One important impetus for the rapid development of western civilization over the last two centuries has been science and technology. It is not difficult to see that scientific investigation is based on people's desire to explore the outer world. This continuous endeavor and progress can be defined as “pursuit outside one's mind”.

The following is a brief discussion of this topic based on the latest developments in biotechnology, physics, and computer Internet.

On Biotechnology
The biotech community has long held the view that we should protect various kinds of animals from extinction, so that in the future people can control various kinds of life by controlling the genes from these animals. Based on the theory of genetics, the basic characteristics of an animal are determined by its DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). The duplication and mutation of DNA are manipulated by biological enzymes, which are biological catalysts. As a result, universities and biochemical companies have been spending a lot of energy on the research and development of biological enzymes, and have already achieved great progress. In the supermarkets nowadays, one may see quite a few kinds of genetically engineered food and produce, whose genetic characteristics have been altered with the aim of bringing greater satisfaction to the customer.

At first glance, genetic engineering appears to be beneficial to society and consumers. However, we have a long way to go before we will be able to permanently and safely change the interior structure of certain biological entities. The above DNA mutation method is enforced from outside as opposed to being a natural change, and the biological entity produced in this way may go through genetic mutation again in its growth based on its own biological characteristics. This kind of potential re-mutation may not only cause the food to lose its original nutritional content, it can also cause some long-term, unknown, and possibly dangerous side-effects.

It is easy to see that this kind of bio-treatment method is not proper from a Buddhist point of view. As we know, everything in the universe operates according to the principle of the Middle Way. Genetic engineering, however, aims to artificially cause biological mutations, thus overlooking the fundamental law of cause and effect. Human beings need to foster merit and blessings before they can hope to enjoy a better fruition. If we insist on seeking a better result without looking at the causes, the consequences will be severe. The progress that these biotechnology research groups have attained will benefit certain people and interest groups, but the biotech community cannot guarantee what long-term effects it will bring.

The January 19, 1998 issue of Time in Canada carried an article titled “Of Headless Mice...and Men.” Two labs are reported to have created some headless mice. Researchers found the gene that tells the embryo to produce the head, deleted it, and then tried to produce headless mice. Having no way to breathe, the mice died soon afterwards. Later Princeton biologist Lee Silver announced that it would certainly be possible to produce human bodies without a forebrain, and he claimed that these human bodies without any semblance of consciousness would not be considered persons, and thus it would be perfectly legal to keep them ‘alive' as a future source of organs.  As we all know, the ancient Chinese ruler Shen Nong tested all kinds of natural medicine on himself in order to determine their effects and help people; he truly followed the path of the Sage. The current use of mice in various bio-tests is immoral enough; creating humans without forebrains to serve as experimental material is completely opposed to the Way.

To be continued

About the author: James Q. Wang was born in Nanjing, China. In 1995, after earning a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering at University of Connecticutt, he worked as a chemical engineer at Molten Metal Technologies, Inc. During that time, he spent over a year at their laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, doing design work for a nuclear waste treatment facility. In July of 1997, he came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to be a volunteer teacher.

Everything in the universe operates according to the principle of the Middle Way. Genetic engineering, however, aims to artificially cause biological mutations, thus overlooking the fundamental law of cause and effect.