Daily Buddhism » Reviews

Book: Shaolin Qi Gong: Energy in Motion

Brian Schell — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:31:54 +0000

Book: Shaolin Qi Gong: Energy in Motion
By Shi Xinggui
Destiny Books, 154 pages, 2007, DVD included.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594772649/?tag=askdrarca-20

The great teacher Bodhidharma is credited with the creation of Shaolin Temple qi gong and kung fu in the 6th century CE. Motivated by the terrible physical condition of the monks who spent all their time meditating or copying scrolls, his two-part system promoted physical as well as spiritual fitness and became the basis for all the martial and meditative arts taught in the Shaolin Temple. These ancient practices increase physical health and vitality, enhance creativity, and can be practiced well into old age.

Author Shi Xinggui, a Shaolin monk, explains the fundamental principle of qi gong–the art of mastering energy (qi) and moving it through the body–and provides clear demonstrations of all the positions and movements. In order to develop qi attentively, it is necessary to cultivate the art of slowness in both movement and breathwork. Shi Xinggui provides both a short form and a long form of the daily exercises, with lessons on heart centering, organ strengthening, and balancing the energy using the three dantians–the three energy centers of the body. A 53-minute DVD of the exercises performed by the author is also included.

The preceding text is from Amazon; I couldn’t have explained it all any better than that. So what do I think about the book? After simply reading the book, I have to say I thought it was all a bit silly. A collection of very slow, very gentle exercises where you probably wouldn’t break a sweat. From my American background, where people routinely spend hours at the gym and consequently end up seeing a doctor for a sports-related injury once a year, this seemed less-than-productive.

But then I watched the enclosed DVD, and it all became clear to me. He is so slow, and so graceful in these videos that it becomes obvious what the benefits will be. This seems to be just as much about inner peace as it is physical exercise. I have gained a new respect for the topic after watching the video.

The book is a glossy photobook with enough text to explain what’s going on, but not so much as to detract from the many full-color pictures of Shi Xinggui doing the exercises. The text and pictures are large and generous; you’ll be able to understand fully what he’s doing just by looking at the pictures. If not, there’s always the video. The DVD is a professionally-produced disc with attractive printing and various chapter stops. The soundtrack that accompanies the exercises is perfect. All but the last five minutes are videos of Shi Xinggui doing exercises silently. The last 5 minutes are brief biography of him, all in on-screen text- there is no speaking or voice-work at all on the DVD.

If you are looking for a VERY low-impact exercise system that will, at the very least, improve your flexibility and peace of mind, pick this up and follow along. I would imagine people with severe arthritis or similar problems might have some difficulty with this, but if you are simply out of shape or overweight, that should be no hindrance to doing everything in the book.

Book: The Sayings of Layman P’ang, by James Green

Brian Schell — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:04:14 +0000

Book Review: The Sayings of Layman P’ang: A Zen Classic of China
Translated by James Green
Shambhala Publications, 2009, 144 pages.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590306309/?tag=askdrarca-20

When the mind is at peace,
The world too is at peace. –Laymen P’ang

Layman P’ang was a Chan/Zen Buddhist during the Tang Dynasty. He serves as an exemplary figure to those Buddhists practicing outside of monasticism. He studied and practiced Buddhism with his whole family and from his stories about them and his writings come the most famous of the Buddhist sayings.

In an age where it was common for those spiritually-minded individuals to give up their possessions and families and go off to live in a monastery, old Mr. Pang chose not to take that route. Instead, he and his family made a living selling baskets and studying with many traveling masters through the years. This book is a collection of nearly 60 stories of Mr. P’ang and his family, and his dialogues with these masters. In these discussions, sometimes the Master would teach Layman P’ang something, but just as often the reverse would happen.

Most of the stories are fairly cryptic to the modern reader, and are essentially koans. One reads the story and asks, ‚Äúwhat just went on there?‚Äù There are extensive footnotes after each story, but rather than explain the meaning, most of the footnotes explain more about the characters or put the story in some kind of context. It’s usually up to the reader to find the meaning.

There is a lot of introductory material in this book before the stories actually start, and much of this introduction is valuable in itself. It explains the significance of being a layman compared to being a monk, and why P’ang is looked at as a traditional hero. It gives a bit ofhistory about the various masters and monks mentioned in the stories and what they are best known for.

The book is short, at 144 pages with largish type and lots of white space. You could read it in an evening if you wanted to make the attempt, but as with most books of this type, it would probably be better to read one or two of the single-page-long stories per day and give them time to make sense.

If you enjoy koans, pick this book up. It’s got the usual koan-style stories in it, but there is enough help in the footnotes to understand what was really going on. Even if you don’t enjoy the ‚Äúriddle‚Äù aspect of koans, Layman P’ang’s thoughtful, mysterious, and funny insights are worth a look.

Book: Natural wakefulness Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With

Brian Schell — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:00:54 +0000

Book: Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With
By Gaylon Ferguson
Shambhala Publications, 204 pages, to be released April 14, 2009
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590306570/?tag=askdrarca-20

The beginning of this book explains that we are born “Awake” but quickly get mired down in the daily day-to-day work of living. This is just the way things work in the world. But, as Buddhists know, we can “Awaken” to reality and become Enlightened. In his book, Gaylon Ferguson focus on RE-awakening, or enhancing that natural wakefulness with which we all enter this world.

The book is clearly written with everyday English and a minimum of jargon, a feature of which I completely approve. He covers a large number of topics, and includes chapters on mindfulness of body meditation, mindfulness of feeling, awareness of the mind’s flow, seeing beyond hope and fear, and awakening from the nightmare of materialism and much more.

