critique of Western Buddhism, A

Book Description

Glenn Wallis presents a provocative examination of how Buddhism has been transformed in Western contexts, arguing that contemporary practitioners have fundamentally altered the tradition's core teachings. Rather than embracing Buddhism's challenging concepts of impermanence, emptiness, and the dissolution of self, Western interpretations often align with self-help approaches that promise comfort and personal enhancement.

This scholarly work reveals how authentic Buddhist philosophy confronts practitioners with difficult truths about existence, including the reality of extinction, contingency, and the absence of a fixed self. Wallis contends that genuine Buddhist awakening requires unflinching acceptance of these unsettling realities, yet modern Western practice typically avoids such confrontation, creating a contradiction at Buddhism's heart.

Drawing from Continental philosophy, particularly François Laruelle's non-philosophy, the author develops a threefold critique that emerges from within Buddhist thought while extending beyond its conventional boundaries. Through deconstructive analysis and innovative philosophical methods, Wallis exposes how Western Buddhism has been domesticated and stripped of its transformative power.

The book challenges readers to consider whether contemporary Buddhist practice truly serves spiritual development or merely provides psychological comfort. By applying rigorous philosophical inquiry to popular spiritual assumptions, Wallis opens space for reconsidering what authentic practice might look like in our current cultural moment, suggesting possibilities for a more honest engagement with Buddhism's radical insights.