If the Buddha Married

May 1, 2001
Last year, psychotherapist Charlotte Kasl explored the first flushes of romance in If the Buddha Dated; now she takes the next step in If the Buddha Married: Creating Enduring Relationships on a Spiritual Path. There is some strong, wise marital advice here, but how Buddhist is it? One glaring fact that Kasl never so much as mentions is that the Buddha did have a wife and child, whom he abandoned in the quest for enlightenment. A more interesting book would have investigated the tensions between the demands (and joys) of marital relationships and the individual's need to embark on the spiritual journey.