Considerations
of 61 famous Metaphysics scholars
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1. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788- 1860), [German Philosopher]:
If I were to take the results of my philosophy as a yardstick of the truth, I would concede to Buddhism the pre- eminence of all religions of the world.
[Arthur Schopenhauer (1788- 1860) You may observe that faith and knowledge are related as the scales of a balance; when the one goes up, the other goes down,
The fruits of Christianity were religious wars, butcheries,
crusades, inquisitions, extermination of the natives in America
The Catholic religion is an order to obtain heaven by
begging, because it would be too troublesome to earn it. The priest are the
brokers for it
Any dogma, no matter how extravagantly absurd, inculcated in
childhood, is sure to retain its hold for life.
2. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825- 1895), English scientist:
Buddhism is a system which knows no God in the Western sense, which denies a soul to man and counts the belief in immortality a blunder, which bids men to look to nothing but their own efforts for salvation, which in its original purity knew nothing of the vows of obedience and never sought the aid of the secular arm, yet spread over a considerable portion of the world with marvellous rapidity, and is still the dominant creed of a large fraction of mankind.
Thomas Henry Huxley:
2. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825- 1895), English scientist:
Buddhism is a system which knows no God in the Western sense, which denies a soul to man and counts the belief in immortality a blunder, which bids men to look to nothing but their own efforts for salvation, which in its original purity knew nothing of the vows of obedience and never sought the aid of the secular arm, yet spread over a considerable portion of the world with marvellous rapidity, and is still the dominant creed of a large fraction of mankind.
Thomas Henry Huxley:
The dogma of infallibility of the Bible is no more self-
evident than is that of the infallibility of the popes
From being a slave of
the papacy [a catholic] the intellect was to become the serf of the Bible [a
protestant
The ecclesiastical system is the deadly enemy of science.
Evolution excludes creation and all other kinds of supernatural interventions
Skepticism is the highest duty and blind faith the one
unpardonable sin.
3. Sir Edwin Arnold (1832- 1904), Poet laureate ofEngland
3. Sir Edwin Arnold (1832- 1904), Poet laureate of
In point of age, therefore, most other creeds are youthful
compared with this venerable religion, Buddhism, which has in it the eternity
of a universal hope, the immortality of a boundless love, an indestructible
element of faith in final good, and the proudest assertion ever made of human
freedom.
4. William James (I842- I9I0), [American philosopher and psychologist]:
I am ignorant of Buddhism and speak under correction, and merely in order the better to describe my general point of view; but as apprehend the Buddhistic doctrine of karma, I agree in principle with that.
5. T.W.Rhys Davids (1843- 1922), [Professor, the first person to hold a chair in Comparative Religion in a British university]:
It cannot be denied that there is a real beauty of an Oriental kind in the various expressions which the Buddhists use; and that there was real grounds for the enthusiasm which gave them birth. Never in the history of the world had such a scheme been put forth, so free from any superhuman agency, so independent of so even antagonistic to the belief in a soul, the belief in God, and the hope of a future life...
Buddhist or non- Buddhist, I have examined every one of the great religious systems of the world, in none of them I have found anything to surpass, in beauty and comprehensiveness, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Truths of the Buddha.
For the first time in human history the Buddha admonished, entreated and appealed to people not to hurt a living being, not to offer prayer of praise or sacrifice to gods. With all the eloquence as his command the exalted one vehemently proclaimed that gods are also in direction need of salvation of themselves.
There is no record known to me in the whole of the long history of Buddhism throughout the many centuries where its followers have been for such lengthened periods supreme, of any persecution by the Buddhists of the followers of any other faith.
6. Rabindranath Tagore (1861- 1941), (Indian poet and educationalist.Winner of The Nobel prize.):
Buddhism was the first spiritual force, known to us in history, which drew close together such a large number of races separated by most difficult barriers of distance, by difference of language and custom, by various degrees and divergent types of civilization. It had its motive power, neither in international commerce, nor in empire building, nor in a scientific curiosity, nor in a migrative impulse to occupy fresh territory. It was a purely disinterested effort to help mankind forward to its final goal.
7. Alfred North Whitehead (1861- 1947), [British mathematician and philosopher]:
Buddhism is the most colossal example in the history of applied metaphysics.
I consider Christian theology to be one of the great disasters of the human race..
8.Sir Francis Younghusband (1863- 1942), (British explorer, diplomat.)
It was because he showed in his life what he taught was both practical and reasonable that he exerted such a mighty influence upon mankind. The impression Buddha made was deep.
9.H. G. Wells ( 1866- 1946), (British historian, socialist.)
Buddha in a different language called men to self- forgetfulness five hundred years before Christ. In some ways he was nearer to us and our needs. Buddha was more lucid upon our individual importance in service than Christ, and less ambiguous upon the question of personal immortality.
You see clearly a man, simple, devout, lonely, battling for light, a vivid human personality, not a myth. Beneath a mass of miraculous fable I feel that there also was a man. He too, gave a message to mankind universal in its character. Many of our best modern ideas are in closest harmony with it. All the miseries and discontents of life are due, he taught, to selfishness. Selfishness takes three forms: one, the desire to satisfy the senses; second, the craving for immortality; and the third the desire for prosperity and worldliness. Before a man can become serene he must cease to live for his senses or himself.
