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Buddha in 2001: Two New Versions of the Path

The retelling of the story of Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment.Mark Epstein and Ken McLeod

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© John C. Huntington ArchiveIn two new books, psychiatrist Mark Epstein and dharma teacher Ken McLeod bring contemporary Western sensibilities to the life and enlightenment of the historical Buddha.

With reference to Freudian theories of pleasure and desire, Mark Epstein focuses on a little-known story in which Siddhartha, emaciated after practicing extreme asceticism, remembers sitting under an rose-apple tree as a child. This memory triggers a reevaluation of his asceticism and the realization that the experience of pleasure does not preclude enlightenment.

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