Contemplative Studies

Please join the Contemplative Studies Initiative and Grass Roots Bookstore in a celebratory inquiry of Dee's newly published book! 

The Dharma in DNA has three objectives: (1) to share the rich but underappreciated history of biology–Buddhism intersections and surprising harmonies between the two traditions, (2) to evaluate Buddhist teachings from a scientific perspective using DNA as the focus of study, and (3) to propose a new approach to science, Bodhi science, as an ethical and operational framework for conducting Buddhist wisdom–guided science and preventing pseudoscience. An interwoven side project examines the life journey of the author, a professor of genetics and father in a transracial adoptive family, who questions the apparent paradox of his fascination with DNA in the lab but disinterest in passing on his own DNA. Early book chapters present the core teachings and diversifications of Buddhism over the last twenty-five centuries. Subsequent chapters share stories of biology–Buddhism interactions, situated in colonial contexts; examples derive from early twentieth-century Sri Lanka and Japan, and contemporary activities of the Dalai Lama and Western biological scholars. The hypothesis-guided analysis of Buddhist principles and DNA then begins, touring through classical genetic research alongside modern postgenomic insights. The investigation reveals strong support for three core Buddhist concepts--anitya (impermanence), anatman (non-self), and pratityasamutpada (mutual cause and effect)—as applied to DNA. Bodhi science is proposed as a new mode of scientific inquiry rooted in Buddhist teachings. The approach is based on four qualities: selflessness, detachment, awareness, and compassion. Bodhi science provides a path to strong science rooted in logic-based Buddhist ethics, and it helps scientists avoid the deceptive and damaging waters of pseudoscience.