Tigers of the earth

(...) Darwin’s ideas have been countered with examples of altruism – that is, unselfishness. Why does an animal risk its safety by mourning beside its deceased mate? Why does an animal expose itself to danger to save others?

(...) Altruism and compassion have not been researched much, either in animals or humans. Instead of positive qualities and phenomena, modern Western psychology has focused on diseases.

Modern Western science typically draws a strict line between inanimate matter and living organisms. Buddhism takes a completely different approach, dividing beings into perceptive and non-perceptive. (...)

From the Buddhist viewpoint, Western science remains at an elementary level because it focuses solely on the material basis of suffering and ignores the most important question: how eliminate it?

(...) Quantum mechanics has challenged classical physics. If matter proves to be less solid at the quantum level than it appears, Western science will come much closer to the Buddhist views of emptiness and the interdependence of phenomena.

Nina Pinjola and Sami Laakso
VIA HELSINKI 2/2010 p. 19-20 (10/06/2010) ISSN 1798-2782