Brief Introduction to Buddhism: religion, philosophy, science

Buddhism is one of the most popular systems of thought in the world. According to the Pew Research center, in 2010 the Buddhist population was nearly 500 million, making up 7% of the world’s total population, most of whom live in Asia. 

People often think of Buddhism as a religion, but it can be viewed as a religion, philosophy, and science. In the Emory-Tibet summer study abroad class, “Mind, Medicine, and Healing,” we were taught about these three facets of the tradition. The religious facet of Buddhism includes religious observances such as prayer and participation in rituals. The philosophical facet of Buddhism consists of concepts such as karma and reincarnation. The scientific facet of Buddhism is the part which is replicable through time and has been confirmed by science. A good example of this science is the Buddhist Science of Mind, or Buddhist Psychology. The philosophical facet of Buddhism includes the doctrines and scriptures which explain all facets of life, from how to live an ethical life to the ultimate nature of reality. In “Buddhism and Science: How far can the dialogue proceed?” by Thupten Jinpa, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is quoted as saying, “If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims” (76). The article goes on to make a distinction between the world that science can prove versus the world science is incapable of proving. Science can tell us facts, but facts cannot definitively tell us how to behave. It can tell us so-called objective truths but not subjective experiences.

Buddhism was started by Prince Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakya clan. He is often called Shakyamuni Buddha meaning Sage of Shakyas, “the Great Physician,” master of “the compassionate science of healing” (Clifford et al., 14), and Gautama Buddha. The myth of the creation of Buddhism varies by geographical region and sect of Buddhism, but what follows is a generally accepted version of the creation of Buddhism. Siddhartha was born a prince in the fifth century BCE. A sage told his father that his son would become either a great king or a great spiritual teacher depending on his life experiences. If Siddhartha observed suffering, he would become a spiritual teacher and if he did not, he would become a king. Because his father wanted him to be a great king and carry on the family legacy, he attempted to make Siddhartha's life free from suffering. But one day, Siddhartha left his controlled environment. On his trip, he saw an old person, a sick person, a corpse, and a spiritual renunciant. After seeing these “Four Sights” as they are called in Buddhism, Siddhartha dedicated his life to finding an end to suffering. He tried different meditative and ascetic practices, but could not find any practice which led to eliminating suffering from one’s life. Eventually, after years of experimentation, renunciation, and practice Siddhartha gained enlightenment and shared his method with his followers. The method expounded by Buddha is summed up in the Four Noble Truths, the Three Refuges, and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths, Three Refuges, and Eightfold Path were first taught in The Dhammapada Sutras , which is considered to be spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni.