The Experience of Samadhi (Richard Shankman)
Best of a Bad Bunch
[My 3-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation†by Richard Shankman.]
This is the fourth Buddhist samadhi (or jhana) book that I have recently reviewed, and it is the best of the bunch, which isn’t saying much, because the other three are bad. This book starts out with two strikes against it, probably because of the publisher, Shambhala (a company I dislike). First off, the near-microscopic size of the font, makes it a pain to read (so I strongly suggest the Kindle version in lieu of the paperback). Secondly, the book’s title is misleading, because the book only considers samadhi in the context of Theravada Buddhism.
Author Richard Shankman makes it clear that there is “great disagreement and debate†regarding samadhi in Buddhism. He writes that, “Among those advocating jhana, there is no consensus on what the jhanas are or how to go about attaining them.â€
With this disagreement and debate in mind, Shankman takes a three-pronged approach to considering jhana. First, he considers it in the context of the Pali suttas, then in the context of of Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimaga, and finally, in interviews with eight well-known contemporary vipassana and Theravada meditation teachers (Jack Kornfield, Ajaan Thanissaro, Sharon Salzberg, Bhante Gunaratana, Christina Feldman, Leigh Brasington, Ajahn Brahmavamso, and Pa Auk Sayadaw).
Despite his ecumenical approach to considering samadhi, Shankman is a card-carrying, off-the-assembly-line contemporary Theravada Buddhist who lacks real understanding of the jhanas. If he had real understanding of them, he would have included self-ordained Buddhist monk Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks) among his interviewees, because his understanding of jhana exceeds that of the eight teachers he interviewed for this text.
Shankman’s descriptions of the jhanas are on a Bhikku Bodhi level, which means they are substandard. He quotes Bhikku Bodhi’s Pali Canon translations of the jhanas, and follows suit with his own flat, inaccurate descriptions.
For example, Shankman (just a single time) describes samadhi as the mind “resting in the current of nonclinging,†but he doesn’t explain what this means. There is no current of nonclinging. There is, however, a continuous current of spiritual energy (the Stream, or Sambhogakaya, or Shakti), which a Stream-winner awakens to in Samadhi -- but Shankman has nothing to say about this. And instead of properly describing this awakened meditative energy as “unremitting,†as does Nyanaponika Thera’s translation in “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation,†he opts for Bhikku Bodhi’s misleading term “tireless.â€
For me, the most interesting part of the book was the Jack Kornfield interview. Kornfield identifies two seemingly “very different approaches to enlightenment†-- the way of deep mindfulness/concentration versus that of letting go – but he doesn’t explain how to reconcile or integrate them. But at least he recognizes the need for a new Buddhist paradigm. He says, “We need those who conserve tradition, both the Visuddhimagga tradition and the sutta tradition and the classical lineages within Theravada or Mahayana. And we also need those who can adapt the language and the skillful means to a new culture. While the Buddha consistently kept to his core teachings, he also added new skillful means to a new culture.â€
Interestingly enough, a new paradigm -- the Electrical Spiritual Paradigm (ESP) – reconciles and integrates the two seemingly disparate practices of deep mindfulness/concentration and letting go. Given that Richard Shankman holds a degree in electrical engineering, it will be interesting to see if he eventually considers this paradigm in the light of Buddhist meditation and samadhi.
In summary, until a better book on the jhanas is available, I recommend this one over any of the others I have read and reviewed.
[My 3-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation†by Richard Shankman.]
This is the fourth Buddhist samadhi (or jhana) book that I have recently reviewed, and it is the best of the bunch, which isn’t saying much, because the other three are bad. This book starts out with two strikes against it, probably because of the publisher, Shambhala (a company I dislike). First off, the near-microscopic size of the font, makes it a pain to read (so I strongly suggest the Kindle version in lieu of the paperback). Secondly, the book’s title is misleading, because the book only considers samadhi in the context of Theravada Buddhism.
Author Richard Shankman makes it clear that there is “great disagreement and debate†regarding samadhi in Buddhism. He writes that, “Among those advocating jhana, there is no consensus on what the jhanas are or how to go about attaining them.â€
With this disagreement and debate in mind, Shankman takes a three-pronged approach to considering jhana. First, he considers it in the context of the Pali suttas, then in the context of of Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimaga, and finally, in interviews with eight well-known contemporary vipassana and Theravada meditation teachers (Jack Kornfield, Ajaan Thanissaro, Sharon Salzberg, Bhante Gunaratana, Christina Feldman, Leigh Brasington, Ajahn Brahmavamso, and Pa Auk Sayadaw).
Despite his ecumenical approach to considering samadhi, Shankman is a card-carrying, off-the-assembly-line contemporary Theravada Buddhist who lacks real understanding of the jhanas. If he had real understanding of them, he would have included self-ordained Buddhist monk Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks) among his interviewees, because his understanding of jhana exceeds that of the eight teachers he interviewed for this text.
Shankman’s descriptions of the jhanas are on a Bhikku Bodhi level, which means they are substandard. He quotes Bhikku Bodhi’s Pali Canon translations of the jhanas, and follows suit with his own flat, inaccurate descriptions.
For example, Shankman (just a single time) describes samadhi as the mind “resting in the current of nonclinging,†but he doesn’t explain what this means. There is no current of nonclinging. There is, however, a continuous current of spiritual energy (the Stream, or Sambhogakaya, or Shakti), which a Stream-winner awakens to in Samadhi -- but Shankman has nothing to say about this. And instead of properly describing this awakened meditative energy as “unremitting,†as does Nyanaponika Thera’s translation in “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation,†he opts for Bhikku Bodhi’s misleading term “tireless.â€
For me, the most interesting part of the book was the Jack Kornfield interview. Kornfield identifies two seemingly “very different approaches to enlightenment†-- the way of deep mindfulness/concentration versus that of letting go – but he doesn’t explain how to reconcile or integrate them. But at least he recognizes the need for a new Buddhist paradigm. He says, “We need those who conserve tradition, both the Visuddhimagga tradition and the sutta tradition and the classical lineages within Theravada or Mahayana. And we also need those who can adapt the language and the skillful means to a new culture. While the Buddha consistently kept to his core teachings, he also added new skillful means to a new culture.â€
Interestingly enough, a new paradigm -- the Electrical Spiritual Paradigm (ESP) – reconciles and integrates the two seemingly disparate practices of deep mindfulness/concentration and letting go. Given that Richard Shankman holds a degree in electrical engineering, it will be interesting to see if he eventually considers this paradigm in the light of Buddhist meditation and samadhi.
In summary, until a better book on the jhanas is available, I recommend this one over any of the others I have read and reviewed.
