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The Psychological Attitude of Early Buddhist Philosophy: And Its Systematic Representation According to Abhidhamma Tradition

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This superbly written exposition into the Abhidhamma tradition, leaves one thinking once again, that the scope and depth of Buddhist thought is boundless. Complete with illustrations & charts, Lama Govinda proceeds to draw the structure and development of consciousness with psychological processes met in meditation. These insights into the mind are rarely drawn with as much enthusiasm and understanding that the author has given here.

This small volume describes the Buddhist Abhidhamma (philosophical writings). The author uses tables to relate the different parts since p. 159: "A tabular representation of the whole system is necessary to bring out the totality & simultaneousness of the manifold mutual relations between its constituents." But, information is given in excruciating detail, the tables are in Pali, & no glossary is provided. The bulk of the book is informational & descriptive rather than knowledge & wisdom. The exposition & presentation of the data/information resembles the Phyla of Biology. I found it obtuse & confusing, but Sensate personalities (detail oriented) may find it otherwise. It's heavy duty, complex, & esoteric, written in British English & punctuation. Some of it is not very convincing (p. 42 questions & answers), but some figures use set theory (pp. 71 & 83) effectively & pictorially represent (pp. 71 & 91) the structure & development of consciousness in a spiral manner -similar to some Western mystics. His description of these creatively constructed diagrams is profound, & helpful. He explains the value of Eastern & Western developmental approaches as phases in a progressive cycle (p. 29), & the relationship between planes of development (p. 42). He convincingly relates morality & wisdom (p. 70) "According to the Buddhist point of view, morality is not the cause but the outcome of our spiritual attitude." He (in 1961) addresses some of the most important, controversial topics still current today: (1)-ego/self: p. 130: "That which is moved cannot distinguish its own movements, except in relationship to something else. In the very same way we are only able to find tranquility within ourselves, if we do not regard the external world & its effects" & pp. 141-2: "The annica-idea does not deny the `existence' of things, but only their permanence, & in the same way the anatta-idea does not proclaim that there is no `self' but only that there is no permanent `self'" (2)-reincarnation: p. 58: "According to the Abhidhamma birth & death take place simultaneously every moment, & mystics like Milarepa made no difference between this & the other lives-regarding them all as one" & p. 128: "Strictly speaking, the duration of the life of a living being is exceedingly brief, lasting only while a thought lasts. Just as a chariot wheel in rolling rolls only at one point of the tire & in resting rests only at one point, exactly the same way the life of a living being lasts only for the period of one thought" (3)-terminology: p. 175 note 4: "The translation of the term deva with `god' may be justified from the etymological point of view, but it misses the real meaning...Gods are expected to be immortal, to be masters over life & death, & to receive the worship & the prayers of their devotees...For this reason the devas cannot even be compared to the angels of Christianity" (4)-symbols & mythology: p. 175: "The Buddhist universe deals with facts, the reality of which does not depend on their materiality (which may or may not exist) but on their psychological truth, the possibility of their experience. All the heavens & hells are within ourselves, as possibilities of our consciousness" & (5)-meditation dangers: p. 166: "By wrong application of concentration or on account of wrong mental presuppositions, absorption may result in a painful & pain-creating state of mind." In short the book is mostly obtuse & boring IMHO, but it also contains brilliant observations on major Buddhist issues confronting Westerners even today. Thus, this book is not at all dated.