Download Buddhism and Darwin`s Theory of Evolution

Buddhist Era 2547 Medin New Moon - Saturday , March 20 , 2004
Buddhism and Darwin's Theory of Evolution
by D. Amarasiri Weeraratne
It was over a hundred years ago that Darwin presented his theory of Biological
Evolution. This epoch-making and far-reaching discovery undermined the foundations of religion in the West. Christian priests in England were alarmed and took
the offensive against Darwin and his "Theory of Evolution." Drwin faced all such
ill-informed and fanatical attacks with courage and calmness. Attempts to silence
him with money also failed. The fanatical attacks were spearheaded by Archbishop Wilberforce. His contention was that if Evolution was true, the story of creation given in the opening verses of the Bible must be false. Rather than believe
that the Bible which contained the infallible 'Word of God' was false, the priests
preferred to think that Darwin was mistaken.
Charles Darwin showed that all living organisms are related members of one
connected system and that higher forms of life have gradually evolved from the
lower forms. In other words, evolution has progressed from one-celled organisms
to a highest state, namely, the human being, all due to biological changes taking
place over millions of years. The "World Book Encyclopedia" explains evolution
thus: "The theory of evolution involves three main ideas that (1) living things
change from generation to generation producing descendants with new characteristics. (2) The process has been going on for so long that it has produced all the
groups and kinds of things now living as well as others that lived long ago and have
since died out, and (3) all these different living things are related to each other".
Evidence coming from various branches of science such as geology, paleontology, ethnology, embryology, biology, and so on, all confirm and establish the
truth of Darwin's theory. His theory has explained the origins of this world more
satisfactorily than any other alternate theory known to man.
Many subsequent scientific findings have confirmed its validity, and opposition to it by religious fanatics became useless in the face of these developments.
Today the scientific world accepts Darwin's theory and treats it with respect. It is
now a subject for study for all students of the natural sciences.
Although Darwin's Theory of Evolution shattered the foundations of Western
religion and reduced Christianity to a shipwreck, it has not harmed or affected
Buddhism in any way. In fact it has confirmed its wisdom. The Buddha did not
teach that the world was created by God, or that man is a special creation. The word
"satva" applies to gods, men, animals and all other living beings. Thus, Buddhism
does not distinguished between men and animals in the way Christianity does. In
the Agganna Sutta we find the Buddha referring to a process of evolution by which
life developed. Theidea of volution is consonant with the teachings of the Buddha
and is quite acceptable to the Buddhist; the findings of science fits in and does not
contradict the fundamentals of his religion.
We can highlight the three fundamental truths of existence which are to be
found at the heart - the core of the Buddha's teachings, namely, Anicca (Impermanence), Dukkha (Suffering or unsatisfactoriness) and Anatta (Beings having
no-soul) and are also confirmed as fact by modern scientific evidence.
These modern scientific truths support the Dhamma and so are all matters to the
satisfaction to the Buddhist.
Darwin showed how life began as a unicellular organism in the oceans and
evolved by gradual stages. He adduced scientific evidence in support of his thesis. This established that all animals had a common origin and evolved from one
species to another due to biological changes. This proved once and for all that animal species are not fixed or static as created by God, but that they are slowly evolving from lower forms, and even now are evolving into still different forms. Our
human lives are too short to observe this process of evolutionary change in all its
fullness. The animals and plant species that existed millions of years ago no longer
exist now. The trees and animals that will exist in a million years in the future will
be different from the ones existing now. This applies to mankind, too. Therefore,
"Anicca" (Impermanence), is not only confined to inanimate objects but is applicable also to animate life of all types and species.
Therefore, the Buddha's dictum "Sabbe sankhara anicca" - all compounded
things are impermanent - is confirmed and spotlighted with evidence from science.
The Bible teaches that the world and its living beings have all been created by a
merciful God who is all powerful. But in the study of evolution we see that all
species are subject to suffering. We see the strong preying on the weak and this is
a common occurrence in the process of life and evolution. Existence on earth
means eating and avoid being eaten. Therefore the entire earth has been drenched
with the blood of millions of creatures killed for food, on land, sea and air. Many
ancient species of animals became extinct because they could not avoid falling
prey to predators. The example can be cited of those dinosaurs killed as prey and
so have perished long ago leaving only their fossilised skeletons as evidence, and
which scientists now use to reconstruct their shape and size. Animals preying
upon one another is the method by which nature controls natural populations.
