1/10 Dialogue with "Buddha Science" - Introduction to this series

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Introduction to a dialogue with Steve Daut’s Buddha Science.

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I want to begin with a little personal background to offer some context for why I'm having this virtual dialogue with the words and ideas in a book.

I was born in 1955 in the midst of the greatest leap in geological and biological scientific understanding humanity has ever experienced.  One ageless mystery after another was being exposed and explained with descriptions of rational natural physical processes, from biology, to geology, to astronomy, and everything in between.

Thankfully I was born to a couple of secular, intelligent and engaged parents who allowed me to ponder the “deep questions” that fascinated me, free of the god-fearing browbeating that shut down so many other curious young souls.

Before I ever learned about religion or philosophy I was already enthralled by the deep questions: Who am I? Why am I? What am I? Why doesn’t my mind have control over the impulses inside of me?  How did this world come into existence? Trying to imagine the universe and infinity, and being allowed the freedom to wonder about the mystery of this God people were talking about.  I was also encouraged to think about living things, and wonder at the Evolution that unfolded on this singular planet.

About five years ago, in a burst of epiphany, I arrived at a succinct and fundamental distillation of our human existence, namely Appreciating the Physical Reality ~ Human Mind divide.  In the past five years that kernel of insight has continued resonating, leading to cascading insights as new appreciations keep sprouting from that seed of understanding.  

I also came to realize “Earth Centrist” describes my outlook better than any other label.

Internally, the past few years have provided a wonderful feeling of mysteries resolved and the peace of having arrived at a solid foundational understanding, after a lifetime of proactive learning and seeking.  

Externally, in sharing this evolving perspective, I’ve been surprised and frustrated at how difficult it is for others to grasp what seems to me straight-forward, if not self-evident.

Recently, Steve Daut’s Buddha Science was introduced to me, I was curious, though I wound up purchasing it more out of courtesy than expectations.  To my surprise Daut’s narrative and facts were clearly enunciated and his writing was solid, none of the flights-of-fancy or other red flags that turn me off.  He does a wonderful job of describing a lot of current spiritual/philosophical thinking, and he kept it grounded, and he kept me turning the pages. 

The book offered my Earth Centrist perspective a wonderful virtual discussion mate for contrasting my outlook against.  That is, Earth Centrism v. the traditional religious/philosophical dualistic rut that permeates much of today’s thinking.  

There’s very little about the facts of Steve’s story that I’d want to dispute.  My thinking is embedded in the same matrix of facts that he’s working with, but for whatever twist of fate, I’ve managed to step outside of myself - to recognize and absorb the reality of “deep-time,” this planet Earth, her pageant of Evolution, from one step beyond our self-absorbed, self-serving, hubristic, human fixations.

I’ve been in contact with Steve Daut and he’s given me his permission to use Buddha Science as my workbook and I thank him.  

Since I’m focusing on highlighting my particular Earth Centrist perspective, I skip long, yet interesting sections of Daut’s book, where my comments would be superfluous.  

I encourage you to purchase a copy of Daut’s Buddha Science, it’s a short (130 pages, 232 endnote citations) simple read and his complete telling is worth thinking about. 

What follows isn’t a critique, so much as a comparison of perspectives, a dialogue between me and a book.  Me being an Earth Centrist, viewing the world through a Evolution respecting, bottom-up lens.  Beyond that it’s simply another exercise in trying to define some simple concepts regarding Earth Centrism.

Buddha Science by Steve Daut

©2016 - ISBN 978-1-943290-15-4

For a copy email Steven Daut

This is another Cc's Student's Workbook, of sorts, 

meaning a little repetition is to be expected, 

honing concepts and descriptions.

Offering food for thought.

Is there anybody out there?

citizenschallenge at gmail