The Doctrine of Awakening: The Attainment of Self-Mastery According to the Earliest Buddhist Texts

by Julius Evola

In a probing analysis of the oldest Buddhist texts, Julius Evola places the doctrine of liberation in its original context. The early teachings, he suggests, offer the foremost example of an active spirituality that is opposed to the more passive, modern forms of theistic religions. This sophisticated, highly readable analysis of the theory and practice of Buddhist asceticism, first published in Italian in 1943 , elucidates the central truths of the eightfold path and clears away the later accretions of Buddhist doctrine. Evola describes the techniques for conscious liberation from the world of maya and for achieving the state of transcendence beyond dualistic thinking. Most surprisingly, he argues that the widespread belief in reincarnation is not an original Buddhist tenet. Evola presents actual practices of concentration and visualization, and places them in the larger metaphysical context of the Buddhist model of mind and universe. The Doctrine of the Awakening is a provocative study of the teachings of the Buddha by one of Europe's most stimulating thinkers. 

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Religion, Spirituality, Occult, Nonfiction, Theology

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Julius Evola, born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esoteric scholar. Born in Rome to a Sicilian family (often claimed to be landed gentry, giving Julius the title of Baron, though his birth certificate lists his father's occupation as "Mechanic," while his mother worked for the post office), Evola was raised a strict Roman Catholic. Despite this, his life was characterised by 'an anti-bourgeois approach' hostile to both 'the dominant tradition of the West—Christianity and Catholicism—and to contemporary civilization—the 'modern world' of democracy and materialism'.

By turns 'engineering student, artillery officer, Dadaist poet and painter, journalist, alpinist, scholar, linguist, Orientalist, and political commentator', he has been described as a 'rare example of universality in an age of specialization'. Yet behind it all lay a singular emphasis on, and pursuit of, a 'direct relationship to the Absolute'. For Evola, 'the center of all things was not man, but rather the Transcendent.' This metaphysical conviction can be seen to have determined both Evola's stance on socio-political issues, and his antipathetic attitude towards 'all professional, sentimental and family routines'.

The author of many books on esoteric, political and religious topics, his best-known work remains Revolt Against the Modern World, a trenchant critique of modern civilisation that has been described as 'the gateway to his thought'. Since his death, also in Rome, his writings have influenced right-wing, reactionary and conservative political thought not only in his native Italy, but throughout continental Europe and, increasingly, the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, he should not be considered primarily as a political thinker, but rather as an exponent of the wider Traditionalist School that encompasses the work of such individuals as René Guénon, Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon.

Reviews

[Natasha11 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As unpopular as his explanation of Buddhism may be in current times, this is the straight no-nonsense real deal. Probably my favorite book on Buddhism I have read thus far.

[Archaic Worlds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work by Evola lucidly and systematically condenses all the Buddha taught without falling into over simplification, flowery digression or speculation - really even once. It is short, only 239 pages. Yet it would not be surprising, were someone well read in 8,000 books on early Buddhism, to say Evola misses near nothing essential but captures all parts powerfully and succinctly. I don’t know how he wizarded out such an “unfluffy,” packed firecracker [For more about Evola see my Review “Revolt Against the Modern World”].

He first speaks of Gothama’s 5 precepts of right conduct for beginners, those on their way to Hermeticism (inner and outer): abstention from killing, from taking what is not given, including through lust, dishonesty, and too much loss of will through intoxicants. Next the 4 extinguishments (what to gain detachment from): dukkha=erratic agitation/mental fluttering, tanha=craving for a personal life (“winners”), aesava=mania in (and for) this life (demiurgic breeders, spazzes), and all multiform desires in and for the world of becoming - all states far beneath aloof/noble consciousness.

Aloofness, he shows, was one of B.’s main tenants even above most morality as an essential prequisite to any following this way [Angutta 3.92; p.74-75 ].

Next he shows the Noble eightfold mid path, then the 4 Jnana (Djinn like) states along the way to Enlightenment state which is a real metaphysical change he *actually* outright says neither doubter skeptics (of it) nor religionist worshippers (of it) with hangups will understand [Majjhiyama Nikaya 26; p. 41 – re collection being a true path unlike either of these two]. Such may be “a bit shocking” as our High Priestess friend - who understands the transformation of impressions - would say.

And then there are the 12 Nexuses/“Nidana”/Vertical Interpenetrating Dimensions each to “non i dent ify” up and out from [p. 59]. If this sounds cosmically absurd, consider Empedocles the Pythagorean spoke of Lo ve as moving up the Law Worlds of Cosmoses and “Neikos” the repulsements down from each.

