A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World

by David R. Loy

Overview

Engage with a new vision of Buddhism and the modern world with the bestselling author of Money Sex War Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution.

David R. Loy addresses head-on the most pressing issues of Buddhist philosophy in our time. What is the meaning of enlightenment--is it an escape from the world, or is it a form of psychological healing? How can one reconcile modern scientific theory with ancient religious teachings? What is our role in the universe?
Loy shows us that neither Buddhism nor secular society by itself is sufficient to answer these questions. Instead, he investigates the unexpected intersections of the two. Through this exchange, he uncovers a new Buddhist way, one that is faithful to the important traditions of Buddhism but compatible with modernity. This way, we can see the world as it is truly is, realize our indivisibility from it, and learn that the world's problems are our problems. This is a new path for a new world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614290032
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	02/10/2015
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

David R. Loy's books include the acclaimed Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution; The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory; The World Is Made of Stories; A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency; and The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons, a finalist for the 2006 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award. He was the Besl Professor of Ethics/Religion and Society at Cincinnati's Xavier University and is qualified as a teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Buddhism.
His articles appear regularly in the pages of major journals such as Tikkun and Buddhist magazines including Tricycle, Turning Wheel, Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma, as well as in a variety of scholarly journals. He is on the editorial or advisory boards of the journals Cultural Dynamics, Worldviews, Contemporary Buddhism, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, and World Fellowship of Buddhists Review. He is also on the advisory boards of Buddhist Global Relief, the Clear View Project, Zen Peacemakers, and the Ernest Becker Foundation. He lives in Boulder, CO.

Table of Contents

Introduction: In Quest of a Modern Buddhism 1

Path 9

Transcendence? 10

The Problem with Transcendence 19

The Problem with Immanence 26

Mindfulness 33

Beyond Transcendence and Immanence 39

Constructing the Self and Its World 41

Nonattachment 47

Letting Go 51

Something Infinite Behind Everything 54

Implications 62

Story 65

A Devalued World 67

Social Darwinism 68

Creation Stories 73

A New Evolutionary Myth 76

A New Buddhist Story 86

Progress 90

Creatures that Create 94

The Meaning of It All 97

A Pivotal Stage 100

Challenge 105

Good vs. Evil 107

Ignorance vs. Awakening 113

The Economic Challenge 118

The Ecological Challenge 123

The New Bodhisattva 126

Conclusion: Reflections on Karma and Rebirth 135

Acknowledgments 145

Recommended Books 147

Index 151

About the Author 165

Editorial Reviews

The New Buddhism is the perfect tool for integrating ancient wisdom into our rapidly-changing world. The discussion in these pages is a crucial one for our future.

Jaimal Yogis

Offers fresh takes on enlightenment, nonattachment, and a new model of activism linking outer and inner practice.

Spirituality & Practice

Loy masterfully shows us the relevance of the Dharma in the modern world, and how it can serve the greater good.”

Wes Nisker

This gripping, important, and ultimately heartening book by David Loy is a wake-up call for Buddhists and everyone else on how to respond to the current multiple crises.

Lila Kate Wheeler

This is a manifesto of genuine spiritual freedom, written for our generation.

James Ishmael Ford

In this new book, Zen teacher, sage, and activist David Loy offers a fresh Buddhist perspective that addresses and challenges adherents of any religion or no religion, as we together face the gravest crises of our history.

Ruben L. F. Habito