Author: Epstein, Mark M.D.
Call Number: 616.8914 E64T 1995
Book Description from amazon.com:
The line between psychology and spirituality
has blurred, as clinicians, their patients, and religious seekers explore new
perspectives on the self. A landmark contribution to the field of
psychoanalysis,Thoughts Without a Thinker describes
the unique psychological contributions offered by the teachings of Buddhism.
Drawing upon his own experiences as a psychotherapist and meditator, New
York-based psychiatrist Mark Epstein lays out the path to meditation-inspired
healing, and offers a revolutionary new understanding of what constitutes a
healthy emotional life.
My Read:
The concept of "emptiness" is not easy to understand. At page 90, the author listed two well-known poems of Shen-Hsiu and Hui-Neng allowing readers to "see" what emptiness "looks" like.
"The body is the Bodhi tree,
The mind is like a clear mirror standing.
Take care to wipe it all the time,
Allow no grain of dust to cling."---Shen-Hsiu
"The Bodhi is not a tree,
The clear mirror is nowhere standing.
Fundamentally not one thing exist;
Where then is a grain of dust to cling?"---Hui-Neng