Oddly, with all Evola’s frequent quoting of Buddha though on every aspect and stage, he never looses your attention once as being too Academic or Far Flung.

For every quote is elegantly, logically placed; ever building one on the other intentionally; from the most basic, perfunctory initial moral steps needed to the highest loftiness of stages involving entering other dimensions, magic and ex tincture: removing to essence (Real I – that is, removal from this existence of becoming and samsara, here, now, while in it).

Most importantly, nothing is left out in the in-between teachings. I mean the actual practic, noetic, mid steps that mere popularized laudings of Buddha’s initial humane, humanitarian moral precepts quickly digress a reader far left afield from in most works.

Also the prosaic, sometimes over flowery and popularized, final “blissful” enlightenment pushing a reader far right afield, even into the thicket (off course) in most works as well is avoided. May we speak of an almost overly religious devotional side, if that were possible?

One sees the worst of both such worlds in popularized versions of Nichirin Buddhism today such as the SGI of Love (I’ll let the reader unravel that one) where most is of a purely altruistic agnostic humanitarian flavor now but then there are devotions through statues and use of beads (a little better at least than it’s first half but still..).

Instead the Mid Steps in Buddha’s own words are shown here, rather, contradistinctively to all this; the “how to” per his inner in structions and de constructions, given in abundance: the training of mind, spirit, will – exactly those key steps painfully missing in other works purporting to be Buddhist but more samsaric one should think in tone as one suffers through them.

The Majjhima Nikaya is the main text E. quotes from here and it literally means “middle path” – what is in the middle. Gurdjieff was truly right when saying religion becomes empty when the “how to” in the in between gets dropped out as it always quickly does (the esoteric side in the middle: active magic training side). But here the mid steps are not dropped out, not in the least. It’s such a short book but it misses little.

It is magic, but this way Buddha says, he shows, is white magic though and used principally only for unconditioning one’s higher self from here while here (or, heretofore: here in the hereafter - we speak again of the Nidaya). As Evola summarizes on such:

“The passage from purely individual consciousness to this samsaric consciousness that includes indefinite possibilities of existence, both “infernal” and celestial – this, fundamentally, is the basis of the whole Doctrine of Awakening.” [p. 55]*

The goal of Tathagata (i.e. the only name Buddha gave for himself; which meant, among other things: “The Tautological Traveller”) and this work then seems to be, as he says:

Udana 8.1-3 [p. 61]: “There is, O disciples, an unborn, not become, not compounded, not constructed. If there were not this unborn, not become, not compounded, not constructed, no escape could be seen here from that which is born, become, compounded, constructed. But since there is an unborn, not become, not compounded, not constructed, so an escape is possible from what is born, become, compounded, constructed.”

As a result then of the momentum created by Evola’s progressive order of all these quotes (as described above) one immediately sees the blue crystalline, lucid, oasis in the desert that this teaching really is - a similar sense resonating as a result from practicing each stage some too, while reading, away from the dross of most buddhist nonsense.

You can tell Evola wrote it as a reservoir; he as a magi, a self ex-orcist - but it as a simple notational guide for himself, a “how to get back (to) somewhere great” by just logically laying out Buddha’s steps in the order Buddha travelled, presented them; that (he) carried out; a way, if he wished, to avoid the mirage’s and return to one’s Source. I can avouch for it myself.

Wherever it was he found, it must have been somewhere he had actually been to, I see. He would not have been so capable of exposing it all so clearly in hindsight were it other than so. He never brags or reveals once how much he has personally experienced but you can tell there is no way he could speak so ordered - and informed, with such careful, replete, subtle, nuance at each increment - unless he had also self liminally wrought about such inclement and gone on to some summit further it describes, like an eagle’s eyre, there to see all the contours behind him from, clearly afterward. It is breathtaking.

This book is a treasure to me and always will be - in my top 20 - for the rest of my life.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julius Evola presents the Buddhist tradition with his characteristic rigor. The text is well-structured, overflowing with evocative metaphors and extensive citations from the Pali canon.

Evola's take on Buddhist ascetic practice is precise and highly systematic. There is a consistent emphasis on dispelling popular misconceptions. It is worth noting that Buddhist teachings align remarkably well with Evola's philosophy of initiation. This is no accident. The Majjhima Nikaya had a transformative effect on him at a dark time early in his life. It is obvious that he became deeply invested in conveying the significance of Buddhism to his contemporary European culture. He believed Buddhist doctrine to be of particular applicability in the darkness of modernity because of its simple directness.

