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Conversations with Tyler · October 6, 2025 · 75m
Donald S. Lopez Jr. on Buddhism (Ep. 260)
Donald Lopez on Buddhism — its history, philosophy, and Western reception. Lopez challenges the popular Western image of Buddhism as a 'scientific religion' compatible with secular humanism. The real Buddhism is stranger and more radical than the Western version.
Canon
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Lopez: Western meditation practice has been stripped of its original context. Buddhist meditation isn't about stress reduction — it's about realizing that the self who experiences stress doesn't exist. The goals are radically different.
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Lopez: Buddhism's answer to 'what is the true self?' is 'there is no true self.' This isn't nihilism — it's the recognition that selfhood is a process, not a thing. The true-self/false-self distinction dissolves when you realize both are constructions.