The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life Paperback – September 16, 2010

This thoughtful book compares Jung's Western psychological individuation process with the Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva journey. It is very insightful & explains, simply, the relevant concepts of each & their great similarities. In doing this, the author (& thangkas painter) provides many examples via personal experiences esp. in his practice as a psychotherapist & his Tibetan Buddhist studies in India & the West, including pithy paraphrases from the 14th Dalai Lama & his own teachers, esp. Lama Thubten Yeshe. However, this work does not have a Gelugpa bias &, while relying heavily upon Tibetan Buddhist studies, is primarily aimed at the wider scope of Mahayana. Indeed, the author provides a balanced view--looking at both the upside & downside of Western Buddhist practice, delineating the many pitfalls of meditating prior to addressing one's psychological wounds--Buddhist bandaids don't work! It's hard to climb a mountain with a heavy (though unseen) weight on your back. Furthermore, he addresses common Western misconceptions such as the negating of the self (p. 40: "It is not, however, the ego that needs to go but the ego-grasping that holds on to a self as solid & ultimately existent"), renunciation, `spiritually correct" behavior, transference to the guru, giving of the mandala, generosity, etc. He aptly introduces appropriate archetypes: puer/puella, senex/seneca, wise old man/woman, Self, etc. For example, pp. 254-5: "As an image of the Self, to use Jung's term, a deity is a source of true inner power & vitality." Finally, he ties the processes together via the religious life cycle (e.g. p. 307: "Social institutions equally have a life span or life cycle that can be of varying lengths." The book is easy to read & understand despite its erudite subject matter. There are many books now comparing various types of Western psychology to various types of Eastern religion. This is a very good one, esp. in that it explains in detail the psychological problems/ramifications of Buddhist practice for Westerners. For many readers, this book would rate 5 stars.

Being a buddhist committed to seeking enlightment for the benefit of all sentient beings is a tall order. One needs to be physically and mentally fit to follow that path. In the same way as religious texts do not provide many instructions for physical fitness, they do not provide all the answers to mental fitness. This book shows how Jungian psychology can help Western buddhist practioners be mentally healthy buddhists. In particular, it shows how to avoid the pitfall of denying the "shadow" part of our cultural and psychological make up -- which, if negated, would lead to very destructive distortions of our practice. This book was recommended to me by a monk at a time when I was too emotionally troubled to practice. I found it very helpful.

We used this book in our book study group. The chapter on the student - teacher relationship is the best I have seen and should be studied closely by anyone seeking a teacher.

When I bought this book, I had my reservations. Mixing the two subjects of Buddhism and Jungian Psychology seemed almost impossible. I have been trying to unify the two topics in my life for many years. Preece has done and outstanding job of seamlessly combining the two ideologies. I highly recommend this book!

Condition as described; fast delivery; good price; cannot ask for more. Book is well-written with important points to make.

Fascinating psychological & spiritual glimpse into Buddhist practice.

This is very good.

Excellent all around.

good