r/streamentry • u/5adja5b • Feb 21 '17
theory [Theory] Book recommendation: Realizing Awakened Consciousness
Hi all,
I wanted to recommend Richard P Boyle's 'Realizing Awakened Conciousness: Interviews with Buddhist Teachers and a New Perspective on the Mind'.
He transcribes interviews with 11 teachers, including Shinzen Young, Joseph Goldstein, Shaila Catherine and others. He then analyses the interviews and other research to come up with a scientific theory regarding awakened consciousness as opposeed to 'ordinary' consciousness.
The book is excellent. The author himself experienced an awakening experience during the course of this project, having previously 'given up' on awakening ever happening to him, but he remains scientific and humble throughout.
He suggests there are three general clusters that seem to be necessary for awakening, irrespective of the method: quieting the mind, letting go, and compassion (and then goes on to say that compassion is complicated and there is evidence to say that it is not a fundamental component of awakened consciousness. He does not shy away from this and in fact concludes that compassion does not seem to be fundamental). He also examines how the sense of self develops from birth and how other animals operate. He believes that the development of language capable of symbolic representations ( eg past, future, objects not in immediate awareness) has been fundamental in constructing the 'ordinary consciousness' most of us experience - and the dukkha that occurs when 'symbolic reality' and social reality fail to match up to perceptual reality. He also draws upon evidence to theorise that, even when the three components above are present, there seems to be a fundamental switch to 'awakened consciousness' that occurs (i.e. it's possible to have a clear head and no attachment yet not be experiencing awakened consciousness) and he theorises on the different parts of the brain that might be responsible. He draws upon research into human development from birth, including the development of language in babies, and human evolution, to shape the theory.
As I say, the book is excellent and inspirational and written by someone who is clearly very bright, and very humble, and concerned with the truth and how science might help our understanding and facilitate awakened consciousness for all. I didn't expect it to be the sole focus of my reading this past week or two, but it has become the most engaging of all the other books on my reading list. For me it is one of those books that feels as if it is helping me on my journey; just reading what awakening is to all these different people, particularly when combined with someone who is capable of asking the right questions and then analyzing the answers.
I find it practically very helpful in all sorts of ways, one big one being his summary of how one makes the jump between ordinary and awakened consciousness, based on scientific study and theory. It helps inform the direction of my practice and clarifies why I might do a particular practice (letting go of 'conceptual' reality; focusing on the present moment, etc) and helps prevent getting bogged down in one particular method.
It feels as if this is part of refining the maps, techniques and paths to awakening, using the power of modern science, which I know Shinzen Young is passionate about too (Shinzen says that path maps are not very good but we have the benefit of science now which previous generations did not, and he believes science will help modernise and make them more efficient and useful to more people).
(I came across the book through Culadasa, who recommended it on his Facebook feed)
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u/charonsfare Feb 21 '17 edited Feb 21 '17
Many thanks for the recommendation, it looks like a great read. Have also just got a kindle Sample :-) Have you read 'The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation' by Richard Shankman? It goes into exploring and comparing how Samadhi is described in the suttas and Visuddhimagga, and then has interviews with about the same number of teachers as your recommendation, but who all teach Samadhi to the varying different definitions (i.e., noting/hard jhana/mix/etc.). I'm just starting to read it now, but it seems to be a great summary of the ‘samatha/vipassana debate’, and looks like a good possible follow on from the book you’ve mentioned :-)
Edited as managed to miss off the part of the title! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6137595-the-experience-of-samadhi
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u/chi_sao Feb 21 '17
Completely different books, but both are very good. Boyle's book is not based on any textual study that I recall, but largely he looks for common elements in the panoply of practitioners whom he surveys. Shankman's book largely examines the differences between the sutta and commentaries regarding jhana and then has a number of interviews illustrating the range of views held by the "popular" teachers of these techniques.
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u/drunkwhenimadethis the bod squad Feb 21 '17 edited Feb 21 '17
Thanks for the recommendation; just grabbed a sample on my kindle.
Edit: just finished the introduction, and I'm hooked. Incredibly fascinating, looking forward to reading the rest. The author's background as a sociologist makes for a very interesting perspective, one that I haven't found in many Dharma books.
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Feb 26 '17
I'm really enjoying this book so far. I'm only through the first 3 interviews, but I'm enjoying the various perspectives and experiences from these experienced teachers. Thanks again for the recommendation.
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u/5adja5b Feb 26 '17
Glad you are enjoying it. I found it inspirational... and the essays in the second half are as good as the interviews in my view.
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u/ilikeavacados Mar 14 '17
I enjoyed this book as well. It's interesting reading how each teacher's personal experience of awakening is a little different.
Have you ever read Zen and the Brain by James Austin?
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u/chi_sao Feb 21 '17
I quite enjoyed this book, which I read early last year. In addition to the myriad interviews with western Dharma teachers and their accounts of their own awakenings, there are a series of good essays at the end of the book, wherein the author broaches the subjects of linguistic development and its role in our perception of the world. Also, a pretty good essay where he makes some stabs at trying to understand why some Dharma teachers "go bad."