“Dialogue Between Science and Buddhism” on “The Nature of Life” with Geshe Tenzin Norbu and Dr. Joana Xavier at Nalanda Monastery, France, May 9, 2026. Photo courtesy of Nalanda Monastery’s Facebook Page

Several FPMT centers have been actively working to bridge the fields of Buddhism and science, inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s longstanding contribution to fostering dialogue between Buddhism and science for the benefit of humanity. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama championed and initiated the historic integration of modern science into the traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastic curriculum and the Geshe degree framework. Formal science classes began entering major Gelugpa monastic universities in 2001 via programs like Science for Monks and the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative. Geshe Tenzin Norbu was among the monastics who attended these classes during his studies.

Inspired by this vision, Nalanda Monastery in France has organized a series of public dialogues between Buddhism and science since 2019. The initiative was started by Ven. Lobsang Gyaltsen while he was studying Dharmakīrti’s texts, with the aim of bringing Buddhist understanding into dialogue with scientific knowledge, following His Holiness’s vision. These dialogues bring together Tibetan Buddhist scholars and academic scientists to explore topics including physics and interdependence, consciousness and the self, and the nature of life. We rejoice in Nalanda Monastery’s efforts to carry forward His Holiness’s vision through these meaningful exchanges. On May 9, 2026, Nalanda hosted the third “Dialogue Between Science and Buddhism,” bringing together Geshe Tenzin Norbu and Dr. Joana Xavier to explore “The Nature of Life.”

In this article, Geshe Tenzin Norbu reflects on modern biology, evolution, cognition, feeling, and consciousness, and considers where scientific and Buddhist perspectives meet—and where they differ—in understanding life and mind.

Rethinking Life, Biology, and How We Know Things

By Geshe Tenzin Norbu

When science and Buddhism sit down at the same table, the conversation usually focuses on brain waves, physics, or human psychology. But looking at things through modern biology expands the picture to cover roughly 3.5 billion years of evolution. When you look that far back, the classic “tree of life”—linking bacteria, archaea, and complex organisms like us—looks less like a tree and more like a massive, interconnected network. We all share the same foundational biochemical machinery. Because of that, “knowing” or learning isn’t just some abstract thing happening in a human brain; it’s baked into biology itself. What you eat, how much stress you’re under, and even the bacteria in your gut directly shape how you perceive and interact with the world.

To make sense of the mind, it helps to break it down into three distinct layers:

1. Cognition: This is simply the ability to adapt and learn from feedback. You can actually see learning-like patterns in non-living systems (like machine learning algorithms), suggesting that “cognition” might have existed even before single-celled life.
2. Feeling: This emerged alongside early cellular life (like ancient bacterial biofilms). Once a cell has an inside and an outside, it can evaluate its environment—feeling a basic drive toward what helps it and away from what harms it.
3. Consciousness: This came much later and is far rarer. Biologists like Eva Jablonka suggest it showed up around the Cambrian explosion (~540 million years ago) when animals developed complex, goal-directed choice.

The Heart of Buddhist Practice

While science tries to map and describe these phenomena, Buddhism is fundamentally practical. Its main goal isn’t just to accumulate knowledge, but to end suffering through the Four Noble Truths: identifying suffering, finding its root causes, realizing it can end, and following a practical path to get there.

At the core of this path are a few central ideas:

• Karma: Karma simply means intentional action—whether through body, speech, or mind. Every intentional act leaves an “imprint” that eventually shapes your future experiences.
• Rebirth and the “Self”: We suffer and stay trapped in cycles of rebirth because we cling to the illusion of a solid, permanent “self.” Freedom comes from directly realizing selflessness (that there is no fixed, independent “me”).To realize this, Buddhists use two complementary forms of meditation: stabilizing meditation (to calm and focus the mind) and analytical meditation (to investigate reality). Together, they cultivate wisdom and compassion—often described as the two wings a bird needs to fly.

Geshe Tenzin Norbu during an EEG recording session at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, South India, with the Russian scientists from the Institute for Advanced Brain Studies, MSU.

Where Biology and Buddhism Meet (and Clash)

When you put these two systems side-by-side, you find some fascinating bridges, but also a major sticking point. The Major Clash: Modern science generally views the mind as a byproduct of the physical brain. Buddhism, on the other hand, holds that consciousness can only arise from a previous moment of consciousness—meaning the mind has a continuous, non-material continuity that goes beyond the physical body.

The Bridge (Interdependence): Where they deeply agree is on the nature of reality. Scientific models show that everything in nature exists within a web of cause and effect. This mirrors the Buddhist concept of dependent arising or emptiness (śūnyatā) — the idea that nothing exists independently on its own. They essentially split the work: science offers a detailed description of how the physical world works conventionally, while Buddhism provides a path to transform your mind.

Geshe Tenzin Norbu during the “Dialogue Between Science and Buddhism” on “The Nature of Life” at Nalanda Monastery, France, May 9, 2026. Photo courtesy of Nalanda Monastery Youtube channel.

The Unconscious & Unexplained Phenomena:

Both traditions recognize that human behavior is driven by deep, hidden layers of habit. Psychology calls this the unconscious; Buddhism explains it as karmic habits ripening when the right conditions align. Meditation acts as a tool to clear out these layers of reactivity. Scientists have begun studying advanced meditators during sleep and lucid dreaming, finding distinct physical patterns. However, Buddhist concepts like a “subtle mind” that can affect physical matter, or non-material karmic seeds that carry over after death, currently have no clear equivalent or proof in scientific methodology.

With grateful thanks to Geshe Tenzin Norbu for submitting this thoughtful piece! 

About Geshe Tenzin Norbu is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar and Spiritual Program Coordinator at Nalanda Monastery in France.

He holds a Tsogram Geshe degree from Sera Mey Monastic University. After completing his studies in the five major treatises, he continued his studies in Buddhist tantra through the traditional year-long residency at Gyudmed Monastery in South India. He ordained as a monk in 2004 and received full ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2007. He has also served as a translator for the Pali-Sanskrit Bhikkhu Exchange program and has translated for numerous esteemed teachers.

You can read more about the scientific research in which Geshe-la participated “A Scientific Investigation of Meditation by Russian Neuroscientists” and here “An inquiry into a post-death Buddhist meditative practice“.

Is your center bridging science and Buddhism as well? We would love to hear about it and share it in a future story.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.