Lemuria Bookstore Blog

Buddhist Practice on Western Ground: Reconciling Eastern Ideas and Western Psychology

Harvey B. Aronson

Shambhala (2009)

Trying to just read and understand Buddhist psychological teaching is generally not easy for our Western minds. Applying these concepts to our daily routines, work and family relationships seems even more difficult living our Western lifestyles. Buddhist Practice puts the last 50 years or so of Buddhist influence on our Western culture in this readable, organized and informative text.

Buddhist Practice addresses the differences of the two cultural approaches:

A) The Western belief that anger should not be suppressed versus teachings to counter anger and hatred.

B) Western independence versus Asian interdependence and daily fulfillment with emphasis on no-self or egolessness.

C) Attachment and supportive relationships versus the Buddhist approach of attachment as the cause of suffering.

These ideas springboard into this complete book helping us to merge these concepts into our daily lives.

I remember in the early 70s reading Ram Dass–Richard Alpert’s Be Here Now, trying to make sense of it and being influenced especially by the suggested reading list in the back of the book. I was so influenced that I used this list extensively to inventory Lemuria when I opened the bookstore in 1975. I’m even sure reading many of those suggested titles actually encouraged me, in a sense, to open a bookstore. It was interesting to me that Aronson’s quest began in earnest in 1964 after attending a psychological talk by Alpert-Dass at Brooklyn college.

Buddhist Practice is an enjoyable, insightful read for those who have interest in the Western counter culture and mind study which has taken place in the last 50 years.