I learned a lot about Buddhist teachings from this book and it has helped me significantly in my spiritual practice. Highly recommended.

[ET · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Western import Buddhists worst nightmare.

[Juan del Desierto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep study on early Buddhism in both the theoretical and practical sense, with a extraordinary amount of research in its early texts to support the points and conclusions. This work connects and reconciles a path as apparently 'Oriental' and 'mystical' as Buddhism with the Western Tradition and exposes the misunderstandings and foraneous elements of later developments, particularly Mahayana Buddhism.

Absolutely recommended for any Western reader fascinated by Eastern culture.

[Philosophy Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Doctrine of Awakening’ is an excellent read. It provides a living introduction to the teachings of the Buddha, drawing on the Pali Canon, which the author takes to contain the earliest Buddhist scriptures. If you want to understand Theravada Buddhism, not merely as an ‘academic’ but for real spiritual guidance, consult this book.

It is worth noting that, when the author wrote, the Pali Canon was considered the best window into early Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism then enjoyed a reputation of purity which has been challenged by the discovery of ancient Buddhist manuscripts in the northern Pakistan-Afghanistan region. These Gandharan manuscripts, discovered in the 1990s, even contain some Mahayana doctrines, which bears against E’s historical claim that Mahayana Buddhism deviates from the original Buddhist core. Shelving this, I will go on to summarise some important ideas from the book.


THE MODERN AFFLICTION

No doubt anyone who finds this book already knows we face a crisis in the modern world. The symbols and rituals which once mediated our relationship to Being have lost sense. The dogmas and practices of religion now ring hollow. The modern mind is agitated, restless, aimless, passive, in constant lack (231). Against this background, E presents Theravada Buddhism as especially pertinent.

First: it is an apophatic, sometimes iconoclastic tradition (taken to greater extreme in Zen), which largely eschews mediating rituals and symbols in favour of ‘direct ascent’. The Buddhist teachings are therefore simple and self-evident, whereas the dogmas and rituals of a tradition like Catholicism might baffle or even alienate the modern seeker. Perhaps this helps explain the uptake of Buddhism among western youth (for more cynical reasons, see p.238).

Second: the modern world has mastered matter in a way unknown to the world of tradition, but is entirely enslaved by psychological forces which the traditional world held at bay: uncontrolled thought, superficial desires, bodily urges, anxiety, etc. (108). Here the Budda’s remedy is direct: his teachings fundamentally concern the mastery of self, discipline of mind, and concentration of inner energies. Indeed, the first step to overcome ‘samsaric’ existence is to take control of thought (109). In thus contrasting East and West (power over inner world vs. power over outer world), E nonetheless avoids the Orientalist trope that the people of the East are altogether detached from the pursuit of worldly power. He cites the Mauryan Empire, King Chandragupta and his grandson Asoka (*the former was not Buddhist), and the order of the Samurai to convey the imperial and martial potential of Buddhist civilisation (234-5).

Third: the very alienation encountered by the earnest seeker today forms part of the Buddhist path in light of the Buddha’s teaching on isolation. E explains:

‘Once detachment [viveka] is interpreted mainly in this internal sense, it appears perhaps easier to achieve it today than in a more normal and traditional civilisation. One who is still an “Aryan” spirit in a large European or American city, with its skyscrapers and asphalt, with its politics and sport, with its crowds who dance and shout, with its exponents of secular culture and of soulless science and so on—among all this he may feel himself more alone and detached and nomad than he would have done in the time of the Buddha, in conditions of physical isolation and of actual wandering’ (103).

This isn’t self-pity: modern isolation is a potential catalyst for inner freedom and self-sufficiency. The Suttanipata reads: ‘Solitude is called wisdom. He who is alone will find that he is happy’.


THE INSUFFICIENT WORLD

Here is a summary of early Buddhist philosophy. All things in the world are finite, contingent, insufficient, and unstable. None offer complete satisfaction. One must therefore transcend them all through detachment, purification, and self-simplification (80). There are techniques and practices to doing so. The ultimate goal is to cease all identification with determinate entities, so as to achieve a state of boundless liberation: nibbana (sanskrit: nirvana).

The insufficiency is obvious in the case of material and social goods: food, sex, drink, intoxication, money, status. Even the most popular forms of Buddhism find no difficulty explaining why fulfillment will never be found in these, and that true fulfillment must involve detachment from them. The ‘initiatic’ doctrine goes further. The goal is to cease self-identification with all modes of determination, i.e. all things whatsoever. This will appear abstract to the casual reader; but it will be familiar to many. In particular, as E himself frequently notes, a reader familiar with Neoplatonism will frequently find himself in familiar territory.

