Zen and Therapy Heretical Perspectives

Zen and Therapy brings together aspects of the Buddhist tradition, contemporary western therapy and western philosophy. By combining insightful anecdotes from the Zen tradition with clinical studies, discussions of current psychotherapy theory and forays into art, film, literature and philosophy, Manu Bazzano integrates Zen Buddhist practice with psychotherapy and psychology.

This book successfully expands the existing dialogue on the integration of Buddhism, psychology and philosophy, highlighting areas that have been neglected and bypassed. It explores a third way between the two dominant modalities, the religious and the secular, a positively ambivalent stance rooted in embodied practice, and the cultivation of compassion and active perplexity. It presents a life-affirming view: the wonder, beauty and complexity of being human.

Intended for both experienced practitioners and beginners in the fields of psychotherapy and philosophy, Zen and Therapy provides an enlightening and engaging exploration of a previously underexplored area.

Introduction

Chapter 1 Self, No-Self, and Doing the Next Thing

Chapter 2 All is well that ends: on Living-and-Dying

Chapter 3 Zen and Therapy: Two Expressions of Unconditional Hospitality

Chapter 4 Presence, Mindfulness, and Buddha-nature

Chapter 5 Why Zen is not Transpersonal

Chapter 6 This Body, this Earth: Incarnate Practice and Ecopsychology

Chapter 7 On Differentialism

Chapter 8 Imperceptible Mutual Aid: Zen, Therapy and the Unconscious

Manu Bazzano is a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. He has studied eastern contemplative practices since 1980 and in 2004 was ordained a Zen monk in the Soto and Rinzai traditions. A primary tutor at Metanoia Institute, London, and visiting lecturer at the University of Roehampton, London, and various other schools and colleges, he facilitates workshops and seminars internationally. He is editor of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy, and book review editor for Self & Society - International Journal for Humanistic Psychology. www.manubazzano.com