Review - 'Buddhism without Nirvāṇa or Nirvāṇa without Buddhism'?

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Wayfarer
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Review - 'Buddhism without Nirvāṇa or Nirvāṇa without Buddhism'?

Post by Wayfarer »

I came across this paper in the regular update from Sutta Central: Buddhism without Nirvāṇa , or Nirvāṇa without Buddhism. It's a review of two recently published books, the first on 'mindfulness in America', the second on the origins of mindfulness meditation in Burmese Buddhism.

I was particularly interested in the discussion of the sense in which the practice of meditation has become dissociated from its cultural, Buddhist roots, and incorporated into a post-Christian framework of 'modern enlightenment values'.

The second part of the review provides some insights into Ledi Sayadaw's original motivation in making meditation a popular movement, as distinct from something only practice by monastics. However it also shows that his overall orientation remained quite traditionalist.

For those interested, the titles reviewed are linked below:

Mindful America, Jeff Wilson

The Birth of Insight, Erik Braun.

I think both titles would be useful companion volumes to David MacMahan's Making of Buddhist Modernism and David Brazier's The New Buddhism.
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
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Rick
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Re: Review - 'Buddhism without Nirvāṇa or Nirvāṇa without Buddhism'?

Post by Rick »

Too bad DGA isn't still around ... he would have gotten a kick out of these!
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily ...
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Wayfarer
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Re: Review - 'Buddhism without Nirvāṇa or Nirvāṇa without Buddhism'?

Post by Wayfarer »

Where'd he go?
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
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