Gaylon Ferguson recieved training from the Tibetan Master, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and if you have read books by any of his other students, you will see much here that is familiar. The book is heavily focused on meditation and improving your meditation practice. There are quite a few meditation exercises and ideas that you can incorporate into your own practice.

There is a section at the end which explains the sources of many of the quotes used in the book. Not just the basic bibliography, but also some of the context, which was interesting. There is a short section of additional resources, most of which are tied in with Shambhala.

This is an excellent book to help you get more serious with your meditation practice. It’s probably not for the absolute novice at meditation, but if you’ve been sitting for maybe a couple of weeks (at least long enough to know how to start) and are running into problems, this might be a good next step. The author’s focus on learning to trust that we are already naturally awake is an interesting point of view with which to work, and he often emphasizes the importance and benefits of making the commitment to a regular meditation practice.

Podcast Episode 51: Anger and Desire

Brian Schell — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:55:16 +0000

Podcast Episode 51: Anger and Desire

Announcements:

First, a sponsor note: Mighty Leaf Tea brings you the widest variety of high-quality teas, teaware, and tea-related gifts right to your door. You can even keep your regular Buddhist tea rituals with Mighty Leaf Teas. For special deals and free sample teas with every order, check out http://www.dailybuddhism.com/tea

If you’re wondering what happened to podcast number 50, it was a short video podcast sent out in the feed yesterday, and I’ll talk about that later in this episode. Check your podcatcher software and watch the short video or watch it on the website if you didn’t get it automatically.

If you have an account with the iTunes Store, please take a minute to do a review of the Daily Buddhism podcast there. Your reviews help let other people know about the show and will be reflected in the overall popularity of the podcast. Just enter http://dailybuddhism.com/itunes into your browser, and iTunes will load up and take you to the right place automatically. I appreciate your reviews and so might many other future listeners.

And now let’s get on with this week’s show!

[Read the past five blog posts or emails for contents of the show]

This Week’s Links:

Sponsor: Mighty Leaf Tea
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/tea

Guest Post: Shin Buddhism, by Jeff Wilson
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1249

He Made Me So Angry‚Ä¶
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1246
Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Thich Nhat Hanh http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573229377/?tag=askdrarca-20

Koan: No Water, No Moon
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1224

How Can I Desire Enlightenment?
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1255

Chicago Police and Buddhists (Also sent out as ‚ÄúPodcast 50‚Äù on Friday)
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1254

Arcane Tales Old Time Radio Podcast
http://ArcaneTales.com

Free Newsletter: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/sign

Voice Mail Number: 937-660-4949
Email: Dailybuddhism@gmail.com
Donate: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/donate
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Follow Daily Buddhism on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DailyBuddhism

Book: The Way of Korean Zen, by Kusan Sunim

Brian Schell — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:17:30 +0000

Book: The Way of Korean Zen
by Kusan Sunim
Published by Weatherhill / Shambala (c) 2009, 182 pages
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590306864/?tag=askdrarca-20

The author, Kusan Sunim (1901-1983) was the Resident Master of the Song-gwang Sa, one of the largest monasteries in South Korea. He was the first Zen teacher to accept and train Western students in a Korean monastery. The extensive introductor section of the book was written by Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism Without Beliefs.

There are two major sections to the book, the introduction by Stephen Batchelor, and the bulk of the book by Master Kusan. The introductory portion explains the history of how Zen spread to Korea, life in a Korean monastery, the biography of Master Kusan, and various remarks about the rest of the book.

The final two-thirds of the book are translations of Master Kusan’s teachings, and are in four parts: Instructions for Meditation, Discourses from a Winter Retreat, Advice and Encouragement and the Ten Oxherding Pictures. There is also a very brief glossary.

Master Kusan teaches the Hwadu method of meditation. Hwadu meditation is somewhat similar to meditating on a koan, but there is a difference. A Koan is generally a complete situation or story, while the hwadu is just the central question involved. For example, a koan often involves specific characters and situations, it’s a whole story, while the hwadu is just the question, “What is this?” or something along those lines. He explains that hwadu meditation means keeping that question at the forefront of your mind non-stop while living your life. Everything you do involves that question and must apply to that question. It seems to be a super-challenging form of mindfulness and concentration.

The section From a Winter Retreat is a collection of his teachings and lectures given during one four-month long retreat that took place one winter. There are various topics and subjects, but again, many of them center around hwadu meditation. This is the largest section of the book, and includes lots of advice and wisdom.

The final portion of the book is Kusan’s explanation of the famous Ten Oxherding Pictures. We have covered those pictures here before, and I don’t think Kusan really adds much new to the interpretation.

Overall, it’s a good book. The historical introduction and the focus on hwadu are interesting; it’s always hard to really explain “koan” meditation in a coherent way, but Kusan covers it well and thoroughly. There are some superficial differences between Korean Zen and Japanese Zen, but nothing really stood out to me as particularly significant. If you are interested in Zen, give this one a try.

Beginners Buddhism Books

Brian Schell — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:05:59 +0000

Beginner’s Books

Last week I mentioned that sometimes I get two of the same question at the same time. Well it happened again, this time regarding reading material:

Question:

Hi, I wanted to know if we are new to Buddhism what reading material would you suggest to start out. Thank you,

and also

I’ve been interested in Buddhism for quite some time and have done a bit of reading/meditation/study here and there. However, I was wondering if there are any books you can recommend on the basic foundations: the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, the five precepts. I’d really prefer something that’s easily understandable to someone new to Buddhism–something in layman’s terms, if you will.