The first two Aryan (i.e. Noble) Truths of Buddhism essentially state that the world is contingent [paticca-samuppada] and has its source only in ‘mania’ [asava] and ‘ignorance’ [avijja]. The basic point is to realise the utter insufficiency of the world: its dependence, restless agitation, lack, incompleteness [dukkha], its craving desire for more [tanha]. Whoever realises this will set out on the path of spiritual discipline, and it is this same realisation which forms the aloof and detached character of the Ariya (75). The Majjhima Nikaya says,

‘By recognising that matter is impotent, unsatisfied, miserable, and that so are feeling, perception, the formations, and consciousness, by perceiving that in them that determines the clinging tendencies of the mind: by reflecting, destroying, and abandoning it and by becoming detached from it, I know that the mind is liberated’ (80).

This is not to view the world as sinful or fallen: these moralistic conceptions, which characterise the self-mortifying ‘asceticism’ of Christianity, do not at all feature in the Buddhist equivalent. Perhaps the Buddhist conception of samsara is more like the Islamic conception of dunya: heedless, dispersed, vain, fleeting and insufficient, but not ‘evil’ or ‘sinful’. So too, the Buddhist devil, Mara the Malign, is more like the Islamic Iblis: a trickster whose tempting whispers can lead us away from the straight path, but who is ultimately powerless before our will.

The really striking elements of ‘paticca-samuppada’ have not yet been mentioned. First: by realising the contingency of the world, we realise its illusory nature. The world is void of self-existence. As such, crucially, the world can be annihilated. We can literally escape from the world: the world is not real, but is a product of mind. Upon awakening, the world dissolves like a mirage. This is the third Aryan Truth. ‘The world ends when the manias [asavas] are destroyed’ (72). To dissolve the world, or expose its unreality, is remote from any ordinary Western religions or philosophies, though some equivalents existed in Late Antiquity.

Second: the insufficient world, the world to overcome, does not only include matter and corporeal form. Even immortality after death is a state of dissatisfaction and incompleteness. The Awakened One flies beyond the hierarchies of gods and angels [devas], beyond Paradise itself. It is said in the Anguttara Nikaya:

‘You should feel shame and indignation if ascetics of other schools ask you if it is in order to arise in a divine world that ascetic life is practiced under the ascetic Gotama’. (84)

This is another obvious departure from Western religions, at least in their exoteric forms, and fits E’s claim that early Buddhism was an elitist, esoteric order, for few could conceive an aim so high.

Even more powerful is the Buddha’s visit to Brahma, narrated in the Majjhima Nikaya, which E presents as ‘diabolical’ from the perspective of ordinary Western religion. The Buddha, in his ascent beyond the cosmos, encounters Brahma: god, the immutable, eternally existent lord of the world. Brahma declares, ‘There is no higher liberation than Me!’ There then follows a symbolical test, which E paraphrases:

‘The personal God, the Hebraic “I am that I am”, the God of being, whose essence is his existence, as such, cannot not be, that is, he is bound to being, he is passive with respect to being. He has not the power to go beyond being. It is here that the test occurs. Who can “disappear”? That is, who is lord both of being and of nonbeing? Who rests neither on the one nor on the other? Brahma cannot disappear. Instead, the Buddha disappears. All the world of Brahma is amazed and recognises “the high power, the high might of the ascetic Gotama”’ (86).

Even ‘god’, as conceived by all but the greatest mystics and philosophers, is finite, insufficient, and samsaric, insofar as being is opposed to nonbeing, and opposition is limitation. The Awakened One therefore says,

‘Nature, the gods, the lord of generation, Brahma, the Resplendent Ones, the Powerful Ones, the Ultrapowerful Ones, all things, I have known, how unsatisfying are all things: this have I recognised, and I have renounced all things, abdicated from all things, detached myself from all things, forsworn all things, disdained all things. And in this, O Brahma, not only am I your equal in knowledge, not only am I not less than you, but I am far greater than you’.


THE ABSOLUTE

If not to go to heaven or dwell with god, what then is the goal of the Buddhist way? Here we return to detachment. By detaching from all things finite, one realises the Infinite. The goal of Buddhist ‘ascesis’ is not only to cease identification with the body, to stop caring about social titles and so on, but to transcend every limited form of being. In achieving this, one is freed from all bonds of existence. One achieves a state of absolute infinity. This is a phenomenological state, a state of realisation: a transcendent consciousness.

So there is an Absolute reality which Buddhism aims at, but this aim is placed higher than heaven or god—insofar as these are conceived as within the domain of determinate reality (which is not how I conceive God). Indeed, Buddhism affirms transcendence much more strongly than exoteric theistic religions. (This, I think, is contrary to some popular views which ‘secularise’ and ‘immanentise’ Buddhism.) The Buddha says,

‘There is, O disciples, an unborn, not become, not compounded, not constructed. If there were not this unborn, not become, not compounded, not constructed, no escape could be seen here from that which is born, become, compounded, constructed. But since there is an unborn, not become, not compounded, not constructed, so an escape is possible from what is born, become, compounded, constructed’ (61).

This affirms the Absolute like Surah al-Ikhlas in the Quran, for instance: a self-sufficient reality independent from all conditions, from generation, composition, and form, which constitutes our deliverance. Buddhism is not agnostic or skeptical about positing such a transcendent Absolute. The Buddhist path confers certainty, ‘incomparable sureness’ [anuttarassa yogakkhemassa], not epistemic humility (117). The Buddha definitively asserts his possession of ultimate truth, that to which there cannot possibly be anything higher, with unshakeable confidence and self-assurance. He possesses this certainty not because he has speculated and reasoned his way to the truth, but because he has witnessed truth directly:

‘There are, O disciples, other things, profound things, things difficult to apprehend, hard to understand, but that beget calm; joyful things, things not to be grasped simply by discursive thought, things that only the wise man can understand. These things are expounded by the Accomplished One, after he himself has known them, after he himself has seen them’ (41).

The reason why the Buddha hesitated to speak about the Absolute was not agnosticism; rather he did not want his disciples to forgo ascetic action, the path of direct knowing, thinking they could grasp the Absolute by means of concepts or theory alone. Furthermore, the Absolute state, nibbana, which is simple, infinite, and absolutely unconditioned, is beyond all logical categories, so cannot be coherently conveyed by speech (206, 209).

To attain the Absolute, there are techniques for the concentration and unification of the mind [samatha, vipassana] which allow one to penetrate higher regions of awareness, beyond sensory perception [vitakka], beyond conceptual representation [vicara], beyond space, time, matter, and form [rupa]. The basic idea is to silence mental fluctuations while maintaining pointlike single minded concentration and wakefulness [ekodibhava]. In this sense, the training resembles Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: that yoga is the cessation of mental fluctuations: yoga chitta vritti nirodha.

Ordinary human consciousness is supported by mental contents like perception, dreaming, representational thought, mental images, emotions, etc. And in the deepest stages of sleep, where such fluctuations cease, one does not maintain wakeful awareness. It is, however, possible to maintain wakeful consciousness without any of these usual supports. One is then ‘aware’ but not aware of anything, aware of absolute nothing, but full with awareness, like a light which shines upon nothing but shines nonetheless. The phenomena which fill the mind and lend it support also determine the boundaries which structure ordinary reality: spatial directions, moments of succession in time, the differentiation of thinking subject and object of thought, the individuation of objects, etc. These boundaries are all voided in the state of final ‘extinction’ [nibbana], which thus transcends time, space, form, individuation, and all boundaries of the knowable world.

What are the techniques? E devotes many chapters to this. They range from conscious breathing—the most well known and reliable meditation technique—to the visualisation of light, focussing upon a solid block of colour, and the contemplation of a formless expanse. Besides these, there are prior requirements for virtuous living or righteous conduct [sila], e.g. no theft, no lying, and control of speech, and practices of constant vigilance over one’s thought [appamada].


BUDDHISM AS ARYAN

E argues that early Buddhism was an aristocratic and elitist order. The Buddha did not proselytize; he did not want to share his teachings at all, but was convinced to by the god Brahma Sahampati, who said there were ‘beings of a nobler kind’ capable of receiving them (73). The sangha did not originally admit women, eunuchs, or hermaphrodites, but remained exclusive to a few.

E connects the aristocratic ‘Aryan’ character of the Buddha’s teachings with the presence of solar, regal, and warrior [khsatriya] symbolism throughout: the Buddha, born in the warrior caste, whose likeness is the lion, directed that his funeral rite should not be that of an ascetic, but of a chakravartin, an imperial sovereign, a king of kings.

It is well known that E understands religions through various idealised symbolic dichotomies: heaven/earth, sky god/earth mother, sun/moon. He clearly views Buddhism as an ‘unearthly’ transcendent path. Eg. he is eager to reject reincarnation as a ‘telluric’ doctrine, absent from the Buddha’s own teachings, only conceivable for one who views themself bound to the earth, and assigns its origins to the degenerating influences of later Buddhism. (His criticisms of Theosophy are probably in the background here.)

