I have read a Japanese book named “Inquiry about Truth（真理の探究）”, which is written by Shizuka Sasaki（佐々木閑）and Hiroshi Ooguri（大栗博司）. They are famous researchers regarding Buddhism and theoretical physics, respectively. The book emerges what are deduced from the encounter between the knowledge of two different fields. I will briefly introduce the content.
The book is started from a topic “Human beings naturally have tendency of prejudices and preoccupations”. As a biologist, I know that prejudices and preoccupations are not only emerges naturally but also are acquired. This is not a big point of this book, however. The two writers mention something similar to existentialism in molarity, in which existence proceeds essence. Therefore it will become important to view rightly (samyag-dṛṣṭi). As the writing proceeds, it is mentioned that to consider oneself not as a center of universe is somehow relatable to investigate a basic equation underlying all the matters in nature. The theories of universe or creations are, if universal, directly linked to science. If diversified depending on the case, the reliability decreases. It is also noted that in Nirvāṇa（涅槃静寂）, the idea of time is lacking. In quantum physics, the situation is very difficult to imagine because measurement is time asymmetric and the arrow of time cannot be eliminated in normal situation. This is something difficult about considering a time machine that travels to past and why the study of black hole is interesting for the invention of time machine.
The common theme between Buddhism and physics is that (almost) everything can be explained by pratītya-samutpāda（縁起）, or causality. Please note that pratītya-samutpāda is not a kind of simple matter that human beings can easily guess from the phenotypic inputs. It is more complex and people that think themselves as supernatural beings related to pratītya-samutpāda very frequently judge the matters in wrong and irrational ways and they meet their own catastrophes. In the book, Sasaki also mentions he also has some sense related to the absolute beings, but he has never spoken a word for such a matter directly and merely keeps in his mind. He definitely not intends to create an organization based on such a belief. In Buddhism, asaſskŗta, which are the absolute vacuum（虚空無為）, Nirvāṇa（択滅無為）and an idea similar to convergence in quantum mechanics that gets rid of other possibilities in future（非択滅無為）, are the three laws of nature that are absolutes. In Buddhism (or also in physics) the law of nature has never disappeared, but other existence obey the law of sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā（諸行無常）or impermanence. This would introduce the idea of sarva-dharma-anaatman（諸法無我）, which denies the existence of self as a permanent essence and ultimately also denies the absolute being. In Buddhism, the phenomena in large scale are deterministic, but in small scale there is free will. There is an idea of saṃsāra (reborn) due to the karman one has achieved in previous lives. As a result, the Buddhism is based on sabbe saGkhaaraa dukkha (一切皆苦, everything is suffering). In Mahāyāna Buddhism, karman can be converted to Pariṇāmanā（回向）, which means being good to other beings, not to oneself.
The difference between Buddhism and physics is clearly described by Ooguri in the book: even if the standing point as understanding the universe is common between the two, the purpose of such an act is different and the outputs are also different. In science, the ultimate goal is to understand the nature. In Buddhism, however, the purpose is to be a better being and it will not end up in understanding the nature. Listening to your (Sasaki’s) talk, the Buddhism seems to create the story for its purpose.
The book is ended with the lecture of Sasaki regarding how he could scientifically restructure a part of the history in Buddhism out of huge amount of pseudohistory. The story ended up in the importance of scientific way of thinking.
