Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

by Robert Wright

Hardcover, 2017

Collection

Mind Science

Status

Available

Call number

WRI-101

Publication

Simon & Schuster (2017), Edition: Reprint, 336 pages

Description

Family & Relationships. Health & Fitness. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:From one of America's most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer�??and the reason we make other people suffer�??is that we don't see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly and so gain a deep and morally valid happiness. In this "sublime" (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life�??how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty and of other people. He also shows why this transformation works, drawing on the latest in neuroscience and psychology, and armed with an acute understanding of human evolution. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright's landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, and deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice and conversed with some of the world's most skilled meditators. The result is a story that is "provocative, informative and...deeply rewarding" (The New York Times Book Review), and as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written with the wit, clarity, and grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age and shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a… (more)

Media reviews

New York Times

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

User reviews

LibraryThing member EBT1002

Natural selection's goal is the deliverance of each organism's genes to the next generation. This process was outrageously successful over the millennia. It relied on and enhanced the emergence of reactions (thoughts and feelings) that promoted the end goal: my sense that my needs, perceptions,

judgments, and dreams are not only the most important but, somehow, the most valid or "true," is rooted in adaptations that enabled my ancestors to pass their genes along. In the modern context, however, what was once adaptive is no longer very helpful at all. It's not helpful in living a happy life (that is a relatively easy argument to make) but it's also not very helpful in passing my genes along!

Exploring the intersection between modern psychological science and ancient Buddhist thought, Wright makes the case for mindful meditation. He illuminates some of the key Buddhist concepts in relatively accessible ways and provides a primer to the experience of meditation. His writing is both humble and humorous but he has also done his research. He uses psychological research to support his claims, using a common sense approach. His explanations sometimes skip a logical step. For example, his claim that his observation of his feelings during meditation - his observation of where in his body the feelings reside and what their texture is - his claim that this observation provides empirical evidence for the shape of feelings and his prediction that body scans in the future will confirm his observations seems a bit of a stretch for me. On the other hand, I have worked with many clients over the years and it's true that their descriptions of what feelings feel like are amazingly consistent. So, whatever.

Apart from the occasional lapse into sloppy logic, this book is truly excellent. I learned a lot and I want to try mindfulness meditation. I've long had an interest in it but have resisted giving up 20-50 minutes of each day to the endeavor. What would I give up? Reading? Not a chance. My runs? Nope. Sleep? Already too hard to come by.... So I don't know where this will lead but I definitely recommend the book!

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LibraryThing member jnwelch

What would it be like to have an unfiltered, unfettered experience of the world around us, where we are relaxed and calm and not distracted by our usual worries and concerns? Maybe some readers have experienced that – a sunrise or sunset, a full moon, a sky full of stars, a sky full of rain and

lightning – or some other moment of encompassing peace. Could we somehow train ourselves to have that kind of experience more often?

There's more to it, of course, but that is a big part of what Robert Wright addresses in the surprise NYTimes bestseller, Why Buddhism is True. "{T}he way it seems to work is some feelings actually get accentuated - first and foremost the sensation of beauty."

He has taught this subject at Princeton, and admirably maintains his focus. There are many flavors of Buddhism, as with other religions, and many intriguing aspects worthy of discussion. But he's very Western and pragmatic, and that suited me well. "I don't believe in reincarnation or related notions of karma, and I don't bow to the statue of Buddha before entering the meditation hall."

He calls himself a "laboratory rat" with ADD, figuring that, "if I could get much in the way of benefits out of meditation, just about anyone could." He does.

I loved his application of Darwinian theory: "Buddhism had been studying how the human mind is programmed to react to its environment, how exactly the 'conditioning' works. Now, with Darwin's theory, we understood what had done the programming." Many of our impulses, designed to help us pass on our genes, don't serve us well today. Our feelings and perceptions often end up leaving us misguided, unhappy and dissatisfied.