E contrasts this Aryan Buddhist doctrine with universal, devotional, and salvationist religions, e.g. Christianity, which have a plebian character. Instead of devotion to an external god, the Buddha teaches one to become a god, or even to surpass the gods, as we have seen. Further, E makes an effort to distinguish Buddhist ethics [sila] from humanitarian, Christian, democratic equivalents: the precept not to kill is read in terms of achieving impersonal consciousness and hence concerns self-transcendence rather than anything strictly ‘moral’ (123).

The aristocratic character of Theravada Buddhism is largely lost, so E says, in Mahayana Buddhism, which became mythological and fantastical—a popular religion for the masses, concerned with universal salvation and devotion to deities, which claims that everyone is a potential bodhisattva, etc. (221) I have been told that E is rather unfair to Mahayana. Note that he remains positive about Zen, especially because it did not yield to philosophic speculation in the manner of Nagarjuna’s school. Hinayana Buddhism also comes under criticism for its moralistic and overly monastic tendency. (215) These remarks must all be read in light of the discovery of the Gandharan manuscripts mentioned at the offset.


CRITICISMS

‘The Doctrine of Awakening’ is an excellent read. Whether E’s interpretation of Buddhism is biased and inaccurate is not something I am in a position to evaluate. But it does sometimes seem so, as he aims to fit Buddhism into idealised dichotomies which he constructs a priori (e.g. his views on reincarnation).

Moreover, E makes an attempt to respond to Nietzsche’s criticism of Buddhism and asceticism. This is often something that lingers in the background; many readers won't notice. Nietzsche critiqued the ‘Buddhistic will to nothingness’. He saw Buddhism as nihilistic and life-denying. Now, E succeeds in distinguishing the ‘Aryan’ ascesis of Buddhism from the moralising Christian asceticism which Nietzsche had in mind as the immediate target of his critique of the ascetic ideal in the ‘Genealogy’. However, the doctrine of awakening is clearly life-denying in a very literal sense. The goal, as E presents it, is to completely transcend and abandon the conditioned world, indeed to dissolve it as a kind of illusion. Family and society are rejected in favour of an austere and celibate monasticism. ‘Flee society as a heavy burden, seek solitude above all’ (101). Even suicide is accepted as a possible option. Granted, E is correct that nibbana is not ‘nothingness’, but the fullness of the Absolute; even still, one agrees with Nietzsche that the world of relativity ought to be integrated rather than abandoned. One cannot help but think: there must be detachment from the life of this world, but not to abandon it as meaningless either.

[4333paddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely informative book on earlyBuddhism. this book has awakened within me a love and appreciation for the early Buddhist doctrines which i look to deepen!

[IAO131 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book in Evola's typical style which merges his academic rigor with his Traditionalist viewpoint and, consequently, language. What I found most impressive was his knowledge and sourcing of original Pali texts to back his claims rather than simply stating things that Buddha said/believed things as facts basically by the author's fiat, as many writers on the topic do. Evola is obviously biased toward supporting his own "Aryan" Traditionalism, but there were many parts that I found interesting in that they are neglected by many other writers on Buddhism, presented a new view-point, and often drew upon texts I haven't read or have forgotten.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

**Warning!**
I couldn't help but be shocked by InnerTraditions having published this book without a culturally sensitive warning about its contents (if there is one, my apologies and see the disclaimer below). Nonetheless, given the awfully divided world we still live in and how easy it is to be fooled by words in a book (however overt or covert they may be) readers should be aware this book spouts white supremacist ideologies under the false notion that this is what the Buddha actually taught. Julius Evola was a racist and a fascist. Whilst I would not say we should throw the baby out with the bath water and burn the book (being nuanced if I actually read it I'm sure there is some great stuff on the Pali discourses in here). However, readers coming to this without prior knowledge of Buddhism might be duped by the extreme racism it spouts as "truth". This book was originally published in 1943 so naturally represents views that were held back by practically everybody in Europe. Whilst these views are outdated, sadly they are still held by those who want to spread hate and discord. Don't be one of those please. And don't be swayed by such nonsense no matter how convincing an academic author's rhetoric might sound. The Buddha taught that love conquers hate and that we're all the same (see next paragraph).

