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One of Buddhism’s central claims is that our inability to perceive things as they really are is the root cause of our own and other people’s pain.

Buddhist meditation centers on a bold promise: that with practice, we might develop clearer perspectives on the world and ourselves, leading to lasting, meaningful contentment.

Professor Robert Wright specializes in psychology and has taught at a couple prestigious institutions. He has spent the last few years instructing students in-person and digitally on the topic of how western Buddhism

(Buddhism without the supernatural parts) may be reconciled with science (especially natural selection) and psychology. Why Buddhism Is True provides an accessible introduction to the subject matter at issue.

Robert Wright’s “sublime”  and groundbreaking book demonstrates how fulfilling this promise can alter one’s outlook on life, reducing worry, guilt, and hatred while increasing one’s appreciation for beauty and others.

Using cutting-edge research in neurology and psychology and a keen knowledge of human evolution, he explains why this change is effective.

Wright’s seminal work in evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, sparked a lifelong quest for meaning that culminated in this book, which he wrote after years of meditation practice and discussions with some of the world’s most accomplished meditators.

The outcome is a story that is both entertaining and enlightening, earning praise for being “provocative, educational, and… immensely satisfying” (The New York Times Book Review). Why Buddhism Is True has all of Wright’s trademark wit, simplicity, and elegance.

It lays the groundwork for a spiritual life in a secular age and shows how, in an age of technological confusion and social inequality, we could save ourselves from ourselves on a personal and global level.

Now, journalist Robert Wright’s “Why Buddhism is True” (2017) is a book about the beliefs and practical applications of the dharmic religion of Buddhism.

Wright thinks that Buddhist teachings can be used as metaphors to help people be happy and successful. He spends a lot of the book looking at Buddhism in a way that is easy to understand so that his readers can find meaning in it.

Furthermore, he views Buddhism as a nonlinear journey where the understanding of Buddhist principles comes in phases or at different levels rather than as a collection of norms or precepts, or a heritage solely bound to the Eastern tradition.

He avoids specifics regarding the development of Buddhism over time in favor of a focus on its universal relevance to the human condition. The book gained popularity because it presented an alternative to traditional Western faiths from a more progressive, tolerant, and non-dogmatic stance.

To better understand oneself and the world around you, I think it’s important to study the philosophy and science of Buddhism and to practice meditation. There is a lot of pressure in today’s environment. Now ask yourself:

What if we’re all just robots in a computer simulation, like in The Matrix?

It may seem hard to separate one’s mind from the body, like Neo does in The Matrix, but Buddhist teachings show that it is attainable. The dreamlike environment of The Matrix is not a prerequisite to normal life. Meditation and a shift in viewpoint might help a Buddhist overcome negative feelings like worry and tension.

Robert Wright’s Why Buddhism is True is an attempt to show how Buddhist teachings are consistent with modern science and can improve one’s quality of life. You’ll discover in this book that maybe real life is more like The Matrix than you thought, that you may not have complete control over your actions, and that meditation can bring you peace of mind.

The novel seemed to be going in several distinct directions at once.

It seems like the primary goal of this book is to cut through the fluff and get to the heart of what practicing mindfulness is.

The book’s fundamental framework for accomplishing all of this looks like this.

The formula stays true for the majority of the book, but the order is occasionally jumbled (he might begin with the tale, for example).

Introduction

Just what is this thing called “truth?” Robert Wright acknowledges the subjectivity of truth and the difficulty of establishing the veracity of Buddhism. Actually, one of the major ideas of Buddhism is to question your own assumptions about reality. The very existence of “truth” is questioned in early Buddhist texts.

The Buddha’s most well-known sermon, “The Four Noble Truths,” does, however, explain the definition of the term “truth,” thus it seems reasonable to bring it up in the context of a discussion about Buddhism. Wright tries to accomplish this in his book Why Buddhism is True by arguing that Buddhist views on the moral life are essentially correct and that evolutionary psychology and neuroscience finally establish the correctness of those views.