"Both our natural view of the world 'out there' and our natural view of the world 'in here' - the world inside our heads - are deeply misleading." He's convincing in explaining why. Through common sense examples, scientific studies, and his own experience, he explains how Buddhist practices successfully address our delusive way of living. He's not shy about bigger issues - e.g. how continuing tribalism is harming us. "I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow." A big claim, but he's not alone in making it. Although he believes modest improvements via Buddhist practice are the practical goal, he also takes on explaining "nirvana", and does a good job of it.

I used to recommend more advanced books like Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind to people wanting a place to start on Buddhist principles - and that didn't work very well. From now on, I'm recommending this one. He has done his homework, but made the concepts accessible for those new to all this.

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LibraryThing member albertgoldfain

Accessible and lively tour of the philosophical issues. Stays secular but with enough personal anecdote to keep things interesting.

LibraryThing member jasoncomely

Wonderful book that clarifies some important Buddhist doctrine and how it relates to a evopsychological understanding of the mind.

LibraryThing member Clara53

For those like me - who are on the trial-and-error road of mindfulness meditation - this book is excellent. And even for those who are considering it! Even if I haven't yet fully grasped Buddhist concepts of "not-self", "emptiness" and "formlessness" (need to re-read those chapters!), it's not for

lack of very patient and detailed interpretation of those ideas by the author (I truly see an experienced professor and lecturer here - he anticipates questions and is ready with an answer in a very engaging way!).

It's not a textbook on mindfulness meditation, but rather an exploration of Buddhism where Robert Wright, often at the expense of self-deprecating humor, but always with a lot of research and knowledge to back his insights, goes on to explain Buddhism in (mostly) understandable terms (which is not an easy task, as he seems to be addressing a wide audience of probable, even if eager, novices) and to show how mindfulness meditation is the first step to enlightenment and to life that is much more positive all around. I liked his sober notion that "if complete and utter enlightenment will remain remote for most of us, portions of enlightenment are available" through mindfulness meditation. The idea that natural selection is at the core of our delusions was news to me, but it is so aptly introduced by the author that it makes total sense. And he also points out that mindfulness meditation, "an essentially therapeutic endeavor" can turn into much more than that, can actually change the world by making us face the reality in a calmer fashion. In the end, it's a very inspiring book.

(I would be remiss if I didn't mention my gratitude to the author for finally explaining to me the idea behind the movie Matrix! Actually the book starts with it! As well as how he really made me laugh when he said that on the spectrum of all people ranked by their likelihood to easily pick up mindfulness meditation (at one end of which there is Bobby Knight and at the other the Dalai Lama or the late Mr. Rogers) he would be closer to Bobby Knight: he is that humble (!) although clearly he was a seasoned meditator by the time he was writing this book.)

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LibraryThing member Starla_Aurora

What can I say about this book. Wright does an excellent job applying the ethics of Buddhism to every day life. I myself do not define myself with a particular religion. When others who are of a specific religion question my choices I explain "At best, I would identify as a Buddhist" My choice is

to live my life as a good person and helping others. It was confusing and then enlightening to hear Wright explain Buddhism using Science with Darwin etc. I recommend this to anyone looking for aide in anything from focus, calming oneself down, to finding a closer connection to God. There is a lot of information in here that I hope to use in my efforts to creating more calm in my life (we all know I need it). :)

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LibraryThing member BooksForDinner

I enjoyed this, but it came across to me as more personal-anecdotey than science/philosophy.

LibraryThing member msf59

“We build stories on stories on stories, and the problem with the stories begins at their foundation. Mindfulness meditation is, among other things, a tool for examining our stories carefully, from the ground up, so that we can, if we choose, separate truth from fabrication.”

“We don't have to

love our enemies, but seeing them clearly is essential.”

“...it would be tragic, to say the least, if, after billions of years of arduous effort on the part of organic life, effort that has gotten us to the verge of a global community of minds, we let the natural distortions in these minds blow the whole thing apart.”

