The Sciences as Explained in the Buddhist Scriptures (Tipitaka) GB 406E Translated by Dr. Anunya Methmanus May 2556 Kindly send your feedback or advice to: DOU Liaison Office P. Box 69 Khlong Luang Pathum Thani 12120 THAILAND Tel. : (66 2) 901-1013, (66 2) 831-1000 #2261 Fax : (66 2) 901-1014 Email : info@dou.us CONTENTS Foreword i Course Syllabus ii Method of Study iv Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 The Sciences According to the Secular World 5 2.1 An Overview of the Sciences According to the Secular World 8 2.2 Basic Tenets of the Sciences 12 Chapter 3 Basic Knowledge about the Universe 35 3.1 What Is the Universe? 38 3.2 Important Theories about the Universe 38 3.3 The Universe: Its Birth and Basic Structure 47 3.5 The Genome 54 Chapter 4 Important Dhammic Principles in the Tipitaka 57 4.1 An Overview of Important Dhammic Principles in the Tipitaka 60 4.4 The Three Rules of Human Conduct 62 4.5 The Noble Eightfold Path 63 4.6 The Threefold Training 64 4.8 The Five Universal Laws or Niyama-5 65 Chapter 5 The Humanities According to the Tipitaka 69 5.1 An Overview of the Humanities According to the Tipitaka 72 5.2 The History of Earth and Humanities 73 5.3 The Human Life: Its Meaning and Its Components 81 5.4 The Human Mind: Its Importance and Its Nature 84 5.5 The Cycle of Kilesa (Defilements), Kamma (Action), and Vipaka 85 (the Consequences of Action) 5.7 Life Is Determined by Kamma 93 5.8 The Objective of Human Life 94 5.9 The Importance of Human Life 97 Chapter 6 Political Science According to the Tipitaka 101 6.1 An Overview of Political Science According to the Tipitaka 104 6.2 The Birth of Nation State 105 6.3 The Objective of Politics 106 6.4 “Meritocracy” Is the Heart of Political Science 106 6.5 “Meritocracy” Is not a System of Government 107 6.6 Important Dhammic Principles as in Government 109 6.7 The Important Role of Economy in State Governance 117 6.8 King Mahavijitaraj’s Governing Style 118 6.9 An Analysis of King Mahavijitaraj’s Governing Style 122 6.10 A Comparison between Secular Political Science and 131 Dhammic Political Science Chapter 7 Jurisprudence According to the Tipitaka 133 7.1 An Overview of Jurisprudence According to the Tipitaka 136 7.2 The Origin of Law According to the Tipitaka 137 7.3 The Vinaya Is the Law According to the Tipitaka 138 7.4 Components of a Disciplinary Rule 143 7.5 Steps Involved in Decreeing a Disciplinary Rule 144 7.6 The Number and Categories of a monk’s Precepts 146 7.7 Some Examples of the Disciplinary Rules 149 7.8 Disciplinary Rules: The Lord Buddha’s Decrees 150 7.9 The Patimokkha Chanting 152 7.10 Cases of Dispute (Adhikarana) 153 7.11 Adhikaranasamtha : Case Settlements 156 7.12 Vinayadhara : Experts in the Vinaya 160 Chapter 8 Economics According to the Tipitaka 163 8.1 An Overview of Economics According to the Tipitaka 166 8.2 Two Kinds of Wealth 167 8.3 Microeconomics According to the Tipitaka 172 8.4 Macroeconomics According to the Tipitaka 180 8.5 A Comparison between Secular Economics and Dhammic Economic 183 Chapter 9 Rhetoric According to the Tipitaka 193 9.1 An Overview of Rhetoric 196 9.2 Well-Spoken Words According to the Tipitaka 197 9.3 The Fruits of Well-Spoken Words 200 9.4 The Harm Wrought by Ill-Spoken Words 202 9.5 Basic Attributes of a Dhamma Lecture 203 9.6 Effective and Efficient Delivery of a Dhamma Lecture 204 9.7 How the Lord Buddha Answers a Dhamma Questions 216 9.8 How the Lord Buddha and Members of the Buddhist Communities 221 Conduct a Debate Chapter 10 Natural and Physical Science According to the Tipitaka 225 10.1 An Overview of Natural and Physical Science According to 228 the Tipitaka 10.2 Attitude toward Knowledge 228 10.3 Characteristics of Knowledge According to the Tipitaka 230 10.4 The Search for Knowledge 231 10.5 Meditation and Scientific Discovery 233 10.6 Details of the Five Universal Laws 235 10.7 How to Verify the Teachings in the Tipitaka 251 Chapter 11 Medical Science According to the Tipitaka 255 11.1 An Overview of Medical Science According to the Tipitaka 258 11.2 Healthcare According to the Tipitaka 259 11.3 Medical Care According to the Tipitaka 263 11.4 A Comparison between Medical Science According to the Tipitaka and Modern Medical Science 282 Chapter 12 Conclusion 289 FOREWORD The course “The sciences as explained in the Buddhist Scriptures (Tipitaka), GB 406E” demonstrates how the Lord Buddha’s Teachings are not only about the practice leading to the end of suffering, but they are also about different sciences.
The sciences can be divided into three main categories. These include the humanities, the social sciences, and natural and physical science. Knowledge about the sciences as explained in the Tipitaka has a much greater breadth and depth than the knowledge about the sciences available in the secular world. This can be witnessed by the fact that certain phenomena have been discovered only recently but the Lord Buddha told us about them over 2,500 years ago.
