Becoming Buddha: Buddhist Contemplative Psychology in a Western Context

The Buddha’s teachings, the dharma, have gone through three paradigmatic shifts over the millennia, known as the ‘turnings’ of the dharmic wheel and are reviewed in this book. These paradigm shifts are a result of a deepening understanding into the nature of suffering and the methods of healing. At this time the process of cultural interaction between East and West, and its inevitable synthesis, is well underway as many of the fundamental insights of Buddhist contemplative psychology are becoming integrated into western psychotherapy. There is currently a need for integral dharma teachings that are grounded in the theory and practice of Buddhist contemplative psychology that is synthesized with Western psychological healing and adult development. This book opens a door to this amazing integral synthesis for our times.