Answer:

My first recommendation is, of course, to read and subscribe to the Daily Buddhism. I did a series from February 2nd to Feb 6th called the “Foundations of Buddhism.” Go back and find the posts and read them, or listen to Podcast episode 43, the audio version of the same material. These are free and available to you immediately, so I see no reason not to start there. You can also purchase it in printable pdf format, and here are links:

Foundations of Buddhism by Brian Schell
Podcast/ MP3 Audio Show (Free): http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1156
Buy the eBook ($4.95): http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1158

Beyond that, here are a few good beginner books that I recommend:

Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573226564/?tag=askdrarca-20
This is the book that “converted” me when it first came out. It explains all the basics of Buddhism without relying on mysticism and religion. I have long since given my copy away and it’s been years since I read it, but I’ll recommend it just for the impact it had on me.

Buddhist Scriptures by Edward Conze
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0140440887/?tag=askdrarca-20
This one has excerpts from all the major “scriptures” of Buddhism and will give a good overview of what all has been written in the past 2500 years. There are lots of stories, doctrines, and so forth here, but this is not a “What is Buddhism about” kind of book. This is a good book for when you have a grasp of the basics, but don’t buy this as a first book.

Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0471777749/?tag=askdrarca-20
I like this one because it’s not actually about Buddhism. It focuses on many different forms of meditation, allowing you to try various ways of meditating without “preaching” to you about which one is best for your sect of Buddhism. I think it is best to learn Buddhism and Meditation separately and then find a way to make the two mesh with each other in your own mind.

Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings by Thich Nhat Hanh
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1570753709/?tag=askdrarca-20
Thich Nhat Hanh is easily my favorite Buddhist author living today. You just have to like the guy, he’s warm, honest, gentle in the extreme, and possibly the biggest pacifist ever. Nominated by Martin Luther King Jr. for a Nobel prize, he’s written a gazillion books, and I’d recommend just about any of them. This one is a good starting point.

I’ve also reviewed quite a few books here on the Daily Buddhism site, and I recommend most of them (I don’t like to write about the books I disliked).

Book/CD: Sampoojanam: Reverence to the Buddha

Brian Schell — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Sampoojanam: Reverence to the Buddha

Buddhist Sanskrit and Pali chants presented in kirtan
by Sree Aswath and Carl Scott
Mindflow Learning Systems 25 pages, $16.95
Publisher link: http://chant-sanskrit.com

Many of the original texts of Buddhism are written in Sanskrit, so it’s not uncommon for a Buddhist to learn the language. It’s more than a little daunting getting started learning Pali or Sanskrit, but many rituals involve recitations or chanting in Pali, even in modern times. This little booklet and CD set are one way to learn one of the major rituals, the sevenfold Buddha Puja.

The booklet begins by describing how to perform the puja (worship ceremony), either alone or with a group. This section of the booklet is only two pages, but seems thorough enough to me. the next several pages are the Sanskrit version of the ritual. There is no explanation in this section about what the Sanskrit says or how to read it; this is not a “how to read Sanskrit” text. Most of the remainder of the book has the phonetic version of the spoken ritual on the left-hand page and the English translation on the right-hand page. The accompanying CD has the chants on it, and you can follow each track while reading the phonteic version in the book. Presumably one can memorize the sounds and repeat the ritual after enough repetitions.

The voices and chanting on the CD are clear and spoken slowly enough that following along in the booklet is easy. The book itself is small, but does the job. If you can read the Sanskrit, that’s good, but if not, the translation is there to help. Although the puja ritual is explained, there is no explanation on the meaning of the text, so you may want to do a little research on the sutras and chants outside the book.

My opinion is that the best use of this book and CD set is to memorize the chanting, or to perhaps get a little extra experience reading Sanskrit while listening to it being read aloud on the CD. If you want to learn to do a real puja in authentic Pali, then this might be worth picking up.

CD Review: Sitar Secrets by Al Gromer Khan

Brian Schell — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:06:14 +0000

CD: Sitar Secrets
Artist: Al Gromer Khan
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 9 tracks, 47:42 Minutes
Amazon CD: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O4C6JO/?tag=askdrarca-20
Amazon MP3: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001Q1KM9Q/?tag=askdrarca-20
Or buy it through the Apple iTunes store

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed a CD by Chinmaya Dunster, which I said was a bit “whangy-twangy” due to the style and the instruments he used, which included the sitar. This one is similar in many respects, but this CD is almost exclusively sitar music.

From the cover: ‚ÄúSitar Secrets is yet another mesmerizing album from ambient sound architect Al Gromer Khan. At once entrancing and meditative, yet seductive and passionate, the intense rhythms and sounds of Sitar Secrets will completely envelop and enthrall you. Excellent for chill-out and progressive ambience, wonderful for yoga and meditation, a unique melding of traditional Indian and modern ambient music.‚Äù

There are nine tracks on this CD, ranging between 2:36 up to 14:08 minutes long. The tracks, while all being sitar-heavy and therefore similar, do not all sound alike; some tracks are very distinctive and even have a slight tune to them. This would be yet another excellent addition to a ‚Äúmeditation music‚Äù library. If you like the sitar and are looking to add an ambient Indian mood to your meditations, this would be an excellent choice.

I have included links to download this CD in MP3 format directly from Amazon and/or iTunes right now. The physical CD will not be released until the middle of February.

Book: Practical Meditation with Buddhist Principles

Brian Schell — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:58:37 +0000

We have something a little different today, a guest reviewer! This time, Matt Siegrist tells us about a bargain discovery he recently found. If you would like to do a review of some Buddhism-related product, drop me a note and we’ll move on from there!

