Speculative Non-Buddhism

weaving a bloody tapestry of ruin

Archive for the ‘Comparativists’ Category

Illumination via contrasts and comparisons

Sick Progeny? Buddhism and Psychotherapy

Posted by Glenn Wallis on September 14, 2011

Wherever Buddhism goes, it absorbs the values, assumptions, and ideologies of local cultures.We speak of Tibetan Buddhism, Late-Ming Buddhism or Western Buddhism. Doing so is a way of inscribing specific cultural modifications into the, ostensibly, stable descriptor “Buddhism.”

Whatever other values are intermixing with the X-Buddhisms in the contemporary West—or certainly, in the United States, where I live—those that originate in psychology are unquestionably among them. Is this cross fertilization salutary? Given the proliferation of mutual admiration societies and celebratory books and workshops, one would assume that the question has been settled. But before allowing psychology’s values to transfuse unseen into the various mélanges of Western/Secular/Progressive/Post/Mindfulness/X-Buddhisms, may we consider the opposite: that the genetic admixture of Buddhism and psychology produces sick—albeit socially “well-adjusted”—progeny?

I present to you here and essay by Tom Pepper (links at the end of the post) that does just that. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Comparativists, Constructivists, Critics | Tagged: , | 36 Comments »

Elixir of Mindfulness

Posted by Glenn Wallis on July 3, 2011

The mighty “Mindfulness” juggernaut continues to roll joyously throughout the wounded world of late-capitalism. And why shouldn’t it? The Mindfulness Industry is claiming territory once held by the great occupying force of assorted self-help gurus, shrinks, health care workers, hypnotists, preachers, Theosophists, the church, the synagogue, actual gurus, yogis, meditation teachers, and even—gasp!— Buddhists themselves.  Who, after all, can compete with an industry that claims to offer a veritable fountain of bounty, an elixir to life’s ills? According to the new website mindful.org (links provided at end of post) “a dose of mindfulness (or a very large helping) can enhance your joy and appreciation of everyday life—and help you to deal with some of life’s toughest challenges when they arise.”

“Mindfulness” can, apparently, be applied to virtually any activity whatsoever, thereby enhancing that activity’s compass of well-being. According to the site, mindfulness, for instance, significantly impacts activities as dissimilar as caregiving, dying and death, sex, parenting, healing and health, navigating intimate relationships, consumerism, finances, cooking, eating, entrepreneurship, creativity, sports, activism, education, protecting the environment, working with prisoners, and much, much more.

How, you ask, can mindfulness accomplish so much? Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Comparativists, Constructivists, Critics | Tagged: , | 27 Comments »

Nietzsche and Buddhism

Posted by Glenn Wallis on May 5, 2011

This post presents Benjamin Elman‘s views on the relationship between the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Buddhism. Elman holds that a thorough understanding of Nietsche’s philosophy must attend closely to Buddhist teachings. He goes as far as to say that, “Buddhism lies at the center of any attempt to understand Nietzsche’s thought in its entirety.” Citing Guy Welbon, Elman suggests that we consider a direct correspondence between, for instance, eternal recurrence and samsara, and Zarathustra and the bodhisattva-ideal. In short, Elman holds that there “is sufficient evidence to indicate that Nietzsche’s presentations do witness Buddhist influences.”

Who knows? My interest is in Nietzsche’s and Gotama’s (i.e., the Buddha’s) positions vis a vis nihilism. Both Gotama and Nietzsche were, as Elman writes, intent on understanding “the structure and meaning of the human condition,” In their pursuit, both, I think, found themselves at the precipice of nihilism. Nietzsche, of course, retreated to his stone sanctuary of eternal recurrence, stretched his legs, and was heard from no more. Gotama, I am arguing elsewhere (in a paper called “Meditation as Organon of Dissolution”), did not retreat from nihilism, but rather disguised it for political and financial reasons. Or perhaps that was the work of his canonical editors? More on that later. Read the rest of this entry »

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Lacan’s Encounter with Buddhism

Posted by Glenn Wallis on May 4, 2011

LACAN’ S ENCOUNTER WITH BUDDHISM IN THE SEMINAR ON ANXIETY
Anna McLellan

In the Seminar on Anxiety Lacan has made use of Judaism and its practices, and of Christianity; and finally he will make use of Buddhism in his effort to explore the question of desire in its relation to the Other, and of the fundamental position of anxiety in these encounters.

In Judaism the Other – God – is an exteriority, a residue of the first identification with the father, a subject that Freud explores in “ Moses and Monotheism” . This God is positioned in a particular structural relation whose purpose is to minimize anxiety; in particular the super-egoic function which Lacan links to the invocatory drive – God speaks to Moses – and to the all-seeing eye of God inherent in the scopic drive. The sacrifice of God’ s son for mankind shifts the Christian’ s position to the Other – subduing this arbitrary power- thus shifting his relation to anxiety, which Lacan describes as now ‘ provoking the anxiety of the other’ .

In May of 1963, the week after his return from a visit to a Buddhist shrine in Japan, Lacan declares his intent to use his experience at this monastery to advance his teaching on “ the point where the dialectic of anxiety takes place, namely the question of desire” . He begins by reminding us of the hypocracy of the Westerner in the belief that the Oriental is lacking in subjectivity. Lacan is emphasizing that anxiety must be understood in relation to the desire of the Other, and that this is a structural position and has little to do with ‘ depth’ or ‘ heart’ . Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Comparativists, Interpreters | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Thomas Metzinger and Jayarava on Being No One

Posted by Glenn Wallis on May 4, 2011

Being No One: Consciousness, The Phenomenal Self, and First-Person Perspective – UCTV – University of California Television.

Do neuroscientific models of the person supplant classical Buddhist ones? Are the Buddhist models merely unsophisticated proto-scientific theories? If so, are there any compelling reasons to advocate for, much less adhere to, those models? If not, what are they? And what commends Buddhist views of the person in light of theories such as Metzinger’s?

Click on the title above to see the German neurophilosopher Thomas Metzinger lecturing on his idea of self models.

Below is Jayarava’s insightful examination of Metzinger’s talk along with some reference to classical Buddhist teachings on the I-me-mine first person perspective. You visit his site, as well, to follow the discussion there. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Comparativists, Constructivists | Tagged: , , , | 7 Comments »

 
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