The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet

I had previously read "The Monk and the Philosopher" by Matthieu Ricard in search of some insights on where science stood with Buddhism and found the book falling short. "The Quantum and the Lotus", on the other hand, has proven to be quite a gem. Like the former, this book is set as a discussion, this time between Matthieu and Trinh Xuan Thuan, an astrophysicist.For the reader who has ever only possessed a passing interest in Buddhism and astrophysics, you might find the first half of the book slow-going as you try to come to grips with the profound Buddhist concepts and the current body of knowledge in physics being discussed. But if you persevere, you will come through enriched for the effort.The command each author has of their respective fields comes through clearly. The book makes abundant cross-references to other sources; this in itself provides a rich source of additional reading on the subject of science-and-Buddhism.This is not a book for the casual reader; it demands to be read thoughtfully, to be re-read and reflected upon, for the topics discussed are profound and greatly enriching."The Quantum and the Lotus" has done a great job and an honest enquiry into where/how science meets Buddhism and it is to be hope that Matthieu, Thuan or other authors will continue this journey and revisit future findings upon us the readers.This book deserves 4.5 stars.

This is the best book I have read in many a year. I love science and spirituality. Here they intermingled leaving me a much better understanding of both. It’s helped me peacefully join my engineering brain and yogi heart. lol united we are both stronger.

This book is outstanding for those who have an interest or burning questions about physics and Buddhism. It assumes that the readers have a basic knowledge of both.

Synopsis: "The Quantum and the Lotus" is a dialogue between a Buddhist monk, who has a doctoral scientific background, and an astrophysicist, who had a Buddhist upbringing. Their dialogue covers a broad range of ontological philosophies and questions such as: what does it mean to be human; the origin of the Universe; the existence of a creator; interconnectivity and interdependence of the entire Universe; the nature of atoms and subatomic particles; string theory and impermanence; levels of consciousness and reincarnation; objective and subjective reality; the illusion of time; cause and effect; consciousness in machines and reflective consciousness; mathematical principles; contemplation through scientific principles; relativity of beauty; and the nature of spiritual and altruistic paths.The Objective Perspective (I have many contentions with this material, so skip and go to another review if you are looking for brevity and simplicity): In the initial chapters of the book some of the Buddhist's arguments are so vague and verbally nullifying that it makes it difficult to ascertain complete meaning. It is as if he is merely a philosophical riddle generator and produces a product of incomprehensible and proliferate analogies and metaphors. As the book progresses, these become less abundant and more along the lines of comprehension. It makes one wonder if this is some inherent property of being a Buddhist. Also, early on, it appears that the conversations are far from an exchange of ideas but dominated by Buddhist principles and ideology. So, in the beginning, there is no "Quantum", there is only "Lotus". The reincarnation subject is a bit of theory that I cannot attend. While I do believe in Jung's collective unconscious, reincarnation is outside of this realm. I believe that no properties of consciousness can be transferred to varying levels of existence, or lateral transfer for that matter. Consciousness in the sentient and reflective beings is cultured in the somatic vessel to become what it is; in this sense consciousness has an exclusive "serial-number" that will never be replicated. This is the only impossibility that I believe exists in the Universe, the replication of a personalized consciousness. As close to concurrence with the idea of reincarnation that I can get is that I do believe that We (sentient and reflective beings-note this is not necessarily an anthropocentric version) are the Universe's consciousness manifested, and thus we are the gods. The somatic vessel is a way to culture energy of the Universe and exert its force upon the evolution of it in a NOVEL way. My theory on death at the moment is that when we, the personalized consciousness, die the essence that is this energy retreats into the "void" of the Universe through the vortex of the DNA (influenced by an excerpt from the book "The Human Antennae") and subatomic particles. The nature and culture of the personalized consciousness affects the nature of action in the Universe, so the acceptance into the Void is objective, good or evil flows into this and has influence upon the Universe. So in summary the energy goes back into the SYSTEM. This is more inspiring than becoming an animal if we do not "purify our consciousness" (196) in this life. Another area that I disagree with Mathieu is on the developing format of consciousness and machines. While it is obvious that we are eons from creating conscious computers or robots, I do not believe this is impossible. What if computers are able to have billions of years to evolve, obviously by our science and intervention, could one day they reach the complexity of what is needed to develop consciousness? Has not the inanimate become the animate through this course of evolution, in relation to the extent of time needed for complexity to arise? If consciousness pervades the Universe, what principle of nature would inhibit computer systems of billions of years of evolution from tapping into it? How will the pervasion and immersion of the internet aid this? How will this affect the evolution of the Universe itself? If we do not know how consciousness has arisen in humans then consequently we cannot know whether computer and robotic systems have the potential of being self-aware with further evolution. The end notes are a bit irritating, I prefer footnotes. The end notes in this case are utilized too excessively for continuance of a point, that obviously they feel is not essential but important, rather than simply references of material. This is exploited in this book. Actually this is probably the most flagrant use of this I have ever seen. Personally I like reading the continuances of explanation, which is why footnotes are more convenient. Karma does not exist; it in itself is an illusion. Karma is not a physical law of the Universe; it is merely a psychological law that is based on the interpretation of the event that has occurred. If one has a level of guilt residual of an action the entity has committed they are likely to see a negative occurrence as a "karmic debt or penitence" If one has a level of elation from doing something altruistic then the result of something positive happening is going to be interpreted as a "karmic dividend." This is the nature of psychology, not the nature of the Universe. On page 201 Mathieu erroneously concludes that, "Enlightenment means that the darkness of ignorance has been eradicated." The "darkness of ignorance" is an excessive and rampant infestation. The more you endeavor to learn the more knowledge you procure, but ironically and simultaneously you inseminate a level of ignorance as well by invoking wonder and further questions of new which the subject you are ignorant. Enlightenment is elusive. Who determines who is Enlightened, because are we not all ignorant to some extent, ergo, "the darkness of ignorance" cannot be eradicated, for if Enlightenment could be eradicated, NOVELTY would cease. In defense of the idea of seeking spiritual and intellectual accordance I would pose a more holistic axiom: "[Clarity] means that the darkness of ignorance has been [Mitigated]." Obtaining spiritual and intellectual serenity is an indefinite process, not a destination, but nonetheless, not a futile pursuit; the two paths are indivisible and eternally intertwined. To choose one as immanent over the other states that "the ultimate nature of reality" (208) has been discovered, if it has please inform me of what it is rendered as.Lastly, Mathieu has a devoid and stereotypical view of psychology. On page 249 in the chapter titled "Reason and Contemplation" he, in the first paragraph, disparages psychology by conjecturing: "The cognitive sciences try to explain the mental processes...[and] their principal aim still isn't to transform people." To me this is odious for an intellectual to make such an insolvent conclusion. Apparently, he does not know much about the varying fields of psychology, especially a specific one called Humanistic Psychology.The Subjective Perspective: Earlier I alluded to the enigma of the Buddhist's use of metaphors and analogies in the early chapters, later in other chapters they are more comprehensible and avail understanding of the material. I did not know how enthralling reading a dialogue would be, but it was quite interesting and held my attention. This format influenced me to think about my perspectives on some of the issues and some of them are represented above. This book has aided my understanding of both Buddhism and quantum and relativistic physics in a very general way that has intrigued my interest in both. Now that I have some insight into these facets I am going to continue further study in them and the references from this book have given me direction. Mathieu has altered my perspective of objective reality and I now see "things" as manifested actions. While I do view the Universe and its "things" from an interdependent perspective, I never correlated that to the quantum level. It makes so much sense from a quantum perspective, everything is in a state of motion; we just perceive in the relativistic form that things are solid and stationary for the most part. The book proves its thesis, which is displayed in the subtitle, and it does this by and through showing the holistic side of the Universe and that objects are actions that are interdependent and not intrinsically existing itself. Overall these philosophical discussions are beneficial to the thinking mind and incites one to think outside of the context that we have been taught and have become disillusioned to believe. In closing I will leave the reader with a few, of many, profound axioms that I found to be highly resonant from the book:"Because of a lack of inquiry, we eagerly accept that things are as they seem." (90)"[It is] our understanding that determines our universe." (226)"Science can operate without spirituality. Spirituality can exist without science. But man, to be complete, needs both." (282)[This is book #1 of The Academy of Philosophical Rapport's monthly book choice. [...]] - D.R.Thomas

