Synopsis
Whatever the differences in their methods and goals, psychotherapy, existentialism, and Buddhism are concerned with the same fundamental issues of life and death and death-in-life. In this unique work, David Loy brings all three traditions together for the first time in a synthesis receptive to the insights of each, thereby casting fresh light on familiar problems.
Dr. Loy's work grew out of the cross-fertilization of two basic ideas: the psychotherapeutic concept of repression and the Buddhist doctrine of nonself. Buddhism implies that our primal repression is not fear of death but the quite valid suspicion that "I" am not real. This shift from libido-instinct to the way we understand our situation opens up new perspectives and possibilities which this book explores.
Written in a clear, jargon-free style that does not assume prior familiarity with the topics discussed, this insightful book will appeal to a variety of readers including psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, scholars of religion—particularly of Buddhism—Continental philosophers, and literary and culture critics.
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Review
"A philosophical masterpiece! David R. Loy is one of the most important thinkers of our time. Even after 15 years this groundbreaking book keeps sharpening my mind and opening me up to the great mystery. A treasure to revisit again and again--highly recommended."--Nikolaj Rotne, cofounder of The Stillness Revolution and coauthor of Everybody Present
"A profound book that shows how the root of human suffering is a state of groundlessness that either gives rise to anxiety and despair, or, when fully met, becomes a stepping-stone on the path of spiritual awakening."--John Welwood, author of Toward a Psychology of Awakening
"From an important Buddhist thinker, this pioneering treatment of psychotherapy and existentialism in relation to Buddhism offers rich rewards to its readers."--Christopher Ives, author of Zen on the Trail
"Western Buddhists and other psychologists were treated to a major flash of insight when David Loy first published this groundbreaking and often breathtaking book on how the divergence between humanity's greatest professors of desire, Freud and the Buddha, sheds a new and liberating light on the human quest for inner freedom. Brilliantly employing the concept of 'lack, ' Loy plumbs the deepest and widest implications of the Buddha's 'no-self' doctrine as far as, and sometimes farther than, words can convey."--Philip Novak, author of The World's Wisdom
"A major contribution on one of the core issues of religious studies. Lack is a concept which not only appears in numerous religions, but also bridges the social sciences and religious studies. With his usual clarity and elegance, David Loy has covered the full range of the topic, including its social psychological, technological, economic and political aspects. In a truly exceptional manner, it illuminates central facets of modernity, through assembling and incisively analyzing central texts from both Western philosophy and Far Eastern tradition. There are few scholars in today's world capable of this feat."--Jonathan Garb, Gershom Scholem chair in Kabbalah, Hebrew University
About the Author
David Loy is a professor on the Faculty of International Studies at Bunkyo University, Japan. He has been a student of Zen for over twenty-five years and is a qualified Zen teacher. He is the author of Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism, and Buddhism and Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy, as well as numerous articles.
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Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism, and Buddhism
Seller: ThriftBooksVintage, Tukwila, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Cover and binding are worn but intact. A reading copy in fair condition. Wear commensurate with age and use. Clean unmarked copy. Light bumping visible to corners of boards and ends of spine strip. Light scuffing and smudging across boards and spine strip. Secure packaging for safe delivery. Seller Inventory # 1048707799