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In the words of Western Buddhists in this book: ‘There are so many things I like about Buddhism. The magnanimity for one thing. I also like the fact that you are encouraged to question, to work it out for yourself. You can challenge anyone, including the Dalai Lama . . . the more doubts you have the better.’ ‘It’s not some peace, love, dove, groovy, freak, crashpad, incense-burning thing. Buddhism is real, otherwise I wouldn’t do it.’ ‘The essential message of Buddhism is one of hope because the Buddha starts with the statement that we are all potentially perfect.’ ‘In Buddhism . . . each spiritual seeker can find the most appropriate method for his or her own personality and circumstances.’ ‘There is a kind of rigour in a tradition which asks us to be the chemist or the goldsmith of our own experience.’ ‘The most advanced spiritual psychology imaginable.’ ‘I now see beauty where I did not see it before.’ ‘The more you look into it, the more it reveals . . . a never-ending source.’
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jerry bauer
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V ICKI M ACKENZIE was born in England and spent most of
her early years travelling with her father, a British Naval officer. She gained her BA from Queensland University, where she had the privilege to count Judith Wright among her poetry tutors. A career in journalism followed, starting as a cadet news reporter on the Sydney Sun before moving to London where she worked as a feature writer for several national newspapers and magazines. For many years she also worked in the London bureau of Australian Consolidated Press. In 1976, on impulse, she attended her first Buddhist meditation course in Nepal which triggered a continuing personal and professional interest in Buddhism. She has written many articles on the subject including several interviews with the Dalai Lama. Her books have all been published internationally: Reincarnation: The Boy Lama (Bloomsbury, 1988), Reborn in the West: The Reincarnation Masters (Bloomsbury, 1995) and Cave in the Snow: A Western Woman’s Quest for Enlightenment (Bloomsbury, 1998).
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Why Buddhism? WESTERNERS IN SEARCH OF WISDOM
Vicki Mackenzie
ALLEN & UNWIN
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First published in 2001 Copyright © Vicki Mackenzie 2001 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. Allen & Unwin 83 Alexander Street Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100 Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218 Email:
[email protected] Web: http://www.allenandunwin.com National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Mackenzie, Vicki. Why