Otherwise the entire earth would be filed with in- sects and other creatures, leaving not even an inch of ground clear. Nearly all creatures live in fear of predators
who kill and eat them. No intelligent person can accept that God who created such
a scheme of bloody carnage, is a kind and compassionate being. In this manner,
the belief in a creator God and his attributes of mercy are shattered.
Therefore, the Buddha's dictum "Sabbe sankhara dukkha" - all life is suffering
or un-satisfactory), is confirmed as true in the light of scientific understanding.
You can ask why did a compassionate and all-powerful God create beings that
evolved through such a slow and painful process fraught with so much suffering,
and through a period of so many millennia? The process of evolution is a blind
groping in the dark and one wrought with suffering. The idea that this is the work
of a kind and all powerful God must be rejected. Actually, if there is such a God,
he should be able to create life quickly, without all this suffering and blind groping. And the lives of such creatures created should be happy and free from suffering. But by understanding the glaring imperfection of the process of evolution and
its attendant suffering, the idea that there is a merciful God gets demolished.
The Bible teaches that man is a special creation from animals. Theology says
that man has a soul which animals do not have. In this connection Bertrand Russel has said "During the long process of Evolution from the amoeba to homo-sapiens, at what stage did the 'soul' come in?" It is very clear that the idea of a soul which
is immutable and eternal is an imaginary one. Man has a more developed brain
with superior intellectual powers, therefore the mind of man is mistaken for a
"soul" in the various religions.
Biological investigation tells us that there are some 180 vestigial organs
remaining in the human body, unused. These are of no use now and are remains of
our past evolution. In addition, one can see the remnant of a tail at the end of the
spine and hair on the body that shows us our kinship with the apes.
Not only human beings but also the lower creatures have vestigial organs that
are unused now. This is all evidence that they too, have evolved from lower forms.
Embryology shows that man as well as animals embryos recapitulate the various
stages of evolution during the period of gestation. Therefore we learn that man is
a being evolved from the primates and not a special creation with an immortal
soul. Modern research has revealed that primates such as chimpanzees have the
intellect of a three year old child. They can be trained to communicate and can use
as many as two hundred and fifty words. They have about 95% of our genes. The
difference between mankind and the higher apes in that mankind has developed a
brain capable of higher intelligence. No human "soul" has been found. The Buddha's teaching of Anatta is confirmed by the findings of modern science.
Therefore, this establishes the Buddhist truth of the dictum: "Sabbe dhamma
anatta." All beings are without a soul which is immutable and immortal. Thus Darwin's ideas discredited the belief in an immortal soul among the world's intelligentsia.
It cannot be said that the process of Evolution mentioned in the Agganna Sutta
coincides with Drawin's theory in all details. The Agganna Sutta does not depict
how creatures adapted themselves to their environment in order to survive or how
species struggled and competed for existence and how those who developed special skills to exist survived while others perished as given in Darwin's findings.
But striking similarities are there. The earliest forms of life mentioned in the Sutta,
were sexless. They lived on moss which was found on scum of the earth. After a
long period they developed different body shapes and colours. After the savoury
scum disappeared a kind of fungus developed. Creatures lived on this. After a further long period of time creatures developed sex difference. This allowed a selection process which strengthened the species. This modern knowledge is in keeping with Darwin's ideas of beings evolving and developing over long periods of
time, with new species constantly arising and evolving; and similarly for plant life
and botanical evolution on earth.
Therefore we can conclude that the Agganna Sutta contains statements which
are now verified scientifically, but others which are legendary details and so, irrelevant. We must allow for the fact that the Sutta was finally written down on paper
about five hundred years after the death of the Buddha. It is likely that thinking on
these matters current at that time crept into the writings. But the important thing
here is that the idea of evolution was taught by the Buddha in this Sutta and was
accepted as a fact by Buddhists so many years ago. Thus, we see that Buddhists
have no difficulties in accepting Darwin's "Theory of Evolution". Buddhists find
that the fundamentals of their religious teachings dating back to so many centuries, are confirmed. Buddhists are pleased that as science advances, the truths
enunciated by the Buddha get more and more support and acceptance.
(courtesy vesak sirisara)
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