FYI: The Buddha as far as I'm aware was quite the radical of his time alongside the Jain leader known as the Mahavira; both of whom rejected the caste system of Ancient India. The Buddha took no issue, and in fact, actively encouraged people from all walks of life and their respective social stations to join his following. Furthermore, in contrary to a statement I found in this book whilst skimming through bits, Buddhism was incredibly democratic and the Pali scholar Richard Gombrich has wrote extensively of the Buddha's use of satire to bend religous concepts common to his day to suit his own teachings (see What The Buddha Thought, brilliant book!) Much of this play-on-themes and satire was completely lost when Buddhism spread around the world as it was removed from its cultural melting pot. Therefore, some things would be taken more literally. So, whilst I cannot provide proof of this, as I am a layperson when it comes to Buddhist academia, I would venture to say that the Buddha was employing his aforementioned satire when he used the word "ariya" and extended its meaning to include everybody regardless of race or ethnicity to be regarded "noble" should they have completed his path of morality and meditation. This would certainly tie-in with his equitable and inclusive views.

Disclaimer: I only skimmed the table of contents and one chapter of this book as I was just doing some general research so I haven't read it entirely. This is more of a moral heads-up and clarification than a review.

[Ignacio Grosso Kignard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores libros del barón que leí hasta el día de la fecha.
Cuenta con dos partes, siendo teórica la primera y práctica la segunda, comienza con el budismo päli o budismo de los orígenes, el cual bajo una concepción guerrera y aristocrática del mismo, se rebela contra una casta sacerdotal gobernante ya degenerada (Brahman). Se resalta muchas veces en "La doctrina del despertar" su origen ariano propio de los "ariya", que no guarda relación alguna con lo que tiempo después los modernos degeneraron la doctrina guerrera de príncipe Siddharta convirtiéndolo en un culto esencialmente exotérico, deísta, pacifista, nefasto y profano.
Todos los conceptos que el autor menciona en sánskrito son traducidos y explicados a la perfección, lo que lleva al lector a leer y releer constantemente las incontables notas y referencias a pie de cada página.
Quizás la parte más interesante sea la segunda, titulada "La Acción" donde se detallan ejercicios propios como distintos tipos de respiración, el control mental y todo lo que encuentre una relación metafísica práctica ligada a la doctrina de los ariya.
La obra finaliza con la expansión del budismo desde La India, pasando por el Tibet hasta el Japón (Budismo Zen) y agregando algunas particularidades y diferencias de cada uno.
Un libro disfrutable de principio a fin, dotado de una asombrosa erudición como es usual en las obras del autor en cuestión. 100% recomendado para todo aquél interesado en adentrarse en doctrinas orientales, lectores afines a R. Guénon/F. Schuon/A. Coomaraswamy. etc.

[IMPERIVM · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important exposition on the Olympian character of early Buddhism. The work only broadly handles the topic, however; a reader would have to investigate early Hindu, early Buddhist, and Zen Buddhist texts to get a more applicable guide.

It definitely appears an understanding of Zen is where people interested in 'the Olympian hero' should primarily direct their efforts, as Zen more explicitly rejects priestliness, is harder to corrupt, and has not been corrupted, as Buddhism and Hinduism were. Evola's analysis of the Japanese Samurai and primary literature on Bushido will probably prove very useful in this goal.

[Darrell Kinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warrior Buddhism. Not your typical mindfulness being peddled today. This is a Buddhism for warriors. The doctrine of awakening is enlightenment through conscious action. The writing is a little obtuse at times (I don't know if that's just a function of the translation). Also, if one can live with Evola's covert racialism you can find a lot of value in this book.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was alright - I continue to see the brilliance in Evola but think he always takes his insights in the wrong direction and has clouded solutions for problems. Perhaps, the right person would appreciate this work more than I did. I just could not get into it and it was a slog to finish.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to abandon this book. Perhaps others have what it takes to dive as deep into esotericism and layer after layer of apparently arbitrary abstractions. But not me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit hard to read, but is chocked full of great references to different practices, and beliefs in the Eastern religions.

[Chrysalides · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the Majjhima-nikaya, a scripture within the Buddhist Pali Canon, which prevented Julius Evola from taking his own life following an existential crisis in the aftermath of the Great War. The Doctrine of Awakening is therefore Evola's 'repayment' to the Buddha, written similarly in the aftermath of the Second Great War.

Lavishly cited, it is considered to be one of his best works of Traditional studies alongside the Hermetic Tradition. Presenting Theravada Buddhism as a complete and exoteric doctrine of ascesis in the vein of the right-hand path, it rebukes popular Western conceptions of the Tradition, namely reincarnation. By using his traditional method to connect the metaphysics of Buddhism to its Vedic forebears, he is able to cast it not as a heterodox deviation of Hinduism, but rather a counter-revolution against speculative Brahmanism.

