Praise for Going Beyond

“Heretofore, most studies of the transmission of Buddhism to the West have focused on Asian missionaries and exiles as the agents. In this brilliant study, Peter Oldmeadow shows us just how important the receptivity of major European philosophers was in this process, and how much of this transmission is due to their agency in seeking and interpreting Buddhist teachings and integrating them into Western thought. He shows deftly how ideas from each tradition came to inform the other, and how much we owe to these Western philosophers of the 19th and 20th centuries.”

—Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy and Buddhist Studies at Smith College, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne.

“Nothing could be more essential than what Peter Oldmeadow offers in his book: discovering how the greatest philosophers of the last two centuries have engaged with Buddhism in many different ways. But the most fascinating thing is to realize that these encounters focus on the challenges facing our world: how to live in a world without stable reference points, how to deal with the collapse of any dogmatism that would impose itself on everyone—as religion did for so many centuries—how to deal with the questioning of truth, the ecological crisis…In this profound book, Peter Oldmeadow offers stimulating avenues for reflection on all these questions.”

—Fabrice Midal, author of Chogyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision.

“Drawing on both wide-ranging scholarship and deep personal experience, Going Beyond explores the affinities and reciprocal influences between Buddhist philosophy and the European philosophical lineage stretching from the German Romantics through Nietzsche and Heidegger to environmental philosophy and post-modernist theory. This lucid, highly erudite yet accessible inquiry will richly inform Western scholars as well as Buddhist practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of their own cultural heritage and of the spiritual encounter of East and West. It also offers new perspectives on how Buddhist philosophy may help address urgent contemporary issues.”

—Dr Judith Pickering, author of The Search for Meaning in Psychotherapy: Spiritual Practice, the Apophatic Way and Bion. 

“This book offers an illuminating perspective onto Buddhist philosophy through the ideas of some key thinkers of the Western philosophical tradition. It should be of great interest to those who know something about Buddhist philosophy, and would like to learn more about how it can be brought in relation with the intellectual tradition of the West, as well as for readers familiar with Western philosophy looking for a reliable introduction to some of the key aspects of Buddhist philosophical thought.”

—Jan Westerhoff, University of Oxford

“I recommend this engaging and accessible series of essays on modern Western philosophy, presented in dialogue with Indian Buddhist teachings. While each chapter sheds useful light on “the presuppositions we bring to our encounter with Buddhism,” I found the chapters examining the influences of Mahāyāna thought on deep ecology (Ch. 5) and comparing it with post-modernism (Ch. 7)  to be especially insightful.”

—William S. Waldron, author of Making Sense of Mind Only: Why Yogācāra Buddhism Matters. 

“This is an engaging and thought-provoking study of intersections and divergences between Buddhist thought and some of the most influential Western philosophers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Oldmeadow skillfully avoids simplistic comparisons and explores ways in which thinkers from Asian and Western cultures considered some of the “big questions” and how better understanding of each can inform interpretation of the other.”

—John Powers, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne and author of Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. 

“In this important and engaging study, Dr Oldmeadow skilfully explores the fascinating relationship between Buddhism and the intellectual legacy of Occidental modernity. Following a succinct grounding in the core tenets of the Dharma, we are given an illuminating survey of key currents in Western philosophy in which resonances with Buddhist thought are pointed out. Nevertheless, the author offers more than just a standard checklist of common ground – he also questions frequent platitudes and misconceptions, while making clear the contribution of Buddhism to the vital debates of our time. A perceptive and valuable work that is sure to stimulate further debate.”

—John Paraskevopoulos, Fellow, International Association of Buddhist Culture and author of Immeasurable Life: The Essence of Shin Buddhism.

“This timely book, with its illuminating reading of Western philosophy, disrupts the East–West binary that still shapes contemporary discourse – a divide that obscures more than it reveals about the nature of knowledge, particularly in Buddhism. The book promises far-reaching impact as an essential exercise in self-awareness for modern readers – an impact amplified by Oldmeadow’s rare ability to render complex ideas in language both accessible and intellectually rigorous.”

—Elizabeth McDougal, author of The Words and World of Ge bcags Nunnery: Tantric Meditation in Context.