What Buddhism has to offer a future world is nothing short of astonishing. Of course, speculation about a Star Trek like futuristic Buddhism will certainly generate skepticism and ridicule, especially from those who are strongly attached to theology and materialism. But if these critics have bothered to read the canon of Buddhism with an esoteric eye, as it should be read, the basis of their skepticism lies outside of Buddhism so as to be unworthy of a serious response.
In the world of tomorrow in which Buddhism will, more than likely, be the world’s main religion, we will be able to decouple and re-couple, at will, with artificially engineered biological bodies. Death, and the fear of sickness, as we know it, will be a thing of the past. We will all primarily exist in thought-made bodies (manomaya-kaya); the form of which, according to the Buddha, is not deficient in any sense organ (M. ii. 17).
If, as these super beings, we desire to travel to other worlds to propagate the teachings of the Buddha out of compassion, we can either interface with artificial bodies, by which we will be able to fly our faster than light space craft, or we can directly enter the bodies of those we deem fit to teach. In this way, we will empower them so they may eventually alter the suffering matrix of their world. (We would also be able to transfer advanced technology to such people through our thought-made bodies.)
Being such an advanced race of beings who are in nirvana, which means we can couple with and decouple from artificially created bodies at will, our main mission will be to alleviate suffering where ever it exists in any star system, in any galaxy. Nothing would stop us from removing the dark veil of oppression and spiritual blindness that dominates the minds of primitive creatures throughout the universe. We would be very much like Plato’s Guardians described in the Republic.
Maybe five thousand years from now our technological advances should be so well along so as to make our present technology seen primitive. Along with this—and this is where Buddhism comes in—our ability to break our immediate interface with our biological body of birth and death, at will as a technique, will be significantly advanced which now seems almost impossible.
Such a world or worlds, I believe, already exist which we would find towards the center of our galaxy. These civilizations we can think of as being so spiritually advanced that being a Buddha is common place. From this we might consider Shakyamuni Buddha and other such humans as highly evolved Earth beings much like the appearance of modern man who eventually surpassed Neanderthals.
Well, does this sound crazy? Considering what has happened to me over these last forty years, which was the inspiration for this blog—some of it would make great science fiction, although it isn’t fiction. Among other things, I saw with my own eyes that being bound down to a body of flesh and bones by strong desire dummyfies us such that we close off what we can actually become in the way of compassionate super-beings (i.e., Bodhisattvas) who are cognizant of the luminous power of Mind.
If you’ve guessed that each of us has what it takes to make such a Star Trek like world a reality, you’re not wrong. What needs now to be done is to have great faith that we can transform our present almost-troglodyte-world into a Sukhavati (i.e., the pure land).
I have found that as long as the author does not walk astray from the wonderful wisdom dsplayed in the nirvana sutra, he is indeed a genuine buddhist, albeit a mystic with a good esoteric eye incomprehensible to most neo-buddhists. In this article, which I must say I thought he would never dare to write without a certain amount of condemnation by some thickheaded denizens, I find it still a pleasant surprise that he is, despite this huge apparent leap, still firmly grounded in the Nirvana Sutra.
For those with little sand in their eyes the author gave a lot of hints on what is possible for that which is true, completely free of limitations and deathless.
I bow in awe and gratitude for his compassion to kindle the spiritual eye of those who long to see beyond the confines of spiritual rigor mortis.
Posted by: minx | February 27, 2010 at 10:30 AM
No comment on the fact that ALL major invention and technology has stemmed from Western Man? Western man has been lied to and demonized to the point of slow suicide now. How will this wonderful techno-future happen? All of the money is going to criminal banksters and generational welfare cases. Reality check and checkmate.
Posted by: Frank | February 27, 2010 at 07:53 AM
What poor deluded person would want to do what you are suggesting? In nirvana you would still crave to play games in a body? No, the aggregated forms would hold no interest as they are all transitory.
This post is an absurd delusion. Stop the foolishness, you can do much better than this.
Posted by: @Combray_dave | February 26, 2010 at 12:35 AM
This is an unbelievably great article--actually made the tears well up. First though, we have a long, long way to go right here. Of all the races, only one has primarily created technology and science, which has benefited all of mankind, and that group of people who can not be named is literally going extinct; therefore, it is more likely we will descend into barbarism rather than reach for the stars. Also, we need to invent a kind of artificial meat to end all of the gory horrors perpetrated against our fellow animals each and every moment on this earth.
Posted by: Frank | February 25, 2010 at 05:18 PM
Finally you dare to go where no contemporary zennist has been before LOL
Nice article indeed.
Posted by: minx | February 25, 2010 at 11:14 AM