Wright acknowledges that Buddhist principles may conflict with notions from other traditions, but he stresses that this is not a requirement for adopting Buddhist beliefs. We can apply a Dalai Lama saying to this situation: “Don’t try to utilize what you gain from Buddhism to be a better Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever you’re already good at.”

Chapter 1

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Life İs Like The Matrix

What if real life were more like The Matrix? In case you haven’t seen the film, it follows a man named Neo who realizes he’s been living in a dream universe and that his entire existence up to this point has been an elaborate delusion.

He was told that since he was born into a jail, he couldn’t smell, hear, or feel since he was a slave. Instead, he was born into a virtual prison of the mind known as “The Matrix.” Neo is presented with an option between returning to the fantasy land (the blue pill) and waking up (the red pill). And Neo, being Neo, takes the red pill.

The Matrix was a hit because viewers recognized themselves and their problems in the film. It’s possible that this isn’t a dream in which our actual bodies are imprisoned in a goopy, coffin-like pod. However, what if our lives and choices aren’t entirely under our control? Obviously, we all had our fair share of childhoods where we believed in the existence of the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. It’s therefore possible that we aren’t totally out of our minds.

Take unhealthy fast food as an illustration. Our craving for anything tasty is temporarily satiated when we consume junk food. However, we quickly come down from the sugar high or experience regret. Many of our waking hours are spent in pursuit of the next exciting experience: another bite of powdered-sugar doughnut, another night of passionate encounters, another round of internet shopping. However, the excitement wears off quickly, and we find ourselves wanting more. If so, why? because natural selection is the master designer of our species.

That is to say, we eat, have sex, seek fame, and try to one-up our competitors because our forebears had to. In each case, we experience a momentary rush of pleasure upon engaging in the corresponding action, but that pleasure quickly fades. If it did, however, we wouldn’t bother looking for it again.

We wouldn’t want to have more children if all we ever did was bask in the euphoria of our one and only sexual encounter for the rest of our lives. Because of this, happiness is transitory, and much of our lives are spent looking for the next good time.

Natural selection merely prefers that we be productive, and one method to ensure that we are is to ensure that the pleasure we experience is short-lived but the anticipation of it is very powerful. When we try a new and delicious cuisine or get a promotion, our brain responds by releasing dopamine, a chemical that makes us feel good. Yet the thrill of expectation outweighs the thrill of the actual event.

In one experiment, the effects of feeding a monkey sugary juice were studied. To be certain that we are ensures that the pleasure we experience is fleeting, but the anticipation of it is extremely powerful.When we try a new and delicious cuisine or get a promotion, our brain responds by releasing dopamine, a chemical that makes us feel good. Yet the thrill of expectation outweighs the thrill of the actual event.

one experiment, the effects of feeding a monkey sugary juice were studied. In a predictable turn of events, the moment the juice made contact with the tongue, dopamine was produced. But then the monkeys were taught to anticipate a reward of drops whenever a light was switched on. Over time, the light switch triggered a greater surge of dopamine than tasting the juice. That is to say, it was more enjoyable to anticipate the prize than to receive it.

Thankfully, once you grasp this idea, you’ll be better able to accept the Buddhist teachings that seek to restore equilibrium to your life.

Chapter 2

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The Essentials Meditation

The practice of meditation is central to Buddhism. But it’s not easy to meditate because of the constant stream of thoughts that try to sneak in. This was a difficult habit for author Robert Wright to adopt. Now, he likens himself to the infamous Bobby Knight, the college basketball coach who once threw a chair into the court in a fit of rage.

Wright has never smashed a chair into a court, but he is not extremely calm or accommodating, so he had a hard time relaxing.

Wright wanted to learn how to meditate properly, so he spent a week at a retreat where he was required to meditate for five and a half hours a day, dine in silence, and listen to teachers without any distractions (including no phones, television, or literature). Wright got more and more upset during meditation because he couldn’t get his mind off of other things and focus on his breath.

Wright eventually addressed his teacher to explain his inability to meditate during one of the rare times he was allowed to speak. He admitted that it was hard for him to concentrate. When he finished, his teacher said, “That’s good.”

