

Context matters-an interview with buddhist scholar David McMahan - hackercurious
http://www.tricycle.com/interview/context-matters

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hackercurious
One thing I have always pondered concerning western buddhist practice is the
context which it is taught and the idea that a monastic tradition/practice can
successfully be integrated into modern western culture.

"McMahan suggests that we approach the subject by considering a monk in
ancient India. “He has left his family behind; he is celibate; he doesn’t eat
after noon; he studies texts that give him a skeptical view of the phenomenal
world and its value. Is his practice really exactly the same,” McMahan asks,
“as that of a contemporary secular mindfulness practitioner who is meditating
to excel at work or to be more compassionate to her children?”

