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Buddha "vs." Einstein Who's THE man? ;-)

RogerRoger
edited February 2011 in General Banter
My engineer friend declared he considers Einstein and Buddha pretty much equivalent. I'm gobsmacked since I read lots about E. and think he's a "one trick pony" who,in the end, demonstrated his lost brilliance when he misjudged the direction quantum mechanics would take. Referring to the fact that, contrary to Einstein's firm declaration it turns out that "god" DOES play dice.

Yes, E. DID make quite a contribution, I'm very glad to acknowledge that because he was one of my heros when I was younger.

Anyway, today, I couldn't possibly compare both individuals. B. has had a far more profound effect on humanity as we here are all probably quite aware.

My question: is there something I am missing?

How can the contributions of these two people POSSIBLY be compared? Just talking. No intention to arrive at a conclusion declaring "the winner." :)

Comments

  • zenffzenff Veteran
    My vote is for Darwin.
  • rainbowwarriorrainbowwarrior
    Hi Roger - simple - don't compare.
  • beingbeing Veteran
    I agree with rainbow on this one.
    Comparing people like this only adds to the delusions and gives power to the ignorance.
    There is no better or worse. It just happened. -_-
  • RogerRoger
    edited February 2011
    Hi Roger - simple - don't compare.
    Yes good point! Thanks you guys. Fortunately when I woke up this morning thinking about it I thought to myself, "Who cares?! Why even make the effort to debate?" I wasn't even thinking negatively or positively, just sort of neutral. Like why would I want to possibly cause trouble for my friend who thinks Einstein and Buddha are equals?! Just let him enjoy his thoughts! LOL.

    Still, There's SOMETHING about enlightened beings! HAHAHA! I just gotta go with them. :om: Maybe I've been watching too many TV commercials. :D
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    For all his magnificent work, did Einstein ever lay out directions by which human beings might be at peace with themselves and their surroundings?

    I agree ... these are two great guys ... just as apples and oranges are two great fruits.
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    They are both great at what they did.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Who's Einstein....?
  • ZaylZayl Veteran
    I think they both would of enjoyed a cup of tea together.
  • SampSamp
    edited February 2011
    Hi Roger,

    I agree with you - how can you compare these two very different men with completely different contributions to human ideas and thought. The Buddha wins hands down because what could be more important and pertinant to human ideas that addressing the fundamental problem of human life itself? ie "suffering".

    I suppose they are both "geniuses" in the formal sense of the word because E came up with his radical look at things as did the Buddha ie putting the problem of "suffering" at the centre of his thinking and then seeing that it was craving/aversion/indifferance that had to be addressed - WOW!..... what a perspective to take on things - how did he ever get up to that point to see that?! I cant imagine, but seeing it through his ideas/teaching it really makes sense of this enormous and Hydra-like human problem.

    One thing does puzzle me about the Buddha's story though. I have heard it said that the thing that is completely unique to the Buddha's thought, and to his enlightenement, is dependent origination (ie paticca-samuppada) but I wonder why his radical take on suffering and the causes of suffering aren't seen as being so "unique" - I wonder if these ideas appear in Hinduism? Does anyone have any idea?

    Cheers

    Sam
  • VangelisVangelis
    I think that Einstein had a great intellectual insight but that is by no means a comparison to the wisdom that the Buddha experienced and taught. So the two a completely different, like comparing apples with oranges. And in any case, in terms of intellectual depth, I think that Leonardo Da Vinci beats Einstein hands down.
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    Really now... Buddha was an awful physicist. Einstein was an awful spiritual teacher. People are saying that it's like comparing apples and oranges and then throwing in how apples are so much greater than oranges. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    Reminds me of my debate class where we had to pick an individual from history and debate the scenario that we are in a hot air balloon and one individual must be thrown out. So we had to argue why it shouldn't be our person.
  • RogerRoger
    edited February 2011
    Not trying to gossip. Not sure why I'm even mentioning it. Kind of because very smart people can also be very not-smart too. Einstein was apparently a very bad husband and father. I don't want to hurt anybody; they're all gone now anyway. OOPS!
    :hair:
  • RogerRoger
    edited February 2011
    Reminds me of my debate class where we had to pick an individual from history and debate the scenario that we are in a hot air balloon and one individual must be thrown out. So we had to argue why it shouldn't be our person.
    LOL!

    THAT would have been FUN!!! Why couldn't MY school have been like that!? :banghead:

    :):):)
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    Heh, whereas Buddha was a good father and husband?
  • RogerRoger
    edited February 2011
    Heh, whereas Buddha was a good father and husband?
    Yup! Good one Shift! It flashed across my brain when I hit the send button! HAHA.

    Just found out Einstein promised the Nobel Prize money to his first wife. Instead? He invested it and lost most of it in the 1929 Crash. Reliable sources? I guess so. :D

    LINK:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/einsteins-theory-of-infidelity-407498.html
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Heh, whereas Buddha was a good father and husband?
    Absolutely.
    I don't for one moment think that what he did, was an easy thing to do, and must have caused him enormous heart-searching and anxiety.
    He ordained both his wife and his son, later on.
    I don't see Einstein acting with such anxiety, remorse and compassion.
  • RogerRoger
    Heh, whereas Buddha was a good father and husband?
    Absolutely.
    I don't for one moment think that what he did, was an easy thing to do, and must have caused him enormous heart-searching and anxiety.
    He ordained both his wife and his son, later on.
    I don't see Einstein acting with such anxiety, remorse and compassion.
    Yup, thanks for the reality check federica. It's all too easy to reduce big-time emotional personal events of someone else into easy bite-sized pieces.

  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    I didn't actually know he ordained his family later. Thanks for the info.
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