Practical Meditation with Buddhist principles

By Venerable Thubten Lhundrup
Hinkler Books, 64 pages, full color
ISBN: 978-1-7415-7772-3
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1741577721/?tag=askdrarca-20

Reviewed by Matt Siegrist

This book and DVD boxed set offers an introduction to meditation and Buddhist principles. Throughout the book are numerous beautiful pictures, covering everything from statues, paintings and bowls to close-ups of quilts and other exotic fabrics. Written by a Mahayana monk, the book covers all aspects of Buddhism, Theravadin and Mahayana to Zen and Pure Land Buddhism. It also covers many (I hesitate to say all) aspects of Buddhism, from a short history to the Four Noble Truths, suffering, the Eightfold Noble Path, all the way to mindfulness, karma, and the path to enlightenment. The last fifth of the book offers phrases to meditate upon. The DVD offers a brief introduction and short guided meditations with audio and video.

The Good:

The book is constructed of high-quality glossy paper that will last for many thumbings through. The pictures are incredibly colorful and clear, and cover many different subjects. If you want a quick refresher on Buddhism, the book can be read in an hour. The DVD didn’t appear to be of studio quality to me, but it was very peaceful to watch. If you meditate with your eyes open the guided meditations offer many pictures different from the book that are just as equally striking and mesmerizing.

The Bad:

The cover is little more than cardboard stock, and the ring binder doesn’t give it much appeal to leave around as a coffee table book. While the author does attempt to cover everything, there are many aspects in which he doesn’t provide much more than a short synopsis of the principle. The pictures, while amazingly beautiful to look at, have no background information supplied about them. If you are new to Buddhism, you aren’t even sure what you are exactly looking at.

Bottom Line: If you have listened to the first ten podcasts of the Daily Buddhism the book will not offer you any new information. However, if you want a reference book that is short and concise this book will serve you well. The guided meditations on the DVD are short, so if you have been meditating for any length of time they probably are too short for you. I found this boxed set book and DVD package while walking through the local Borders bookstore where it was on clearance for $7.99, and if you can get it at that price I would definitely purchase it.

Book: Buddhas, Bohisattvas, Khadromas, and the Way of the Pilgrim

Brian Schell — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:00:08 +0000

Book: Buddhas, Bohisattvas, Khadromas, and the Way of the Pilgrim: A Transformative Book of Photography and Pithy Sayings
By Simhananda
Orange Palm Publications Inc. 2007, 205 pages
ISBN 9780973443981
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0973443987/?tag=askdrarca-20

This is a large ‚Äúcoffee table‚Äù style art book that is in a consistent format throughout. On the right-hand page is a full-page photo of some Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Khadroma. On the left-hand page are two or three ‚Äúpithy sayings‚Äù written in English, French and Italian. There are also two or three small photos on the left-hand page, usually of different views of the same subject from the right-hand page. Although there are a few photos of humans, and a handful of paintings, the vast majority of photos are of statues, idols, and sculptures.

The Good:

The book has a high-quality hard cover and the pages are made of sturdy, glossy paper that really shows the desire to make this a long-lasting and durable keepsake. The images, especially the full-page ones, are astounding. Extremely colorful and sharp, most of these just exude history and reverence. Some of the art looks well-maintained and new, while many are flaking paint or are otherwise showing their age. Some are so old that the faces and features are gone. Buddhism is up to 2500 years old, and there is real history shown here. Whether the images are Buddha, a bodhisattva, a mythical daemon, or a painting of a legendary figure, you know that each image has a wondrous story to tell.

The Bad:

Unfortunately, that story isn’t told. The ‚Äúpithy‚Äù sayings, while wise in themselves, have little to do with the images. Do you really like the images on the page you are looking at? Well good luck identifying it; there is no list of sources, no explanation, no titles, not even a name or location for any of the images. They sure are pretty pictures, but there is no way to identify any of them. What the publishers were thinking when they decided to leave everything unidentified, I cannot fathom. The only reason I can imagine for this lack is that due to the triple-language translations of everything, it might have complicated things somewhat.

I will admit that I am not a student of Eastern art, but there were very few images here that I recognized; these are not the same old photos of Buddha that you’ve seen elsewhere, which makes the lack of labeling even more galling. If you enjoy sculpture or photography, and want to see some really beautiful photos of ancient art that you very possibly haven’t seen before, then give this one a look. The photos really are outstanding.

Bottom Line: Beautiful, but essentially useless as a reference.

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0973443987/?tag=askdrarca-20

Book: The Tao of Now, by Josh Baran

Brian Schell — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:54:51 +0000

Book: The Tao of Now
By Josh Baran
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Publisher: Hampton Roads, 400 Pages, ISBN 9781571745842
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157174584X/?tag=askdrarca-20

Note: This book was previously published under the name ‚Äú365 NIrvana Here and Now.‚Äù

‚ÄúThe Tao of Now: Daily Wisdom from Mystics, Sages, Poets, and Saints‚Äù is essentially a huge collection of wisdom quotes from all kinds of people, not necessarily just Buddhists. Quotes from Rumi, Buddha, Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dogen, Jesus, as well as many literary notables. Edited and compiled by Josh Baran, a former zen monk and Soto Zen teacher. These are ‚Äúwisdom quotes‚Äù not necessarily religious quotes, so you get ideas from every faith and outlook.

This isn’t the sort of book you read through from cover to cover. It’s fun to just flip through and read a page at random. There are 365 quotes, making it possible to go through one quote a day for a year with this book. Although these are not koans in the traditional sense, most are reasonably short and deep enough to allow for some real contemplation.

The introductory section is short, and explains much of the author’s background and reasons for writing the book. I especially like his reasons for being a ‚Äúformer‚Äù monk. He got up and walked out of the monastery one day. I suspect this happens quite a lot, and his reasons are interesting. He also points out in the introduction that some of the quotes in the book are contradictory, but that doesn’t necessarily make them wrong. You just need to think about where the original speaker was coming from contextually.

I’m not going to say this is a ‚Äúmust have‚Äù book, but it’s fun, informative, and does contain a lot to think about.

Review: Seeds of Kindness Beads

Brian Schell — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:37:27 +0000

Review: Seeds of Kindness Beads
By: http://www.seedsofkindness.biz

“May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be safe.”

A couple of months ago, I reviewed the book “The Gift of Loving Kindness.” In the introduction of the book, one of the authors mentions that she sells beads. When I contacted her for more information, she kindly sent along a sample set for review.

What you get: A string of Loving Kindness Beads, hand-made and strung together while the assmbler wishes loving kindness upon the new owner and the word in general. As we have already discussed, loving-kindness generally involves well-wishing for yourself, for others, and for the world, by reciting, “May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be safe,” in several variations. You will notice in the picture that there are four large beads, one for each step of the L-K meditation. Note that these are not mala beads, these are uniquey designed for the 4-step L-K “mantra.”

Along with the beads comes a nice little drawstring bag to keep the beads, but I noticed the bag has a “Made in PRC” (China) tag inside. There is also a CD which includes a walk-through on the ideas of loving kindness, use of the beads, and a 20-minute guided meditation session. The CD will be very helpful to newcomers to Loving-Kindness meditation.

Each strand of beads is unique and hand-assembled, and the ones currently on their website are priced between $45 and $90. Although it’s perfectly possible to do loving-kindness meditation without the use of beads, I can easily see this as an excellent gift. The accompanying CD makes an easily accessible introduction to L-K meditation, and the beads are something “real” to work with while meditating, which might make meditation more appealing to beginners.

Book: Quiet Mind, Open Heart by Laura Wright

Brian Schell — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:00:47 +0000

Book: Quiet Mind, Open Heart: Finding Inner Peace Through Reflection, Journaling, and Meditation.
By Laura Wright
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Bristlecone, 2008. 256 Pages, ISBN 978-0-9787757-6-6
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978775767/?tag=askdrarca-20

The subtitle of the book is ‚ÄúFinding Inner Peace Through Reflection, Journaling, and Meditation.‚Äù That combination of ideas is really an excellent summary of the point of the book. Reflection and meditation are subjects we’ve covered quite a bit here, as well as in most other Buddhist books; the interesting facet of this book is the emphasis on personal journaling. There are many meditation exercises and stories, but it is the journaling portion of the book that I am going to focus on.

Personal journaling, as most writers will know, is essentially a form of diary-writing or personal essays that you write to yourself. The point of this is that if you take the time to write out and organize your thoughts, it will assist in the ‚Äúreflection‚Äù part of it all and aid meditation. From my own experience, I can attest to the idea; one of the main reasons I like writing for Daily Buddhism is that by explaining things to my readers, it helps increase my own understanding. Even if it’s a topic I already know all about, just the act if writing about it helps focus my ideas.

The author explains that the book was written ‚Äúso that sincere practitioners would have a method for going from a busy mind to a quiet mind. It weaves stories with reflective journaling exercises to give the reader excellent tools for unloading thoughts onto paper, and thereby emptying the mind and setting the tone for meditation.‚Äù

For example, here are the reflective journaling questions that follow a section on Existential Depression:

From ‚ÄúDifficult Emotions‚Äù Page 193-194:
‚Ä¢ How is existential depression a function of wisdom?
‚Ä¢ What pragmatic views do you uphold and how might softening your attitude allow for more beauty in life?
‚Ä¢ How have you experienced impermanence?
‚Ä¢ How do you see suffering in your own consciousness?
‚Ä¢ What is selfishness, and what is selflessness?
‚Ä¢ Can you accept that there is a knowing beyond logic?

There are no right or wrong answers, no one is there to grade you, it’s just a way for you to explore your own thoughts and ideas on a huge variety of themes. I like the idea. By exploring ideas and putting your own thoughts down on paper, you can organize your own thoughts, which makes meditation less haphazard. I will say that it’s not for everyone, if you don’t enjoy writing, there isn’t that much here for you. If you do enjoy writing, give this one a try. If you are already familiar with the ideas of journaling, or if you are already doing it, then absolutely pick this one up.

Book: The Method of No-Method, by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Brian Schell — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:00:41 +0000

Book: The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination
By Chan Master Sheng Yen
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Shambhala, 2008. 152 Pages, ISBN 978-1-59030-575-1
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590305752/?tag=askdrarca-20

Someone a few weeks back lamented their inability to go on a retreat. This book is the perfect solution to that situation, as it’s essentially a retreat in book form. I introduced Master Sheng Yen a while back when I reviewed his book ‚ÄúFootprints in the Snow.‚Äù I was impressed with that biography, and wanted to learn more about his actual teachings, so when he released this latest book, I jumped on the opportunity to read it. This book is basically a cleaned-up transcript of one of the week-long retreats that he offers.

There are three main sections to the book, ‚ÄúThe Practice of Silent Illumination‚Äù, ‚ÄúMaster Hongzhi’s Discourse: First Commentary‚Äù, and ‚ÄúMaster Hongzhi’s Discourse: Second Commentary.‚Äù Master Hongzhi lived from 1091-1157 and was the first to write about the practice of Silent Illumination. Sheng Yen has deeply researched into this Master and teaches his ancient method today.

The first section of the book is broken up into seven days’ teachings on how to practice Silent Illumination. Silent Illumination, to put it simply (probably too simply), seems to be a combination of ‚ÄúEmpty Mind‚Äù meditation combined with the idea of being one with the environment. Sheng Yen gives several short talks each day, and each has a small section with that day’s teachings. If you wanted to know what goes on in a retreat, this book is a clear way to see without actually attending one.

