The Buddhist Philosophy of Symbiosis

And Practical Approaches in Science and Technology
Edited by Manshi Ohyanagi
While the words symbiosis and interdependence are widely used in various contexts, this book introduces how we can understand symbiosis and interdependence based on Buddhism, and how we can thereby confront the many problems and challenges that we face today in relation to science and technology. The chapters included here offer an opportunity to think about the Buddhist concept of interdependence and the current state of science and technology. It is hoped this will be valuable for undergraduate students studying science as part of their general education, as well as specialized graduate students, scientists, and anyone who is concerned about the various problems brought about by the disintegration of ethical values in today's society. In my introduction to this volume, I present Buddhism as a worldview that is primarily concerned with life as it is lived at this very moment, not death and the afterlife, by using the perspective of a scientist to explain the Buddhism of Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu, whose understanding of the concepts of the Pure Land (jodo) and birth (ojo) in the Pure Land dramatically illustrate the nature of this immediacy. The latter half of Chapter 1 in particular is intended as an introduction to Buddhism for scientists.