Letter: Buddhism's appeal to the West
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.From Mr David Evans
Sir: In your leading article "Suburbia turns to Buddha", you imply that a turning towards Buddhism may imply a turning away from science. In fact, the Suttas (the Buddha's discourses) are more analytical in character than any other major scripture. They stress the importance of observation, the interconnectedness of phenomena and the unreliability of tradition as a source of truth, and they recognise the immensity of space and time in a manner unparalleled in the ancient world. Most significantly, they link these proto-scientific ingredients to an environmentally benign ethos.
If I have one wish for the 21st century, it is that Buddhist values should play a part in rescuing science from the corrupting embrace of consumer capitalism. That way the planet might just be worth living on a century from now.
Sincerely,
DAVID EVANS
Leeds
5 Marc
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments