The Tree of Enlightenment

e procedure adopted here is analytical inasmuch as it
breaks up the data of experience into their various components.
e Buddha was not satisfied with a vague conception
of experience in general; rather, he analyzed experience, probed
its essence, and broke it down into its components, just as we
might break down the phenomenon of a chariot into the wheels,
the axle, the body, and so forth. e object of this exercise is to
gain a better idea of how these phenomena function. When, for
instance, we see a flower, hear a piece of music, or meet with a
friend, all these experiences arise as the direct result of a combination
of component elements.
is has been called the analytical approach of Buddhism,
and again, it is not at all strange to modern science and philosophy.
We find the analytical approach very widely applied in
science, while in philosophy the analytical approach has characterized
the thought of many European philosophers, perhaps
most clearly and recently that of Bertrand Russell. Studies have
been done comparing his analytical philosophy quite successfully
with that of early Buddhism. Consequently, in western science
and philosophy, we find a very close parallel to the analytical
method as it is taught within the Buddhist tradition. is is
one of the familiar and recognizable features that has attracted
modern western intellectuals and academics to Buddhist philosophy.
Modern psychologists, too, are now deeply interested
in the Buddhist analysis of the various factors of consciousness:
feeling, perception, and volition. ey are turning in increasing
numbers to the ancient teaching of the Buddha to gain greater
insight into their own discipline.
is growing interest in the teaching of the Buddha – provoked
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