Buddhist Monk and Philosopher (Dialogue Between Buddhism and Western Thought)

Author: Jean-Fran?ois Revel (France), Matthieu Ricard (France), translated by Lu Yuanchang
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Features: Jean-Fran?ois Revel, a contemporary French intellectual master and member of the French Academy, and his son Matthieu Ricard, who converted to Buddhism, engage in a dialogue between Buddhism and Western thought from a quiet spot on a mountain overlooking Kathmandu in Nepal. The monk says: Buddhism proposes a spiritual science that discusses the fundamental mechanisms of happiness and suffering. From morning to evening, at every moment of our lives, we deal with our minds, and even the slightest transformation of this mind can have a profound impact on our existence and our perception of the world. The philosopher says: What lessons have I taken from these conversations? What have they brought me? They have inspired me with increasing admiration for Buddhism as wisdom and increasing skepticism about Buddhism as metaphysics. They have also given me a vague glimpse into some explanations for the current appeal of this doctrine in the West. This is primarily because Buddhism fills the vacuum left by the escape from Western philosophy in the realms of the art of life and morality.