One and a half noble truths?
In almost any contemporary introduction to Buddhism, one of the first things one learns is the Four Noble Truths: Everything is suffering (dukkha). Suffering is caused by craving. There is an end to...
View ArticleOf noble lies and skill in means
Justin Whitaker makes an important point about my Noble Truths post: “I have to laugh, thinking of the Buddha as a ‘mostly-suffering-free’ spiritual ideal instead of the traditional ‘fully awakened...
View ArticleWithout rebirth, suicide?
I’ve often heard it said, rightly I think, that Buddhism cannot do without a concept of karma; it is too central to Buddhist thought. I don’t see this as a big problem in itself, even for those (like...
View ArticleBuddhists against interdependence
It’s become something of a cliché to say that Buddhism is about embracing our “interdependence.” The mechanistic Cartesian worldview, so the story goes, has led us to think of human beings as subjects...
View ArticleNew York as Eden
[EDIT: Image of New York City removed at copyright holder's request.] This weekend I went to New York City with friends so they could attend a bridal shower. I love New York – but I’m also wary of it....
View ArticleMonotheists’ humility
I’ve been thinking some more about the idea of encounter, which I blogged about in these posts and which I take to be central to the philosophy of Emmanuel Lévinas: the idea that we can never encompass...
View ArticleIndian renouncers and the defence of culture
Patrick Deneen had an eloquent piece up this week at Front Porch Republic, a speech given at a student retreat held by the Tocqueville Forum. This speech is emblematic of many popular conservative (and...
View ArticleIs compassion a virtue?
Thill makes an important point in response to my recent post on virtue and pleasure (as well as to a commenter named Bob). The post articulated the view, attributed to Aristotle via Julia Annas and...
View ArticleMarx, Augustine and early Buddhism: diagnosis vs. prognosis
The past couple weeks in the United States have been very congenial to a Marxist worldview. I don’t remember any time when the bourgeoisie has so clearly been waging war on the proletariat – or when...
View ArticleThe good life, present and future
Every human life ends in death. A long time ago I noted that we often forget this fact; and we shouldn’t. But granted that we acknowledge that we are all going to die, just how significant is the fact...
View ArticleA journey to Buddhism with Hegel
A few years ago I told what I thought of at the time as the story of my philosophy: how I left a utilitarian worldview and came to discover Buddhism in Thailand at age 21. I realize now that there’s...
View ArticleThe power of a beautiful temple
We think these days a lot about Buddhist ethics, which often involves some thought about Buddhist politics. We tend to think a lot less about Buddhist aesthetics. Now there’s an obvious explanation...
View ArticleDisengaged Buddhism in the era of Trump
Cross-posted at the Indian Philosophy Blog. Śāntideva’s anti-political views are very commonly missed by Buddhist scholars today, especially constructive or theological ones, who are excited by the...
View ArticleBeyond the removal of suffering
Last time I discussed Jan Westerhoff’s potent objection to naturalized Buddhism: if there is no rebirth then we can end our suffering simply by committing suicide. Westerhoff takes this objection as a...
View ArticleWhose religion? Which science?
A little while ago I had the pleasure of giving a guest lecture on Buddhism to David Decosimo‘s class at the Boston University School of Theology. The students were a delight to teach – smart, actively...
View ArticleIn defence of McMindfulness
The mainstreaming of mindfulness meditation continues at a rapid clip. According to the Center for Disease Control, in the years 2012 to 2017 the percentage of adults meditating in the United States...
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