes specialof study. The SGI says of Einstein that he "confessed
study of human life".he had failed to formulate a physics of field as an
Ikeda points out that from its commencement Nichirenestablished branch of learning...we must still assume in
Buddhism has been scientific, that both religion andall our actual theoretical constructions TWO realities:
science base their beliefs on the assumption thatfield and matter". Physicist David Bohm alleges that,
everything happens in accordance with the laws of"inseparable quantum interconnectedness of the whole
causality and that both religion and science aspire touniverse is the fundamental reality" and physicist Fritjof
multiply the well-being of humankind. Ikeda then offersCapra is in accord stating that "the basic oneness of
examples of how real life applications of variousthe universe becomes apparent at the atomic level
scientific theories of physics and chemistry haveand manifests itself more and more as one penetrates
improved our lives and makes an analogy to Nichirendeeper into matter, down into the realm of subatomic
Buddism's explanation of how we can also apply theparticles". The SGI and some theoretical physicists
Statistical Law of Causality to our daily choices ofperceive the universe as an interconnected whole
actions to create desired results which can alsowhere all phenomenon are "fluid and ever changing".
improve our lives.Solomon concludes that Nichiren Buddhism's real
Ikeda more specifically delves into the following relatedpurpose of studying parts of nature is to motivate the
accounts of compatibility between Nichiren thought andgreater world community toward enlightenment and he
modern Theoretical Physics: Nichiren Buddhism'sprophesizes that SGI's bringing attention to these
"Universal Law of Cause and Effect" and physicsparallels between science and Nichiren Buddhism may
Statistical Law of Causation and Nichiren Buddhism'sbe an attempt to gain "respectability and prestige in the
"Shiki-Shin-Funi" (oneness of matter and mind) and "Ku"Scholarly community and... in the world community".
(latent potentiality and interconnectedness of all) andSolomon was correct with his prophecy because this
physics Quantum Field Theory and Theory ofarticle was written in 1980 and in 2000 the SGI
Relativity. After each comparison the author of theestablished it's own university, Soka University. I also
article inserts his own critique of the SGI's argumentsagree with Solomon, although he doesn't say it in exact
for similarity and compatibility, some supportive andwords, that the SGI was using Upaya in order to reach
some oppositional.Western minded audiences. Solomon leaned toward
On one hand, the SGI says that Nichiren Buddhism andbeing somewhat harsh on the SGI, but he probably
science have similar views on the Statistical Law ofcouldn't help it if he was knowledgeable in physics. On
Causation, but they also argue that Nichiren's view isthe contrary, from my less than sparse physics
broader, as it encompasses Causality as not merelyperspective, the dichotomous philosophies and theories
exclusive to physical phenomenon, but it expands toof religion and science in this example do, to the lay
include mental and spiritual phenomena, andreader, seem to concur to some degree. Nonetheless,
acceptance of the Law of Karma. Nichiren Buddhismthe ideas presented in this article were interesting to
understands causality as continuous- even whereponder. What they seem to inspirationally infer is that
science denies it-on the microscopic/atomic level,we are on a kind of karmic cruise control, but we have
where there appears to be breaks in the continuum.the option of taking control of the wheel and steering
Science differs in that it can't apply this concept tothe direction our lives take - our "destinies".
elementary particles in motion. Physics explanation forI'm surprised the article neglected to point out the
this apparent discontinuity lies in the HeisenbergEastern thought that the macrocosm is contained in
Uncertainty Principle. The SGI agrees that indeed,the microcosm because of the inadvertent scientific
things are more uncertain in regards to human life thandiscoveries that appear to "prove" this. Scientists who
they are considering non-moving objects or other lifebuild super powered telescopes that enable them to
forms.see swirling galaxies and universes are essentially
Nichiren Buddhism's doctrine of shiki-shin funiseeing the same thing as when they break down
(shiki=physical/matter; shin=mental/mind; funi=differentparticles in giant centrifuges and observe them under
but inseparable) is just like Mahayana views thatsuper powered microscopes visually confirming, in a
nirvana and samsara are the same. The SGI believesway, that the largest thing is contained in the smallest! It
that field and matter are one and compare Einstein'sis indeed, a fractal universe.
Theory of Relativity to Nichiren's concept of shiki-shinWhat Solomon quoted physicist Schrodinger saying
funi because mass and energy can transform fromabout the material world being built only via taking the
one to the other depending upon field conditions.mind out of it invokes an understanding of the dualistic
Heisenberg notes that every elementary particlefoundation that science is built upon which definitely
consists of different forms of energy. The SGI saysaccounts for the discrepancies between science and
that this was first described in the Avatamsaka SutraBuddhism, which was built on a monistic foundation.
as "mind only", that mind and matter are impossible toYet hope prevails. The SGI believes that in the future
separate.science will "prove the profound depths of Buddhist
Solomon comments that the field does explainphilosophy making more remarkable progress than
shiki-shin funi, albeit not perfectly and he feels that theever before".
SGI was a bit rash in its comparison because, although