Buddhism: Science, philosophy, religion

The conception that Buddhism has of the world could be considered as the Buddhist Philosophy of Nature. This buddhist conception of the world is one of the principal links of Buddhism with science. Buddhism has a dynamic conception of reality. This manifests itself in the peculiar doctrine of the dharmas. Dharmas are the elements, the constituent factors of all that exists. Man is a conglomarate of series of dharmas. The end of desire is the suppresion of existence under the form of reincarnation. This state is called Nirvana. Nirvana is an Absolute. It does not belong to our empirical reality, it is something completely different from all that exists in this reality, it is transcendent and heterogeneous, beyond words and reason. The buddhist methodology for directing the mind is pointing out freedom of thought and personal effort to attain truth. This buddhist rule enjoins an attitude based on freedom of thought. One should not adhere to an opinion by authority; it is necessary to think by oneself on any matter to reach one's own conclusions.