The second and third sections are also broken up into seven days’ teachings, but are more theoretical, explaining the original writings of Hongzhi in a modern way.

Since this is basically a transcription of a real weeklong seminar, there is some repetition, as the teacher reiterates some of what has gone before, but it’s not overly repetitious. Actually, some of the expansions in the later days really clarify what silent Illumination is all about.

Although practice and success at Silent Illumination is not an easy thing, the book is not complicated at all. There is some Buddhist jargon in the book, but whenever a new term is introduced, the word is marked with an *asterisk to show that it is explained in the glossary. He explains the practice of meditation, and explains that there are stages in Silent Illumination, but that not all of them are necessary; you might choose to focus on one stage forever. The book is reasonably short, but it did take me a while to get through it, as there is a lot here to think about.

Bottom Line: If you want to learn how a real Master teaches real meditation and theory in a real retreat setting, this is it. The language is easy and conversational, the ideas are not complex (quite the opposite in fact), yet there is enough depth here that you could spend the rest of your life mastering it.

CD Review: Buddha Moon, by Chinmaya Dunster

Brian Schell — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:00:58 +0000

CD: Buddha Moon
Artist: Chinmaya Dunster
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 4 tracks, 58:30 Minutes
Amazon CD: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NVKY8Y/?tag=askdrarca-20
Amazon MP3: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QR1Z92/?tag=askdrarca-20
Or buy it through the Apple iTunes store

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed a CD by Deuter, which I said ‚Äúfelt‚Äù Japanese due to the style and the instruments he used. This one is similar in many respects, but this on uses Indian instruments played by classical Indian musicians to give a very strong Indian feeling to the music.

From the cover: ‚ÄúFusion maestro Chinmaya Dunster teams up with two virtuoso Indian classical musicians for a live performance of two morning ragas. The whole CD remains stately and tranquil, rooted in the meditative atmosphere surrounding dawn on a full moon night. This is hypnotic music to unwind to, to use as a background for a massage, and careful listening reveals a trance-like depth. Timeless.‚Äù

There are only four tracks on this CD, all of which are between 13 and 16 minutes long. They are all ‚ÄúMoon themed,‚Äù with tracks called ‚ÄúNew Moon‚Äù, ‚ÄúWaxing Moon‚Äù, ‚ÄúFull Moon‚Äù, and ‚ÄúWaning Moon.‚Äù To be honest, they all sound very much alike, and as the cover quote above states, it is very trance-inducing. This would be another excellent addition to a ‚Äúmeditation music‚Äù library. There is plenty of pleasing, relaxing background sound without a distracting tune, which is perfect for covering up outside noises while trying to meditate quietly.

I know some people call Indian music ‚Äúwhangy-twangy‚Äù due to the unique stringed instruments, and there is a lot of that here. If you are ‚Äúanti-twang,‚Äù then you might want to skip this one. If, on the other hand, you are looking for authentic-sounding Indian music to make your meditations more ‚ÄúEastern,‚Äù then give this one a try. It’s very soothing in my opinion, but it’s not going to put you to sleep.

I have included the usual link to buy the CD from Amazon above, but this music is also available from Amazon in MP3 format or from Apple through iTunes, so you can buy and listen to the music immediately without paying and waiting.

Book: Where is Your Buddha Nature?

Brian Schell — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:51:45 +0000

Book: Where is Your Buddha Nature? Stories To Instruct & Inspire
By Venerable Master Hsing Yin
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Publisher: Buddha’s Light Publishing, 156 Pages, ISBN 978-1-932293-30-2
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1932293302/?tag=askdrarca-20

This short paperback is a collection of dozens of very short stories which, as the title suggests, instruct and inspire. Master Hsing Yin was the Abbot at Fo Guang Shan, the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, but was also involved with many other organizations. Over his long career, he has met many people and picked up many interesting experiences and stories along the way, some of which he recounts here. This is not a biography, but you can definitely get a sense of what this Master believes just by the way he tells the stories. He teaches humanistic Buddhism: that we should practice Buddhism in our daily lives, living our lives the Buddhist way.

The stories are broken up into eight chapters;

Stories About Buddha
Stories About Chan Masters
Stories About People
Stories About Devotees
Stories About Myself
Stories About Disciples
Stories About Animals
Stories About Monastics
There is also a brief glossary of useful terms at the end.

His writing style is clear and simple, and many of the stories are simple heartwarming tales of compassion and loyalty.

Here’s one of the stories from the book. It’s not one of the more touching ones, but it resounded with me since I could have written the same story myself. Yes, the exact same thing happened to me last September!

‚ÄúKindness‚Äù (pg. 97-98)

Several years ago, a group of us traveled to Japan. We got off a train in Tokyo and went outside to look for the bus we needed to take. We climbed on what we thought was the right bus, but after speaking with the driver, we learned that it was not.

The driver said, ‚ÄúThis bus won’t take you where you need to go. You need to go around the corner over there and down the street to find the bus you want.‚Äù

This was our first trip to Japan, no none of us knew where the driver was telling us to go. We felt quite lost, but there was nothing else to do but get off the bus and try to fend for ourselves. We thanked the driver and went outside. Our confusion must have shown in our faces, because in a moment, the driver turned to the people already sitting in the bus and said, ‚ÄúI’m very sorry, but I have to show these people where to catch their bus. Please wait a moment for me. I’ll be right back.‚Äù

Then he turned off the engine of the bus, pulled out the keys, and jumped down to the street. He guided us along a confusing route for about five minutes until we arrived at the correct stop.

