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“The encounter that each of the major world religions has separately with natural science is more important than the encounter that any one of them has with another. The story of the Christian version of this encounter is well known, that of the comparable Buddhist version virtually unknown. In Buddhism and Science, Donald Lopez thus fills a major gap, and he does so with his trademark rigor, concision, and élan. No serious student of science-and-religion can afford to skip this book.”
Jack Miles

Buddhism and Science
A Guide for the Perplexed

Donald S. Lopez Jr.

Could the Buddha possibly have understood the theory of relativity, centuries before Einstein explained it? What about quantum physics? The Big Bang?

If you read enough popular writing on Buddhism and science, you’d certainly be forgiven for thinking so. While Christianity and science have traditionally been viewed as opposing forces, Buddhism and science have been inextricably linked in Western culture for well over a century. With Buddhism and Science, Donald S. Lopez Jr., an expert on the history of Buddhism, offers a fresh look at the question of why the religion has long been viewed as so compatible with—and adaptable to—new scientific discoveries. From the Buddhist conception of the design of the universe to the Dalai Lama’s vocal support of scientific inquiry, Lopez reveals a tradition that has deftly managed to sidestep debates on science and religion.

As new discoveries continue to reshape our understanding of mind and matter, Buddhism and Science will be indispensable reading for those fascinated by religion, science, and their often vexed relation.

Donald S. Lopez Jr. is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. He is the author or editor of a number of books, including The Madman’s Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel; Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West; Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism; and Curators of the Buddha: The Study of Buddhism under Colonialism.

 

Donald S. Lopez Jr. is available for interviews. For more information, please contact Levi Stahl at (773) 702-0289 or lstahl@press.uchicago.edu

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