The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga : Paths to a Mature Happiness (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: empathic assertiveness, right mindfulness, eight angas, Specific Methods, Right Views, Four Noble Truths (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...I think it has as much value to novices as well as to professionals in these areas." -- Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University

"There are few books that can make a real difference in people's lives-this is one of them." -- George Howard, University of

"This book has promise of becoming an instant classic." -- Suresh Srivastva, Case Western Reserve University

"This remarkable text...very clearly explains the basic tenets of Buddhism and Yoga as they relate to happiness." -- Xenia Coulter,

There are few books that can make a real difference in people's lives--this is one of them....Levine's The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga is an intellectual tour-de-force. It is a 'must read' for any psychologist interested in Eastern thought. Many hundreds of millions of people believe that Enlightenment is the ultimate goal in life. Levine's new book could be the best first step toward becoming Enlightened that any of us will take. This work has the potential to become THE book that people (like me) recommend to many readers as a way to understand Eastern perspectives.
—George Howard, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame

Marvin Levine tells a profound story in a style that engages while it informs us of new ways to view the world within ourselves and without....This book teaches us vital lessons about how these Eastern philosophical traditions can be integrated with Western psychological methods of understanding the mind...I think it has as much value to novices as well as to professionals in these areas. As a psychologist, Marvin Levine is uniquely qualified to reveal the strands of overlap between these Eastern views of the human condition and those in Western psychological practice.
—Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D.
Stanford University

This remarkable text ought to be of great interest to many psychologists. It very clearly explains the basic tenets of Buddhism and Yoga as they relate to happiness and then shows how these tenets make sense within the context of traditional academic psychology.
—Xenia Coulter
SUNY Empire State College at Ithaca

[The book] is lucid in its explanation of the principles of Buddhism and Yoga. I have never seen a clearer exposition of this kind. It makes a good case that many of these principles are compatible with those of modern, empirically-grounded Western psychology.
—Donald Routh
University of Miami

This book has promise of becoming an instant classic.
—Suresh Srivastva
Case Western Reserve University

There are few books that can make a real difference in peoples lives--this is one of them....Levines The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga is an intellectual tour-de-force. It is a must read for any psychologist interested in Eastern thought. Many hundreds of millions of people believe that Enlightenment is the ultimate goal in life. Levines new book could be the best first step toward becoming Enlightened that any of us will take. This work has the potential to become THE book that people (like me) recommend to many readers as a way to understand Eastern perspectives.
—George Howard, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame

Marvin Levine tells a profound story in a style that engages while it informs us of new ways to view the world within ourselves and without....This book teaches us vital lessons about how these Eastern philosophical traditions can be integrated with Western psychological methods of understanding the mind...I think it has as much value to novices as well as to professionals in these areas. As a psychologist, Marvin Levine is uniquely qualified to reveal the strands of overlap between these Eastern views of the human condition and those in Western psychological practice.
—Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D.
Stanford University

This remarkable text ought to be of great interest to many psychologists. It very clearly explains the basic tenets of Buddhism and Yoga as they relate to happiness and then shows how these tenets make sense within the context of traditional academic psychology.
—Xenia Coulter
SUNY Empire State College at Ithaca

[The book] is lucid in its explanation of the principles of Buddhism and Yoga. I have never seen a clearer exposition of this kind. It makes a good case that many of these principles are compatible with those of modern, empirically-grounded Western psychology.
—Donald Routh
University of Miami

This book has promise of becoming an instant classic.
—Suresh Srivastva
Case Western Reserve University

Product Description

Who was the man known as the Buddha?
What were his basic teachings?
How are these and the related teachings of Yoga relevant to our own daily lives?

The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga addresses these questions and more. It shows how the Eastern views of human nature are congenial with our own western psychological views. Both traditional Eastern methods and current psychological techniques are presented for enhancing the quality of our lives, for attaining to "a mature happiness." The general ideas are richly illustrated with Eastern tales, poetry, and personal anecdotes.

The central teaching is that one can improve one's life by changing one's self. A concluding section applies this lesson and the methods, Eastern and Western, to handling anger.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805838333
• ISBN-13: 978-0805838336
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #613,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As a physcian...., July 14, 2002