Teacher’s true meaning: It’s excellent that Wright is becoming aware of his mind wandering, even though it happens constantly. Wright realized from this that his mind often went wherever it wanted to go without his knowledge or consent. The only difference was that he was now only sticking around for short periods of time before wandering off.

So, Wright was picking up on what psychotherapists refer to as the “default mode network.” When we are not engaged in any particular mental process (such as having a conversation, performing a task, reading, or watching a movie), this brain network is activated. To put it simply, it’s the path our daydreaming brain takes.

Although we allow our thoughts to stray in various directions, the past and the future tend to take precedence. However, it is not living in the moment as it happens. Meditation entails training yourself to disconnect from this web of thoughts by bringing your attention to the breath. Focus is essential for the functioning of the intellect.

When you finally break out of this network’s default setting, you may feel a sense of relief, as if the chattering in your head has been silenced for good. This experience is what keeps people coming back to meditation; it’s a powerful motivator that keeps them coming back for more.

But the most important thing Wright discovered through meditation was how to be in command while still letting go. Wright experienced anxiety and a toothache during his mindfulness meditation. He was powerless over these emotions; on the contrary, they were exercising authority over him.

He regained command after he stopped identifying with the things he couldn’t change. As you’ll see in the following section, letting go of your ego is central to Buddhist thought.

Chapter 3

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The Self And The Not- Self

Buddhism’s emphasis on the importance of the individual self is central to the religion’s teachings. People in the West are preoccupied with their own vanity and the opinions of others, demonstrating the narrowness of our focus. Yet, the Buddhist concept of anatta presents the idea that the ego does not exist. That which is “not-self” (or “anatta”) is a notion that is more often put into practice than theorized.

Wright attempts to explain the not-self despite the widespread belief that this concept is inexplicable.

Buddhist monk Walpola Rahula wrote a seminal work titled “What the Buddha Taught.

He said in it, “According to the buddha ’s teachings, the idea of self is a fictional, delusional idea which has no matching reality, and it produces toxic viewpoints of’me’ and’mine,’ selfish desire, yearning, connectedness, intolerant, ill will, conceit, self-respect, egocentrism, and other defilements, contaminants, and problems. It’s the root of every problem, from domestic strife to global conflict.

All the wrongdoing in the world stems from this erroneous belief.

For Buddhists, the world would be a significantly better place if more individuals came to terms with the fact that they are not their own selves. Fortunately, all it takes is a little bit of practice to master this.

To experience one’s not-self is not a goal to be attained or a barrier to be crossed. You can instead feel some degree of not-self with even a minimal daily meditation practice. You can grow and help yourself and others even if you never have a complete “not-self experience.”

What exactly is the self if your goal is to have an experience that has nothing to do with you? Many people might find this subject too abstract to be of any practical interest, but for Buddha, the self is not what we typically think of as the body, mind, or spirit. Contrarily, all that is necessary to define a person is their own awareness.

Although it is housed within the physical body, consciousness is not confined to any one physical form and is not constrained by superficial or intellectual characteristics or by the constraints of inanimate matter. That is to say, we perceive our physical selves, mental capacities, and material possessions to be real when in fact they are not. Thankfully, meditation can help one reach a place of pristine awareness.

Chapter 4

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Who İs Really İn Charge?

Psychologists today are more in agreement with the Buddhist view that our thoughts and actions have limited effects on the world around us. ‘You are not really the president, the chief executive, or the prime minister,’ Penn psychology professor Robert Kurzban argues.

So, our awareness does not function as a hierarchical executive branch. But if awareness itself isn’t the driver, then what is? While it’s natural to attribute our behavior and choices to our conscious selves, numerous studies have begun to cast doubt on this long-held belief.

Most well-known are the “split-brain” trials, in which participants had their left and right cerebral hemispheres surgically severed. The purpose of providing stimuli to only half of a sufferer’s field of vision was to force the data to be processed by a single hemisphere.

