The Origin of Human Nature A Zen Buddhist looks at evolution

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The Origin of Human Nature A Zen Buddhist looks at evolution

Uploaded by: stemcat5
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The Origin of Human Nature... A Zen Buddhist looks at evolution offers an original and fertile way to integrate spiritual and scientific views of human evolution. It offers a new and refreshing alternative to the way we think about our origins.
http://www.sussex-academic.co.uk/sa/titles/philosophy/low...
Available through http://www.amazon.com.
Written by Albert Low who is an internationally published author and director of the Montreal Zen Centre. http://zenmontreal.ca/en/teacher/books.htm
Reviews:
"Our human and spiritual nature is much bigger than fanatic literalism or scientistic dogmatism, and Low's refreshing book offers a more open direction to explore the potentials of evolution for real human beings."
Charles T. Tart
The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UC Davis
"Low makes room for the best of evolution while welcoming space for the mystery of consciousness and the humble contemplation of the abyss."
Robert Forman author, founding editor The Journal of Consciousness Studies and CEO of the Forge
"Transcending the clichés on both sides of the modern God/evolution debate, Dr. Low's book offers a most welcome invitation to the joyful work of thinking like a human being about what an evolving human being is and can—and, for the sake of our world, must-- become."
Jacob Needleman, author of Why Can't We Be Good?
"A richly thoughtful reflection on the roots of human nature that glows with a deep respect for both science and the spirit."
Allan Combs;
Author of The Radiance of Being
"A strikingly original vision of evolution and human nature."
Dr William Byers author of How Mathematicians Think

Tags for this video: atheist buddhist compassion creationist crick darwin dawkins design evolution frankl intelligent pinker tipler zen

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Thanks for your ... ( 5 months ago by stemcat5)

Thanks for your comment. You are correct, evolution is much too complex to discuss in a short YouTube video. This video is meant as a short comment to introduce Albert Low's new book, not to explain it. To understand his message one would have to read the whole book. Far from saying evolution is simplistic, he is saying that Dawkins' theory of evolution is too "simplistic". Your comment on Buddhism also has merit. Perhaps it should have been "Zen Buddhism has no dogma..."

I think the book ... ( 4 months ago by wombatvvv)

I think the book look very interesting. I am a fan of Richard Dawkins, and also a fan of Zen Buddhism (although I'm not one myself). I think it would be very interesting if these two men ever met and had a meaningful discussion.

That was ... ( 4 months ago by seasofjuice)

That was beautifully expressed: parting ways with both camps (creationist, Dawkins-type) quite without rancor. I think I'll buy the book. Still I wonder--I won't know till I read it--whether Low might be slightly misrepresenting Dawkins-esque reductionism. A mechanistic analytic strategy need not discount the richness of our subjectivity. I mean when it comes down to brass tacks, what's really working any differently when you call evolution "creativity" or when you call it "mechanism?" CONT'D

Presumably whatever ... ( 4 months ago by seasofjuice)

Presumably whatever creativity or intelligence Low attributes to evolution isn't a CONSCIOUS mind, which would more or less be God? And if intelligence isn't conscious, it's a rather confusing kind of "intelligence." Though maybe quantum weirdness (I'm not qualified to say) could be interpreted as suggesting that something like "unconscious consciousness" is basic to matter...whatever that could possibly mean.

(CONT'D ONCE MORE) ... ( 4 months ago by seasofjuice)

(CONT'D ONCE MORE) (By Quantum weirdness I mean the wholeness of the observer and the observed, that sort of thing).

thank you ( 4 months ago by takezo1977)

thank you

I should report ... ( 3 months ago by seasofjuice)

I should report that I've read most of the book now (hopscotch-style) and it makes me happy. It explicates a whole host of implicate thoughts of mine. As it turns out Low answers exactly the doubts I expressed below, with perhaps one exception where I remain skeptical. Lovely book, heroic effort, original, everybody please read it.

How can anyone ... ( 1 month ago by ferkinskin)

How can anyone assume that "Human genius" is so special that it requires a special theory or reason for its being. I like Buddhism and can deal with a Buddhist concept of the universe and our position in it better than a religeous one, but there is still no substantial evidence for what it proclaims whatsoever, none. Sorry, but if science is a fiction of the human mind then so is ALL religion and philosophy..All is illusion and not just some parts.

Science is not a ... ( 1 month ago by BladeNstick)

Science is not a fiction of the human mind. But it takes the human mind to discover science (at least here on earth). Mathematical principles are real aspects of our universe, but it takes the human mind to discover and name those principles as Math. Morality is a real element of nature, but it takes the human mind to discover and name the term. Evolution seems to have moved humans into an area where they can discover these things. Why? The human needed to evolve to discover them.

saying and ... ( 1 month ago by BladeNstick)

saying and believing that mathematical principles, scientific principles, true moral and ethical principles are simply fictions of the human mind is the illusion...

