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AR 22:34 - Secular thinking makes Buddhism true?

In this issue:

BUDDHISM - begin with promise, add complexity, subtract what doesn’t suit you ... and ... "Waa Lah!"

Apologia Report 22:34 (1,354)

September 6, 2017

BUDDHISM

"An End to Suffering" -- that's the title of Antonio Damasio's review of Why Buddhism Is True, by Robert Wright [1], in The New York Times Book Review (Aug 13 '17, p17). Certainly this suggests great expectations.

"What is Buddhism, really? A religion, complete with supernatural deities and reincarnation? A secular philosophy of life? A therapeutic practice? An ideology? All of the above? Robert Wright sketches an answer early in Why Buddhism Is True. He settles on a credible blend that one might call Western Buddhism, a largely secular approach to life and its problems but not devoid of a spiritual dimension. The centerpiece of the approach is the practice of mindful meditation.

"The goal of Why Buddhism Is True is ambitious: to demonstrate 'that Buddhism's diagnosis of the human predicament is fundamentally correct, and that its prescription is deeply valid and urgently important.' ...

"It is also reasonable to suggest that the prescription it offers may be applicable and useful to resolve that predicament.

"To produce his demonstrations and to support the idea that Buddhism is 'true,' Wright relies on science, especially on evolutionary psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience. This is a sensible approach, and in relation to Buddhism it is almost mainstream. ... Wright is up to the task: He's a Buddhist who has written about religion and morality from a scientific perspective....

"Wright's book is provocative, informative and, in many respects, deeply rewarding. ...

"Wright is not as persuasive when he attempts to establish the truth of Buddhism by considering the circumstances in which feelings arise." Damasio, who directs the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, concludes: "Mindful meditation is no stranger to the world of paradox. Is there anything stranger than discovering the pleasures of *not* feeling?" <www.goo.gl/CMEDWR>

New book wholesaler Baker & Taylor summarizes that Wright "Philosophically explains how the human mind evolved to channel anxiety, depression, anger, and greed and how a healthy practice of Buddhist meditation can promote clarity and alleviate suffering." Kirkus (Jun '17 #1) follows with "A bestselling author sets out to improve the world by encouraging mindful meditation. By his bold title, Pulitzer finalist Wright means to assert that 'the core of Buddhism's assessment of the human condition … its conception of certain basic aspects of how the mind works and of how we can change how the mind works ... warrants enough confidence to get the label that the title of this book gives it.' ... Wright puts forth the mindfulness meditation offered by many Buddhist traditions as a means of overcoming our evolutionary-determined and intuitive habits of thinking and of perceiving the physical world and the human condition with greater clarity and compassion. The author aims to make some fundamentally bizarre-sounding doctrines of Buddhism accessible to skeptical and secular readers by offering scientific support for its assertions in simple language and an engaging style. He keeps explicitly religious references and exotic Asian-language terminology to a minimum; no prior familiarity with Buddhist teachings is required. Wright lightens the trek through some challenging philosophical concepts with well-chosen anecdotes and a self-deprecating humor as he discusses the pinnacles and setbacks of his own meditative experiences. While critical readers may take issue with the logic underlying some of his contentions, the author presents a well organized, freshly conceived introduction to core concepts of Buddhist thought. A cogent and approachable argument for a personal meditation practice based on secular Buddhist principles."

Library Journal (Jun '17 #2) adds: "Given the book's title, you may be surprised to learn that Wright ... is not a Buddhist. Rather, he is a journalist and author of several best-selling books about science and religion, as well as a practitioner of mindfulness meditation. ... Wright's treatment of key Buddhist concepts, such as nonself or emptiness, may initially seem glib. However, as he develops his argument, it becomes clear that Wright is trying to help readers to deconstruct and then reconstruct these fundamental concepts. VERDICT An important read for anyone interested in practicing meditation but not necessarily interested in becoming an expert in Buddhist philosophy."

Sean Illing interviews Wright for vox.com (Aug 23 '17): "Don't be put off by the audacious title. Wright isn't proselytizing or implying that other religions are false. This is, instead, a light, accessible guide for anyone interested in the practical benefits of meditation. There are no analyses of Buddhist beliefs about reincarnation or supernatural deities; the focus is on what Wright calls Western Buddhism or secular Buddhism, which is less about belief and more about meditation as a therapeutic practice.

"By 'true' Wright means that Buddhism's 'diagnosis of the human predicament is fundamentally correct, and that its prescription is deeply valid and urgently important.'

"[M]editation can make us more moral, ... spreading meditation practice could be socially transformative." The interview develops this:

Illing: "So your book has a slightly obnoxious title. It's going to strike a lot of people as implying that Buddhism is true and therefore other religions are false. Is that fair?"

Wright: " ... There's no real contradiction between [the naturalistic side of Buddhism] and any religions. The Dalai Lama doesn't use Buddhism necessarily. Remember, Buddhists use it to become a better whatever you are. ... [T]here's no reason for anyone to feel threatened."

Wright goes on to describe his first Buddhist retreat in 2003 which resulted in him feeling "like I was a different person ... the new me." From this point on in the interview, meditation is a primary focus.

Also included are remarks by Wright such as: "I'm utterly convinced that the self is an illusion" and "The other big illusion I talk about in the book is the illusion of projecting essence onto things, imaging that there' some ultimate meaning or purpose."

The interview concludes with Wright saying, "I just started this thing called mindful resistance. It's at mindfulresistance.net, and the idea isn't that if we all meditate everything will magically get better. In fact, the idea isn't even that you have to meditate to sign on to what I'm basically talking about. It's enough if you just try to be mindful in the plain English sense of that word - just being aware, attentive, alive to other people.

"Buddhism is very anti-essentialism and essentialism includes seeing the essence of groups, which is what racism is. If you view all Trump supporters as bigots or idiots, I think that's a big mistake." <www.goo.gl/UT5HsT>

The book's publisher would have you know that "In Why Buddhism is True, Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true - which is to say, a way out of our delusion - but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species."

Publishers Weekly reports (May '17 #2) that "Wright fascinates readers with this journey through evolutionary psychology in search of answers to the question of whether Buddhism's diagnosis of the human condition is true. Rather than conceiving of the self - or the mind, for that matter - as an autocrat, Wright opts for the modular model of mind, in which behavior is shaped by the interplay of networks dedicated to different tasks and situations with conflicting goals. Because there are ultimately many versions of the self (or 'no-self') in the modular model, Wright argues that emotions are far more integral than reason in constructing perceptions and interpretations of the world. He recommends meditation as a process of dispelling the illusions that natural selection has created (which have since gone haywire outside of natural pressures), suggesting that it can be used to interrogate, contemplate, and disengage from the foundation of feelings that color experience. Through mindfulness, Wright says, one can achieve clarity of vision, breaking out of tribalistic notions of thinking to begin helping others and the world. But this is not easy to accomplish, and Wright's stories about his meditation experiences include his failures, anxieties, and faults."

We can only wonder about all of this. Is Wright a Buddhist or not? Does the title mean "Some parts of Buddhism are true," or perhaps "What works for me is true for me," or something else?

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment, by Robert Wright (Simon & Schuster, 2017, hardcover, 336 pages) <www.goo.gl/JUvWE9>

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