Loving Attention: Buddhaghosa, Katsuki Sekida, and Iris Murdoch on Meditation and Moral Development
Philosophy East and West August 1, 2023 Mark Fortney
Iris Murdoch argues that a central moral capacity is the ability to direct attention justly and lovingly. She examines whether Zen Buddhist meditation, as described by Katsuki Sekida, can strengthen this capacity, expressing both optimism and reservations. The author contends that Murdoch's project would have been better served by drawing on Buddhaghosa's Theravāda instructions for meditating on loving-kindness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity, as these align more closely with her own moral framework.