Because the hemispheres have already been surgically divided, a word shown exclusively to the left visual field, which itself is analyzed by the right hemisphere, will not penetrate the left hemisphere in any way.

Patients, meanwhile, continued, for some reason, to have communications with the unrecognized half of their brain. As an example, the left hemisphere is responsible for most of the brain’s linguistic processing.

When the word “nut” is presented to a patient’s right hemisphere, the patient reports no awareness of the input, but their left hand, which is controlled by the right hemisphere, will search through a box of objects and pull out a nut.

Some subjects had a command to “walk” flashed on their right brain hemisphere in a similar experiment. If a participant did get up and walk, they were questioned as to why. Offering such an explanation necessitates the use of left-hemisphere memory, which the participants lacked. Participants always made up a story about why they got up and walked that had nothing to do with the truth.

These studies want to demonstrate that our will may not be as stable as we formerly believed. To put it another way, you might believe you’re the protagonist in your own movie, but in reality, you’re just a bystander. Worse yet, you might be following the movie’s instructions. Unless, that is, you can break free from it like Neo did in The Matrix.

Chapter 5

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We Are Ruled By Our Emotions

Imagine a robot with a mind that performed like a human. When asked to explain how it works, computer scientists would say that its “brain” is made up of many overlapping modules, and that modules inside modules, as well as the robot’s environment, determine which modules are now in control.

However, it would be difficult for the scientists to single out a specific section of the robot’s code and declare, “This section right here is the robot itself.”

The question is, what regulates those parts? Both Wright and a large number of psychologists think that emotional regulation is the primary mechanism at work in controlling these modules. For example, watching The Shining can make you feel anxious, and that anxiety can trigger the “self-protection” module, leading you to look for safety in a large group of people. That is to say, sentiments are the driving force. What “decides” which module will be in command for the time being is the user’s emotional state.

Jealousy is an intense sensation. In their research on jealousy’s impacts, psychologists Leda Cosmides and John Tooby found that the feeling can actually be quite transformative.

The mind undergoes amazing changes when it comes to sexual jealousy, including thoughts of violence and abandonment, the need to make oneself more competitively attractive, the loss of one’s reliability, and much more. In fact, one’s outlook and demeanor can shift so drastically that a new “self” takes over the psyche.

This research on envy lends credence to the Buddhist view that we exercise very little mastery over our own psyches. No single entity or leader is in charge. In its place, a collection of egos jockey for emotional dominance and take turns at the wheel.

And thus, the question becomes, “How can you reclaim command of your feelings?” In this case, Buddhist techniques like meditation and mindful practice can be of assistance.

You can learn to manage your emotions and observe them objectively through meditation and practice. As a result, instead of lashing out at your partner when you’re both feeling upset, it’s better to have a thoughtful dialogue about how you’re feeling.

Chapter 6

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Controlling The Impulses

How frequently do you end up with an impulse buy when you go bargain hunting? Maybe you made a list before going shopping, and even though you managed to get everything on it, you still ended up with a few extra things.

We’ve all been guilty of making an impulsive purchase now and then, even if it’s not something we do regularly. In the 18th century, philosopher David Hume said that the human mind is “the slave of passions.” Since then, this has been studied as a phenomenon.

Hume was right about Buddhism, but it took another two and a half thousand years for science to catch up with him. Cognitive scientists from Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and MIT conducted an experiment in which they gave participants cash to spend on a variety of things (wireless earphones, electric toothbrushes, Star Trek DVDs, and so on).

Participants’ brains were monitored while they viewed and rated each item.

Scientists monitored neural activity to determine which regions were active and which were quiet, and they were surprised to discover that none of these regions were linked to conscious thought. Instead, emotional processing regions were the most active.

By way of illustration, when people expect benefits or encounter items they enjoy, activity in the brain’s nucleus accumbens (the pleasure center) increases. Participants’ propensity to make a purchase was proportional to the level of activity in this region of the brain while viewing a product. The strongest emotion (attraction or repulsion) wins out when we consider the advantages and downsides of making a purchase.

