The author does a good job articulating his views on why Buddhist concentration and insight practices can lead to psychological benefits. As somebody who has spent years practicing these practices and engaging with various types of (Western) discourse about them, the author’s psychological claims seem plausible to a point. He does not offer a compelling mechanism for why introspective awareness of sankharas should lead to diminishing them. He also offers no account for why if insight does dissolve psychological patterns, it would preferentially dissolve negative patterns while leaving positive patterns unchanged. In my own opinion this has a lot more to do with the set and setting of the meditations practice, i.e., the expectation that practice will have salutary effects.
I am not convinced that this is a faithful “translation” of the Buddha’s teachings. He leaves out any talk of achieving liberation from rebirth which is the overarching goal of Buddhist practice in the original texts. He does not discuss the phenomenon of cessation/nirvana and whether it is necessary (according to the Buddha it is necessary). He also does not address the fact that the Buddha was not aiming to teach path of psychological health and wellbeing in our modern sense. Far from it, they idea that one could be happy and satisfied (in an ordinary psychological sense) was certainly recognized by the Buddha and his followers, but this was not seen as the goal of practice. In my view, the biggest misrepresentation of Buddhist ideology in it’s appropriation by the West was it’s construal as a a secular wellness path rather than an extreme doctrine that denies any value in ordinary happiness.
I appreciate the detailed feedback! Agree with most of what you said but think it applies much more to 3rd and 4th path than 1st. After 1st path there is experiential working with rebirth, but that’s kinda irrelevant for the 99.9% who aren’t there. In the discourses it is claimed that householders can achieve 3rd path, and the Buddha gives quite a bit of practical advice for a happy life, as mundane as things like appropriate savings rates.
The author does a good job articulating his views on why Buddhist concentration and insight practices can lead to psychological benefits. As somebody who has spent years practicing these practices and engaging with various types of (Western) discourse about them, the author’s psychological claims seem plausible to a point. He does not offer a compelling mechanism for why introspective awareness of sankharas should lead to diminishing them. He also offers no account for why if insight does dissolve psychological patterns, it would preferentially dissolve negative patterns while leaving positive patterns unchanged. In my own opinion this has a lot more to do with the set and setting of the meditations practice, i.e., the expectation that practice will have salutary effects.
I am not convinced that this is a faithful “translation” of the Buddha’s teachings. He leaves out any talk of achieving liberation from rebirth which is the overarching goal of Buddhist practice in the original texts. He does not discuss the phenomenon of cessation/nirvana and whether it is necessary (according to the Buddha it is necessary). He also does not address the fact that the Buddha was not aiming to teach path of psychological health and wellbeing in our modern sense. Far from it, they idea that one could be happy and satisfied (in an ordinary psychological sense) was certainly recognized by the Buddha and his followers, but this was not seen as the goal of practice. In my view, the biggest misrepresentation of Buddhist ideology in it’s appropriation by the West was it’s construal as a a secular wellness path rather than an extreme doctrine that denies any value in ordinary happiness.
I appreciate the detailed feedback! Agree with most of what you said but think it applies much more to 3rd and 4th path than 1st. After 1st path there is experiential working with rebirth, but that’s kinda irrelevant for the 99.9% who aren’t there. In the discourses it is claimed that householders can achieve 3rd path, and the Buddha gives quite a bit of practical advice for a happy life, as mundane as things like appropriate savings rates.