The Universe in a Single Atom

This guy really gets it! And: aaaaargh, no he doesn't. And: hmmmm, maybe it's me who doesn't get it. Those were my reactions, often simultaneous, and I'm in awe of the Dalai Lama for his ability to think, reason, and express himself so clearly. Would that any other religious authority (or religious person, for that matter) be willing to put his beliefs under scrutiny. He does, sometimes despite discomfort, and that is what makes a scientist. This is an admirable man.

Unfortunately, there's a little too much “we Buddhists got this right”: this or that holy book, or some scholar's revered interpretation thereof. Cherrypicking scripture and trying to get it to fit in with a scientific worldview. Alas, that's what he doesn't get: it just doesn't work that way. More importantly, it's just not even necessary. We don't look to Buddhist teachings for answers to cosmological questions—we seek to learn about ourselves. And there is where the two worldviews can coexist in harmony, and even support each other.

I dream of a world without religion. That is: a world without hatred, without intolerance, without child rape. I will not live to see such a world, but if we have to have religion, maybe we can work to make that be Buddhist or Buddhist-leaning. Self-reflective. Joyful. Curious. Seeking improvement... and not afraid to be questioned. This book is a start; a big step that way.

A note about the audio version: prepare for a love/hate. The reader is terrific, and (other than mispronouncing Feynman's name) does a great job of conveying difficult material at a suitable pace. But quite often the subject is too dense; you want to pause, think, reread, highlight, come back to. And with non-print, you can't. It's frustrating. But even with that, I think you can't really go wrong by listening to it instead of reading.