Over great areas of the world it still survives. It is possible that in contact with Western science, and inspired by the spirit of history, the original teaching of Gotama, revived and purified, may yet play a large part in the direction of human destiny.The fundamental teachings of Gotama, as it is now being made plain to us by study of original sources, is clear and simple and in the closest harmony with modern ideas. It is beyond all disputes, the achievement of one of the most penetrating intelligence the world has ever known.
Buddhism has done more for the advance of world civilization and true culture than any other influence in the chronicles of mankind. ]
The most evil thing in the world today is the Roman Catholic Church.
10.Mahama Gandhi ( 1869- 1948), ( Indian Thinker)
I have no hesitation in declaring that I owe a great deal to the inspiration that I have derived from the life of the Enlightenment One.Asia
has a message for the whole world.. For Asia to be not for Asia
but for the whole world, it has to re- learn the message of the Buddha and
deliver it to the whole world. His love, his boundless love went out as much to
the lower animal, to the lowest life as to human beings. And he insisted upon
purity of life.
11. Sir Charles Bell KCIE, CMG ( 1870- 1945), (British Diplomat)
To the Christian, Love is the highest virtue; to the Buddhist, Wisdom, for they hold that ignorance is the root of all evil. Love, all the same, ranks high ......Tolerance and loving kindness, both based on Buddhist wisdom, are perhaps the chief reason why the middle way of Gotama has come down through 2500 years.
12.Bertrand Russell (1872- 1970), The British Mathematician, Philosopher, The winner of the Nobel prize.
Of the great religions of history I prefer Buddhism…Buddhism is a combination of both speculative and scientific philosophy. It advocates the Scientific Method and pursues that to a finality that may be called Rationalistic. In it are to be found answers to such question of interest as "What is mind and matter? Of them which is of great importance? Is the universe moving towards a goal? What is man's position? Is there living that is noble?" It takes up where science cannot lead because of the limitations of the latter's instruments. Its conquests are those of the mind.I cannot myself feel that either in the matter of wisdom or in the matter of virtue Christ stands quite as high as some people known to history. I think I should put Buddha and Socrates above him in those respects.
[Bertrand Russell (1872- 1970), wrote in this book: “Why I Am Not A Christian”: My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race.
4. William James (I842- I9I0), [American philosopher and psychologist]:
I am ignorant of Buddhism and speak under correction, and merely in order the better to describe my general point of view; but as apprehend the Buddhistic doctrine of karma, I agree in principle with that.
5. T.W.Rhys Davids (1843- 1922), [Professor, the first person to hold a chair in Comparative Religion in a British university]:
It cannot be denied that there is a real beauty of an Oriental kind in the various expressions which the Buddhists use; and that there was real grounds for the enthusiasm which gave them birth. Never in the history of the world had such a scheme been put forth, so free from any superhuman agency, so independent of so even antagonistic to the belief in a soul, the belief in God, and the hope of a future life...
Buddhist or non- Buddhist, I have examined every one of the great religious systems of the world, in none of them I have found anything to surpass, in beauty and comprehensiveness, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Truths of the Buddha.
For the first time in human history the Buddha admonished, entreated and appealed to people not to hurt a living being, not to offer prayer of praise or sacrifice to gods. With all the eloquence as his command the exalted one vehemently proclaimed that gods are also in direction need of salvation of themselves.
There is no record known to me in the whole of the long history of Buddhism throughout the many centuries where its followers have been for such lengthened periods supreme, of any persecution by the Buddhists of the followers of any other faith.
6. Rabindranath Tagore (1861- 1941), (Indian poet and educationalist.Winner of The Nobel prize.):
Buddhism was the first spiritual force, known to us in history, which drew close together such a large number of races separated by most difficult barriers of distance, by difference of language and custom, by various degrees and divergent types of civilization. It had its motive power, neither in international commerce, nor in empire building, nor in a scientific curiosity, nor in a migrative impulse to occupy fresh territory. It was a purely disinterested effort to help mankind forward to its final goal.
7. Alfred North Whitehead (1861- 1947), [British mathematician and philosopher]:
Buddhism is the most colossal example in the history of applied metaphysics.
I consider Christian theology to be one of the great disasters of the human race..
8.Sir Francis Younghusband (1863- 1942), (British explorer, diplomat.)
It was because he showed in his life what he taught was both practical and reasonable that he exerted such a mighty influence upon mankind. The impression Buddha made was deep.
9.H. G. Wells ( 1866- 1946), (British historian, socialist.)
Buddha in a different language called men to self- forgetfulness five hundred years before Christ. In some ways he was nearer to us and our needs. Buddha was more lucid upon our individual importance in service than Christ, and less ambiguous upon the question of personal immortality.
You see clearly a man, simple, devout, lonely, battling for light, a vivid human personality, not a myth. Beneath a mass of miraculous fable I feel that there also was a man. He too, gave a message to mankind universal in its character. Many of our best modern ideas are in closest harmony with it. All the miseries and discontents of life are due, he taught, to selfishness. Selfishness takes three forms: one, the desire to satisfy the senses; second, the craving for immortality; and the third the desire for prosperity and worldliness. Before a man can become serene he must cease to live for his senses or himself.
