Buddhist Practice on Western Ground
By Harvey B. Aronson, Ph.D.
This is the first book to offer Buddhist meditators a comprehensive and sympathetic examination of the differences between Asian and Western cultural and spiritual values. Harvey B. Aronson presents a constructive and practical assessment of common conflicts experienced by Westerners who look to Eastern spiritual traditions for guidance and support—and find themselves confused or disappointed. Issues addressed include:
- Our cultural belief that anger should not be suppressed versus the Buddhist teaching to counter anger and hatred
- Our psychotherapists' advice that attachment is the basis for healthy personal development and supportive relationships versus the Buddhist condemnation of attachments as the source of suffering
- Our culture's emphasis on individuality versus the Asian emphasis on interdependence and fulfillment of duties, and the Buddhist teachings on no-self, or egolessness
"An amazingly helpful book . . . Aronson realizes the value of psychotherapy, Theravada, and Tibetan Buddhism, and weaves them together so that, even outside their respective cultural contexts, their advantages are experienced and their pitfalls avoided." —Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., author of Maps of the Profound and Cultivating Compassion
"As a psychotherapist and Buddhist scholar and teacher, Harvey B. Aronson has a lot of wisdom to share that will help Western Dharma practitioners to establish a healthy, clear foundation for achieving liberation. Aronson raises important questions and provides helpful insights about complications that can occur when Eastern and Western cultures come together. I have been waiting a long time for this book." —Geshe Rinpoche, author of Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep