A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack (SUNY Series in Religious Studies)

A Buddhist interpretation of Western history that shows civilization shaped by the self's desire for groundedness. A BUDDHIST HISTORY OF THE WEST......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction: Toward a Buddhist Perspective......Page 14 1. The Lack of Freedom......Page 30 2. The Lack of Progress......Page 54 3. The Renaissance of Lack......Page 78 4. The Lack of Modernity......Page 100 5. The Lack of Civil Society......Page 138 6. Preparing for Something That Never Happens......Page 184 7. The Religion of the Market......Page 210 Afterword: The Future of Lack......Page 224 1. The Lack of Freedom......Page 230 3. The Renaissance of Lack......Page 231 4. The Lack of Modernity......Page 232 5. The Lack of Civil Society......Page 233 6. Preparing for Something That Never Happens......Page 234 Afterword: The Future of Lack......Page 235 Bibliography......Page 236 A......Page 242 C......Page 243 D......Page 245 E......Page 246 G......Page 247 I......Page 248 L......Page 249 M......Page 250 N......Page 251 P......Page 252 R......Page 253 S......Page 254 T......Page 256 Z......Page 257 A BUDDHIST HISTORY OF THE WEST 4 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction: Toward a Buddhist Perspective 14 1. The Lack of Freedom 30 2. The Lack of Progress 54 3. The Renaissance of Lack 78 4. The Lack of Modernity 100 5. The Lack of Civil Society 138 6. Preparing for Something That Never Happens 184 7. The Religion of the Market 210 Afterword: The Future of Lack 224 Notes 230 1. The Lack of Freedom 230 2. The Lack of Progress 231 3. The Renaissance of Lack 231 4. The Lack of Modernity 232 5. The Lack of Civil Society 233 6. Preparing for Something That Never Happens 234 7. The Religion of the Market 235 Afterword: The Future of Lack 235 Bibliography 236 Index 242 A 242 B 243 C 243 D 245 E 246 F 247 G 247 H 248 I 248 J 249 K 249 L 249 M 250 N 251 O 252 P 252 Q 253 R 253 S 254 T 256 U 257 V 257 W 257 Y 257 Z 257 Annotation Roy (international studies, Bunkyo U., Japan) explores the Western desire to ground oneself or make oneself feel more real, arising from a self-conscious ungroundedness which we experience as a sense of lack. Using a contemporary Buddhist perspective, the author discusses ways that our understanding of this sense of lack has changed at important points in history, and the largely unconscious ways in which we have tried to resolve our lack. Issues covered include freedom, progress, delusive craving (for fame, romantic love, money), modernity, civil society, the "means/end problem in modern life," and the modern economic system. Earlier drafts of some of the chapters have been previously published in academic journals and books. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Buddhism teaches that to become happy, greed, ill-will, and delusion must be transformed into their positive counterparts: generosity, compassion, and wisdom. The history of the West, like all histories, has been plagued by the consequences of greed, ill-will, and delusion. A Buddhist History of the West investigates how individuals have tried to ground themselves to make themselves feel more real. To be self-conscious is to experience ungroundedness as a sense of lack, but what is lacking has been understood differently in different historical periods. Author David R. Loy examines how the understanding of lack changes at historical junctures and shows how those junctures were so crucial in the development of the West.