It's an amazing little book. I have a crazily busy schedule and this book is what I read in bed before drifting off. Usually, I will only get beyond maybe a page...or a paragraph of the writings and then close the book---to then turn off the light and then lie in bed to reflect and ponder upon either the teachings of Buddha or the "helter skelter (my choice of words)" of the natures of physics and quantum physics based upon what I just had read.

Fascinating meeting and exchange

i had high expectations when i bought this book, based on the other books i read from Matthieu Ricard. and it just exceeded all my expectations. i am reading it for the second time now. the language and the content are in perfect harmony, the structure and the thoughts are amazingly comprehensive.not the easiest, light reading, so i would probably recommend it to people who have some understanding of or interest in both physics and buddhism and are willing to open their minds to some deep intellectual stimulation.

This book started very disappointingly, with what I felt was a lot of leading the reader to conclusions. However, the authors seemed to abandon that tendency after the first few chapters. Certainly, there is a lot of text that reads like a sales brochure for Buddhism. There are a number of areas where they run off on tangents about loving your fellow man and achieving enlightenment and nirvana.Ignoring all that, there are many really thought-provoking and interesting discussions within, on the nature of the universe and our place in it. These authors get much more philosophical than the typical science text would, and that presents a much different perspective that's worthwhile.

Deux érudits avec des formations et des expériences complémentaires qui échangent sur la science et le bouddhisme. Une écoute respectueuse.Une lecture passionnante et instructive!

Um ótimo livro abordando o lado da ciência e do budismo. Mostra como as novas teorias da física são tão próximas das explicações budistas, e em quais pontos divergem. O livro é uma conversa entre os dois autores, abordando temas diversos, e comparando as 2 abordagens. Muito bom!

Complesso ma bello

One of the best books I've ever read. Makes eastern ideas easy to umderstand to westerns, always based on pure logic.

Read it and find out.