A few years later, I went to Japan again to teach the Dharma. After one of my talks, a young man came up to me to say hello. He was quite excited as he said, ‚ÄúYou couldn’t possibly remember me, but I remember you. Can you recall a time a few years ago when you were in Tokyo and a bus driver shut off his engine to walk you to your stop? I was one of the passengers on that bus.‚Äù

‚ÄúOh!‚Äù I said. ‚ÄúI’m sorry we made all of you wait for so long!‚Äù

‚ÄúOh, no!‚Äù the young man said. ‚ÄúDon’t say that! This is a deeply Buddhist country and we all understand the importance of helping others.

‚ÄúCan you guess what happened when the driver came back to the bus?‚Äù he continued. ‚ÄúAs soon as he came back in the door, everyone on the bus started clapping their hands in approval.‚Äù

For the most part, the stories are about this length, and there is nothing complex here at all. These are simple, real-world, stories that Master Hsing Yin has lived or experienced himself. If you want to be inspired, or just want to read about the compassion and kindness of others, pick this one up.

Book: The Moon In the Water, Reflections on an Aging Parent

Brian Schell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:06:37 +0000

Book: The Moon In the Water, Reflections on an Aging Parent
By Kathy J. Phillips
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Vanderbilt University Press, 140 Pages, ISBN 978-0-8265-1586-5
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/082651586X/?tag=askdrarca-20

Yesterday, we talked about Kwan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. I mentioned that there was a vast assortment of artwork based on her; one style of painting involves Kwan Yin sitting on some shore watching the moon in the water. Why is she looking at the water? What is she thinking about? That’s for you to decide. Sometimes she is sitting on the bank of a river, sometimes she’s on a jutting outcrop of rock over a stormy sea, sometimes the moon is all but hidden behind clouds or trees. But the same theme runs throughout many different paintings, drawings, and wood block prints.

This book is a collection of vignettes about the author and her aging father who sells his house to come live with her in Hawaii. As the book progresses, the father gets worse and worse until the inevitable end. Some of the stories are funny, some are sad, some are very poignant. There’s a real struggle going on, but the author seems to have limitless patience in dealing with her father, something she credits to Quan Yin (the spelling used in this book). Each of the vignettes is somehow tied in with an image of Quan Yin and a Moon in the Water image. Some of the stories have a reproduction of the original picture, but many do not.

The Good:

The author takes a difficult, heart-rending situation and manages to imbue it with spirituality and compassion throughout. She sees Quan Yin in herself, she sees Quan Yin in the nurse, in the pharmacist, in the neighbors, strangers on the street, and anyone else who compassionately helps her father in his unwinnable struggle. She finds solace in Quan Yin, and maybe the reader will find solace in knowing others have been in the same situation. If you aren’t dealing with an aging parent yet, this book may help you know what kind of things to expect. If you are dealing with this situation right now, it might be comforting to know you are not alone. If you’ve been through it, you’ll see a lot here that rings familiar.

The Bad:

The pictures are reproductions of Quan Yin’s Moon in the Water imagery, but they are all in black and white, and the reproduction is not well done. Some of the pictures are little more than hand-drawn images by the author, and others are too-light scans of wood block prints. The book would have been better (although more expensive) with full-color reproductions, or perhaps with no pictures at all. In addition, some of the vignettes really don’t have any connection to the specific Quan Yin image shown or descrribed in that story’s opening. Some of the vignettes feel like the Quan Yin stuff was just tacked on for consistency.

Dealing with a parent who is degenerating is taxing, both physically and emotionally. Compassion and patience can be hard commodities to find at times. Quan Yin is the very embodiment of compassion, and she fits in well with the struggle depicted here. If you are dealing with an aging, failing, parent and are looking for something to help you through the emotional roller-coaster, this might be the book for you. I wouldn’t really recommend this one ‚Äújust for fun,‚Äù but if you are in a situation similar to the author’s or know that you will be someday, it’s worth picking up.

Book: The Kindness Handbook a Practical Companion

Brian Schell — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:01:35 +0000

Book: The Kindness Handbook a Practical Companion

By Sharon Salzberg
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Publisher: Sounds True, 175 Pages, ISBN 9781591796558
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591796555/?tag=askdrarca-20

‚ÄúFor kindness to be more fully realized, it needs to be distinguished from being ineffectual or meek. It also needs to be infused with wisdom, supported by courage, and threaded with balance‚Äù ‚Äî Sharon Salzberg

This is another relatively small book, with many small sections. Although the books has chapters on ‚ÄúThe Foundation,‚Äù ‚ÄúThe Entry‚Äù (Kindness towards ourselves), ‚ÄúThe Expression‚Äù (kindness toward others), and ‚ÄúClosing,‚Äù There are dozens of small stories, verses, anecdotes, and short scriptural passages. One section is a self-quiz to measure yourself on the ‚Äúself-compassion scale.‚Äù Like other books we have looked at this, one focuses on loving-kindness, but this one barely touches on meditation. It concerns the application of loving-kindness in everyday life.

The stories are wonderful; my favorite was one about an illegal immigrant, crossing into this country, who happened across a boy who, along with his mother, had just been in an auto accident. The mother had died in the crash, and the 9-year-old boy was alone out in the wild. The illegal immigrant stayed with the boy, comforting him, until help arrived the next morning. The man knew that by staying, he would be caught and deported, but stayed anyway, because the little stranger needed him. How many hopes and dreams would we be willing to give up to comfort a child?

This is not one of those books that you can read cover-to-cover. A small bit goes a long way, and rushing through it would be counterproductive. I would suggest sitting it on the nightstand and reading a small section every night; this would take about a month and give you something to dwell on before sleep. Perhaps a quick re-read the next morning would make an excellent way to start the day.

