Science has changed the whole world in all respects. Today we are bewildered by its stupendous changes. Industry, transportation, agriculture, trade, communication, life pattern and the way of thinking were changed by the application of science. In the 19th century, there was much higher level of increase in scientific knowledge. With the rapid increase of this scientific knowledge, man proudly thought that he was the chief controller of nature. He couldn't understand the friendly gifts of the natural world and began to exploit it instead.
It is true that new technological products are more useful and more desirable. But if there is no demarcation of any limit and unless they are appropriately guided they can create disastrous consequences for the community of our planet. The airplane is more useful than many other ways of transportation. Pilots take their aircrafts to every nook and corner of the world and man is proud of using it and also he proudly thinks that he lives in as scientifically and technologically more advanced age. People of the previous ages of the world had no such things in which to travel. Therefore many people assume that they are more advanced than ancient men.
Scientific knowledge is great but if we do not know how to use it properly then the very same science will create a chaotic situation. Without knowing the meaning of life, real objectives of life or the utmost significance of spirituality, many are trying to abuse scientific knowledge, rendering it harmful or useless.
Modern Science
Some scholars have made unparalleled and remarkable contributions to modern science and technology. They dedicated their whole life to carry on scientific research for the betterment of human society. The father of modern science is considered to be Albert Einstein. He discovered the new fundamental laws of physics and was able to change the accepted views of physics. Relativity is the famous modern theory of Albert Einstein. He further explained and made very extraordinary comments on the concepts of space and time.
Nowadays, scientists make hundreds of experiments on various subjects. Now we know the behavior of atoms, protons, electrons, positrons and neutrons. Ancient Jain seers and Buddhist philosophers were the first thinkers who talked of atoms and gave explanations about them. Ancient seers explained them with the idea of revealing the truth of our outer world. But today, so-called educated experts make experiments on atoms with the intention of killing their fellow human beings.
Needless to say, the earth is very small planet in the universe. The whole solar system also is a very small place. It can be considered to be a very little drop in the great ocean of immeasurable space. It is an accepted fact that it takes millions and millions of years for light to reach our planet from some places in the universe. Is it true that there are billions and billions of stars in the universe and that they are situated in very far away places in the cosmos?
Buddha's Teaching
What did the Buddha explain in this regard more than 2500 years ago? The Buddha teaches us that there are three kinds of universal systems:
- Sahassi-culanika lokadhatu
The universal system which consists of one thousand solar systems. - Dvisahassi-majjhimanika lokadhatu
The universal system which consists of a million (1000 x 1000) solar systems - Tisahassi-mahasahassi-lokadhatu
The universal system which consists of a billion (1000 x 1000 x 1000) solar systems.
How many Tisahassi-mahasahassi-lokadhatu world systems are there in space? It is countless and unthinkable and also beyond human knowledge. It cannot be expressed through our human language and is also beyond reasoning. The peculiar characteristic of this teaching is that we do not find that kind of explanation in any other ancient religion or philosophy.
It should be understood here that there are limits of our knowledge, whether scientific or computerized. If we say that there are “trillions and trillions and trillions of galaxies” in outer space, this is not correctly within our knowledge. It is limitless and immeasurable and our brain-power is not strong enough to think of it.
Machine Age and Power Age
There are so many things that we do and that we see in our daily life which are connected with Science or Applied Science. Science and technology introduced the multifarious and multifunctional machines and electrical power to human life. Early scientists introduced these machines with the intention of promoting human welfare. But with the introduction of big machines, human labor was neglected. Electrical power is rapidly taking the place of human labor and it results in a shocking decreased in the need for and employment of laborers.
The Industrial Revolution paved the way for the Machine age. After that the electrical revolution came in existence and electrical power has become the essential limb of human life. Now we live in the Power Age and we have to deal with the results of this power age whether we like or dislike them. The Power Age changed everything in our outer environment and every activity of all human beings. Now man cannot live without this electrical power.
Everywhere in the world today we find electric power stations. But there are no manpower stations. Electric and petroleum-fueled machinery has doubled and redoubled in production. It produces and transports necessary and also unnecessary goods and commodities for so-called welfare of human beings. One man can control and operate a huge machine and produce hundreds of items per day. Machines do not discern what is good utility or necessity but just spew out enormous numbers of manufactured goods. Similarly a few men can operate many machines to grow and harvest vast acres of crops without concern for the ecosystem or employment needs of theirs fellow men.
Then what happens to the millions of workers in the factories and farms? We see that those machines were able to mercilessly throw out the workers form their factories and farms day after day. Can this situation be regarded as a good application of the progress of science and technology? It is true that the power age helps in multifaceted ways to improve the quantity of human life, producing more goods with less money. But it has neglected the labor and labor dignity of the millions of our own fellow factory and farm workers. It is very clear that man has become an inferior slave of electric and petroleum-fueled power and that they dominate all human activities.
Technology is advancing rapidly. Technical improvements are going on ceaselessly. But workers are being displaced at the same rate by huge machines. The unemployment problem is also increasing at a terrifying rate. In every place, chaotic situations are stirring up. Poverty is also on the increase. Educated people are applying the multifarious methods of science and technology to solve this problem and to avoid terrible suffering of human beings. Can this be done easily? Can we hope for good results? Is it not this same science and technology that gave birth to the war-like situation today?
Science and technology as we have visualized has facilitated so many good things for the physical and mental happiness of human beings but science has also invented newer weapons in a greater scale to the war fronts. Now these newly-invented deadly weapons such as computerized missiles can destroy the places of very old civilizations. And they do that unpleasant job today. Destroying the places of ancient civilizations means that man of this computerized age is attacking violently his own heritage.
Highly explosive bombs and various kinds of poisonous gases are there now and they can destroy many important places including our great cities. They can suffocate and kill every living thing. Now we talk of a bacteriological warfare that can affect seriously our food and drinking water. Some scholars are of the opinion that the whole mankind is going to commit suicide.
Citta vipallasa
Are we as human beings to promote peace and cooperation or to help destructive and greedy processes guided by dogmatic views? Are we intelligent enough to select the right path?
Do science and technology have any response? Do computers give any hint to select the correct path for the welfare of mankind? Is there any process of remedial action for perversion of minds (citta vipallasa) blinded by so-called advancement of science and technology? One truth is very clear: without limits and controls, strange reactions will come and give very unpleasant results. It is the law of nature. Therefore the answer for all these tangles and chaotic situations is the cultivation of our inner spirituality.