Description

From one of America’s most brilliant writers, a journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness

At the heart of Buddhism and a simple claim: The reason we suffer- and the reason we make other people suffer- is that we don’t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: we can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly, and so gain a deep and morally valid happiness.

In this pathbreaking book, Robert Wright not only shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life- how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred- but also how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty and of other people. He also shows why this transformation works. Drawing on the latest in neuroscience and psychology, and armed with an acute understanding of human evolution, Wright explains why the path toward truth and the path toward happiness are the same path. In the light of modern science, both the Buddhist diagnosis and the Buddhist prescription make a whole new kind of sense.

This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright’s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, and deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice and conversed with some of the world’s most skilled meditators. The result is a story as entertaining as it is illuminating. With the wit, clarity, and grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. It shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a species.

About the Author

Robert Wright is the author, most recently, of The Evolution of God, a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His other books include The Moral Animal, which The New York Times Book Review named one of the ten best books of the year, and Nonzero. Wright has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Time, Slate, and The New Republic. He is a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has taught in the psychology department at the University of Pennsylvania and the religion department at Princeton University, where he also created the popular online course “Buddhism and Modern Psychology.” He is currently Visiting Professor of Science and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York.