In light of what we studied in the prior chapter, it really should be no surprise that our emotional responses influence many of the choices we make. So, it’s not your mistake but your emotions that lead you to buy the newest and finest smartphone or technological device.

Obviously, it’s possible to train yourself to rein in such urges, but how? When you acknowledge the influence of your feelings on your judgment, you can begin to exercise self-control by making rational judgments based on those feelings.

If you want to lose weight, you shouldn’t just tell yourself things like, “I don’t need to have that piece of candy because it helps me gain weight,” but rather you should practice some type of meditation to help you feel more connected to your choices.

Think about how much better you will feel once you’ve eliminated sugary and fatty foods like chocolate from your diet. You could try to imagine how you’ll feel when you can once again look in the mirror with pride because your body fits the clothes you once loved. By integrating the two, you can start to reclaim decision-making and self-control power.

Chapter 7

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Build The Reality You Want To Live In

The power to reign in unfavorable emotions and reactions is a major benefit of meditation. Wright experienced an advancement on the fifth morning of his solitude after struggling to focus and keep his thoughts from straying for the previous four days.

Overcaffeination from the previous morning was manifesting itself in the form of a dull ache in his jaw, which he noticed during his meditation. No doubt, the agony started to consume his thoughts, but he soon made a discovery that would alter the path of his life forever.

As he concentrated on the soreness in his jaw, he thought, “Yes, the biting experience is still there…

However, my jaw is not the location of that feeling. I’m floating around in my own head. Now that he was no longer internalizing the emotion, he was able to examine it dispassionately. One of Buddhism’s central principles is that, via awakening, humans can move beyond suffering and, in a sense, become detached from it.

A Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc protested the abuse of his religion by the South Vietnamese government in June of 1963. One day in Saigon, Duc set up a cushion in the middle of the road and got into the lotus pose.

To President Ngo Dinh Diem, Duc beseeched, after another monk drenched him in gasoline, to have sympathy for the people of the nation and to institute religious equality. And he struck a match. David Halberstam, a journalist who was present, later recalled, “As he burned, he never moved a muscle, nor uttered a sound; his outward serenity was in startling contrast to the crying individuals around him.”

Life, you see, revolves around how you interpret it, and Wright wonders which of your “typical” emotions are really just delusions. Feelings of anxiety, dread, self-loathing, sorrow, and even pain may all be illusions that can be dispelled by meditation.

The discomfort in Wright’s jaw made him feel anxious and pessimistic throughout his meditation sessions. He was aware of the suffering, and it had an effect on him, but he finally learned to remove himself from it. Wright was also able to turn negative events into learning opportunities during this same retreat.

A buzzing electric saw outside his bedroom window ruined the tranquil atmosphere. However, Write’s mindfulness instructor pointed out to him that one of the major tenets of Buddhism is to not try to change things that aren’t changing. Wright internalized this, and his outlook on the persistent hum outside his window shifted.

That buzzing was no longer the grating sound of a saw; it was now music he could listen to in the privacy of his own chamber. Through a shift in his outlook, he was able to turn what had been an annoying sound into something he actually found pleasant.

To Wright, unpleasant feelings like hurt, anxiety, and irritation were always an illusion. It is possible to alter one’s outlook on the world through the practice of meditation and a shift in perspective. You can also start making changes in your life that will have great effects on you and those around you.

Chapter 8

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Conclusion

The Matrix and Buddhism have a lot in common. Though presented as a novel concept, the idea that Neo’s consciousness exists independently of his body in the film isn’t all that original. Mindfulness meditation, as practiced in Buddhist philosophy, can help us learn to detach our consciousness from our bodily selves, if not our bones and flesh. Anxiety, dread, self-loathing, selfishness, and other negative feelings are primarily seen as illusions in Buddhism.

Mindfulness meditation and adopting a fresh outlook allow us to rise above and differentiate from such emotions. And now these concepts have the backing of psychology and neuroscience, which have demonstrated that we are not as in charge of our minds as we formerly believed.

Some individuals devote their entire lives to searching for the kind of inner serenity and happiness that can be attained through adopting Buddhist practices.

