Book Reviews

Into the Mountain Stream
Edited by Paul Cooper
(Jason Aronson 2007)

I have been living around the edges of Buddhism and meditation for decades. Since my
college years I have attended a retreat here or there, purchased tapes and as the technology changed bought CD’s and books. As a result I started and stopped my meditation practice many times over. My “intentions” were good while my discipline was decidedly not.

Paul Cooper in his beautifully rendered personal journey into Buddhism and psychoanalysis describes an early struggle not dissimilar from my own. Referring to a pattern of touch and bounce away as “oscillations” he suggests seeds of experience are deeply planted and germinate until they blossom with each oscillation cycle. I admire Cooper’s willingness to stick with the process of meditation and even when in doubt he continued his “sits”.

Gradually with the guidance of good teachers and his own growing acceptance of the necessity of suffering Paul Cooper was able to move into Buddhism, in a profound, life-changing fashion. For him, as was the case for many authors in this fine book, psychoanalysis provided an anchor to deepen self knowledge and provide a container for the pain of past history and the storms of emotion involved in living more vulnerably and with fewer illusions.

There are no simple, immediate answers provided in this wonderfully balanced book of personal experience and clinical theory. No, instead this book is described as part of an ongoing conversation kept alive by asking new fresh, questions such as the following: “ As Buddhists, can we immerse ourselves fully in the pulse of life, in the ‘marketplace’ of our daily work in our consultation rooms beyond the seclusion of the mountain retreat?” (Pg.3)

The struggles and motivations in raising such questions are as varied and distinct as the personalities, life stories and writing styles of the respective contributors. Each though provides a clearly articulated discussion of Buddhism and a well-reasoned integration of this practice with psychoanalysis.

In any edited book there are usually a few chapters that stand out for the reader, as was the case for me in “Into The Mountain Stream”. I have mentioned Paul Cooper’s chapter “Oscillations” but what caught my attention first was the brief story he mentioned in his Introduction. A Buddhist Master had just finished a swim in a mountain stream when a student approached him. The student asked “Master, was the water refreshing?” at which point the Master grabbed the student and threw him off the bridge calling out “See for yourself.” Experience and an “existential leap” are required for a true seeker. It is this leap I have yet to take, at least into deeper waters, so I remain on the shoreline. That this story remains with me may suggest that another seed has been planted.

A much different discussion is provided by Barry Magid in “Don’t Remove Delusion: Don’t Even Seek the Truth”. Magid raises many provocative questions not the least of which is the following: “Psychoanalysis, I would suggest, may be one of the few Western disciplines that comes close to being as useless as zazen! In an age devoted to self-help and self-improvement, the “uselessness” of meditation (or psychoanalysis) is very difficult to grasp.” (p.51) Neither zazen nor psychoanalysis is a technique. Instead they are expressions of self-inquiry, open- ended exploration and acceptance of the way things are not what we wish our lives were like. Or, as Barry Magid quotes from his own Zen teacher, Charlotte Joko Beck as saying “ Stay with your anxiety, your anger, your confusion – in other words, stay with precisely those aspects of yourselves that you came to meditation to change!” ( 52). Magid goes on to suggest living life in the present, as it is, neither seeking some universal liberating truth or erasure of delusions.

While there are many engaging chapters in this book there was one other that stood out for me entitled “Cigarette Smoke and Incense” by Robert A. Jonas. This chapter surprised me and as I skimmed through it I was tempted to skip it. I was put off by the references to Christianity reflecting old wound and prejudices I still carry. In the spirit of openness, conversation and inquiry editor Paul Cooper emphasized I decided to read this chapter as closely as I had done with the others.

Jonas writes compellingly about his early history of neglect and abandonment, which lead to his own violence and self-destructive risk taking. I could see and feel the word he was describing as well as his hard fought struggle to lead a better life via psychotherapy, Buddhism and Christianity. He searched, explored and questioned each of these disciplines and not finding himself satisfied with one he brought them together. At one point he describes actually meeting with three men for counseling – a psychologist, Episcopal priest/monk and a Zen master. Through these three different approaches but each with unwavering nonjudgmental attention Jonas was able to experience hope in healing his shame, anger and jealously.

Robert Jonas also expressed reservations about organized religion that also struck a cord with me. He wrote of Henri Nouwen whose books I was familiar with and found helpful for the same reasons Jonas cited. Fr. Nouwen was able to blend his training as a psychologist with his passionate social activism to express the “belovedness” as taught by Jesus. This recognition opened a door for me so when a few pages late I read Psalm 139 (116-117) I could do so with greater clarity and acceptance.

Into the Mountain Stream should appeal to both interested professionals as well as educated lay readers; that is. this book should appeal to seekers looking for fresh, clear insights and attracted to brave, honest and creative living.