The View from Outside the World

The View from Outside the World

A common attitude among many Western Buddhists is that the Buddha expressed the insights of his awakening in the context of the worldview of his time—one that featured karma, rebirth, heavens, hells, and the unconditioned realm of nirvana. Having started out with that understanding of the world, he taught his followers to desire a happiness that was possible within their shared view. We at present, however, have arrived at a radically different …