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  • Why Buddhism Is True

  • The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
  • Written by: Robert Wright
  • Narrated by: Fred Sanders
  • Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (260 ratings)

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Why Buddhism Is True

Written by: Robert Wright
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
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Publisher's Summary

From one of America's greatest minds, a journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness.

Robert Wright famously explained in The Moral Animal how evolution shaped the human brain. The mind is designed to often delude us, he argued, about ourselves and about the world. And it is designed to make happiness hard to sustain.

But if we know our minds are rigged for anxiety, depression, anger, and greed, what do we do? Wright locates the answer in Buddhism, which figured out thousands of years ago what scientists are discovering only now. Buddhism holds that human suffering is a result of not seeing the world clearly - and proposes that seeing the world more clearly, through meditation, will make us better, happier people.

In Why Buddhism Is True, Wright leads listeners on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true - which is to say, a way out of our delusion - but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species.

©2017 Robert Wright. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What the critics say

"I have been waiting all my life for a readable, lucid explanation of Buddhism by a tough-minded, skeptical intellect. Here it is. This is a scientific and spiritual voyage unlike any I have taken before." (Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and best-selling author of Authentic Happiness)
"This is exactly the book that so many of us are looking for. Writing with his characteristic wit, brilliance, and tenderhearted skepticism, Robert Wright tells us everything we need to know about the science, practice, and power of Buddhism." (Susan Cain, best-selling author of Quiet)
"Robert Wright brings his sharp wit and love of analysis to good purpose, making a compelling case for the nuts and bolts of how meditation actually works. This book will be useful for all of us, from experienced meditators to hardened skeptics who are wondering what all the fuss is about." (Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society and best-selling author of Real Happiness)

What listeners say about Why Buddhism Is True

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    2 out of 5 stars

Less about Buddhism, more about meditation.

I learned very little about Buddhism and most, if not all, of the logic is faulty.

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A very understandable explanation of Buddhist philosophy

This book provides the clearest explanation of, often difficult to understand, Buddhist concepts that I have encountered to date. Wright’s evolutionary psychology perspective is very convincing and “enlightening”. The excellent quality of the narrator’s voice makes for the perfect audio version of a can’t-put-downable book.

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Intriguing and Relatable

For someone who has long been interested in Western Buddhism but who has never has a easy introduction to integrating it into my life, this book was exactly what I needed.

It makes no claims about the purely hypothetical metaphysics of traditional Buddhism, but digs deeply into the practical application of meditation practice that have been recognized by academics, medical professionals, and regular introspective folks, alike. It uses modern psychological and clinical evidence to show how many of the core tenants of ancient Buddhism represented a better understanding of the mind than had been available in the West until recently.

The author frames the book around his own experience, handicapped by his own lack of aptitude for it. The shortcoming of the book is that his own somewhat-limited success was a result of a lengthy meditation retreat which might not be realistic for all readers to replicate. It is never implied that the book is a substitute for this practice and it should not be expected as a textbook on medication practice.

It is well read by a narrator who is very believable as first-person of the narrative. The summary chapter at the end is very valuable and is something I will referencing frequently in the future.

I was turned on to the book by it's discussion with the author on the "Partially Examined Life" podcast and would recommend this if you are not quite sold.

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Informative book but the narration

Excellent book, best in hardcover. There are great points that I'm sure you'll want to refer back to. But, oi, the narrator! It's difficult to stay tuned when the presentation is so monotone. Save your credit here and go buy the book:)

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great book for anyone interested in mediation.

it's a must read. I was hesitant when I picked this book due to the mixed reviews but I'm glad I ignored the bad reviews and read it.

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Just finished the second time, looking to start the third time!

Great book!
But could you leave Einstein and relativity theory alone. It’s not about how everything is relative... it’s sort of the contrary.

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Not really about Buddhism.

the biggest mistake the author makes and in turn the new age of westerners trying to understand old philosophies, is that consciousness is important. Buddha was correct in his first sermon and consciousness is not self.

also the author is so interested in secularising the Buddhist texts, that he misses the main concepts of the ideology.

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For anyone wanting to understand the benefits of

My partner and I enjoyed this book so much we have been recommending it to all the seekers we know. The ease with which the author states his case and the relevance to today’s world is laid out beautifully. The narrator is so authentic you will swear it is the author himself speaking.

We highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to better understand the human condition, Buddhism’s core values and how mindfulness meditation can bring us closer to serenity.

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Very informative

Not sure if i reviewed this already but it was a great book and I learned a lot.

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Please read

Enlightning 😉 I wish more people would read it. It could change your way of thinking.

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