By A Customer

As a physician who has treated clinical anxiety and depression for the past 15 years, Levines book caught my eye at our local library. For the past several years I`ve incorporated many buddhist and yogic principles into my own life. I've read multiple authors and as many different approaches to practicing these disciplines. After years of self-study and several retreats, I have a plethora of scattered info. and techniques that allow me to practice meditation and heighten my awareness to enrich my day and overall life. Throughout this time I have always been amazed at how buddhism and the hindu principles behind yoga overlap into the modern day Cognitive-Behavioral psychotherapy, of which I rely heavily in my clinical medical practice. So when I started to read Levine's book I soaked it up like a sponge. He takes all three disciplines and, with clever flare, shows how they do overlap and provides practical ways of application . His style and presentation is that you do not have to know anything about any of these three methods to have a working and usable understanding of all three at the end. Separate scholars in these three areas may find this approach too abbreviated, as Levine does hit the highpoints of each topic. He acknowledges this several times throughout the book. However, it depends on what your goals are with techniques such as these. My goal is not to know every "nook and cranny" about theses three topics. Nor is it to become a disciple of any of them [ although I have to understand Cognitive-Behavioral psychotherapy in my practice]. My goal-----is to better understand my day and life in order to draw deeper joy and dimension from both. And I don't care what method I use to do this [a hybrid of all three is fine with me].Finally,the real gem of this book is near the end when Levine pulls all three topics together with two schematic type diagrams[Figures 22.1 and 25.1]. In these he uses terminology[from all three] to construct the "mental tracking" that occurs of the Unenlightened and the Enlightened Mind. When I first saw these two diagrams I felt they were clever. When I started to use the diagrams in daily personal problem solving, I became aware of how ingenious they are. Up to this point Enlightenment was a lot of vague and "flowery" concepts from other authors. I sort of knew what it was and sort of thought I was heading in that direction. Levine's very practical diagrams made this much more concrete. It also drove home the idea of evolution. Another words, you develop a mindset and parameters for Enlightenment and apply these principles to issues throughout your day and life. Hence, Enlightenment is not something you reach, it is something you practice.Levine's way may not be exactly what the Buddha and Yogics had in mind, but it sure works. This book is a very "highlighted" and treasured part of my "personal growth" library. A true classic for me!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Promises to be a Classic, August 2, 2005

By	M. Hill (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is both a wonderful introduction to the psychological frameworks of Buddhism and Yoga (B&Y) and--most importantly--a practical guide to applying these systems to develop greater emotional maturity and overall wellbeing. According to Levine, the path to mature happiness developed in the ancient philosophies of B&Y requires calming one's conditioned beliefs and "passions" to allow greater control by the "anterior mind" (the "mind's eye" capable of observing, contemplating, and directing the mind). At the extreme, an "immature" individual is entirely conditioned by his or her culture, language, and biology--yielding the positive functions of anterior mind nonfunctional. Much like a little child, such a person's mental state is completely at the mercy of the external environment. He/she feels alright when a craving or ego desire is fed--but falls into tantrums and anguish whenever a craving or desire cannot be satisfied. Moreover, perception and interpretation of external events are distorted by the conditioned mind and its many unchecked passions (ego needs, cravings and attachments, fears and aversions, antipathies and resentments). The result is a life filled with suffering and illusion.

Fortunately, children typically do learn to moderate their most selfish behaviors as they grow to adulthood: "[P]art of growing up entails learning some self-transformation" (p. 54). Nevertheless, Levine points out that our American vision of "normal" allows for a mix of mature and immature behavior. "Normal" adults experience disquieting feelings (anger, pettiness, impatience, envy) quite regularly: e.g., when "stuck" in a traffic jam or when passed over for promotion at work. Because such unhappy events are common, many of us spend a great deal of time and energy feeling upset about one thing or another.

Levine points out that we don't have to live that way. Through the cultivation of positive attitudes (harmlessness, truthfulness, trustworthiness, sexual restraint, nonmaterialism) and practices (mindfulness, yoga poses, meditation), the anterior mind is freed more and more to reflect upon one's own mental processes and even transform them for the better. Thus the daily agitations diminish and we feel a greater sense of equanimity and happiness.

Viewing these ancient philosophies through the lens of American "positive psychology," Levine succeeds in developing a powerful "Yogic" model of cognitive processing that shares much with Albert Ellis (e.g., A Guide to Rational Living), Aaron Beck (Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders), David Burns (e.g., Feeling Good), and Martin Seligman (e.g., Authentic Happiness). As such, this highly readable book makes a major contribution to American "Cognitive Therapy." But while mainstream cognitive approaches are limited to diverse techniques for coping with irrational thoughts or troubling events, the Yogic approach described by Levine is comprehensive and holistic. I have began working with these ancient ideas and practices -- my early results suggest a potential to transform every aspect of one's life (mental, emotional, spiritual)!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars M.A.S.T.E.R.L.Y, January 18, 2006

By	Stephane Smets (Belgium) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not so many books became instant "classics", this is one of them. As many people, I've read a lot of books on Buddhism, knowing intuitively that there is something interesting there.

I don't know for you, but for me, this gave me by moments an impression of a course in a complex and sometimes confusing jungle. A territory in which the sources are not always highly reliable or captivating. In such a context, the work of Marvin Levine is THE book which I hoped for years.

I am traditionally not a "fan" of the use of superlatives. But in this case,it would be particularly difficult to react differently: Marvin Levine book is truly an outstanding one.

The reasons are many. Among them,

- the text contain one of the clearest and straightforward explanation of the Core of Buddhism available. I've personally never found something like this and didn't knew it exists.
- the amazing relation between Buddhist approaches and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is remarkably explained. Moreover, Levine is a recognized expert in the field of CBT.
- the source is reliable, which is not always easy to find. No "pop-psychology" or "academic annoyances" will be founded here.
- the overall book style is attractive, in addition to its other qualities, this pure gem offer a real and intense reading pleasure.
- this is the kind of book that one preserves preciously in his/her library < in my opinion,the hard-bound edition, of excellent quality, is worth to be considered >
- I don't know excactly why, but,the reading generate an true impression of personal enrichment. Also, this is the kind of book you "feel good" when reading it. Very Positive.
- The uncommon presentation of the Buddhists and Yogic principles is done is such a way that you can DO something with the material, you can apply it if you wich.
- ...
In one word: Remarquable. I hope that this review will contribute to the share of a rare pleasure.