Karma and Chaos : New and Collected Essays on Vipassana Meditation (Vipassana Meditation and the Buddha's Teachings) [Paperback]

Paul R. Fleischman MD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999 | Series: Vipassana Meditation and the Buddha's Teachings

These eight essays explore the interface between psychiatry, science, and the timeless teachings of the Buddha. Drawn from the personal experiences of a therapist and practitioner of Vipassana meditation, this work explores meditation’s similarities and differences with psychotherapeutic and scientific endeavors. In the title essay, parallels are drawn between the atomic synthesis of free choice and lawful consequence in Chaos Theory and karma, offering contemporary insights into one of Buddhism’s core concepts. The empirical roots of meditation, its relevance to daily life, and the challenges and benefits of daily practice of Vipassana meditation are also addressed. Practical examples for continued observation outside of formal meditation retreats guide readers in incorporating Buddhist practice into daily life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...Fleischman details the physical, mental and psychological benefits that he, his clients and colleagues have received from meditation. -- ForeWord Magazine, October, 1999

...This small but packed-with-information book will provoke, inspire, and illuminate; of that I have no doubt. -- Dale Salwak, Ph.D., author, The Power of Prayer

Karma and Chaos...probes the very heart of the Buddha's legacy to humanity—self-correction through meditation... -- Philip Novak, Ph.D., author, Wisdom of the World

About the Author

Paul R. Fleischman, MD, is the author of Cultivating Inner Peace, The Healing Spirit, and Spiritual Aspects of Psychiatric Practice. He has contributed to the American Journal of Psychiatry, Landscape, Nature, The Yale Review, and The University of Chicago Review. In 1993 he was awarded the Oskar Pfister award by the American Psychiatric Association. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pariyatti Publishing; 1st Collected edition (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964948451
• ISBN-13: 978-0964948457
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Ethics

More About the Author

Dr. Paul R. Fleischman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago, and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society. He graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and trained in Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, where he also served as Chief Resident. He has been in the private practice of psychiatry in Amherst, Massachusetts for over thirty years.

He has been a psychiatric consultant to the University of Massachusetts Student Mental Health, the Northampton State Hospital, McLean's Hospital, Providence Hospital, Enfield Mental Health Center, and the Hilltowns Health Center. He was a psychotherapy supervisor and seminar leader in Psychiatry and Religion at Yale University, Department of Psychiatry. He has been nominated for a Ford Foundation Fellowship and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, and has been a Manealof Travel Fellow and a Research Assistant for the United States Public Health Service.

Dr. Fleischman has published articles in Nature, Landscape, the Yale Review, The University of Chicago Magazine, The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Journal of Contemplative Psychiatry, and Insight. His eight published books include a collection of poetry; a second collection is forthcoming. He was anthologized in The Power of Prayer, a book which included essays by Mother Teresa and Jimmy Carter. Karma and Chaos was a Book of the Year Finalist with Foreword Magazine.

In 1993 he became the fifth American Psychiatrist to be honored by the American Psychiatric Association with the Oskar Pfister Award for being an "...outstanding contributor to the humanistic and spiritual side of psychiatric and medical issues."

Dr. Fleischman has lectured at many conferences, universities and institutions, including as the Williamson Lecturer in Medicine and Religion at the University of Kansas Medical School, and the Special Guest Lecturer at Smith College Chapel. He has been longtime consultant to Amherst Interfaith Clergy.

Internationally he has lectured at Jaipur Medical College, Bombay Psychiatric Society, World Presidents' Assn/Mumbai, McGill University/Canada; and in Mexico: Foros University, Co-Planet Conference, and UNAM.

Dr. Fleischman has practiced Vipassana meditation under the guidance of Mr. S.N. Goenka for thirty years and has been asked to take up the responsibility of explaining Vipassana to professional audiences in the West.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dhamma expressed as scientific poetry, August 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Karma and Chaos : New and Collected Essays on Vipassana Meditation (Vipassana Meditation and the Buddha's Teachings) (Paperback)

This collection of essays is the most lyrically beautiful and forcefully personal account of the effect of the Buddha's teachings in real life I have ever read. Dr. Fleischman writes with the soul of a poet and the critical thought of a scientist. His and his family's life and growth together in Dhamma shine through again and again as the real theme of the essays. Anyone who wonders about the amorphous interface between modern psychotherapy and the Buddha's path should not miss the essay, "Vipassana Meditation: A Unique Contribution to Mental Health."

And the title essay, "Karma and Chaos" is an amazingly fertile presentation of the ancient and timeless teachings of the Buddha in light of the cutting edge discoveries of western science.

Mu Soeng, director of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, has said of it: "I just finished reading the essay on Karma and Chaos from your book and I want to congratulate you on an extraordinary piece on Dhamma and scientific perspectives. I would like to say that it is one of the shining moments of how ancient wisdom tradition from the East is being received in the West. The language is beautiful and there is a cogent and passionate communication of some very complex ideas in ways that do not oversimplify them and yet make them accessible."

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant ideas, soundly reasoned and poetically expressed, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Karma and Chaos : New and Collected Essays on Vipassana Meditation (Vipassana Meditation and the Buddha's Teachings) (Paperback)

Paul Fleischman's writing stirs more ideas than could be followed tghrough in the space of an essay. His language has a technical tone yet tends toward the poetic. Some sentences need to be read more than once. But for those who find themselves drawn into his writings, these challenges fall away to reveal a rare gem. His unique style is integral to the power it evokes, and he writes things I have always wanted to be able to read. My favorite was the title essay, Karma and Chaos, where he explains, and better yet, demonstrates, how a life in line with karma can yield a balanced personality without sacrificing intellectual integrity. To me this book exudes compassion, wisdom, and joy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Doctrine Examined by Modern Theory, October 6, 2004

By 

A Reader (the Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Karma and Chaos : New and Collected Essays on Vipassana Meditation (Vipassana Meditation and the Buddha's Teachings) (Paperback)

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In Karma and Chaos a scholar (professor/psychiatrist/meditation teacher) and his son examine the ancient doctrine of karma in the light of modern Chaos Theory. Though most religious and moral philosophies express a belief in some law of "you reap as you sow," from the limited perspective of an individual this seems to be contradicted by accidents, luck, and an unscientific, mystical cosmology. The idea that there might be a higher moral law that functions independent of capricious, supernatural powers in a complex but rational way is intriguing.

In this book the complexities of karma are made more intelligible, even rational, by applying an overview of Chaos Theory. This helps one transcend the limited linear rationality of the individual and examine karma within a cosmic framework.

Whatever your views of karma, Karma and Chaos provides unique and interesting insights. And it's only one of seven essays in the book. It's worth a read.