Name: The Quantum and the Lotus
ISBN: 9781400080793

The Quantum and the Lotus

"Matthieu Ricard trained as a molecular biologist, working in the lab of a Nobel prize-winning scientist, but when he read some Buddhist philosophy, he became drawn to Buddhism. Eventually he left his life in science to study with Tibetan teachers, and he is now a Buddhist monk and translator for the Dalai Lama, living in the Shechen monastery near Kathmandu in Nepal. Trinh Thuan was born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam but became intrigued by the explosion of discoveries in astronomy during the 1960s. He made his way to the prestigious California Institute of Technology to study with some of the biggest names in the field and is now an acclaimed astrophysicist and specialist on how the galaxies formed.". "When Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Thuan met at an academic conference in the summer of 1997, they began discussing the many remarkable connections between the teachings of Buddhism and the findings of recent science. That conversation grew into an astonishing correspondence exploring a series of fascinating questions. Did the universe have a beginning? Or is our universe one in a series of infinite universes with no end and no beginning? Is the concept of a beginning of time fundamentally flawed? Might our perception of time in fact be an illusion, a phenomenon created in our brains that has no ultimate reality?

What Hacker News says

vfidanSep 2013

Happiness by Matthuei Ricard (great book!) Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind Book by Shunryū Suzuki Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Quantum and the Lotus by Mattuei Ricard

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binarymaxMay 2010

Thanks for the link! I will need to pick that up. I supremely enjoyed the dialogues in another of his books "The Quantum and the Lotus" and this looks very interesting indeed.

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michael_dorfmanMay 2010

Well, it's a huge subject, but a couple of good starting points on the neuroscience angle are the works of B. Alan Wallace ("Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge", for example) or Mathieu Ricard ("The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet", for example).

If, however, you are looking for a more general introduction to Buddhism (and Buddhist psychology) from a rationalist perspective, I'd recommend Stephen Batchelor's "Buddhism Without Beliefs."

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canoebuilderJan 2009

If you have an interest in Buddhism, I recommend this book- http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Lotus-Journey-Frontiers-Buddhi... , The Quantum and the Lotus, by Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan, an astrophysicist. In it they discuss the parallels of modern science and Buddhism. The books format makes a compelling subject even more so, as it is presented as a dialogue. i.e.

Ricard: Lorem Ipsum

Thuan: Lorem Lorem Ipsum

Ricard: Lorem Ipsum?

Thuan: Lorem Ipsum =)

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Thursday24Aug 2022

I recommend you dig deeper into Buddhism to grasp how flexible & responsive the religious leaders are to scientific advancements.

A book from Matthieu Ricard, an ex western scientist who later became a Buddhist monk and Dalai Lama's interpreter, wrote a book with a western quantum scientist [Quantum and the Lotus](https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Lotus-Journey-Frontiers-Buddh...). What is notable is how the exemplary practitioners are highly knowledgeable in scientific and philosophical subjects.

Moreover, you can see that both Dalai lama and the other top leaders of Tibetan Buddhism proactively collaborate with scientists on experiments and discussions to learn more.

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