Why Buddhism Is True
by Robert Wright
Wright uses evolutionary psychology to argue that the Buddhist diagnosis, we are built to be dissatisfied and deluded about the self, is correct, and that meditation is the empirically supported remedy. He reports his own retreats candidly. It is secular, funny and a strong bridge between science and practice.
Read it if…
you want a scientific case for meditation from a skeptic who did the work.
Skip it if…
you want devotional Buddhism; this is deliberately stripped of metaphysics.
Three things you will actually use
- Natural selection built you for propagation, not happiness.
- Feelings are not facts; observe them as events.
- The self that seems to control is largely a story.
Do this first
Sit for fifteen minutes and label each feeling as it arises, noticing how it changes when observed.
Our verdict
Smart, honest and persuasive.
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