The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga : Paths to a Mature Happiness

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 256 pages
• Published by: Lawrence Erlbaum
• Edition: 1st Edition May 1, 2000
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0805838333
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0805838336
• Book Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.1 inches
• Weighs: 14.4 ounces

George Howard, University of
"There are few books that can make a real difference in people's lives-this is one of them."

Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University
"I think it has as much value to novices as well as to professionals in these areas."

Reader Reviews
pp. 213-4: "this book is a primer, an introduction to the most basic teachings of Buddhism and Yoga. It is introductory...My sense in presenting the teachings of Buddhism & Yoga was that the reader would be new to them, to their radical emphasis on self-transformation." It also has some comparisons with certain Western psychologies & concludes with a section on anger. Rather than a scholarly work, it is conversational & replete with stories, anecdotes, poems, etc. It is very basic & easy reading. The 1st section concerns Southern (often called Hinayana-which is derogatory) Buddhism (though the book includes some Zen stories). The 2nd section is on Hindu Yoga (e. g. Patanjali) & seems more detailed, including original drawings of mental processes. It's heavily Hatha Yoga, & ignores Raja Yoga entirely. The 3rd section is on cognitive & behavioral psychology-unlike many current works relating Eastern psychology to psychoanalysis, analytical psychology, etc.-even the bibliography ignores such works. The 4th section is on using these 3 to control anger. For a Buddhist view on anger, see Thubten Chodron's fine "Working with Anger." The most interesting items to me were: p. 77: Escher's poem "Transcending," yoga described as similar to mindfulness (& to me Zen), p. 132 table 24.1 & preceding pages mapping yoga angas to Buddha's 8-fold path, p. 151 "problem-solving therapy" though Deborah Tannen might categorize it as a masculine approach, & p. 177 the five stages of anger (most interestingly stage 4: "there is no anger" is lower than stage 5: "anger is the servant." I don't think these 2 are serial, but I agree with the order. Perhaps the most profound yet congruent observation was: p. 193: "The man who is angry at you or who yells at you, doesn't see you but sees his own conception of you." I think Mahayana Buddhists would even go farther & point out that we are all aggregates (which our author does indeed directly imply in his many examples) of innumerable influences. Still, there is the sticky issue of free will to consider. This is a fun book with some valuable insights, but as the author states, it is introductory. Nonetheless, it provides useful techniques (especially Hatha Yoga & anger control). Comment | | (Report this)