Excellent video. ( 1 month ago by BladeNstick)

Excellent video.

As I understand it, ... ( 1 month ago by ferkinskin)

As I understand it, all is illusion (not just scientific or mathimatical principles) and therefore everything that presumes to be any kind of "reality" is untrustworthy. The problem is that all religion or philosophy (and stricktly speaking science) is lacking substance. This leads to an "anything goes" kind of world where nothing is provable. Zen "assumes" an ego that one has to work past to reach a place of "no wind", but an ego is as provable as an invisible pink unicorn or as Nirvana.

Having said that, ... ( 1 month ago by ferkinskin)

Having said that, buddhism, at least, drives you to consider your actions and thoughts in a way that no other religion does or would even want you to. My problem lies in any system pressuming to be aware of a plan or(even worse) "the plan" and or the route to follow. The use of the words "evolution seems.." proves the point and the question why and the answer "The human needed to evolve to discover them" is empty. But it is a thinking outside of dogmatic religion, which is why I like buddhism.

I haven't as yet ... ( 1 month ago by ferkinskin)

I haven't as yet had the pleasure of reading the book and would like to. It sounds inspiring and thought provoking.
I also forgot to ention that I enjoyed the video!

Yes, the vid was ... ( 1 month ago by BladeNstick)

Yes, the vid was good. And I agree with you on Buddhism and how it gets you to really look at yourself and your actions. The only problem with the "all is illusion" aspect is that that very comment or realization is also an illusion if you are to keep to that premise. That becomes circular and contradictory. Buddhism is misunderstood largely because certain philosophies are vague when being translated. I`ll post down below.

In Buddhism there ... ( 1 month ago by BladeNstick)

In Buddhism there are "two" realities. An objective reality and a relative reality. The "relative" reality is the illusion. Our understanding of objective reality is relative. This doesn`t make objective reality non-existent. Now, whether someone thinks Buddhism is a path that can truly break through illusion and understand reality is a different matter. =)
Thanks for your comment.

Someone else from ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

Someone else from Canada has already reposted this video 3 weeks ago. "Why I am not sure" but it is already getting terrible responses on that site. I am afraid that there is nothing that can be undone now. If I could have found this video last month I would have made a better attempt to urge careful editing and more concentration on the content just as there must have been when writing the book.

I do not wish to ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

I do not wish to offend anyone I'm already sorry. This video has got my mind moving at a vary alarming rate. If any of you are not aware of the large atheist movement that has been occurring in the states and on the internet as well, then I suggest you check it out. This video is poking at atheism and picking on the leader. I believe that this video is going to provoke a horrible wall between Zen and atheism. There "WILL" be ugly unwanted video responses that Zen videos have yet to encounter.

When I first became ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

When I first became a student of Zen years ago and until now I felt that Zen would never cause me to feel that it would need my effort to defend it because it always appeared to be complete in my eyes. Tonight I skipped group zazen due to this video, and now I am left pondering if I should even continue identifying myself as a student out of fear that I may somehow influence extreme fundamentalism or delusion comparatively to Tibet students denouncing their practice due to the Dali Lama.

I don't recall ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

I don't recall Dawkin's ever saying that he has it all figured out. Dawkin's is simply a man who is defending a good discovery that is under great scrutiny by individuals who are not awake. By that I mean people who parade around in monks clothes and yet still suffer from the illusionary concept that life is somehow perceivably rich with meaning and that the undiscovered meaning must be protected by banishing the theory that troubles there attempt to discover there desired idea of truth

he says that ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

he says that Dawkins opinion on evolution as the explanation to life painstakingly, dutifully though yet unwittingly takes away from the students the vary hope that is the essence of being human and in this way also destroys compassion. First of all I am familiar with Dawkin's and science and there is nothing dogmatic to it as far as I can see.
Dualistic yes but dogmatic no. This monk is not only dualistic by picking on Dawkin's but is seemingly offering an indoctrinating concept of Zen as well

Rely not on the ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

Rely not on the teacher, but on the teaching. Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the spirit of the words. Rely not on theory, but on experience. Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many.

Do not believe in ... ( 2 weeks ago by IJAiken)

Do not believe in anything because it is written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. - The Buddha

-I have yet to find ... ( 1 week ago by FreeThinkinHeathen)

-I have yet to find out if there is any bullshit behind it" I do doubt that there is such thing as zen bullshit from what I have learned about it. I do however worry about any religious movement being hijacked or misled into delusion.
So I think if anyone reads this book they should as well read "the god delusion" and at least give Dawkin's the benefit of the doubt.
Also I as well think that Dawkin's never tried to give people the answers to life, such as explaining "why is a chicken?".

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