Buddhism and
Biotechnology
Ron Epstein
Research Professor, Institute
for World Religions, Berkeley
Lecturer, Philosophy Department, San Francisco State University
Edited from a Talk Delivered at "Spiritual Dimensions of Our Technological
Future,"
AHIMSA Sixth Annual Conference, International House, University of California at Berkeley,
Oct. 3, 1998.
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The topic of this panel is "Biotechnology: Boon
or Bane for Spiritual Development." It has very often been said that we are on the
threshold of the biotech century, and I am sure that all of you are very clearly aware
that genetic engineering is going to totally reshape life on this planet in many ways:
economically, politically, scientifically--particularly in terms of medicine, and also
environmentally. Most important for all of us is what the relationship of this incredible
technology will be to the spiritual nature of human beings. Although an enormous amount
has been written on biotechnology, very little has been written about the relationship
between biotechnology, particularly genetic engineering, and the human spirit.
Allow me to mention two ways in which genetic
engineering is profoundly affecting all of our lives. First, at this very moment, the
United States government is considering a request for medical scientists to intervene in
the germ-line of human genetics, in other words, to change the human genetic structure in
a way that would be transmitted to future generations. This means that human evolution in
its traditional meaning is coming to an end. We will be taking over responsibility, not
only for the evolution of human beings, but also for the evolution of many other forms of
life on the planet, both sentient and non-sentient.
The second way in which of genetic engineering is
directly touching our lives, that fortunately, insofar as we are aware, is not yet
operational, is the use of genetic engineering in biowarfare. As I am speaking, many
governments are actively working on the use of genetically engineered organisms in
biowarfare, and presumably so too are terrorist organizations. These are two things, which
are part of the "promise" of this new biotech century, that we are going to have
to be dealing with in the immediate future.
Paradigms are lenses through which we see issues
that aid focusing, clarifying, and perhaps also distorting how we look at issues.
Professor Ted Peters and Professor Margaret McLean are both going to be talking primarily
from Christian paradigms. Professor Huston Smith has already mentioned Scientism as the
dominant paradigm of our culture. That still leaves a whole wide range of important
paradigms. As both a Buddhist scholar and practictioner, I would like to briefly introduce
some distinctive features of the Buddhist paradigm’s relation to genetic engineering.
Four aspects of the Buddhist paradigm are somewhat
different than the dominant paradigm of Scientism and many of the paradigms that we find
within Christian theology. The first aspect that I'd like to mention is ahimsa, which is
particularly appropriate to our gathering here today. Ahimsa means non-harming; it is the
principle of respect for the intrinsic value of the life of all sentient beings, not just
human life. This paradigm respects sentient beings not merely for their usefulness to us
as tools or means to ends. Out of this principle of respect for life comes the notion of
selfless compassion as a guiding principle in our actions, so that, in terms of genetic
engineering, it would exclude any instrumental use of human or non-human sentient life. If
I had time, I would go into the horrific instrumental use of non-sentient life, and
sometimes unfortunately human and other sentient life, in the pursuit of profit by biotech
companies.
The second aspect I'd like to discuss is
transcendence. Transcendence refers to the potential of all human beings for developing
spiritual wisdom and liberation. Transcendence cannot be couched in scientific terms. Nor
there is any way to talk meaningfully about transcendence from the point of view of
Scientism.
The third aspect of the Buddhist paradigm is the
understanding that the cosmos is an open system. In contradistinction, the scientific
method operates within hypothesized artificial and closed systems, that are assumed to
have some meaningful, but incomplete and imperfect, correspondence with the
"real" world. From the viewpoint of paradigm of Buddhism, it is clear that
scientific methodology cannot, because of its inherent limitations, assess the full extent
of the possible effects of genetically engineered alterations on living creatures in a
world that is an open system. Thus no certainty or reliable risk assessment is possible
using the scientific model.
The fourth and final aspect of this paradigm that I
would like to mention is its non-Cartesian nature. In other words, our minds and spirits
affect our bodies, our bodies affect our minds and spirit, and body, mind, and spirit are
non-dual. Ultimately, they are neither mutually distinct, nor qualitatively different.
Because body, mind, and spirit interrelate with one another and affect one another, the
karma-based ethics of the Buddhist paradigm stresses the importance of the purification of
all three.
I hope that you have been able to follow the this
explanation, which has been very brief because of our time constraints, of these four
aspects the Buddhist paradigm, which is so different from the mainstream paradigms of the
modern world.
Finally, I would like you all to take a moment to
reflect upon the possibility, which exists because of the interrelation and ultimate
non-duality of body, mind, and spirit, that genetic engineering may adversely influence
the potential of sentient beings to achieve transcendence and liberation. Because science
deals only with the physical realm, no scientific experiment or methodology can possibly
assess this kind of risk. Even if there is only a relatively small possibility of genetic
engineering having a serious effect on the nature of the human spirit and its potential
for transcendence, I think many of you will agree with me that it is a very serious cause
for concern.
Source: http://online.sfsu.edu/
Update : 01-12-2001