Over great areas of the world it still survives. It is possible that in contact with Western science, and inspired by the spirit of history, the original teaching of Gotama, revived and purified, may yet play a large part in the direction of human destiny.The fundamental teachings of Gotama, as it is now being made plain to us by study of original sources, is clear and simple and in the closest harmony with modern ideas. It is beyond all disputes, the achievement of one of the most penetrating intelligence the world has ever known.
Buddhism has done more for the advance of world civilization and true culture than any other influence in the chronicles of mankind. ]
The most evil thing in the world today is the Roman Catholic Church.
10.Mahama Gandhi ( 1869- 1948), ( Indian Thinker)
I have no hesitation in declaring that I owe a great deal to the inspiration that I have derived from the life of the Enlightenment One.
11. Sir Charles Bell KCIE, CMG ( 1870- 1945), (British Diplomat)
To the Christian, Love is the highest virtue; to the Buddhist, Wisdom, for they hold that ignorance is the root of all evil. Love, all the same, ranks high ......Tolerance and loving kindness, both based on Buddhist wisdom, are perhaps the chief reason why the middle way of Gotama has come down through 2500 years.
12.Bertrand Russell (1872- 1970), The British Mathematician, Philosopher, The winner of the Nobel prize.
Of the great religions of history I prefer Buddhism…Buddhism is a combination of both speculative and scientific philosophy. It advocates the Scientific Method and pursues that to a finality that may be called Rationalistic. In it are to be found answers to such question of interest as "What is mind and matter? Of them which is of great importance? Is the universe moving towards a goal? What is man's position? Is there living that is noble?" It takes up where science cannot lead because of the limitations of the latter's instruments. Its conquests are those of the mind.I cannot myself feel that either in the matter of wisdom or in the matter of virtue Christ stands quite as high as some people known to history. I think I should put Buddha and Socrates above him in those respects.
[Bertrand Russell (1872- 1970), wrote in this book: “Why I Am Not A Christian”: My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race.
So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the
gospels in praise of intelligence. Persecution is used in theology, not in
arithmetic.
13. Giáo sư Saunders , General Secretary Y.M.C.A.,India , Burma , Ceylon
Lord Buddha could be very easily singled out as the one person known to man who received homage from the greatest number of mankind.
14.Dr C.C. Jung (1875- 1961), [Swiss psychologist]
(As a student of comparative religions, I believe that Buddhism is the most perfect one the world has even seen.)
15. Albert Schweitzer (1875- 1 965), [French Scholar, Theologian and Philosopher,Winner of The Nobel Prize.]
(He gave expression to truths of everlasting value and advanced the ethics not ofIndia
16.HermanHesse (1877- 1962) , [German author and winner of the Nobel Prize]
[Now in this realm Buddha's speeches are a source and mine of quite unparalleled richness and depth. The intellectual content of Buddha's teaching is only half his work, the other half is his life, his life as lived, as labour accomplished and action carried out. ]
17.Albert Einstein (1879- 1955) , [German physicist, Winner of the Nobel Prize ]
[The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should he based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. ]
(I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures)
18. PHD S. N. Dasgupta:
(None of the pre- Buddhist religions ofIndia
19.Beatrice Webb (1881- 1943), [ British Economist, Socialist] .
(The Buddha and his philosophy seemed logically and ethically superior to the Christ and the teachings of the New Testament. Unlike the crude eternal bliss and eternal damnation of the Christian Church, the doctrine of Karma seemed in harmony with such assumptions of modern science as the universality of causation and the persistence of force.)
20. Frederick Nietszche (1884- 1900), [German philosopher]
[Buddhism is hundred times more realistic than other religions... The notion of God is done away with as soon as it appears, prayer is out of the question. No categorical imperative. No coercion at all, not even within the monastic community. Hence it also does not challenge to fight against those of different faiths. Its teaching turns against nothing so impressively as against the feeling of revengefulness, animosity. ]
21.Will Durant (1885- 1 981), American Historian and Pulitzer Prize Winner
[Buddha' taught through conversation, lecturers and parables. He claimed enlightenment but not inspiration; he never pretended that a god was speaking through him. In controversy he was more patient and considerate than any other of the great teachers of mankind.]
22. PHD Ambedkar
[Buddhism was a democratic movement, which upheld democracy in religion, democracy in society, and democracy in politics.]
23.Professor Julian Huxley (1887- 1975), UNESCO, British author,Zoologist and Director General of UNESCO
[It is a remarkable indication of the subtlety of Indian speculation that Gautama should have seen deeper than the greatest of modern idealists. The tendency of enlightened thought of today all the world over is not towards theology but philosophy and psychology. The bark of theological dualism is drifting into danger. The fundamental principles of evolution and monism are being accepted by the thoughtful.]
24.C. D. Broad (1887- 1971), British Philosopher
[The only one of the great religions which makes any appeal to me is Buddhism; and that, as I understand it, is rather a philosophy of the world, and a way of life for the elite founded upon it, than a religion in the ordinary sense of the word.]
25. - PHD W. F. Jayasuriya, In the book the Buddhist psychology and physics
13. Giáo sư Saunders , General Secretary Y.M.C.A.,
Lord Buddha could be very easily singled out as the one person known to man who received homage from the greatest number of mankind.
14.Dr C.C. Jung (1875- 1961), [Swiss psychologist]
(As a student of comparative religions, I believe that Buddhism is the most perfect one the world has even seen.)