I grew up with a Christian background. My parents were not practicing but my paternal grandparents were very religious and I was influenced by them and went to Sunday school for many years. As I have matured and my mind has expanded, as I have read industriously and studied the world, I have gotten further and further away from organized religion and may now, be considered, right of agnostic. Although, I won't say that out loud, due to God guilt, that is still ingrained in my soul.
The one religion I do admire, more and more all the time, is Buddhism. It makes sense. It fits. I doubt I'll ever become a Buddhist, but there is no problem with following it's tenets, especially meditation.
I tried meditating a couple years ago. I barely got started but did recognize the benefits. After reading this book, I may try to get back into it.
I really liked this book and it's approach. Wright is a smart guy and completely grounded and gives the reader much to chew on and dwell over. His narrative style is easy and conversational and his has a good sense of humor, which really helps through some of the dry spots.

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LibraryThing member ozzer

Wright calls on evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and a little neuroscience to bolster his argument that “some” of what Buddhists teaches about the human condition may be “true.” The operational words here are “some” and “true.” He doesn’t discuss all of Buddhist

beliefs, but focuses instead on meditation and mindfulness and how they can be used to more accurately perceive the world.

Wright builds his case on the idea that we humans have little control over our feelings. Wright and Buddhism argue that the idea of a CEO of the mind, we think of as our “self,” is an illusion. Instead he cites the psychological proposal that the mind consists of multiple modules that compete for our attention. This model maintains that the most compelling module determines our feelings and emotions at any given moment.

Buddhism also holds that the values we assign to things in our world, both positive and negative, are illusions. Wright argues that these “essences” have been hardwired into our minds by natural selection with the primary aim of increasing opportunities to pass our genes along. While some of these values and the feelings they excite bear directly on our safety and wellbeing, many others are just irrelevant to modern humans and contribute to personal and societal dysfunction (e.g. tribalism, rage, jealousy, depression, greed, materialism, etc.). In effect, natural selection has rigged us to be anxious and delusional creatures disposed to overestimating the pleasure and pain that things may provide.

Wright maintains that “there is value in exposing this delusion to the light" and meditation provides the ideal method to distance and disengage from these inappropriate feelings. He writes, “According to Buddhist philosophy, both the problems we call therapeutic and the problems we call spiritual are a product of not seeing things clearly. What’s more, in both cases this failure to see things clearly is in part a product of being misled by feelings. And the first step toward seeing through these feelings is seeing them in the first place—becoming aware of how pervasively and subtly feelings influence our thought and behavior.”

Wright provides a personal touch to his arguments by writing, often humorously, about his own failings, anxieties, and faults. His narrative is both engaging and lacking in dogma. His use of the movie, “The Matrix,” to illustrate how humanity is enslaved to delusion is particularly apt and easily identifiable. If the book has a failing, it may come from Wright’s attempt to ascribe too much to mindful meditation. Clearly, mankind will not avoid the global catastrophes that face us by everyone magically deciding to begin meditating.

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LibraryThing member rmckeown

My interest in Buddhism dates back a couple of decades before my graduate studies, which included a wide-ranging look at Buddhist imagery in James Joyce. I find much of Robert Wright’s survey in Why Buddhism is True stimulating and endlessly fascinating. Of additional interest is the fact that

Wright is also a psychologist.

In the “Note to Readers,” he concisely separates several areas of inquiry into five neat packages. He first says, “I’m not talking about the ‘Supernatural’ or more exactly metaphysical parts of Buddhism—reincarnation, for example, but rather the naturalistic parts: ideas that fall squarely within modern psychology and philosophy”; second, “there’s no one Buddhism, but rather various Buddhist traditions, which differ on all kinds of doctrines”; third “I’m not getting into super-fine-grained parts of Buddhist psychology and philosophy;” fourth, “‘true’ is a tricky word;” and fifth and finally, “Asserting the validity of core Buddhist ideas doesn’t necessarily say anything, one way or the other, about spiritual or philosophical traditions” (xi-xii). This two-page note shows this marriage of Buddhism and psychology is precisely the book I have been searching for a long time.

