Why Buddhism is True

The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

De: Robert Wright

Narrado por: Fred Sanders

From one of America’s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling 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 is 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 “sublime” (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life—how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and 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.

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 that is “provocative, informative and...deeply rewarding” (The New York Times Book Review), and as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written 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 and shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a species.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A sublime achievement.”
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker

“Provocative, informative and... deeply rewarding.... I found myself not just agreeing [with] but applauding the author.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“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, bestselling author of Quiet

“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 bestselling author of Authentic Happiness

“A fantastically rational introduction to meditation…. It constantly made me smile a little, and occasionally chuckle…. A wry, self-deprecating, and brutally empirical guide to the avoidance of suffering.”
—Andrew Sullivan, New York Magazine

“[A] superb, level-headed new book.”
—Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian

“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 bestselling author of Real Happiness

“What happens when someone steeped in evolutionary psychology takes a cool look at Buddhism? If that person is, like Robert Wright, a gifted writer, the answer is this surprising, enjoyable, challenging, and potentially life-changing book.”
—Peter Singer, professor of philosophy at Princeton University and author of Ethics in the Real World

“Delightfully personal, yet broadly important.”
—NPR

“[Why Buddhism is True] will become the go-to explication of Buddhism for modern western seekers, just as The Moral Animal remains the go-to explication of evolutionary psychology.”
—Scientific American

Best book on Buddhism and Mediation ever written

Would you listen to Why Buddhism Is True again? Why?

I have already listened to it 3 times. Even though the explanations are clear and logical, the book is filled with rich information and paradoxes that you can't just listen to it once and get the full meaning. Just an outstanding book! Kudos to Robert Wright!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Why Buddhism Is True?

Understanding essence and how you need to look at it from a more universal view, i.e. as Einstein did for his Theory of Relativity

fantastic book

I loved the way the author drew comparison to science and psychology and the buddhist belief in a way that was very easy to understand and follow. if you jave had a difficult time understanding Buddhism read this book

Great insight, stick to the end!

This book offers great insight as to why we do the things we do and why we feel the way we feel. It also offers you a way on how to be free of these feelings should you feel inclined to do so. I say stick to the end because early on the book the perspective offered sounds to me like a way of numbing yourself into not feeling anything but as you advance through the book the author picks up on this point and explains why this is not the case, so yeah, stick to the end!

Fred Sanders is awesome

Book was eye-opening and Fred Sanders reading made it easy to understand . Off to try meditation

Darwin confirms Buddhism

The main title, Why Buddhism is True, is a bit misleading. The book is mainly about the benefits of meditation. Throughout most of the book, the author threads interesting, up-to-date, and digestible logic as to why everyone should be practicing mindful meditation. As a beginning meditator, Wright’s reasoning was compelling enough to have me hooked from the start.

Through meditation, he says, if we dive deep enough, we can understand the mechanics behind how feelings shape thoughts, behaviors, and perceptions, and how, through practice, we can become aware of “things in our environment that affect those feelings.” Some feelings, he says “are good guiding lights,” while others can “push us around.” He provides scientific backup and practical first-hand examples of how we can successfully manipulate the feelings that may not be benefiting us.

The principle argument for our feelings, he outlines, is the built-in “conditioning” of natural selection. He describes, through meditation, how we can “subvert the programming of natural selection,” to achieve measurable, positive impacts on our lives and of those around us. In effect, he is saying that Darwin confirmed the truth behind Buddhism.

The key, through small daily practices of mindful meditation, is becoming more aware of “what causes what.” Or, in short, causality.

Wright speckles the book with his own experiences, mainly with dry, relatable, self-deprecating humor. I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the book.

In short, he says the value of meditation is a tool, one that enables us to see the stories we build and how we can more clearly separate illusion from truth. In other words, he says, mindfulness meditation helps us change our perception of the world, even with potentially simple annoyances like crabgrass, the buzzsaw of construction noise, or the impulse to respond to a pricky email.

After listening to his book (twice) it’s hard not to believe him. (It's also one of Freddie Spaghetti's favorites as written in wholewheatspaghetti dot com).

bought a hard copy

the author makes great arguments for skeptical people (bought the hard copy for my skeptical husband). I thought the narration a bit slow, but that was easily adjusted.

Great book for general understanding

Great book from a Western, non religious perspective. It helps to demystify the workings of Self or maybe more accurately not self. I liked the explanation of "Self" being a very dynamic and evolving process of several competing facets of emotion, logic, priorities, etc... learning to watch this process in real time during meditation has merit. The author is perhaps not the best representative of serious Buddhist meditation, but he does not try to present himself in that light. I find this intersection of Evolutionary Psychology and Meditation very interesting.

Might just save the planet, nothing here folks!

The drawing together of science and Buddhism is a fascinating thought.
Seems in almost all other belief systems the opposite is happening for the obvious logical reasons. Both the teachings of science and some aspects of Buddhism are enlightening. Together they might save the planet.

I hope the world reads and internalizes this book

A great blend of anthropology, psychology, storytelling, and even spiritualism. I consider this one of the must-read explorations and introductions into how secular Buddhism reveals truths (but not essences :) that we can all learn from.

loved it

loved it. pan on listening to it again just to get the full impact of it