A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, And Ethics In The Modern World

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Engage with a new vision of Buddhism and the modern world with the bestselling author of Money Sex War Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution.David R. Loy addresses head-on the most pressing issues of Buddhist philosophy in our time. What is the meaning of enlightenment--is it an escape from the world, or is it a form of psychological healing? How can one reconcile modern scientific theory with ancient religious teachings? What is our role in the universe? Loy shows us that neither Buddhism nor secular society by itself is sufficient to answer these questions. Instead, he investigates the unexpected intersections of the two. Through this exchange, he uncovers a new Buddhist way, one that is faithful to the important traditions of Buddhism but compatible with modernity. This way, we can see the world as it is truly is, realize our indivisibility from it, and learn that the world's problems are our problems. This is a new path for a new world.

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Wisdom Publications; First Edition edition (February 3, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1614290024

ISBN-13: 978-1614290025

Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #375,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #312 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Ethics #2097 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism

Note from author: I'm not happy with the somewhat-pretentious main title, which was not my first choice. Too late, I realize what it should have been: A New Buddhist STORY.(Ignore my five-star rating above: I had to rate the book in order to post this note.)

While David Loy may not be the first person to consider the merits of a worldview inspired by the marriage of Buddhism and Evolutionary Theory, he may be the first to articulate it in a way that is not only profound, but accessible and usable. He begins with an excellent discussion of the problems of transcendence/immanence and how one is usually emphasized at the expense of other. He suggests a third way...that we can "wake up" by realizing something usually unnoticed about the nature of this world, right here and now. That is that the world and the way it is and the way it is perceived is neither real nor unreal but a psychological and social construction that can be deconstructed and reconstructed. Thus, the necessity of deconstructing the current Story in favor of a new one that takes into account our mutual interconnection with everyone and everything.He continues that the universe is not something that is evolving but is the evolutionary process itself. The implication of this this new paradigm is that we can view evolution as the creative groping of a self-organizing cosmos that is becoming more self aware. This casts the Buddhist teaching of "no-self" in a different light...if enlightenment involves realizing that there is no self, who or what becomes enlightened? The subjective urge to awaken may be understood as the desire of the universe itself to become self aware...in us and as us. Awakening, then, involves realizing that "I" am not inside my body,looking out through my eyes at a world that is separate from me...rather "I" am what the whole universe is doing right here and now.The current Western (dominate) stories of creationism and materialism have failed socially, economically, and environmentally and have placed all of us on the brink of irreparable damage to ourselves and the planet. The delusions created by living and breathing their dysfunctional stories cripple our ability to see through them. This book will not only help one see through the delusion, but offers a wise and compassionate way forward.

Prof. David R. Loy is not only a beloved buddhist teacher and mentor, he is also one of the most important philosophers of our time. I have read most of his works and A New Buddhist Path is his best book since the groundbreaking and award winning book Lack and Transcendence.This wonderful book shows us, with in depth analysis, why the 21st century boddhisattva has to embrace both personal and social transformation. The modern spiritual practitioner must unite with the engaged activist.I really enjoy David R. Loy's sharp analysis and literary quality. There are great catchlines like “Why is more always better, when it can never be enough?” (p. 125) or metaphors like “As we pull drowning people out of the the river, shouldn’t we consider why there are an increasing number of people floundering in the water?” (p. 130).A New Buddhist Path is very well written and deserves to reach everybody, who wants to enjoy, love and celebrate being “the cosmos perceiving itself” (p. 85). The book is a wake up call, that explains why we as a civilization need to tell the overall story that “we are creatures that create and know that we create” (p. 95). So we can be grateful for being created, wiser for seeing, that we are everything and responsible co-creaters to bring out the best in our fellow humans and to leave the world a better place, than we received it.If you don’t know Dr. Loy, then please start here. If you are already familiar with his works, then you can continue here.Highly recommended, very inspiring.Read it and put it into practice!Nikolaj Flor Rotne is Co-founder of www.stillnessrevolution.com and Co-Author of Everybody Present. Mindfulness in Education.

Our Buddhist conversation group selected "A New Buddhist Path" for our recent discussion selection. Our group represents a wide variety of religious backgrounds: a retired Christian minister, several Shin Buddhists, an atheist, and a couple of secular Buddhists. This book addresses how Buddhism can contribute to our modern culture, while remaining relevant, and evolving in a meaningful way that honors ancient traditions. Our discussions have challenged us, and helped us delve more deeply into our own spiritual traditions. This is a very interesting and thought provoking book and I recommend it.

Have read a number of books on or about Buddhisim over the years and this is one of the best. It's a little academic at times, but still written in a way that is articulate and accessible for the average person living their little lives in a world that seems truly insane at times. I will most definitely be reading this over again many times as the years go on!

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