The Dalai Lama posted this on his Facebook site:
All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can, and do, promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate.
This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.
My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief, that as in science as in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is perused by critical investigation: if scientific analysis were to conclusively demonstrate that certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims of Buddhism.
It takes a huge set of balls for a major religious figure like the Dalai Lama to publicly say this.
He’s not saying that his belief in Buddism is wrong. He’s just saying he’s got an open mind and is willing to look and listen to science.
As in scientific control.
A controlled way of thinking about spirituality, and ethics, and other forms of consciousness.
It’s unfortunate that so many of the world’s religions are closed to scientific discussion.
Over the years, I’ve critically investigated the science around religion.
That led me to a belief in Shamanism.
No, not to some witch doctor dancing around a fire with a bone and a chicken.
The science of Shamanism has been around 40,000 years, in all cultures, and on all continents. It’s appeared in identical forms to all peoples; despite language, customs, technology, and total remoteness from each other.
Shamanism is about scientific mind control.
It’s about a controlled mind, scientifically entering into altered states of consciousness. It’s mandate is to achieve wisdom, just like the Dalai Lama does in meditating in his Buddhist faith. Controlled, altered, scientific states of consciousness gives us wisdom to promote inner values of love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness; which are the Dalai Lama’s values.
A Shaman goes about Shamaning; helping others – just as a minister goes about ministering. Or the Dalai goes about Lamaning.
Shamanism is a blend of science and spirituality. Shamans use outer knowledge to offer inner values.
Pretty much like the Dalai Lama has been doing.
