Page 44 - Applied Buddhism
P. 44
biotechnology financially rewarding as they discover greener the readers to arrive at their own conclusions. This paper will begin
pasture in this new field of human adventure. On a positive note, with a brief description of the Buddhist paradigm, which will serve
biotechnology is now seen as the means to sustain food production, as a useful tool to examine the issues at hand. Thereafter, some of
treat diseases, enhance human traits, and improve the general well- the contentious issues will be dealt with.
being of mankind.
The Buddhist Paradigm
Such optimisms are not unfounded. As it is, biotechnology has
displayed some degree of relevance and usefulness in the field of The Buddhist paradigm is characterised by certain distinctive
agricultural production, and hence raises greater hope on the roles features, which are as follows:
it could play. For instance, commercial production of genetically
modified crops (GMCs) is known to reduce production costs. As 1. Dependent Origination. In the Buddhist world-view, the
such, over half of the major crops such as soybean, corn and canola cosmos is not a mechanical body comprising all types of matter.
grown in USA, Argentina, and Canada today are GMCs. In China, Rather, it is an inter-related complex, where space, time and matter
2,000 hectares of land were planted with insect-resistant cotton – are interdependent. Without one of them, we could not imagine the
the BT cotton - in 1997. The figure increased to 7000 hectares by others. In the Madhyamakakārikā, it is mentioned that “if there is
2000 and shot up to 2.2 million hectares (or 53% of land for cotton no matter, where is time and space”? (This is akin to the theory of
production) by December 2002. This rapid increase was due largely relativity propounded by Albert Einstein). The Law of Dependent
to the reduced production cost of BT cotton. Origination taught by the Buddha 2500 years ago explained that
the origin and cessation of a phenomenon is dependent and related
However, biotechnology is not without problems. While to the cessation and origination of another phenomenon. The
acknowledging that it offers hopes and opportunities to mankind, law explained that in the whole cosmos, nothing exists by itself.
there are also fears, anxieties, uncertainties, and risks associated Every phenomenon, including our own self, is interdependent, and
with this new technology. Some environmentalists and consumers interrelated.
are objecting to its role in human life while some social activists
see it as yet another tool of the TNCs to exploit the world. Some 2. Three Characteristics of Life. The three characteristics of
ethicists and religionists are also challenging the ethical grounds of life are Unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), Impermanence (anicca), and
biotechnology. No-Self (anattā). According to Buddhism, all phenomena (Dharma)
are without “self”. The sense of ‘self” we hold so dearly is a
What is the Buddhist perspective on this contentious technology? delusion. The so-called “self” is impermanent and has no essence
This paper will attempt, not so much to offer direct answers to some – it is void (śūnya). Seen in this perspective, human beings, as well
of the issues at hand (which is not practical in view of the complexity as the environment they live in, are all interrelated, ever changing,
involved), but to offer certain views and approaches that may help and devoid of a permanent entity.
032 Applied Buddhism Applied Buddhism 033
