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The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology

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This book is a posthumous collection of Trungpa's articles & talks on Buddhist psychology--one previously published in his fine "Shambhala" & another in Nathan Katz' anthology "Buddhist and Western Psychology" (0877737584). Thus, it is somewhat uneven. Much of it is very basic & not extremely engaging IMHO, but some chapters are extraordinarily interesting & educational. Of note, Trungpa Rinpoche established the Maitri therapeutic community, with Maitri Space Awareness technique, in 1972 (but found they were inadequately trained to treat serious mental illness), Naropa Institute in 1974 where "Contemplative Psychology" was taught, & Windhorse Community Services where people with severe mental problems were treated using "therapeutic households." Major topics of interest include similarities & differences to Western psychology: p. 8: "Coming from a tradition that stresses human goodness, it was something of a shock for me to encounter the Western tradition of original sin," p. 138: "There is not much difference, really. If you work in the Buddhist style, it is just common sense. If you work in the Western style, it is common sense, too" & p. 146: "According to the Buddhist teachings, although we acknowledge that people's problems may have been caused by their past upbringing, we feel that the way to undo problems is to cultivate that person's Maitri on the spot. This is done by working with the person's immediate environment rather than by delving into his or her past. Buddhism does not use the Western analytical approach of tracing back to the roots of neurosis in a person's past." He also explains why the ego is important (p. 77: "The only material we have is ego. There is no other way to spirituality), how meditation relates to therapy (pp. 176-7: "When you meditate properly, the notion of cure doesn't come into the picture. If it does, then meditation becomes psychotherapy), the relation of the 5 Buddha families & the 6 Realms to psychology (Buddhist Typology), & the relation between enlightenment & neuroses (p. 177: "When enlightenment is attained, the neuroses are still there, but they have become immense energy. Energy is the euphemism for neurosis from that point of view). Notably, he states that p. 143: "The interaction between Buddhism & Western psychology has provided fertile ground for the establishment of Buddhism in the West." Overall, this is a useful book, but it's not up to the high standards of his "Meditation in Action" (1570622027) or "Shambhala-The Sacred Path of the Warrior" (0877732647).

this is probably not the best introduction of Trungpa's writing, but it has wet my appetite for his ideas and style.. Other reviewers say the book is uneven.. which is probably true.. but that does not take away the significance of this collection which i found to show some aspects of buddhism that i have never considered..

Chogyam Trungpa is a controversial figure, however, he was certainly an excellent teacher and had a gift for explaining complex topics. His ability to explain the nature of mind and relate it to Western psychological thought comes across in lucid fashion. While this book does not represent a complete or comprehensive treatment, it certainly has a lot of value and it a good introduction to Buddhist psychology for anyone. It is like a buffet where you can sample and try on a lot of different ideas. If you develop an in-depth interest, there are other more detailed books by this author and many others.