[Philosophy Buddhism] A First Look at the World of Information - Understanding Information from the Buddhist Perspective

Abstract

The information revolution is undoubtedly one of the most important technological achievements of human society; however, there is no consensus among scientists about what information is. What is information? What are the characteristics of information? What is the relationship between information and signals and between information and consciousness? In this study, we try to answer these questions from the perspective of Buddhism. We consider information to be the Buddha’s sambhogakāya, similar to the Buddha’s dharma body, and it is considered to be beyond time and space. Information is “not produced, not destroyed, not defiled, not pure, not increase, and not diminish.” By studying these characteristics of information, the connections between traditional Buddhism and modern technology may be determined, and it can provide insights for the human society to better understand truth.