Overview

In The Buddha Was a Psychologist: A Rational Approach to Buddhist Teachings, Arnold Kozak argues for a secular, psychological, interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings, with a particular focus on the Buddha’s mind model and use of metaphor. Kozak closely examines the Buddha’s hagiography, analyzing Buddhist dharma through the contexts of neuroscience, cognitive linguistics, and evolutionary psychology.

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9781498535427

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Arnold Kozak’s declared intention to ‘reclaim’ the Buddha from Buddhism is an essential and defining project for the varieties of Buddhism in the West. Lacking nativist credentials, Buddhism in the West is always in need of a rescuing of its core principles. Kozak’s presentation of the Buddha as a psychologist may not be the last word but it is one of the first and few to boldly demand our attention. It seems inevitable that Buddhism in the West will be secularized and psychologized, and the hope in Kozak’s and similar projects is that we can still rescue the timeless wisdom of the Buddha and hold it in respectful alignment with the deep psychological truths of our own time. Kozak’s book is timely and much-needed. -- Mu Soeng, former senior scholar, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies

Arnold Kozak's declared intention to 'reclaim' the Buddha from Buddhism is an essential and defining project for the varieties of Buddhism in the West. Lacking nativist credentials, Buddhism in the West is always in need of a rescuing of its core principles. Kozak's presentation of the Buddha as a psychologist may not be the last word but it is one of the first and few to boldly demand our attention. It seems inevitable that Buddhism in the West will be secularized and psychologized, and the hope in Kozak's and similar projects is that we can still rescue the timeless wisdom of the Buddha and hold it in respectful alignment with the deep psychological truths of our own time. Kozak's book is timely and much-needed. -- Mu Soeng, former senior scholar, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies

Author Information

Arnold Kozak is clinical assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

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