I have so many annotations and marginalia it will be difficult to sort out some of the core ideas Wright addresses. Here is a timely example. Robert writes, Technologies of distraction have made attention deficits more common. And there’s something about the modern environment—something technological or cultural, or political or all of the above—that seems conducive to harsh judgment and ready rage. Just look at the tribalism—the discord and even open conflict along religious, ethnic, national, and ideological lines. More and more, it seems groups of people define their identity in terms of sharp opposition to other groups of people” (18).

Wright attended a week-long meditation camp to sharpen his core ideas of meditation. He writes, “focusing on your breath isn’t just to focus on your breath. It’s to stabilize your mind, to free it of its normal preoccupations so you can observe things that are happening in a clear, unhurried, less reactive way” (20). By “things that are happening”,” he means feelings inside your mind, such as sadness, anxiety, joy and so forth.

Wright talks about feelings extensively. He asks the reader, “Have you ever been visited by the fear that something you said to someone had offended her? And has this person ever been someone you weren’t going to see for a while? And has it been the case that you didn’t know her very well, it would have been awkward to call her or to send an email to make sure you hadn’t offended or to clarify that no offense was meant? That feeling itself […] is perfectly natural” (34). Shortly after reading this chapter, I bumped into an old friend I had not seen for decades. As we talked over coffee, I toyed with the idea of apologizing for an unfortunate remark long ago. I decided to mention the incident, but she had entirely forgotten all about it. She said with a laugh, “We ere kids! It is inconsequential. Forget about it.” The relief I experienced was wonderful.

Robert Wright’s Why Buddhism is True is a marriage of Buddhism and Psychology for an amazing journey into mind, memory, and all the associated joys and sorrows we all experience. 5 stars.

--Jim, 1/27/18

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LibraryThing member knightlight777

I listened to this book as an audiobook and the concepts could be a bit deep to follow it did provide some very good insight into the author's interpretation and practice of Buddhism in his life. Meditation being the core of this practice he lays out how he developed and learned to key into life's

essential questions. The answers aren't always crystal clear and probably are not meant to be but for many it can get them closer to true spiritual connection the many of the doctrine religions out there.

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LibraryThing member writemoves

I'm sure for those with an interest, it was a great book (based on the Goodreads ratings). I read about 50 pages and put the book down. I guess I did not have the requisite consciousness or mental bandwidth to reach enlightenment. I zoned out quickly from the book.

LibraryThing member caimanjosh

An interesting look at the science of evolutionary psychology and how it seems to validate much of what Buddhism has held for the last couple of millennia. While the beginning and end of the book held my interest, much of the middle section was a tough read, mired in difficult to grasp philosophy.

If you have a strong interest in philosophy, evolutionary psychology, or Buddhism, these chapters might flow more easily. All in all, a challenging and at times slow paced read, but interesting.

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LibraryThing member jmoncton

There was a lot of information to absorb in this book and for people interested in science or evolutionary psychology, there are some fascinating ideas to ponder. However, I had different expectations for this book, based mostly on the title -- Why Buddhism is True. But really this book is about

how our minds show us a distorted reality, a necessary feature for survival, and how meditation can unmask the distortion and show us the truth. I really liked the evolutionary biology part of this book. It's so interesting to see how we distort reality and why humans evolved to do this. And although I can see that there is a lot of data these days espousing the benefits of meditation, I don't know I agree that it will solve many of the problems in our world as Wright seems to preach. Also, he discounts some of the religious aspects of Buddhism, so I feel like his title is deceptive. It would be like saying why Judaism is True and then have a book that discusses the validity of one of the ten commandments.

The book is accessible and entertaining, but it left me oddly unsettled.

