Despite what we might think, spirituality and science are not mutually exclusive. They’re merely alternative strategies in the quest for reality. So why not bring them together?
Science can connect with individuals on a larger scale than any religious faith, as it is not marked by the divisions and conflicts of differing religious denominations.
However, science still hasn’t revealed everything to us about how the world functions. To better understand our minds, for instance, we need to meld ancient Buddhist sources with contemporary scientific findings.
Science can even give religious thinking greater credibility, even among skeptics. Though most people tend to dismiss the Dalai Lama’s buddhist methods as “just religion,” these methods have been scientifically proven to be effective in a number of contexts.
For instance, Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama’s interpreter, developed Compassion Cultivation Training, or CCT, a variation of classical Tibetan methods suitable for anyone. An evaluation of CCT by researchers at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University found that it lessened people’s anxiety and increased happiness, even in those suffering from acute social phobia. In patients suffering from chronic pain, the sensitivity to pain decreased after nine weeks.
This is just one example of how religion and science can come together to complement each other’s strengths and support each other’s weaknesses.
But science and religion aren’t the only facets of contemporary society that need a more compassionate and cooperative character. The economy needs them too, and urgently. Find out why in the next blink.
We need a compassionate economy that blends entrepreneurial spirit with social responsibility
Today, it’s clear that capitalism is far from perfect. On the other hand, neither is socialism. Is it even possible to create an economy that doesn’t result in lasting social damage? The Dalai Lama believes it is.
First, it’s important to recognize that most problems don’t arise from the principles of an economic system. Rather, it's the lack of moral compassion on the part of the people that implement the system. Both capitalism and communism can be corrupted by selfishness and exploitation.
Our current capitalist predicament has led to a rapidly growing divide between the rich and poor. In his book Capital, economist Thomas Piketty analyzes data trends over centuries to reveal how those with money to invest will always earn more than those who labor for their wages. An ever-increasing disparity and inequality between the rich and poor seems inherent to a free-market economy.
The Dalai Lama consequently positions himself as a Marxist in this respect, as Marxism at least features a moral dimension that takes people’s well-being into account. Of course, many attempts at socialist economies have proven disastrous. So what’s the Dalai Lama’s solution?
He envisions a compassionate economy where entrepreneurial spirit is accompanied by a sound social support system and taxes on wealth. In other words, we need for-profit companies with the hearts of nonprofits.
Such companies actually exist already. One is Prosperity Candle, which provides Iraqi or Thai-Burmese refugees, Haiti earthquake victims and about 600 underprivileged women with the opportunity to make a living by making candles.
In a similar vein, Muhammad Yunus’s Grameen Bank in Bangladesh pioneered microloans for people living in poverty. These loans help them start their own businesses, allowing them to become self-sufficient and eventually pay the money back, which can then be lent to others.
Companies like this reshape capitalism into something meaningful, not just profitable. This emerging movement may prove to be very successful at turning business into a force for good.
Both the privileged and the underprivileged play vital roles in creating social change
As humans, we all share the same potential. Unfortunately, we often don’t share the same opportunities. Even so, both advantaged and disadvantaged groups in society are responsible for working together toward change.
Rather than looking down on marginalized groups in society, the privileged should do their part by learning about what resources would benefit the less fortunate, be it education, job training or community support. Wealthier sectors of society can make a huge difference in the lives of the poor, simply by donating a little of their time and energy.
And what about those who are in need? Although they face considerable challenges, they too have a responsibility to help themselves, even if it seems useless. Many Tibetans have learned to approach their experience of poverty and oppression with this attitude.
In the past, Chinese Communist officials spread propaganda about the inferiority of the Tibetan brain, lies which some Tibetans even began to believe themselves.
But when given the same opportunities in education and the workforce, Tibetans naturally performed just as well as the Chinese. Realizing that they were perfectly capable of helping themselves, Tibetans freed themselves from this racial stereotype and started working harder at school, resulting in greater success and a brighter future.
Humans’ ability to improve their own lives is quite incredible, and psychologists have described this phenomenon in many different terms. Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist, refers to it asmindset: the belief that you can succeed. By maintaining such a mindset, you’re more likely to keep trying. The more you try, the more likely you are to succeed.
Another psychologist, Angela Duck worth of the University of Pennsylvania, calls it grit: persevering toward long-term goals despite setbacks and obstacles.
Finally, Gandhi used the Hindi term “swaraj,” meaning self-mastery or self-rule. No matter what you call it, one thing is certain — circumstances only change for the better as a result of this powerful attitude.
An obsession with profit and our tendency to block out guilt has placed our planet under threat
Would you burn your furniture to stay warm during winter? Of course not! Likewise, the Dalai Lama thinks we shouldn’t be laying waste to our planet, as it’s our only home. Unfortunately, our home has been placed at incredible risk over the last 60 years. Why?
An obsession with profit and money has seen humans’ impact on the planet become increasingly damaging. Growing numbers of cars on the road, wasteful use of water, paper and other resources, and the irresponsible use of chemical fertilizers are just a few of the human activities that are wreaking havoc on the environment.
There’s no way we can continue pretending to be ignorant of the destructive impact of human activities; we all know full well the damage we cause. So why do we continue to exploit our planet? Because our desire for money outweighs our fear of future risks.
Though the Chinese central government has tried to restrict logging practices that have repeatedly caused major floods in northern India, Bangladesh and China, some people, in the interests of continued profits, have found ways to continue cutting trees that protect river systems from silt and flooding.
Cognitive scientist Elke Weber explains that our apparently shameless exploitation of the planet comes from our ability to block out the guilt we feel about our negative environmental footprint. As individuals, it’s our responsibility to stop ourselves from tuning out.
One simple way to do this is using a “handprint” as a way of tracking your personal impacts and the sum total of your better ecological practices. A person’s handprint is a measure of positive ecological practices like turning off light switches or biking instead of driving. Each action can enlarge the handprint, motivating us to stay aware of human impacts on the planet and act accordingly.