The important Buddhist doctrine of the two truths—conventional truths and ultimate truths—is the subject of this book. It examines how the doctrine evolved within early Buddhism from efforts to make sense of contradictions within the collected sayings of the Buddha. The two truths; however; came to refer not primarily to statements or language; but to the realities to which statements or language referred. As such; the doctrine of the two truths became one through which Buddhist philosophers focused their efforts to elaborate an abhidharma; a higher teaching which allowed them to explain how the mind apprehends and misapprehends the world; how it attaches itself to objects that do not exist in and of themselves; thereby creating suffering. In effect; the doctrine then evolved into a distinction between different sorts of objects rather than a distinction between different sorts of statements. The doctrine of the truths understood in this way played a key role in the articulation of the Mahayana by its followers in distinguishing it from what they called Hinayana; especially in defining the central ideas of selflessness and emptiness. Unlike prior books on this topic which concentrate on the doctrine within the context of the Mahayana; Buescher's examines it within the context of the Hinayana. Tibetan Buddhist syntheses of Buddhist doctrine provide a fascinating perspective from which to compare the positions of the major Indian schools. Such works; however; often lack the historical perspective from which to discern the development of these positions.
#201268 in Books American Psychological Association 2002-07-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.34 x 1.74 x 7.31l; 3.20 #File Name: 1557989125570 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Gret way to integrate CBT into marital therapy.By MATKALI am a staunch cognitive behavioral therapist and before this book found it difficult to integrate my CBT techniques into marital counseling. However; the techniques in this book made it much easier to do so. Not easy; but much easier and provided a framework for conceptualizing cases; at least for me. I actually need to read the book again; because it has been a while.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A great mixture of examples and researchBy Hege RiiseThis is one of the better textbooks I have read in a while. The authors provide many relevant examples to illustrate techniques and theory. In addition; there is a fair amount of research presented; lending support to their theories. The book is set up as an illustration of one type of therapeutic approach to couples and marital therapy. It is also fairly easy reading. However; there are topics not explicitely discussed in the textbook; so supplementary materials are helpful for a better understanding and use of the therapy approach.6 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Great ResourceBy Jenny W.Well; I had to buy this book for a class taught by one of the authors...the book looks pretty intimidating when you first get it; but it's really been helpful for me as a therapist dealing with couples and their issues. Plus; Dr. Epstein is one of the best in the field at couple's work; so I think it's helpful to learn from him!
