The house of secular Buddhism

I don't think I am too far off the mark when I say that neuroscience's long term goal is to explain the human mind or consciousness in terms of materialism.  In other words, mind arises from a special assembly of physical constituents—which rules out spirit.  This fits nicely with the belief of some Buddhists that the Buddha denied a spiritual mind or the self (âtman).  Because of this, neuroscience and modern Buddhism seem to be sharing the same park bench, having a few important things in common.  

What should be of concern for serious Buddhists is how much are modern Buddhists willing to kowtow to neuroscience, passing through the neutral zone (Star Trek) into the forbidden zone of materialism?  Regrettably, some Buddhists appear to have already passed through the neutral zone like Stephen Batchelor who presently hides his materialism behind the accepted nomen of ‘secular Buddhism’.

A concise view of secular Buddhism understands that secular means opposition to religious beliefs.  For example, secular Buddhism rejects the belief in rebirth.  Nor would we expect a secular Buddhist to be interested in the afterlife or NDEs (Near Death Experiences).  By and large, secular Buddhism is okay with materialism.

But I dare say, the secular house of cards is going to fall.  With regard to reincarnation (which I hope to get into later), since 1961 there has been a great deal of research into the subject of reincarnation done at the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) at the University of Virginia.  Some of the results are quite astonishing.  Incidentally, all the work that has come out of DOPS has seriously challenged the notion that consciousness is only a product of the brain which is the keystone of materialism.

 

Comments

[PMW]

Relevant post, and something many religions are wrestling with. Is spirit other than material? How will knowing these things progress one toward awakening? They are very interesting indeed!

[Mumon]

With regard to reincarnation (which I hope to get into later),...

Somewhat like an old George Carlin joke.