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A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack
A Buddhist interpretation of Western history that shows civilization shaped by the self's desire for groundedness.
Buddhism teaches that to become happy, greed, ill-will, and delusion must be transformed into their positive generosity, compassion, and wisdom. The history of the West, like all histories, has been plagued by the consequences of greed, ill-will, and delusion . A Buddhist History of the West investigates how individuals have tried to ground themselves to make themselves feel more real. To be self-conscious is to experience ungroundedness as a sense of lack, but what is lacking has been understood differently in different historical periods. Author David R. Loy examines how the understanding of lack changes at historical junctures and shows how those junctures were so crucial in the development of the West.
“A polymath’s tour through intellectual and social history, David Loy’s Buddhist retelling goes far in revealing the historically conditioned limitations of many dominant Western terms, metaphors, and assumptions. By reinterpreting greed, ill will, and delusion as structural rather than personal problems, Loy offers a compassionate account of ways that we make ourselves unhappy and a trenchant critique of market capitalism’s manipulation of these habits of mind.” — The Journal of Asian Studies
“…his study of European history from what he calls the perspective of lack reveals astonishing yet previously barely highlighted insights into European thought … Loy’s book is filled with observations and indictments of common myths that are not only provocative in nature but sure to challenge many of the presuppositions that the proponents of the so-called Western World hold dear.” — Philosophy East & West
“This book expands the dialog, enlarges the vocabulary, takes instruction from other cultural traditions, and throws light on our own Occidental problems. I like its clarity in a territory that is of critical importance and is intrinsically difficult. The book has to do with ways of coming to a better understanding of civilization, history, politics, and our own human psyches, and how it is that certain sets of problems—war and exploitation among them—keep arising. David Loy is opening up new territory that is of great value. He is a very exciting thinker.” — Gary Snyder, author of The Gary Snyder Prose, Poetry, and Translations, 1952–1998
Buddhism teaches that to become happy, greed, ill-will, and delusion must be transformed into their positive generosity, compassion, and wisdom. The history of the West, like all histories, has been plagued by the consequences of greed, ill-will, and delusion . A Buddhist History of the West investigates how individuals have tried to ground themselves to make themselves feel more real. To be self-conscious is to experience ungroundedness as a sense of lack, but what is lacking has been understood differently in different historical periods. Author David R. Loy examines how the understanding of lack changes at historical junctures and shows how those junctures were so crucial in the development of the West.
“A polymath’s tour through intellectual and social history, David Loy’s Buddhist retelling goes far in revealing the historically conditioned limitations of many dominant Western terms, metaphors, and assumptions. By reinterpreting greed, ill will, and delusion as structural rather than personal problems, Loy offers a compassionate account of ways that we make ourselves unhappy and a trenchant critique of market capitalism’s manipulation of these habits of mind.” — The Journal of Asian Studies
“…his study of European history from what he calls the perspective of lack reveals astonishing yet previously barely highlighted insights into European thought … Loy’s book is filled with observations and indictments of common myths that are not only provocative in nature but sure to challenge many of the presuppositions that the proponents of the so-called Western World hold dear.” — Philosophy East & West
“This book expands the dialog, enlarges the vocabulary, takes instruction from other cultural traditions, and throws light on our own Occidental problems. I like its clarity in a territory that is of critical importance and is intrinsically difficult. The book has to do with ways of coming to a better understanding of civilization, history, politics, and our own human psyches, and how it is that certain sets of problems—war and exploitation among them—keep arising. David Loy is opening up new territory that is of great value. He is a very exciting thinker.” — Gary Snyder, author of The Gary Snyder Prose, Poetry, and Translations, 1952–1998
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 24, 2002
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About the author
David R. Loy
28 books69 followersDavid Robert Loy is an American author and authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 25, 2020
Not much Buddhism in this book. If you are looking to further expand your understanding of how Buddhist concepts are influenced by, or how they in turn could or do influence, the modern western world you won't find much here.
It is mostly a critique of western culture with some assumptions about basic human nature tossed in. I found it clearly written and his arguments were easy to follow, but I disagreed with some, or maybe even most, of his basic assertions. The problems that Buddha was addressing 2500 years ago with the formulation of the 4 truths and the 8 fold path are ever present in human society not the result of the age of enlightenment or the rise of market capitalism.
It is mostly a critique of western culture with some assumptions about basic human nature tossed in. I found it clearly written and his arguments were easy to follow, but I disagreed with some, or maybe even most, of his basic assertions. The problems that Buddha was addressing 2500 years ago with the formulation of the 4 truths and the 8 fold path are ever present in human society not the result of the age of enlightenment or the rise of market capitalism.
February 10, 2018
Very academic, but enjoyable. The second D Loy book I've read.
The analysis of modern and historical society in terms of lack is very insightful. Lack being the shadow of our sense of self - being unreal, much of human endeavour is an attempt to make the unreal self feel grounded and real; fame, money, love/sex, and the elevation of market capitalism as a "secular" religion.
The sense of lack being essentially a spiritual problem, requires a spiritual resolution. Resolved by non-dualism. If the separation between world and self is Realised to be unreal, desperate attempts to ground the self at the expense of the planet and others are no longer necessary.
The analysis of modern and historical society in terms of lack is very insightful. Lack being the shadow of our sense of self - being unreal, much of human endeavour is an attempt to make the unreal self feel grounded and real; fame, money, love/sex, and the elevation of market capitalism as a "secular" religion.
The sense of lack being essentially a spiritual problem, requires a spiritual resolution. Resolved by non-dualism. If the separation between world and self is Realised to be unreal, desperate attempts to ground the self at the expense of the planet and others are no longer necessary.
August 10, 2015
Well written slanted to affirm Buddhism
If you've been looking for a history of Christianity written in a way slanted to affirm Buddhism and imply solution for all ilks of the Western World is Biddhism, this book is for you. While smartly written, it seems to think Christianity is stuck in the 1500's and only reviews the written a of white men.
If you've been looking for a history of Christianity written in a way slanted to affirm Buddhism and imply solution for all ilks of the Western World is Biddhism, this book is for you. While smartly written, it seems to think Christianity is stuck in the 1500's and only reviews the written a of white men.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews