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Science, Information Technology and Buddhist Communication

Yan Xu

Abstract：The sudden success in just about any field has become impossible without information technology. In whatever areas, it apparently sets to change everything that human beings do in advanced society. The new technology requires us not only use the new methods to communicate and promote Buddhism, but also apply the new concepts to gather online Buddhist community, and offer the new social value and spiritual food for the public. This paper will discuss the relationship between science and Buddhism in the first place. Then, it will go on to explore the significance of information technology to Buddhism and discover how it affects Buddhist communication. Lastly, it will try to find out some solutions for Buddhist organizations and individuals to avoid the side effects of information technology today.

Key Words: Science Information Technology Buddhist Communication Media Literacy

The relationship between science and religion is never as simple as people imagine. In the Western world, Christianity did a great contribution to the establishment and development of the modern science. However, the raising of science became the major enemy to the church. Before the Enlightenment Age, religion was the dominate power in the society. The truth was hold in the church’s hands. Anything when the church said it’s right then it’s right. When the church said it’s wrong, then it’s wrong even though it’s right (He, 1998, p.159-163). For instance, the church said the earth is the center of the universe, anyone who challenged the notion would be punished or simply burned to death, such as, Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei. But the punishments didn’t stop the progress of the people’s exploration to truth. The growth of science and reasoning, built up people’s awareness of the universe and themselves. From 17th century onwards, under public pressure, some well-learned theologists already thought the necessity to start the dialogue between religion and modern science (Zhao, 1995, p.635). In this paper I will briefly discuss the relationship between science and Buddhism in the first place. Then, I will go on to talk about the Buddhist perception towards science, and explore the significance of information technology to Buddhism and its effects to Buddhist communication. Lastly, I will try to find out some solutions for Buddhist organizations and individuals to avoid the side effects of information technology.

In the 19 century, after the lost of Sino-Japanese War in 1894-1895. The need for fostering Western science, political system, and legislations became the mainstream public thoughts in the era. At the time, Yan Fu, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Zhang Taiyan, Sun Zhongshan and so forth strongly advocated the importance of science for building a strong nation (He, 1998, P.166). Unfortunately, later, this trend led to an extreme, to replace religion with science, arts, or philosophy, for example, Chen Duxiu The, the New Culture Movement advocator, who believed that religion was the enemies of science. For him, all religions were just the products of humans’ imagination. “It is the phenomenon ignored the objects, the reason abandoned the subjects. It is something constructed from nowhere, which stressed the hypothesis but practice... it’s something for uncivilized people in the past… All religious literatures were product of imagination” (Tang, 2007, p.155). In addition, Chen took the stand of the establishment of religion, and predicted that religion would die eventually. He thought science was the right path for humans’ belief, understanding, practice and actualization, then, all religions would be in a category of dump. “Science is the only way to resolve people’s doubts. I proclaim to replace religions with science, this is to open up our true belief. It is slow by finally we will reach there” (Chen, 1917).