This is because the knowledge contained in the Tipitaka is derived from the Lord Buddha’s supernormal insight gained from having attained Self-Enlightenment. Supernormal insight is in turn the outcome of elevated meditative attainments. Therefore, the knowledge contained in the Tipitaka or Dhamma knowledge is the result of elevated meditative attainments (Bhavanamayapanna). It is different from secular knowledge which is gained through understanding acquired by learning (Sutamayapanna) and understanding acquired by reasoning (Cintamayapanna).
It is hoped that this course material will inspire the student to learn more about the Tipitaka and apply what he has learnt is his daily life. The preparation of this course material has been a team effort. It is possible that even after many rounds of editing; the material may still contain some mistakes. The Committee hopes to receive comments and feedback which will allow it to further improve upon this course material.
The Committee May 2552 B. Description of the Course Material GB 406E The Sciences as Explained in the Buddhist Scriptures (Tipitaka) It is the study of the different branches of knowledge as contained in the Tipitaka. Secular knowledge can be put into three main categories. These include the humanities, the social sciences, and natural and physical science.
The Tipitaka does not contain only the knowledge that leads to the end of suffering but it also contains these three categories of knowledge. Out of these three categories of knowledge, there can arise a large number of different branches of knowledge. However, in this course only seven branches of knowledge will be mentioned. These include the humanities, political science, jurisprudence, economics, rhetoric, natural and physical science, and medical science.
To enable the student to learn about the three main categories of knowledge as explained in the Tipitaka. To enable the student to gain a deep appreciation for the Lord Buddha’s Teachings and how it is important to apply what he has learnt in his daily life. To enable the student to want to learn more about the Lord Buddha’s Teachings so that he can further benefit himself and the Buddhist Cause. Topics Covered in the Course Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The sciences according to the secular world Chapter 3 Basic knowledge about the Universe Chapter 4 Important Dhammic Principles in the Tipitaka Chapter 5 The Humanities according to the Tipitaka Chapter 6 Political Science according to the Tipitaka Chapter 7 Jurisprudence according to the Tipitaka ii Chapter 8 Economics according to the Tipitaka Chapter 9 Rhetoric according to the Tipitaka Chapter 10 Natural and physical science according to the Tipitaka Chapter 11 Medical science according to the Tipitaka Chapter 12 Conclusion iii METHOD OF STUDY 1.
Preparation for Self-Learning In order to achieve the objectives of the course, the student should follow the steps for studying each chapter as follows. Spend an hour each day on the course material and try to finish each chapter within one to two weeks. Complete the pre-test provided at the beginning of each chapter so that the student can gauge his existing knowledge of the subject matter. Complete the exercises provided for the chapter at the scheduled time.
At the end of the chapter, the student should assess his/her comprehension of the material covered by completing the test. Spend time on other learning tools especially the long-distance learning provided through satellite as detailed in 5. Self-Evaluation before and after Each Chapter The student should complete the pre-test before beginning each chapter in order to gauge his knowledge of the subject matter. The student should also complete the test at the end of each chapter.
Completion of the test will allow the student to know how well he has learnt the material covered in the chapter; and whether he/she is ready to proceed to the next chapter. The test score should be at least 80%. Self-evaluation would be meaningful only if it is carried out honestly. The Course Book The student should first go over the layout of each chapter in terms of its topics, concepts, and objectives before proceeding with the detailed study.
After having finished reading the entire chapter, the student should write down its main points and complete the exercises provided at the end of each chapter. The exercises will help the student to evaluate how well he has comprehended the material covered so that he can apply what he has learnt in his daily life. Therefore, the student should not wait until the last minute to do all of the exercises because such practice is missing the point. Completing the Assignments The student should write down the main points of each subject and complete all of the exercises provided at the end of each chapter.
The assignments are an important part of the coursework. Long-Distance Learning via Satellite and Other Media The Dhamma study for the Environment Foundation broadcasts its programs via satellite 24 hours a day. Each program aims to give the general public practical information that helps promote morality. There are different programs that can help the student with this course such as Buddhist Words, the Law of Kamma, Meditation for Beginners, Luang Por’s Answers, Life in the Round of Rebirth, Dhamma for the People, etc.
Additional learning can be obtained through E-learning which is provided by DOU. For more details of these learning tools, please contact DOU’s coordination center. Attending the Inner Dreams Kindergarten Program The student can learn about how to apply the Lord Buddha’s Teachings in his daily life through real life examples by attending the Inner Dreams Kindergarten. This valuable program is broadcasted via satellite every Monday to Saturday from 7 p.
There are also reruns of the program as posted in the broadcasting schedule. The student can request the broadcasting schedule from the DOU Coordination Center. The Exam The student will be evaluated for his knowledge of this course by a multiple-choice exam. However, it is more important that the student carries out additional searches in the Tipitaka on his own so that he can learn more about the Lord Buddha’s Teachings.
v vi Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Concepts The knowledge contained in the Tipitaka has great breadth and depth. The Tipitaka not only contains the knowledge that leads to the end of suffering but it also contains the various branches of knowledge which can be put into three main categories. These include the humanities, the social sciences, and natural and physical science. Objectives To enable the student to learn about the sciences as explained in the Tipitaka.
2 Chapter 1 Introduction The knowledge contained in the Tipitaka has great breadth and depth. The Tipitaka not only contains the knowledge that leads to the end of suffering but it also contains the various branches of knowledge which can be put into three main categories. These include the humanities, the social sciences, and natural and physical science. The humanities are the branches of knowledge that deal with human beings with emphasis on the internal world such as the human mind, the value of being human, etc.