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LibraryThing member steve02476

Enjoyed a lot of this book, although some was a bit meandering. I would have titled it “Why some parts of the theory and practice of some forms of Buddhism correspond to a modern, western understanding of evolutionary psychology” - but I guess no publisher would put me in charge of naming new

books. But as someone who is very interested in evo-psych, and intrigued with reflection and introspection, and a bit skeptical of it all, this is a very intriguing book. Also, I like Wright’s sense of humor and self-deprecation. (Or in the Buddhist way, maybe “non-self” deprecation?)

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LibraryThing member reader1009

nonfiction audio (ISBN: 9781508235408, 10:29:42)

stressed out guy with TMJ tries Buddhist meditation and waxes philosophical. I listened to maybe an hour but couldn't imagine listening for another 9 hours, so I abandoned it.

LibraryThing member robfwalter

This book gets a lot of points for ambition. Wright tries to create a unified theory of "naturalistic" Buddhism and evolutionary psychology and does a very good job of selling it.

In some ways I am inclined to put this book in the same genre as the The Good Place on TV, I Heart Huckabees in film and

some early Alain de Botton. The reason I love these texts is not so much the quality of the answers they provide, but the fact that they pose the question, "what if we took these sorts of questions seriously?" Wright asks the question whether science can inform our spiritual understanding and practice and grapples with it earnestly and wholeheartedly.

However, what raises the book even higher is the fact that some of the ideas seem pretty good. Wright has proposed a model of the human mind, as shaped by evolution, that accords with a certain reading of Vipassana mindfulness practice. On the whole it hangs together, giving a real sense of how it is that meditation operates - all the way from the first sitting to enlightenment.

There are some large and serious problems, but they belong more as a tribute to the ambition of the project than as damning evidence against Wright's case. The most important is a simplistic view of evolution in humans as a social species. Even our blind instincts are not devoted exclusively to furthering our own genes. There is ample evidence now that species have evolved to propagate not just their own genes, but the genes of their community, including other species in some cases. In order to support the notion of the selfish gene, Wright characterises every one of our first insincts as aggressive or selfish. In fact, we have many generous, communal instincts, like those that impel you toward someone who hurts themselves and not away from them or the fact that eating while someone hungry looks on is very unpleasant.

Despite this somewhat tendentious characterisation of natural selection and our inner lives, most of the descriptions of internal states rang fairly true for me. It is so common in a Buddhist text to read some ludicrous story about how we're all on the verge of blinding road rage at all times or completely incapable of compassion, that it's a nice change to find a representation of inner life that rang fairly true.

There is also a heteronormativity that's sort of tied to the model of natural selection used which erases the possibility of other modes of reproduction than the biological. Given how many people in the West are foregoing having children and how many have sexual and romantic lives that are not ever going to be genetically procreative, this error leaves out many potential readers. Hopefully these readers can fill in the blanks, though, because overall this book was inspiring and motivating as well as somewhat eye opening.

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LibraryThing member annbury

Like several other reviewers, I found less in this book than is suggested by the title -- but I still found it an interesting and worthwhile book. First off, the "nots". Readers looking for a critical examination of Buddhism, one of the world's great religions, will not find it here. Instead, it

examines one type of modern, non-secular Buddhism. Nor will they find a rigorous scientific examination of Buddhism even in that very narrow definition: Wright proposes interesting theories based on natural selections, but doesn't provide much in the way of evidence. So why interesting enough to bother with? Because Wright focuses on meditation as a way of trying to reduce the impact of unproductive patterns of thinking. He traces these patterns to natural selection, in a way which is plausible, if not supported by evidence. As a discussion of why meditation is helpful, I found the book useful. It is also well written and amusing, leaving me interested in reading other works by this author.

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LibraryThing member electrascaife

An apology for the usefulness of western Buddhism in the modern world.

Not really anything new here for me, but an interesting read nonetheless.

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