108 Curtis White on Buddhism and Transcendence

Acclaimed cultural critic Curtis White examines current fissures in Western Buddhism and argues against the growth of scientific and corporate dharma, particularly in the Secular Buddhist movement. Most of his career has been spent writing experimental fiction, but he turned to writing books of social criticism, the latest of which is Transcendent, Art and Dharma in a Time of Collapse (Melville House, 2023)

Dogen: “Enlightenment is the intimacy of all things.”

In this conversation we look at;

• Delusion and going beyond money, tech and the database Buddhisms that are in bed with Amazon and Google.
• What it means to live in a world that no longer exists.
• We get advice from James Joyce Joyce: “I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it calls itself my home, my fatherland, or my church”.
• How Curtis sees art and dharma possibly helping the new generations to discover intimacy.
• Zen, Vajrayana, and their forms of transcendent art

Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha).

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