The New Buddhism

Rating:
Summary: A book that needed to be written
Review: Although I have not finished reading it all yet and cannot say if I really understand it all,I feel that this is a book that needed to be written.It addresses and rightly criticizes a number of major Buddhist doctrines that I feel have done Buddhism more harm than good.For instance,the constant harping on 'realizing non-duality' in certain Buddhist circles seems to eliminate all differences and uniqueness in life.It also sends the message that since 'everything is one anyway' there is,ultimately,no such thing as right and wrong.I can't believe this kind of moral relativism is what the Buddha intended.
Also,the book quite rightly addresses other key issues such as the authoritarianism and prejudices of teachers.As well as the anti-rational stance of certain Buddhist sects.I have always been disturbed by people saying that thinking is useless and that I should drop my understanding.
I congradulate Mr.Brazier for rooting out these strands of Buddhist nihilism that poorly reflect on what is a beautiful living religion.

Rating:
Summary: The New Brazierism
Review: Nothing that David Brazier writes can subtract from the merits of his other two books, "The Feeling Buddha" and "Zen Therapy". (I 5-starred both of them.) As a psychotherapist, Brazier is well qualified to write about how to change yourself. Therefore, I was disconcerted to turn the cover page of this book to be engaged by the explosively confident and allwise face of (who else but?) the author. However, the prominent photo turned out to be completely appropriate, because this book is all about David Brazier and not Buddhism, 'new', revised, "critical", or otherwise.

Brazier's many assertions about what the Buddha thought (well, the Buddha thought what David Brazier thinks, of course, what else?) and what the Buddha would think about numerous present day situations .... these claims are nothing better than [wrong] for us and self-serving for Brazier.

Brazier rants on about "engaged Buddhism", what he has engaged is Brazierism. Not that I disagree with the author's views, except that these have precious little to do with the Buddhadharma of 2500 years ago in India. I shall be glad to vote for Brazier as "boddhisattva of the year", or something like that. But his appeals to invoke the authority of Buddhist scripture and tradition are terribly misplaced.

Rating:
Summary: Buddha as the ultimate social activist
Review: There's a lot of excitement in this book. There might be in "The New Christianity" too if Brazier gets around to presenting the image of Jesus as social activist as he has done with Buddha. Human society certainly could use changing. Social activism can use all the spiritual teachers it can get.

Good things about this book: questioning a religion, how and authority shapes the teachings. The lineage system seems an easy target but a worthwhile one. Showing how enlightenment has been interpreted in so many ways. Speculating just why Buddha left the palace and just why people back then became enlightened so quickly.

Not so good things about this book: it seemed at least twice the length it needed to be. I began skimming thru the 2nd half, hearing the same exhortations to save the world that the first half is full of. Not a bad message but it becomes a drumming. Brazier warns early this is not an academic book and it isn't. Footnotes and credits are scarce. The style and confidence is that of a college sophomore sermonizing to exhort us to save ourselves. That may not be a bad way to be these days, but it seems to skip over a lot of tough questions about Buddhism and about us. Once the cheerleading stops, where are we? If it continues, where are we? Following Buddha or Brazier? Perhaps Brazier would be happy if we were following our hearts.

There might be four books inside this one: 1) Brazier's image of what a social activist should be and why one should be one 2) Brazier's Buddha as the ideal 3) Specific and shared problems with each of the branches of Buddhism 4)One or more utopian visions (e.g. as Pure Lands) that seem unbelievable but wouldn't they be very nice.

This is a provocative read. I'll probably change my view of it a number of times. I agree with Brazier that religions that lead to withdrawal aren't what we need right now. And that Buddhism has much within it to guide our efforts to help our world. Which Buddhism and which Buddha are questions Brazier has tackled. But if may depend more on which of us.

Rating:
Summary: Which Buddhism?
Review: This is both an intellectually stimulating and entertaining book by a revisionist author who is attempting to forge a new Buddhism for modern Western consumption. It certainly resonates with the Critical Buddhism movement that has been largely erupting in Japan over the last couple decades, and as such shares its strengths and weakness. See Hubbard's Pruning The Bodhi Tree for an overview of this. Being attached to this outlook, Brazier turns a rather skeptical eye to the history and doctrines that have been historically associated with Buddhism, overturning and casting out anything that doesn't fit into his agenda of socially engaged Buddhism. In the process, he turfs many positions that great numbers of Buddhists would think of as being core issues in Buddhist faith. To think that they can be as breezilly dismissed as Brazier handles them is a mistake. How much can be cut out before it's Buddhism in name only? In fact, which of the eight very different views of enlightenment he presents is really ultimate when they each claim to be and shoot down some or all of the others? And if there's so much allowable diversity, why not allow a New Buddhism, even if it comes close to being a Buddhist Brazierism? These are all questions worth hard thought, particularly for a religion without canon or (allegedly) dogma. Given that the Buddha welcomed all questions, however, and preached critical analysis, even of his own views, Brazier has stirred up a tasty pot of issues for thinking Buddhists. Whether you end up agreeing or disagreeing with him, this is one of the most provocative books about Buddhism around.