Western Buddhism is still in its infancy, but as it grows, it is evolving, as has been true in every country where Buddhism was introduced over the past two millennia. In this book, Seth Segall asks whether practicing Buddhism in the modern world means letting go of certain Buddhist teachings. 

In Buddhism and Human Flourishing: A Modern Western Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), he suggests the possibility of blending Buddhist teachings with the teachings of Aristotle, who described what it means to cultivate human flourishing. The goal of such a modernized Buddhism would be what he calls eudaimonic enlightenment. In a clear and open way, he investigates what this would mean, presenting it as a kind of thought experiment, but one that he feels is consistent with what is happening for Buddhism in the West today.

Jack Petranker, MA, JD, is the founder and Senior Teacher at the Center for Creative Inquiry and the Director of the Mangalam Research Center. www.jackpetranker.com.

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