Description
Book SynopsisDale Wright offers a wide-ranging exploration of issues that have a bearing on the contemporary meaning of enlightenment. He considers the historical meanings of enlightenment within various Buddhist traditions, but does so in order to expand on the larger question that our lives press upon us--what kinds of lives should we aspire to live here, now, and into the future?
Trade ReviewWhat is Buddhist Enlightenment? offers a wide-ranging exploration of issues that have a bearing on the contemporary meaning of enlightenment... [T]he book balances deep learning and an accessible style, offering valuable insights for students, scholars, and practitioners alike. * Lixia Dong, Reading Religion *
How should we understand enlightenment today? For Buddhism, no question is more important, and Dale Wright's insightful responses are exactly what contemporary Buddhists need to think about—if Buddhism is to become what our globalizing world needs. * David R. Loy, author of A New Buddhist Path *
Dale Wright's What is Buddhist Enlightenment? is a deeply humane book, rich with timely and profound reflections on what it might look like to aspire to the fully realized life of someone somehow 'enlightened.' Wright eloquently thinks along with the Buddhist tradition about an idea (enlightenment) that's central...to the modern West, yielding insights into what the Buddhist tradition might have to teach us, right here at the historical moment where we find ourselves, about how to be human. * Dan Arnold, University of Chicago Divinity School *
Dale Wright takes on the daunting task of clarifying Buddhist enlightenment, and he skillfully does so in relation to karma, the bodhisattva ideal, meditative reading, and other facets of Buddhism. His critical exploration of Zen enlightenment in relation to morality and language is especially illuminating and will serve as a needed corrective to popular misconceptions. And his ten theses on contemporary enlightenment provide a rich foundation for developing and practicing enlightenment in this historical moment. * Christopher Ives, author of Imperial-Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen's Critique and Lingering Questions for Buddhist Ethics *
A relevant and informative supplement to the Western practitioner's journey of development. * Sam Mowe, Tricycle *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Ask What Enlightenment Is? I. Contemporary Images of Enlightenment 1) The Bodhisattva's Practice of Enlightenment 2) The Awakening of Character as an Image of Contemporary Enlightenment 3) Secular Buddhism and the Religious Dimension of Enlightenment II. The Moral Dimension of Enlightenment 4) Enlightenment and the Experience of Karma 5) Enlightenment and the Moral Dimension of Zen Training 6) Enlightenment and the Persistence of Human Fallibility 7) The Thought of Enlightenment and the Dilemma of Human Achievement III. Language and the Experience of Enlightenment 8) Language in Zen Enlightenment 9) Enlightenment and the Practice of Meditative Reading 10) From the Thought of Enlightenment to the Event of Awakening Conclusion: Ten Theses on Contemporary Enlightenment Acknowledgments Bibliography
