Did you know that the Dalai Lama works closely with scientists, and calls for the withdrawal of any Buddhist beliefs that contradict scientific evidence? Neither did I!
For your Friday viewing pleasure, a great video of the Dalai Lama’s recent lecture at UC San Diego, where he discusses the need for humanitarian values and universal responsibility in responding to the impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems. Climate scientists Richard Somerville and Veerabhadran Ramanathan from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography join him onstage for the symposium.
If you read Sagan’s “The Demon Haunted World” he has a chapter of interviewing the Dali Lama, where he was asked the direct question “If science contradicted part of your religion, what would you do?” I won’t spoil it but Sagan gets had in the end, a cute story and a good lesson to religion.
Ah, but the DL is known to be homophobic and I’m not sure how that can be justified with science.