15. Albert Schweitzer (1875- 1 965), [French Scholar, Theologian and Philosopher,Winner of The Nobel Prize.]
(He gave expression to truths of everlasting value and advanced the ethics not of
16.Herman
[Now in this realm Buddha's speeches are a source and mine of quite unparalleled richness and depth. The intellectual content of Buddha's teaching is only half his work, the other half is his life, his life as lived, as labour accomplished and action carried out. ]
17.Albert Einstein (1879- 1955) , [German physicist, Winner of the Nobel Prize ]
[The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should he based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. ]
(I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures)
18. PHD S. N. Dasgupta:
(None of the pre- Buddhist religions of
19.Beatrice Webb (1881- 1943), [ British Economist, Socialist] .
(The Buddha and his philosophy seemed logically and ethically superior to the Christ and the teachings of the New Testament. Unlike the crude eternal bliss and eternal damnation of the Christian Church, the doctrine of Karma seemed in harmony with such assumptions of modern science as the universality of causation and the persistence of force.)
20. Frederick Nietszche (1884- 1900), [German philosopher]
[Buddhism is hundred times more realistic than other religions... The notion of God is done away with as soon as it appears, prayer is out of the question. No categorical imperative. No coercion at all, not even within the monastic community. Hence it also does not challenge to fight against those of different faiths. Its teaching turns against nothing so impressively as against the feeling of revengefulness, animosity. ]
21.Will Durant (1885- 1 981), American Historian and Pulitzer Prize Winner
[Buddha' taught through conversation, lecturers and parables. He claimed enlightenment but not inspiration; he never pretended that a god was speaking through him. In controversy he was more patient and considerate than any other of the great teachers of mankind.]
22. PHD Ambedkar
[Buddhism was a democratic movement, which upheld democracy in religion, democracy in society, and democracy in politics.]
23.Professor Julian Huxley (1887- 1975), UNESCO, British author,Zoologist and Director General of UNESCO
[It is a remarkable indication of the subtlety of Indian speculation that Gautama should have seen deeper than the greatest of modern idealists. The tendency of enlightened thought of today all the world over is not towards theology but philosophy and psychology. The bark of theological dualism is drifting into danger. The fundamental principles of evolution and monism are being accepted by the thoughtful.]
24.C. D. Broad (1887- 1971), British Philosopher
[The only one of the great religions which makes any appeal to me is Buddhism; and that, as I understand it, is rather a philosophy of the world, and a way of life for the elite founded upon it, than a religion in the ordinary sense of the word.]
25. - PHD W. F. Jayasuriya, In the book the Buddhist psychology and physics
[Buddhism is thus a religion, and there is a little room in
it for ritual and ceremony. An act done with an idea of one?s own conditioning
ceases to be a rite. Much of the seemingly ritual of present- day Buddhism,
when seen thus are really not rites. ]
26.Jawaharlal Nehru(1889- 1964), ( Indian Prime Minister )
[If any question has to be considered, it has to be considered peacefully and democratically in the way taught by the Buddha]
[The Buddha has been something greater than all doctrine and dogma, and his eternal message has thrilled humanity through the ages. Perhaps at no time in past history was his message of peace more needed for a suffering and distracted humanity than it is today.]
27.Arnold
[Buddhism has transformed every culture it has entered, and Buddhism has been transformed by its entry into that culture . . . . The coming of Buddhism to the West may well prove to be the most important event of the Twentieth Century.]
28. Aldous Huxley (1894- 1963), British author, Playwright and thinker
[The modern conception of man's intellectual relationship to the universe was anticipated by the Buddhist doctrine that desire is the source of illusion. To the extent that one has overcome desire, a mind is free from illusion. This is true not only of the man of science, but also the artist and the philosopher. Perfect non- attachment demands of those who aspire to it, not only compassion and charity, but also the intelligence that perceives the general implications of particular acts, that sees the individual being within the system of social and cosmic relations of which he is but a part. In this respect, it seems to me, Buddhism shows itself decidedly superior to Christianity.]
29.R. Buckminster Fuller (1895- 1984), American Inventor, Social Engineer and Philosopher
[There may be a great significance in the fact that Pythagoras inGreece
30. J. Krishnamuri, Indian philosopher (l895- 1986 )
[If I knew the Buddha would be speaking here tomorrow, nothing in the world could stop me from going to listen to him. And I would follow him to the very end.]
31. Lin Yutang (1895- 1976), Chinese writer thinker, journalist and playwright
[Buddhism has conqueredChina
32. Marie B. Byles (1900- 1979), Australian author and mountaineer
26.Jawaharlal Nehru(1889- 1964), ( Indian Prime Minister )
[If any question has to be considered, it has to be considered peacefully and democratically in the way taught by the Buddha]
[The Buddha has been something greater than all doctrine and dogma, and his eternal message has thrilled humanity through the ages. Perhaps at no time in past history was his message of peace more needed for a suffering and distracted humanity than it is today.]
27.
[Buddhism has transformed every culture it has entered, and Buddhism has been transformed by its entry into that culture . . . . The coming of Buddhism to the West may well prove to be the most important event of the Twentieth Century.]
