Why Buddhism Is True
The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
by Wright, Robert · first published 2017
74% recommend26% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A secular, science-minded case for Buddhism linking its teachings to psychology and neuroscience, such as the hedonic treadmill, without the supernatural or new-agey parts. For skeptics curious about meditation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer—and the reason we make other people suffer—is that we don’t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly and so gain a deep and morally valid happiness. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright’s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, and deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice and conversed with some of the world’s most skilled meditators. The result
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2018–2023The Celestine Prophecy - An Adventure
James Redfield
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 42 recommend · 4 mention2 recommend · 42 recommend
2008–2022What the Buddha taught
Walpola Rahula
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1311 recommend · 13 mention11 recommend · 1311 recommend
2015–2026The mind illuminated
Culadasa John Yates, Matthew Immergut PhD, Sean Runnette, Jeremy Graves
Recommended by 79 · mentioned by 11179 recommend · 111 mention79 recommend · 11179 recommend
2011–2026Ways of Seeing
John Berger
Recommended by 24 · mentioned by 3324 recommend · 33 mention24 recommend · 3324 recommend
2009–2025Buddhism Without Beliefs
Stephen Batchelor
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 1513 recommend · 15 mention13 recommend · 1513 recommend
2014–2023Waking Up
Sam Harris
Recommended by 21 · mentioned by 3221 recommend · 32 mention21 recommend · 3221 recommend
2010–2023God Is Not Great
Christopher Hitchens
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 1810 recommend · 18 mention10 recommend · 1810 recommend
Running on empty
Jonice Webb
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 1210 recommend · 12 mention10 recommend · 1210 recommend
Can highly recommend Thinking, Fast and Slow and Why Buddhism is True (listened to both as audio books). I have not read the others, but the 5+ books I read by Bill Bryson have been awesome, putting The Body on my year's list - thanks ;)
on “Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?” ↗Really recommend the book, "Why Buddhism is true" by Robert Wright. He discusses the "atheist" take on buddhism, and how it predates an awful lot of what we now understand through modern psychology. It's not really a tutorial on meditation, but I've…
on “Ask HN: What projects are you working on now?” ↗…started meditating. That also helped big time. I will highly recommend it. Books that helped- - What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula - Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright - Mastery by Gordon Leonard - Learning How to Learn (Coursera) - Mind Illuminated by Culadasa - Atomic Habits by James Clear - Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy Hunt
on “My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll” ↗"Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion" by Sam Harris: http://a.co/d/bpQ6OlS "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins: http://a.co/d/2aP5Tvo "Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment" by Robert Wright: http://a.co/d/8IawuEo Sam Harris discusses these topics (amongst others you may find interesting) in conversations on his…
on “Ask HN: Best books on the psychology of religion?” ↗…circumstances. I can't say that I've made much progress or gained a lot of experience. This is still new to me, but it makes a lot of sense to me. Maybe it's something to look into foe yourself. Resources: Book: why buddhism is true by Robert Wright The mind illuminated by John Yates Website with lots of interesting audios: culadasa.com Also, you may want to try therapy. From what I've heard it may take a while to find someone…
on “Ask HN: Has anyone earnestly given up and managed to come back from it?” ↗As a science oriented person I reach spirituality only through secularism. I can recommend this book: "Why Buddhism is True - The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment" https://www.amazon.com/Why-Buddhism-True-Philosophy-Enlighte... In essence this book tells why secular Buddhism (secular, western meditation)…
on “Ask HN: Which is the best spiritual book you have read?” ↗Why Buddhism is True [0, 1] does an excellent job of covering the modern neuroscience that overlaps much of Buddhist teaching, such as the hedonic treadmill [2], while ignoring the more new-agey / spiritual / not-evidence-based…
on “The effect of meditation on brain structure (2012)” ↗* The Origin of Wealth * Elephant in the Brain * A Random Walk Down Wall Street * Why Buddhism Is True * Digital Minimalism
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka by William Hart
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?” ↗…problems I had. Regular practice is essential. These books were great: - The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa - Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratna - The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright - What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula __________ There are many books from many fields that has made me less dumb. I cannot list all of them. You too, should pursue directions…
on “Ask HN: What Books helped you sharpen your brains?” ↗…perspective, many aspects of conscious experience ensure we stay alive and procreate, but are not necessarily pleasant and seem to be increasingly incompatible with modern life. Robert Wright’s book “Why Buddhism is True” explores this at length and is a really interesting read. It’s not a book about religious truth, but one that maps a modern understanding of evolutionary psychology onto the insights of Buddhist philosophy…
on “When Buddhism Goes Bad – How My Mindfulness Practice Led Me to Meltdown” ↗…on the contributions of the lizard brain to our thoughts and feelings[1] , why not should we similarly introspect on the car brain and think on a similarly higher order level? [1] Tangential reading: 'Why Buddhism is True' by Robert Wight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Buddhism_Is_True https://www.npr.org/transcripts/541610511
on “Electric Bike, Stupid Love of My Life” ↗Not author, not Buddhist. But I enjoyed "Why Buddhism is True" by Robert Wright
on “Stoicism is not enough” ↗…the Waking Up app to practice the mindfulness techniques described in the book. There are other books/apps, but seek out mindfulness, not just some form of concentration meditation. - Robert Wright: Why Buddhism is True [2] (book) is first and foremost not a religious book, but a book that explores evolutionary psychology and how our growing understanding of the human brain maps cleanly onto some aspects of Buddhist…
on “Ask HN: How did you rebuild yourself after having hit rock bottom?” ↗To get started. Absolutely. Headspace has been instrumental in dealing with a very hard time in my life. For a secular, scientific look at mindfulness meditation read the book “Why Buddhism is true.”
on “The Impact of Meditating Every Day” ↗