September 27, 2021
In this galvanizing guide, Buddhist scholar Thurman (Infinite Life) explores Buddhist axioms in order to help readers create a more lasting happiness. In presenting the Buddha as a scientist and calling The Four Noble Truths “the four friendly facts,” Thurman makes the concepts at hand digestible to lay readers. He divides “a buddha’s threefold super-education” (science, ethics, and meditative mind-power) into four key areas—love, compassion, joy, and equanimity—and uses his own life experiences and the Buddha’s teachings to explain how to obtain “the full experience of this real world.” For instance, Thurman recommends readers strive for realistic speech (“speaking the truth and avoiding falsehoods” and “senseless chatter”), realistic evolutionary action (“the realization that actions are evolutionary in their causal impact on oneself and others”), and realistic livelihood (choosing one’s “calling or profession with the intention of maximizing evolutionary progress”) in order to reject egoism and connect to fellow humans, resulting in “the wisdom of nirvana.” Best suited for those already familiar with Buddhist concepts, Thurman’s inviting advice will appeal readers of Pema Chodron.