The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized

By Owen J. Flanagan

Book Overview

If we are material beings living in a material world--and all the scientific evidence suggests that we are--then we must find existential meaning, if there is such a thing, in this physical world. We must cast our lot with the natural rather than the supernatural. Many Westerners with spiritual (but not religious) inclinations are attracted to Buddhism--almost as a kind of moral-mental hygiene. But, as Owen Flanagan points out in The Bodhisattva's Brain, Buddhism is hardly naturalistic. Atheistic when it comes to a creator god, Buddhism is otherwise opulently polytheistic, with spirits, protector deities, ghosts, and evil spirits. Its beliefs include karma, rebirth, nirvana, and nonphysical states of mind.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262016044
• ISBN13: 9780262016049
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Bradford Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.3"