Tonight I had the honor of listening to the Dalai Lama deliver an address to 8,000 assembled scientists at the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. I frantically took notes in the margins of my program, so I apologize in advance if this entry is a little disjointed...both my transcription skills and my handwriting left much to be desired.

The very notion of a religious leader giving the opening remarks at a scientific conference is surprising, particularly for those of us who have lived under the increasingly anti-science theocratic shadow spreading across the United States. It was an amazing experience to see scientists lining up for 2 hours to listen to the words of a holy man. It was even more amazing to hear a be-robed monk describe quarks as "awesome."

Of course, the Dalai Lama is unlike any religious leader I've encountered before, and his religion shares little in common with the religious faith most of us encounter in daily American life. For one thing, he opened his address with an explanation of how skepticism is considered a fundamental part of his religion, and how students are expected to read Buddhist teachings--including the words of Buddha himself--with a critical mind. He explained that members of his Buddhist discipline recognize that many of the great Buddhist teachers wrote hundreds or thousands of years ago and did not have access to the knowledge we have today, and, while this does not mean we should disregard all their work, we must be willing to sort out which teachings are still relevant to us and which are not compatible with the knowledge we have today.

The Dalai Lama's humor and gregariousness is also a dramatic contrast to the most visible spiritual leaders in America. For example, while he enjoys tinkering with mechanical devices, he ruefully stated that when it comes to computers, "I'm hopeless." When a scientist asked how the Dalai Lama would feel if there was some surgical way to bring about the mental state currently achieved through meditation, he chuckled, "If you can create a surgery to remove all the negative emotions and attachment from the brain, then I will be the first patient! I spend several hours each day trying to do this, and it is quite tiring."

On the subject of ethics, the Dalai Lama once again demonstrated how different his religious beliefs are from the Judeo-Christian system most Americans follow. He explained that love, kindness, honor, respect, and compassion are all "fundamental human values." Religion does not create these values, and we do not need religion to live according to these values, although religion--when used correctly, he stressed--can help enhance our understanding of these values or our ability to live according to them. He added that man-made problems and strife are the result of "an unrealistic approach" on our part, and the unrealistic approach is due to our lack of knowledge. If we want to reach peace, prosperity, and individual happiness, then we must develop a realistic approach by increasing our understanding of the world. Certainly this attitude is a far cry from the "pray harder, dammit!" methodology of the American faithful.

There was a question and answer session at the end of the event, in which the Dalai Lama cheerfully welcomed his audience to give him the kind of grilling that I have nightmares about. First up was a person who asked how the Buddhist value of compassion for living things could be reconciled with the use of animals in research. The Dalai Lama's reply was an echo of the very system of ethics that modern science has built over many decades, with emphasis on minimizing both the use of animals and the suffering experienced by the animals. He said that one must understand and appreciate the sacrifice that is being asked of the animal, and that one must only ask this sacrifice when it will contribute meaningfully to the betterment of life. He added that this topic has arisen among non-vegetarian Buddhists as well, but was quick to specify that the most common Buddhist solution (chanting Om Mani Padme Hum over the animal) would not be appropriate for a scientific setting.

Another interesting question posed by an audience member was, "What do you think is the best way to deal with drug abuse, in terms of how it impacts our consciousness?" The Dalai Lama replied, "I don't like the word 'best.' What is it? 'Easiest'? 'Fastest'? 'Cheapest'? There is not this 'best.' You should treat this issue case by case. There is not a general answer."

The last question of the night was a perfect closer, because it so perfectly exemplified why the Dalai Lama is a groovy fellow. The question was, "If you were to become a neuroscientist today, what would your PhD thesis topic be?" Though he had just finished fielding some of the toughest ethical questions in science, and had done so with apparent ease, to this last question the Lama laughed and joked, "I will need a few more days to think about that one!"