Relational versus Holistic theories in quantum mechanics and Buddhist philosophy: a convergence of the interconnectedness of reality?

The alleged convergence of quantum physics and Buddhism has been a main standpoint of dialogue between science and Buddhism since its incipience in the 1980s. Notably, proponents of such ‘parallelism’ have argued that there is an underlying interconnectedness of the universe which bridges quantum theory and Buddhist philosophy through entanglement and interdependence (pratītyasamutpāda). Such conjecture is however not sufficiently informed by the considerable array of interpretative theories of quantum phenomena and various schools of Buddhism, which could invalidate the argument. This paper will investigate the object of ongoing research devoted to a comparative two-layered analysis of such compatibility for interconnectedness, through relational versus holistic theories (that is between Relational quantum mechanics and Nāgārjuna on the one hand, and David Bohm’s holism and Hua-yen Buddhism on the other). While both theories fall under the interconnectedness criteria, they differ substantially in promoting either the relationalism or interpenetration of all things in reality.