# Looking through the other end of the telescope

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-telescope-other-end
- Themes: science and religion, self-inquiry, meaning of life
- Life situations: faith doubts, science vs religion, searching for meaning

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At a seminar in the old observatory next to Parliament House in Perth, a Catholic woman honestly admits that every look through a telescope at the vast universe challenges her theology. Asked his view, Ajahn Brahm says that as a scientist he imagines looking in from the fat end of the telescope to see who is watching — and that challenges his science.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

And I do remember going to the old observatory next to Parliament House, years ago, there was a seminar and that’s where, there was a Catholic girl, I really respected her honesty, because she said with science, every time she looks through a telescope and sees incredible universe, it challenges her Catholicism, the theology which she’s supposed to believe in. They asked me what did I think of that. And I said, as a scientist, (because I did science in Cambridge), as a scientist, I always imagine looking through the other end of the telescope, not the narrow end to the fat end, but looking at the fat end to the narrow end, looking in that end and looking in to see who’s watching, that challenges my science. So what science is, is looking through this end of the telescope out there. What religion is, what it should be, what spirituality is, what Buddhism should be, looking from the other end of the telescope, looking who the hell is watching all of this, and understanding that.

## Teaching point

Science looks outward; spirituality looks back to find who is watching.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

When a woman confessed that the vast universe in the telescope shook her faith, Ajahn Brahm, the Cambridge-trained physicist, said what challenged his science was looking back the other way, to see who is watching. We study everything out there. Spend a few still minutes turning the lens around, towards the one who gets hurt, worries and listens.

## Source

- [Why are we here? Why are we born? | Ajahn Brahm | 09-01-2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RrCjzi74BA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 41:34 to 42:44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RrCjzi74BA&t=2494s