28. Aldous Huxley (1894- 1963), British author, Playwright and thinker
[The modern conception of man's intellectual relationship to the universe was anticipated by the Buddhist doctrine that desire is the source of illusion. To the extent that one has overcome desire, a mind is free from illusion. This is true not only of the man of science, but also the artist and the philosopher. Perfect non- attachment demands of those who aspire to it, not only compassion and charity, but also the intelligence that perceives the general implications of particular acts, that sees the individual being within the system of social and cosmic relations of which he is but a part. In this respect, it seems to me, Buddhism shows itself decidedly superior to Christianity.]
29.R. Buckminster Fuller (1895- 1984), American Inventor, Social Engineer and Philosopher
[There may be a great significance in the fact that Pythagoras in
30. J. Krishnamuri, Indian philosopher (l895- 1986 )
[If I knew the Buddha would be speaking here tomorrow, nothing in the world could stop me from going to listen to him. And I would follow him to the very end.]
31. Lin Yutang (1895- 1976), Chinese writer thinker, journalist and playwright
[Buddhism has conquered
32. Marie B. Byles (1900- 1979), Australian author and mountaineer
[Whether the Westerner who first approaches the Buddha's
teachings be accustomed to modern scientific or to Christian terminology, he
should always bear in mind that the Buddha was not interested in the existence
or non- existence of a Supreme Being or any other abstract philosophical
proposition. He was interested only in the Way, the practical way, by which
suffering may be ended, both here and hereafter.]
33. Erich Fromm (1900- 1980),
German American Psychoanalyst and Social Philosopher
[Buddhism helps man to find an answer to the question of his existence, yet which does not contradict the rationality, realism, and independence which are modern man's precious achievements. Paradoxically, Eastern religious thought turns out to be more congenial to Western rational thought than does Western religious thought itself. ]
34. Justice Christmas Humphreys (1901- 1983), Eminent British Judge
[Buddhism is a system of thought, a religion, a spiritual science and a way of life which is reasonable, practical and all- embracing. For 2,500 years it has satisfied the spiritual needs of nearly one third of mankind. It appeals to those in search of truth because it has no dogmas, satisfies the reason and the heart alike, insists on self- reliance coupled with tolerance for other points of view, embraces science, religion, philosophy, psychology, mysticism, ethics and art, and points to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his destiny.]
35. Nancy Wilson Ross (1901- 1986), American Journalist, War Correspondent and Author.
[Of the establishment of the Buddhist Sangha, Arnold Toynbee has said that it was a greater social achievement than the founding of the Platonist academy inGreece
36. J. Robert Oppenheimer ( 1904- 1967), American Physicist
[If we ask, for instance, whether the position of the electron remains the same, we must say 'no'; if we ask whether the electron's position changes with time, we must say 'no'; if we ask whether the electron is at rest, we must say 'no'; if we ask whether it is in motion, we must say 'no'. The Buddha has given such answers when interrogated as to the conditions of a man's self after his death; but they are not familiar answers for the tradition of seventeenth and eighteenth century science. ]
37. Giáo sư Steve Hagen, In the book (Buddhism: Plain & Simple)
[Real Buddhism is not really an “ism”.It’s a process, an awareness, an openness, a spirit of inquiry – not a belief system, or even (as we normally understand it) a religion.It is more accurate to call it “the teaching of the awakened,”, or the Buddha- Dharma]
38. J. Bronowski (1908- 1974), American Author and Philosopher of Science
[The recent evolution of man certainly begins with the advancing development of the hand, and the selection of a brain, which is particularly adept at manipulating the hand. We feel the pleasure of that in our actions, so that for the artist the hand remains a major symbol; the hand of the Buddha, for instance, giving man the gift of humanity in a gesture of calm, the gift of fearlessness.]
39. U Thant (1910- 1974), Burmese Educator, Diplomat and Secretary General of the United Nations
[As a Buddhist, I was trained to be tolerant of everything except intolerance. I was brought up not only to develop the spirit of tolerance, but also to cherish moral and spiritual qualities, especially modesty, humanity, compassion, and, most important, to attain a certain degree of emotional equilibrium.]
40. PHD E. F. Schumacher, CBE. (1911- 1977), British Rhodes Scholar, Economist, Journalist andEconomic Adviser to The National Coal Board from 1950- 1970
[While the materialist is mainly interested in goods, the Buddhist is mainly interested in liberation. But Buddhism is 'The Middle Way' and therefore in no way antagonistic to physical well- being. It is not wealth that stands in the way of liberation but the attachment to wealth; not the enjoyment of pleasurable things but the craving for them. ]
41. Thomas Merton (1915- 1968), American Catholic Priest, Author and Social Crtics
[Buddhism is much less a matter of organized and institutional orthodoxy than a state of mind. Buddhism does not aim directly at theological salvation but a total clarification of consciousness. It is not so much a way of worshipping as a way of being.]
