Zen beyond Mindfulness : Using Buddhist and Modern Psychology for Transformational Practice

An effective new approach to Buddhist practice that combines the rigor of traditional meditation and study with the psychological support necessary for practice in lay life. Zen teacher Jules Shuzen Harris, the first African American man to receive Dharma transmission in the Soto Zen school, argues that contemporary American Buddhists face two primary challenges: (1) "spiritual bypassing," which means avoiding or repressing social and psychological problems in favor of "pretend Enlightenment," and (2) settling for secularized forms of Buddhism or mindfulness that have lost touch with the deeper philosophical and ethical underpinnings of the religion. Drawing on his decades of experience as a Zen practitioner, teacher, and psychotherapist, Harris writes that both of these challenges can be met through the combination of a committed meditation practice, a deep study of Buddhist psychological models, and tools from a psychotherapeutic method known as "Mind-Body Bridging." Using this unique approach, students can do the real work of awakening without either denying their embodied emotional life or missing out on the rich array of insights offered by Buddhist psychology and the Zen practice tradition.