Buddha, Carl Marx and Charles Darwin

Nipuni WIMALAPALA

The memorial lecture of the 41st commemoration of e was delivered by academic, Professor in psychology, Desmond Mallikarachchi on a different topic, ‘Three evolutionists: The Buddha, Carl Marx and Charles Darwin.’

According to Prof Mallikarachchi, Prof K N Jayatillake is an outstanding personality in Sri Lankan literature and has contributed much to uplift its standard. He was an excellent academic personality who passed on his knowledge to thousands of students who studied under him at Peradeniya University.

He was a great human being, a perfectionist at times. He was born in Colombo, studied at Royal College. He pursued the study of Pali and Sanskrit at Peradeniya University, obtaining a first class. He continued his further education at Cambridge University where he acquired an analytical approach to philosophy. He was a great literary personality who was once the Department Head of Philosophy at Peradeniya University.

Prof Mallikarachchi is a well read person who is extremely interested in psychology and has examined evolution thoroughly. According to Prof him, evolution can be defined as an irreversible process that in the phenomena of time generates novelty, diversity and higher levels of organization. Evolution is not a part of nature, but it is nature.

Prof Mallikarachchi mentioned that these evolutionists are the best and they have analysed evolution in three different ways which has a common base. Evolution, change and transformation are the words used to explain the process. The Buddha, Carl Marx and Charles Darwin have analysed evolution in three different approaches. The Buddha has dissected the evolution of consciousness and Marx has dissected social evolution while Darwin has dissected biological evolution.

“Evolution of consciousness is rather standard and complicated when compared to social and biological evolution. The reason is those two are material and can be seen. Biological and Social evolution cannot be stopped or controlled, because it is an endless process. But mental evolution is something different which can be controlled or stopped. Evolution was started long ago and taking place even today. But today the biological set up of our brains is almost finished. Still evolution of consciousness takes place in our brains”, he stressed.

“I have selected these three evolutionists, because they are totally independent in their own way. They did not know each other. But when it is examine their theories of evolution, it is obvious that there is something common. They have accepted the fact that there is no creative God in the world. Existence of the material world is accepted by them,” explained the professor.

Prof Mallikarachchi has tried to find out the difference of these three evolutionists while looking for their common cohesions in the subject of evolution. According to Prof Mallikarachchi, evolution of consciousness should take place in order for our brains to develop. To reach liberation, there should be an evolution of consciousness.

In the Western world, they mostly focus on biological evolution. But it is unavoidable that there is a social evolution everywhere which takes place naturally and evolution of consciousness also takes place in human brains simultaneously. There should be strong evolution of consciousness in order to get rid of suffering as the Buddha has emphasized.