One would be mistaken to dismiss this work based on the controversial nature of its author. Apart from a few somewhat fantastic positions on race and gender, Evola is able to support his thesis, and it undeniably should be read by someone interested in the subject, whether it be academically or spiritually motivated.

[Onur Sazak · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dude is/was a brazen, Mussolini-lovin' Italian fascist, who obviously lived through the heydays of European fascism between the 1930s and 40s. I had to put up with his bullcrap for some four hundred pages, hoping he would maybe, just maybe, comprehend a gist of Buddha's message and compassion. I'd rather had to endure his unhinged interpretation of Buddhism and ludacrious efforts to build some precarious bridge between the Aryan race and the Hindu warrior cast. It was mind-boggling to observe that after all his research on and readings of Siddhartha Gautama's doctrines, Evola had managed to remain a true imbecile and slightly more intelligent than a dump truck for believing that awakening was only meant for the "superior" (my @$$) Ari race. My sentiments exactly for anyone here who gave his work anything above a star.

[Michelangelo NH Boccaccini · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Dottrina del Risveglio è la diciassettesima opera di Julius Evola in cui egli si propone di mettere in luce la natura vera del Buddhismo delle origini, dottrina che doveva sfaldarsi fino all’inverosimile nella gran parte delle forme successive, quando, per via della sua divulgazione e diffusione, essa divenne più o meno una religione.

Leggere questo libro, come gli altri di questo autore, significa entrare in riflessioni che si collegano alla saggezza tradizionale. Ogni parola utilizzata è scelta con cognizione della sua etimologia propria, del suo preciso significato, spesso tradotto dalle lingue dei testi antichi orientali. Non consiglierei a tutti di avvicinarsi a questo libro, a meno che non siano interessati sia alla filosofia che all’esoterismo. Per me ha avuto un effetto chiarificatore sulla mente nei giorni in cui già essa era abbastanza vuota da riuscire a porre un’attenzione scevra da pressanti distrazioni. Comprendendo il valore di certe frasi, mi fermavo a ragionare sulle rivelazioni storiche o dottrinali in esse contenute. L’organizzazione dei concetti esposti non dà l’idea di arbitrarietà personale, ma rispecchia la profondità del pensiero dell’autore.

citazioni :

- Non si tratta del potenziamento di una forza e di un coraggio quasi animali, ma di una inafferrabilità.

- […] si mettono anche a posto coloro che, per sentirsi eremiti, penitenti, poveri, vestiti di cenci od osservanti le forme più esteriori della moralità, si esaltano e credono di poter disprezzare gli altri.

- Vivere il corpo come un puro, dominato, libero, plastico, intangibile strumento di manifestazione — è il limite supremo.

[Leo Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evola's main flaw is his didactic style: like some Traditional equivalent of Marx, virtually everything he writes reads like an agitational pamphlet - it's a tad tedious.

Nonetheless, his insight remains useful: this book in particular is valuable as a spiritual encapsulation of Indo-Europeanism. Interesting, informative, and a vision of Buddhism I am more likely to recommend than the takes found in today's watered-down New Age literature.

Evola goes hard on all the right questions.

[Shaun Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evola's review of the original text of Buddhism, with the intention to maintain its original spirit, proves to be utterly fascinating. I came to this work with interest and found myself struck frequently with an unexpected depth. I went from reading to a genuine want for practice. I believe I will return to this text again, more prepared and better ready to review and receive this work.

[Ellis Tawny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some unsavoury ideas of Evola's about race and spiritual caste systems sneak in, but otherwise a brilliant synthesis of Buddhist non-thought. It is packed like sardines with references to the early texts and practice. Very informative.

[Edward Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

review after further study

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, this is where the right gets the whole faking serenity until everyone else looks nuts and then they say see I told you so.

[A V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best, clear-cut expositions of buddhism I have found. Written with purpose and style. I will surely re-visit this work many times

[Johanne Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disregarding the obvious racist and sexist assumptions in this book, it's a clear and interesting interpretation of some of the basic concepts of Buddhist philosophy.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights the Aryan aspects of Buddhism. Calls out the enemies of our Redeemer and civilization.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am chasing the Dharma

[Ronny · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a dry read, this is an informative, radical look at Buddhism that treats it as a framework for inducing awakening. There are some uncomfortable psuedo-racial elements in some parts of the book, but it's still a great read regardless.

[Kjǫlsigʀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rare instance of an eminently respectable and accurate coverage of original (and some later tantric) Buddhist theory and practice, as thoroughgoing as any of this author's first-class work.

[Emericus Durden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece - everything else is silence.