42. Egerton C. Baptist (1915- 1983), Th scholar of "Supreme Science of the Buddha"
[Buddhism begins where science ends.Science can give no assurance herein. But Buddhism can meet the Atomic Challenge, because the supramundane knowledge of Buddhism begins where science leaves off. And this is clear enough to anyone who has made a study of Buddhism. For, through Buddhist Meditation, the atomic constituents making up matter have been seen and felt, and the sorrow, or unsatisfactoriness (or Dukkha), of their 'arising and passing away' (dependent on causes) has made itself with what we call a 'soul' or 'atma' - the illusion of Sakkayaditthi, as it is called in the Buddha's teaching.” ]
43. John H. Garabedian & Orde Coombs, the author of “Eastern Religions In The Electric Age”:
[Christ is dead – Buddha Lives]
44. L. Adam Beck, An American Traveler and author
[Buddhism helps man to find an answer to the question of his existence, yet which does not contradict the rationality, realism, and independence which are modern man's precious achievements. Paradoxically, Eastern religious thought turns out to be more congenial to Western rational thought than does Western religious thought itself. ]
34. Justice Christmas Humphreys (1901- 1983), Eminent British Judge
[Buddhism is a system of thought, a religion, a spiritual science and a way of life which is reasonable, practical and all- embracing. For 2,500 years it has satisfied the spiritual needs of nearly one third of mankind. It appeals to those in search of truth because it has no dogmas, satisfies the reason and the heart alike, insists on self- reliance coupled with tolerance for other points of view, embraces science, religion, philosophy, psychology, mysticism, ethics and art, and points to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his destiny.]
35. Nancy Wilson Ross (1901- 1986), American Journalist, War Correspondent and Author.
[Of the establishment of the Buddhist Sangha, Arnold Toynbee has said that it was a greater social achievement than the founding of the Platonist academy in
36. J. Robert Oppenheimer ( 1904- 1967), American Physicist
[If we ask, for instance, whether the position of the electron remains the same, we must say 'no'; if we ask whether the electron's position changes with time, we must say 'no'; if we ask whether the electron is at rest, we must say 'no'; if we ask whether it is in motion, we must say 'no'. The Buddha has given such answers when interrogated as to the conditions of a man's self after his death; but they are not familiar answers for the tradition of seventeenth and eighteenth century science. ]
37. Giáo sư Steve Hagen, In the book (Buddhism: Plain & Simple)
[Real Buddhism is not really an “ism”.It’s a process, an awareness, an openness, a spirit of inquiry – not a belief system, or even (as we normally understand it) a religion.It is more accurate to call it “the teaching of the awakened,”, or the Buddha- Dharma]
38. J. Bronowski (1908- 1974), American Author and Philosopher of Science
[The recent evolution of man certainly begins with the advancing development of the hand, and the selection of a brain, which is particularly adept at manipulating the hand. We feel the pleasure of that in our actions, so that for the artist the hand remains a major symbol; the hand of the Buddha, for instance, giving man the gift of humanity in a gesture of calm, the gift of fearlessness.]
39. U Thant (1910- 1974), Burmese Educator, Diplomat and Secretary General of the United Nations
[As a Buddhist, I was trained to be tolerant of everything except intolerance. I was brought up not only to develop the spirit of tolerance, but also to cherish moral and spiritual qualities, especially modesty, humanity, compassion, and, most important, to attain a certain degree of emotional equilibrium.]
40. PHD E. F. Schumacher, CBE. (1911- 1977), British Rhodes Scholar, Economist, Journalist andEconomic Adviser to The National Coal Board from 1950- 1970
[While the materialist is mainly interested in goods, the Buddhist is mainly interested in liberation. But Buddhism is 'The Middle Way' and therefore in no way antagonistic to physical well- being. It is not wealth that stands in the way of liberation but the attachment to wealth; not the enjoyment of pleasurable things but the craving for them. ]
41. Thomas Merton (1915- 1968), American Catholic Priest, Author and Social Crtics
[Buddhism is much less a matter of organized and institutional orthodoxy than a state of mind. Buddhism does not aim directly at theological salvation but a total clarification of consciousness. It is not so much a way of worshipping as a way of being.]
42. Egerton C. Baptist (1915- 1983), Th scholar of "Supreme Science of the Buddha"
[Buddhism begins where science ends.Science can give no assurance herein. But Buddhism can meet the Atomic Challenge, because the supramundane knowledge of Buddhism begins where science leaves off. And this is clear enough to anyone who has made a study of Buddhism. For, through Buddhist Meditation, the atomic constituents making up matter have been seen and felt, and the sorrow, or unsatisfactoriness (or Dukkha), of their 'arising and passing away' (dependent on causes) has made itself with what we call a 'soul' or 'atma' - the illusion of Sakkayaditthi, as it is called in the Buddha's teaching.” ]
43. John H. Garabedian & Orde Coombs, the author of “Eastern Religions In The Electric Age”:
[Christ is dead – Buddha Lives]
44. L. Adam Beck, An American Traveler and author
The teachings of the Indian Prince has indeed nothing to dread
from science.Buddhism is, at all events, a truth which influenced not only the
mightiest thinkers of Greece and Rome, but also the beginnings of Christian
teachings - which it antedated by five or six hundred years.It may well claim
kindred with all the great faiths, persecuting and opposing none which differ
with it, and this for reasons which are easily seen in the teachings
themselves.]
45. PHD Amadou- Mahtar, M 'Bow, Director - General, UNESCO
[Lord Buddha's message of truth, peace, compassion and tolerance is as relevant as it was many centuries ago. The passage of time has made its flame shine with greater luminosity. Rampant materialism and the pursuit of individual success at all costs have eroded the ties of brotherhood and community. In these circumstances, it is necessary to remember and propagate the message of compassion of Lord Buddha so that hatred can be replaced by love, strife by peace and confrontation by co- operation.]
