佛学、现代性与冥想科学

Buddhism,Modernity and Meditation Science

佛学在中国近代思想界以及现代性转型中占有重要地位。近代中国知识分子试图通过对佛教的重构,寻求更符合理性、科学、新型的宗教性心灵。这种主张佛学与科学相互融合的风潮亦影响当今的佛学界,尤其是西方的佛学界,使得冥想科学(即佛教的灵修实践与现代神经学、认知科学的结合)在西方成为跨学科、跨文化之显学。从佛教的知识论及逻辑论证的传统框架,论述佛教意识、心智、灵性等思想与现代科学的碰撞:尽管佛教与科学具有相吻合之处,但无论是在内容上还是在方法论上,佛教都不能简约为科学;宗教和科学毕竟是两个不同的领域。我们在尊重科学的同时,不能忽略宗教以及宗教体验独有的特质。

Buddhism holds a significant position in modern Chinese ideological circles and the transformation towards modernity.Intellectuals in modern China attempted to reconstruct Buddhism in search of a more rational,scientific,and innovative religious spirituality.This trend advocating the integration of Buddhism and science has also influenced the current Buddhist community,especially in the West,making meditation science(the integration of Buddhist spiritual practices with modern neurology and cognitive science)an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural prominent subject in the West.This paper aims to discuss the collision between Buddhist ideas such as consciousness,mind,and spirituality with modern science from the traditional framework of Buddhist epistemology and logical argumentation.Although Buddhism and science have points of convergence,Buddhism cannot be reduced to science,whether in terms of content or methodology;religion and science are,after all,two distinct fields.While respecting science,we should not overlook the unique characteristics of religion and religious experiences.