Companion Book Notes

Wright’s book is thought-provoking, enlightening, and satisfying in many ways.

Wright’s account of his initial foray into the practice of mindfulness is illustrative.

Wright’s account of his initial foray into the practice of mindfulness is illustrative. Wright’s evocative, sparse writing brings to life the powerful emotional response and lasting impression he had upon reaching this altered state of consciousness.

This statement is consistent with reality. The vignette gives the reader a taste of the efficacy of meditation and allows them to feel attracted by the transformational power of the practice. In several places, I felt myself doing more than merely agreeing; I was actually praising the author.

As an example, he wholeheartedly accepts the concept of emotion, which he defines as the subjective awareness of physiological states, with each state having its own unique valence (positive, neutral, or negative). When he talks about mental phenomena, he’s talking about something that’s unique to every single human being and therefore cannot be observed by anyone else.

Unlike emotions, which are on display for all to see, he does not conflate his feelings with them. Remarkably, the difference between feelings and emotions is often muddled in both popular and academic descriptions.

However, it is essential for comprehending how organisms endowed with neural systems can act, grow capable of self-aware experience, and create their own unique minds, social groups, and cultural practices.

Wright’s attempts to prove Buddhism’s veracity by analyzing why certain emotions develop are not nearly as convincing. He openly accepts the legitimacy of emotions as reliable compass points with which to navigate daily life.

When we feel thirsty, hungry, full, in pain, or otherwise healthy and happy, we are expressing states of our physiology. The reason he calls these emotions “genuine” is because they correspond to the actual physiological needs of the organism.

Wright criticizes as “false” or “illusory” the uses of emotions like fear and anger in modern life, such as road rage. Wright recognizes and appreciates such emotions as valid as thirst, hunger, or pain. As a result of the physiological disruption anger causes, the feeling of “road rage” is a very accurate representation of how angry we actually are.

That sensation is as genuine as the discomfort we experience when we’re injured. The problem is not a lack of truth, but rather a lack of usefulness.

Putting the suggestions of any emotion through the filter of reason usually yields positive results. Emotions and the sentiments they induce need to be appraised by reason in the light of information before we allow them to drive our behavior, with some exceptions (panic situations being one such exception).

Distant thought and reflection improve the quality of even “positive” emotions like empathy, compassion, and thankfulness.

We both agree that the practice of mindfulness meditation has the potential to strengthen our ability to integrate emotion and logic to our benefit. Understanding the uniquely imperfect and dislocated nature of modern humans through meditation might shed light on why social and political problems seem to so easily arouse hatred and anger.

It’s possible that meditating groups as a whole might become more cognizant of the limitations and pointlessness of certain emotional responses, and this would be an advantage beyond the obvious personal benefits of meditation. As a result, people in each society would be healthier and have a lot less trouble with each other.

However, this raises some significant problems. How can one quickly scale up from numerous isolated cases to entire populations in order to avert the impending social disasters?

I also wonder if, for certain people, the desire to cure social issues with ingenious cultural solutions is less likely to generate equanimity than the effective practice of meditation and the actual lessening of the stresses of daily life. Although I don’t think it will be too difficult to separate individual therapy from saving the world, they aren’t necessarily compatible.

Wright makes a compelling case for the idea that the sense of being in charge of one’s own actions and decisions is illusory. Absolutely, I agree with you.

However, a distinction must be made between subjective experience and the concept of the self as thinker and CEO.Both in regular life and during meditation, the sense of self is shattered, but the integrity of subjectivity remains intact. It is always there; otherwise, it would be impossible to see the disintegration in the first place.

In my opinion, the individual’s biological desires are still reflected in some degree of subjectivity, even in the deepest meditation states. Having no subjective perspective at all seems like it would lead to what I’d call a “view from nowhere.” The question is:

• whose perspective would that be?

• How else would we even learn of, much less seek out, such a bleak panorama?

• Paradox is a familiar companion of mindful meditation. Can anything be more out-of-the-ordinary than the unexpected joy of being numb?

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