46. Javier Perez De Cuellar, Secretary General of United Nation
45. PHD Amadou- Mahtar, M 'Bow, Director - General, UNESCO
[Lord Buddha's message of truth, peace, compassion and tolerance is as relevant as it was many centuries ago. The passage of time has made its flame shine with greater luminosity. Rampant materialism and the pursuit of individual success at all costs have eroded the ties of brotherhood and community. In these circumstances, it is necessary to remember and propagate the message of compassion of Lord Buddha so that hatred can be replaced by love, strife by peace and confrontation by co- operation.]
46. Javier Perez De Cuellar, Secretary General of United Nation
[Buddha's message of compassion and devotion to the service
of humanity is more relevant today than at any other time in history. Peace,
understanding and a vision that transcends purely national boundaries are
imperatives of our insecure nuclear age. ]
47. Andrew Harvey, British author, poet and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
[I found Buddhist philosophy is a way of thought that enthralled me by its calm and radical analysis of desire, its rejection of all the self- dramatisiting intensities by which I lived, and its promise of a possible strong and unsentimental sincerity.]
48. Robert J. Hawke, Rhodes Scholar,Trade Union Leader from 1983 and Prime Minister of Australia
[Buddhist concept that you progress towards the Ineffable through a number of existences seemed to me much more intellectually satisfying than the Christian belief that you come just once and are cast into circumstances maybe of great wealth or of great moment, but that you come to God or don't come to God on the basis of that one life. I was never on the point of embracing Buddhism but I found, and still find, it infinitely more satisfying than the Judeo- Christian philosophy.]
49. Gnanatiloka, German Scholar:
47. Andrew Harvey, British author, poet and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
[I found Buddhist philosophy is a way of thought that enthralled me by its calm and radical analysis of desire, its rejection of all the self- dramatisiting intensities by which I lived, and its promise of a possible strong and unsentimental sincerity.]
48. Robert J. Hawke, Rhodes Scholar,Trade Union Leader from 1983 and Prime Minister of Australia
[Buddhist concept that you progress towards the Ineffable through a number of existences seemed to me much more intellectually satisfying than the Christian belief that you come just once and are cast into circumstances maybe of great wealth or of great moment, but that you come to God or don't come to God on the basis of that one life. I was never on the point of embracing Buddhism but I found, and still find, it infinitely more satisfying than the Judeo- Christian philosophy.]
49. Gnanatiloka, German Scholar:
[Some people thinhk that Buddhism is a dark and melancholy
religion..It is not so; it will make its followers bright and cheerful.When we
read the birth stories of Boddhisatva, the future Buddha, we learn hos He
cultivated the perfection of patience and forbearance, it will help us to be
cheerful even in the midst of grea troubles and to take delight in other’s
welfare>]
50. Prof. Walter Kaufmann, American philosopher and author .
50. Prof. Walter Kaufmann, American philosopher and author .
[Paul couples love with faith and hope, and his conception of
love involves faith and hope: "Love," he says, "believes all
things, hopes all things." The love I mean does not believe all things and
hope all things. It survives disillusionment and persists in despair. Love is
not love that ceases without hope or faith. As long as faith and hope support
it, it is hardly more than puppy love. The Buddha knew that love brings
"hurt and misery, suffering, grief and despair"; and he advised
detachment. The love I consider a virtue is not a blind love of the lovers or
the trusting, hopeful love of Paul, but the love that knows what the Buddha
knew and still loves, with open eyes. ]
51. William Mac Quilty, British Award winning film maker,Traveller and Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society.
51. William Mac Quilty, British Award winning film maker,Traveller and Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society.
[Today science is challenging the finite quality of the human
brain, a brain consisting of some 10,000 million electrically stimulated cells
programmed with the instincts of our long history and receptive to new notions
whether true or false. The aggregate of these cells provides our ever- changing
personality and their partial removal by surgery or altered rhythm by shock
treatment changes our character. By such crude methods, aggression can be
turned into fear, hatred to affection - how much better that they should be
changed by appreciation of the realities that the philosophy of Buddha has
placed in our hands. ]
52. Juan Mascan, Nha,Spanish Academic andEducationalist, Lecturer atCambridge
University
52. Juan Mascan, Nha,Spanish Academic andEducationalist, Lecturer at
[The message of the Buddha is a message of joy. He found a
treasure and he wants us to follow the path that leads us to the treasure. He
tells man that he is in deep darkness, but he also tells him that there is a
path that leads to light. He wants us to arise from a life of dreams into a
higher life where man loves and does not hate, where a man helps and does not
hurt. His appeal is universal, because he appeals to reason and to the
universal is us all: It is you who must make the effort. The Great of the past
only show the way.' He achieved a superior harmony of vision and wisdom by
placing spiritual truth on the crucial test of experience; and only experience
can satisfy the mind of modern man. He wants us to watch and be awake and he
wants us to seek and to find. ]
53. Peter Mathiessen, American Novelist, Naturalist and Explorer.Winner of The National Book Award in 1979
I have so often tried to isolate the quality of "Zen" * which attracted me so powerfully to its literature and later to the practice of zazen #. But since the essence of Zen might well be what one teacher called the moment- by- moment awakening of mind, there is little that may sensibly be said about it without succumbing to that breathless, mystery- ridden prose that drives so many sincere aspirants in the other direction. In zazen, one may hope ~ penetrate the ringing stillness of the universal mind.
