Monday, February 2, 2009

Einstein, Physics, and the Buddha


"A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty -- it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man" (Albert Einstein).

"I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it" (Albert Einstein, 1954).

"I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings" (Albert Einstein). More>>

Life of the Buddha: Metaphysics and Philosophy

Buddhism is a philosophy/religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (566-486 B.C.E.). He was an Indian prince born in Lumbini (a town thought by some archeologists to be situated in what is now Nepal), destined for a privileged life.

According to legend, beforem his birth, Gautama had visited his mother during a vision, taking the form of a white elephant. During the birth celebrations, a many seers announced that this baby would either become a great king (cakkravartin, "world monarch") or a great holyman (an enlightened teacher). His father, wishing for Gautama to be a great king, shielded him from religious teachings or knowledge of human suffering. More>>

"Life of the Buddha" (BBC)

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