August 2022 Book Reviews

A brief review of each of the books I read in the last month.

Why Buddhism is True - Robert Wright 4/5

This book discussed Buddhism from a Western perspective and was a solid read.

Some of the ideas discussed included:

• Detachment from emotion through mindfulness 
• The self as an illusion - I subscribe to the belief that the conscious mind is the self, but this was refuted 
• Modular model of the mind 

The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path being:

• Right Understanding
• Right Thought
• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood
• Right Effort
• Right Mindfulness 
• Right Concentration.

The five aggregates or heaps to which we cling:

• Form (or material image, impression) (rupa)
• Sensations (or feelings, received from form) (vedana)
• Perceptions (samjna)
• Mental activity or formations (sankhara)
• Consciousness (vijnana).

To perceive emptiness is to perceive raw data.

Key takeaways of the book:

1. Human beings can often fail to see the world clearly - this can lead them to suffer and make others suffer 
2. Humans tend to anticipate more in the way of enduring satisfaction from the attainment of goals than will in fact transpire 
3. Dukkha (in the sense of ongoing dissatisfaction rather than suffering) is a relentlessly recurring part of life as life is normally lived 
4. The source of dukkha identified in The 4 Noble Truths - tanha, translated as "thirst", "craving" or "desire" - makes sense against the backdrop of evolution 
5. The two basic feelings that sponsor dukkha -the two sides of tanha, a clinging attraction to things and an aversion to things, needn't enslave us as they tend to do 
6. Our intuitive conception of the "self" is misleading at best 
7. The more common and more expansive interpretation of the Buddha's second discourse - as saying that the "self" simply does not exist, is rendered in various ways in various Buddhist texts 
8. What the author calls the "exterior" version of the non-self experience - a sense that the bounds surrounding the self have dissolved and were in some sense illusory to begin with - is not empirically and theoretically corroborated in the same sense that, he argues the "interior" version of the not-self experience is corroborated 
9. Leaving aside the metaphysical validity of our ordinary sense of self, and of alternatives to that ordinary sense of self, there is a question of moral validity 
10. The intuition that objects and beings we perceive have "essences" is, as the Buddhist doctrine of emptiness holds, an illusion 
11. The preceding point about essences and essentialism is one illustration of the broader proposition that not seeing the world clearly can lead not just to our own suffering but to bad conduct in the sense of making others suffer needlessly. Or, to put a more positive spin on it: seeing the world more clearly can make you not just happier, but more moral 
12. Many Buddhist teachings, including several of those listed here, could be lumped under the rubric of "awareness of conditioning", where "conditioning" means roughly speaking, causes

Japonisme: the art of finding contentment - Erin Niimi Longhurst 4/5

A delightfully written overview of some of the most important Japanese philosophies.

Certainly worth a read to find some nuggets of wisdom to help you on the path to tranquility, productivity, and happiness.

Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying: a Buddhist perspective - Sangye Khadro 4/5

A very short book on dying from a Buddhist point of view.

An enlightening and easy read!

The Economist Guide to Change and Project Management: getting it right and achieving lasting benefit - Paul Roberts 4/5

Having recently acquired work in a role that involves change and project management, I picked up this gem to introduce myself to the topics.

I was not disappointed and would recommend this book as an easy starting place for anyone new to change or project management.

Living Meditation, Living Insight: the path of mindfulness in daily life - Dr Thynn Thynn

This book is a nice, accessible overview of mindfulness and meditation from a Buddhist perspective.

Worth a read if you are new to the topic.

The Digital Health Revolution - Kevin Pereau 2/5

This felt like a series of ads.

I am certainly an advocate for digital health, but feel the value of this book could have been condensed into one chapter.

I still rate it better than the satanic bible, but found it disappointing.

The Satanic Bible - Anton Szandor LaVey 1/5

Up there with 12 Rules for Life and the 48 Laws of Power as one of the dumbest books I have read.

Let me list. the "Nine Satanic Statements" to give you a feel of this philosophy:

1. Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!

2. Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipe dreams!

3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit!

4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!

5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!

6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires!

7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious animal of all!

8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!

9. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!

Petty, hypocritical, weak-willed - a few ways I would describe this train of thought.

I am all for taking the piss out of religion, but don't do so then go on to describe your own religion.

An idiotic book, but entertaining nonetheless.