54. Prof. Jacob Needleman, Scholar, Author and Professor for philosophy at San Francisco State College
[Of all the great religious teachers of the world, none has incarnated and lived the idea that ultimate reality is beyond the grasp of the ordinary mind with such purity and concentration as the Buddha. This, in part, explains why the Buddha's discourses say nothing about the existence of a Supreme Being, for example, or about immortality . .]
55. Lucien Stryk, American author, poet and Winner of Isaac Rosenbaum Poetry Award
[Buddhism, better than most religions, seems to have adapted to modern life. Many considering it to be, among other things, not only a method of self discovery but a source of ideas for social orientation without equal in the West.]
56. Robert H Thousless, MA., PhD, Sc.D. British. Distinguish Christian scholar, author, Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Fellow of Corpus Christi College,Cambridge
[I believe that Buddhism is very relevant to the thought of the present day. Basically, its thought is familiar to us because it is the same kind of thinking as that employed in science.]
57. Prof. Hugh Tinker, Professor of government andpolitics at the school of Orient and African Studies, London University
[The period between the seventh and fifth century BCE saw the birth of the greatest of all, 'the Light of Asia' Gautama the Buddha . . . A doctrine of annihilation of greed, hatred and delusion, in which an omnipotent God has no place, might seem one of profound pessimism, yet Buddhism was saved from being negative by the emphasis placed on free- will and humility. The importance of compassion, of charity and alms giving, all combined to generate a religion of warmth and love.]
58. Paul Carus, the aythor of the famous book: "The Gospel of Buddha “
59. PHD E. Graham Howe, MB. BS. DPM. , Eminent British Physician
(To read a little Buddhism is to realize that the Buddhists knew, 2,500 years ago, far more about modern problems of psychology than they have been given credit for.They studied these problems long ago and found the answers also.We are now rediscovering the ancientwisdom of the East.)
60. Sangharakshita, The british scholar (Buddhism and The West: The Integration of Buddhism into Western Society),
53. Peter Mathiessen, American Novelist, Naturalist and Explorer.Winner of The National Book Award in 1979
I have so often tried to isolate the quality of "Zen" * which attracted me so powerfully to its literature and later to the practice of zazen #. But since the essence of Zen might well be what one teacher called the moment- by- moment awakening of mind, there is little that may sensibly be said about it without succumbing to that breathless, mystery- ridden prose that drives so many sincere aspirants in the other direction. In zazen, one may hope ~ penetrate the ringing stillness of the universal mind.
54. Prof. Jacob Needleman, Scholar, Author and Professor for philosophy at San Francisco State College
[Of all the great religious teachers of the world, none has incarnated and lived the idea that ultimate reality is beyond the grasp of the ordinary mind with such purity and concentration as the Buddha. This, in part, explains why the Buddha's discourses say nothing about the existence of a Supreme Being, for example, or about immortality . .]
55. Lucien Stryk, American author, poet and Winner of Isaac Rosenbaum Poetry Award
[Buddhism, better than most religions, seems to have adapted to modern life. Many considering it to be, among other things, not only a method of self discovery but a source of ideas for social orientation without equal in the West.]
56. Robert H Thousless, MA., PhD, Sc.D. British. Distinguish Christian scholar, author, Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Fellow of Corpus Christi College,
[I believe that Buddhism is very relevant to the thought of the present day. Basically, its thought is familiar to us because it is the same kind of thinking as that employed in science.]
57. Prof. Hugh Tinker, Professor of government andpolitics at the school of Orient and African Studies, London University
[The period between the seventh and fifth century BCE saw the birth of the greatest of all, 'the Light of Asia' Gautama the Buddha . . . A doctrine of annihilation of greed, hatred and delusion, in which an omnipotent God has no place, might seem one of profound pessimism, yet Buddhism was saved from being negative by the emphasis placed on free- will and humility. The importance of compassion, of charity and alms giving, all combined to generate a religion of warmth and love.]
58. Paul Carus, the aythor of the famous book: "The Gospel of Buddha “
59. PHD E. Graham Howe, MB. BS. DPM. , Eminent British Physician
(To read a little Buddhism is to realize that the Buddhists knew, 2,500 years ago, far more about modern problems of psychology than they have been given credit for.They studied these problems long ago and found the answers also.We are now rediscovering the ancientwisdom of the East.)
60. Sangharakshita, The british scholar (Buddhism and The West: The Integration of Buddhism into Western Society),
(Wherever Buddhism has traveled during its 2500 year history
it has entered into a rich and dynamic relationship with its host cultures.For
Buddhism this has meant new forms of expression and communication as well as
considerable differences in emphasis and approach.To its surrounding societies
have come new ideals, new ideas, new ethical standards, fresh social, cultural,
artistic life - indeed, rarely anything less than radical transformation.
Now Buddhism is coming to the West, and judging from the seriousness with which many Westerners are taking to its principles and practices, there can be no doubt that history is going to repeat itself.Buddhism is about to become integrated into Western society.)
61. Joseph L. Daleiden, The Chistian scholar in (The Final Superstition),
(A
Critical and Evaluation of the Judeo- Christian Legacy), (Alternatives to
Theism). Page 424:Now Buddhism is coming to the West, and judging from the seriousness with which many Westerners are taking to its principles and practices, there can be no doubt that history is going to repeat itself.Buddhism is about to become integrated into Western society.)
61. Joseph L. Daleiden, The Chistian scholar in (The Final Superstition),
