"Why Buddhism Is True" by Robert Wright

"Why Buddhism is True" is a weird title for the book that doesn't answer the question. Instead, Robert presented a comprehensive and knowledgeable review of some aspects of Buddhism in application to everyday life. Whether Buddhism is true is left to the readers to decide.

Overall, the book suggests the following points on Buddhism and living life in general:

• Natural selection shaped us so that we crave things and think in an irrelevant way nowadays.
• Meditation is integral to Buddhism, and achieving good meditation isn't a binary event but a never-ending process.
• "Self" is a made-up thing, as understood by experienced meditators (or fellow psychonauts, wink-wink).
• Our brain isn't the "CEO" of our body; decisions are made by a variety of "modules" in the body, including gut bacteria.
• Brain imaging showed that even when we think we're making a rational choice, we rely more on emotions.
• Meditations can help to calm emotions and think more rationally.
• Sufferings and pleasures are only as strong as how we process them.

I recommend reading "Why Buddhism Is True" even if you aren't interested in Buddhism. The book isn't just about Buddhism but the lessons we can all learn from it.