The
general meaning natural selection is that there is a fittest with over
production of organism and an inevitable struggle for existence in the nature
so there is a major factor in the evolution of life.
Living
things have evolved continuously and successive periods of time have each been
characterized by particular type’s levels and assemblage of living organisms.
The other factor that helped in the acceptance of the theory of natural
selection, which created new species in nature was mutation. Mutations are the
so called spontaneous variations by which new and distinct varieties of plants
and animals arise.
Atoms
are the basic building blocks of matter that make up everyday objects. A desk,
the air, even you are made up of atoms. There are 90 naturally occurring kinds
of atoms. Scientists in labs have been able to make about 25 more.
The truth revealed about the inside
nature of the atom has undoubtedly invaluable influence not only upon the field
of science itself but upon all other broachers of knowledge, psychology,
philosophy and even theology.
John Dalton who lived in 1808 believed
that an element actually consisted of separate invisible and indivisible atoms.
Faraday symbolized an atom as a starfish with a small body and comparatively
long limbs which entangle the things the limps contact. The constituents of the
material universe interact with one another and are really inseparable. Things
do not exist individually; the existence of a single object is therefore
nothing more than a mental illusion. The universe is simply a process, a system
of inter-connected activities in which nothing moves independently of the reset
and where all is in ceaseless motion. This is exactly the same in principle,
through different in words, as the Buddha’s preaching of “Anicca” which means
the impermanent nature of things.
Philosophical
development which has taken place in western psychology took place long, long
ago in the Buddhist psychology of the Abhidhammas. It would also be shown that
both east and west have made a unique contribution to psychology and indeed to
science as a whole.
In both cases one can trace how
the soul becomes the mind, and the mind becomes experience and matter, and in
both cases one can see how the ego or self becomes the subject of much dispute.
In the pre-scientific Hindu
psychology the Brahmin or soul became the Atman or self and the Atman was seen
as an immaterial essence which underlay experience. Both prince Siddhartha and Wundt
discarded the soul and the soul like mind, and replaced it by experience and
matter. Skhandhas are clearly divided into rUpa which means matter and nAma which means experience. It is
always taken for granted in Buddhist writings that mind means experience.
Buddhism recognizes that there
experiential evidence for it; at a particular stage of meditation one may
develop it if one wishes, but it is not central or essential to Buddhist
psychology. Moreover, it is taken to be a function of the same material
mind-base which gives rise to all the other aspects of experience. Having made
immediate experience the subject matter of scientific psychology,
Generally speaking, the Buddhist
method of observation is meditation, which is superficially, rather similar to Wundt’s
method of introspection. Wundt’s introspection, however has proved to be
unsuitable for specific and controlled observation of experience and is no
longer used.
The
goal of Buddhism is Nibbana which is also known as Santi sukha, the supreme peace. Of course there are other synonyms for this incomparable bliss such as Kheman (free from from danger), sivam (freedom from disturbance) dipa (island of refuge), Visuddhi (freedom from mental defilement), asankhata dhatu (the element which is the opposite of sankhata nama and rupa), dukkha nirodha (the cessation of suffering), etc. There are descriptions of the same asankhata Nibbana which can be known and realized by means of the practice of the eightfold noble path. This path consists of sila (moral discipline), Samadhi (concentration of mind), and panna(wisdom). Anyone, who practises this eightfold noble path, can tastethe truth of Nibbana for a short moment, a long moment or a final duration moment accordingly. The best way is, of course, the
practice of Satipatthana (the way of mindfulness) because it contains all the elements of morality and wisdom. it brings purity of conduct (sila Visuddhi), purity of mind (Citta Visuddhi) as soon as mindfulness on the mind and matter occurs. Sometimes Nibbana may seem very remote and very difficult to attain. Actually this is not so. It is not difficult to attain the tadinga Nibbana (Nibbana for a moment) because virtuous conduct always brings peace and happiness in this life and in this moment. So long as the good life is lived, freedom from fear is attained. So also a man, who is full of concentration, enjoys freedom from mental defilements. If right understanding is developed through mindfulness, freedom from wrong belief is attained.