This book has little to no Buddhist theory or history, but that’s OK. Learning the facts and ideas are useful in understanding the philosophy of Buddhism, but this book is really what it’s all about. The sub-title of the book, ‚ÄúA Practical Companion,‚Äù says it all. This simple, down-to-Earth book is all about the practical, proper, and realistic way to treat ourselves and each other.

CD Review: Koyasan Reiki Sound Healing

Brian Schell — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:32:01 +0000

CD Review: Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing
Artist: Deuter
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 8 tracks, 64 Minutes
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LV62DC/?tag=askdrarca-20

Koyasan is a mountain in Japan, and is the home of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Link: http://www.koyasan.or.jp/english/index.html. There are hundreds of temples in the vicinity, and overall is a beautiful place to visit. I have placed a picture of the rock garden at the Kongobuji Temple on the website.

Reiki is a fairly modern invention, also originating in Japan, which explains that there is a limitless life force (‚ÄúKi‚Äù) in the universe that can be controlled with the proper conditioning of the mind and body. Reiki has no obvious connection to Buddhism, so I’m not going to go into it here, but it is an interesting ‚Äúspiritual‚Äù practice worth a look if you are interested..

So what do these two terms have to do with us? They set the stage for Deuter’s latest instrumental/meditation CD, Koyasan. Deuter’s music has obvious Eastern influences, with Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi flute and koto, as well as others from mainland Asia, such as the Tibetan singing bowl. There are, of course, piano and more traditional instruments included in the arrangements, but if you want to meditate and pretend that you are sitting on Mount Koyasan, you can do that.

As I did my research for this review, I found that Deuter has put out dozens of CDs similar to this one. I am not going to comment on whether this is better or worse than his other work, simply because I am not familiar with his other CDs. I would go so far to say this is an excellent ‚Äúfirst meditation music CD‚Äù to pick up, and I plan to pick up more of his work in the future.

Kongobuji Temple, Mt. Koyasan

The eight tracks on the CD are all fairly long, running 8-10 minutes each for the most part. There is no noticeable tune or rhythm to any of the songs, yet everything feels right, and sounds good. It’s relaxing without being distracting or jarring, and makes an excellent backdrop to meditation. If you live in a noisy area, playing this while meditating can block out the noise without being too distracting. After a few moments, you stop mentally hunting for a tune and just go with the sounds, gently, calmly, taking whatever comes, and letting it go again.

Will the music heal you, as Reiki practitioners suggest? I have no idea, but I have covered the positive health benefits of meditation here before, so maybe there is something to it. I will definitely recommend the CD for a soothing, relaxing backdrop for meditation, or even just a quiet soundscape to enjoy.

Review: Now & Zen Timepiece

Brian Schell — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:29:08 +0000

Zen Timepiece in Cherry

Review: Now & Zen Timepiece
Review by Brian Schell
Manufacturer Link: http://www.now-zen.com
Price $189

Packing & Contents:

My review sample arrived in a nice retail box with plenty of safety packaging. The heavy brass bowl was separated from the wooden clock unit to avoid damage. I played with the bowl a while before ever opening the rest of the clock; you can make a nice resounding ‚Äúgong‚Äù sound by striking it with anything, even a pencil. Eventually though, I wanted to see the clock, and had to proceed. The box says ‚ÄúBatteries not included,‚Äù yet batteries were in the box, ready to go. A comprehensive manual and product catalog were also in the box. The clock is available in several colors, cherry, maple, and black lacquer. I got the cherry version. From the catalog, it appears that the bowls are all the same, brass.

Setup:

I played with the buttons a bit, and figured out how to set the clock on my own, but did have to peek inside the manual for anything more than that. The instruction booklet is English only, at 40 pages, clearly organized with everything you need to know, plus a good deal of additional suggestions for usage.

There are two small screw-type adjustments, one ‚ÄúHi‚Äù and one ‚ÄúLo‚Äù that are located under the bowl; these control the force at which the little plunger strikes the bowl. You can fiddle with these until you get the sound you want from the bowl. The sound can also be adjusted by moving the bowl nearer or farther from the plunger that shoots out to strike the bowl. You can set the clock to run silently, go off at a specified time, or set it to chime on the hour.

Usage:

Setting the alarm is essentially the same as on any other digital clock. The ringing of the alarm is a little unusual, since there is just one long chime rather than the constant chatter a regular ringing alarm clock would make. When the alarm goes off, the bowl gongs once. Then it does it again 3 minutes and 48 seconds later. Then again at 2:21, 1:28, :54, :34, :21, :13, :08. and then repeatedly every 5 seconds. This ‚ÄúGolden Ratio Progression‚Äù is explained in the instructions, and you can Google ‚ÄúGolden Ratio‚Äù for more of an explanation of the mystical significance. More practically, it’s the bowl-striking equivalent of the ‚Äúsleep‚Äù mode on a most standard clock. They call this ‚Äúprogressive awakening.‚Äù I have mine set to ring on the hour, every hour, so I end up sleeping through single gongs all night long.

Other than the regular alarm mode, it also has a countdown timer, which is pretty straightforward. You set the number of minutes and seconds, and the counter counts down to zero and chimes. There is also a ‚Äúrepeat‚Äù feature that you can set to count down for however long, chime, and then do it again. This is the meditation timer feature, which you can use during meditation. Overall, it’s easy

to set up and use, and the booklet has many interesting suggestions for how to use the clock in meditation, dreamwork, and progressive awakening.

Zen Timepiece in Cherry

The Good & The Bad:

There is one major drawback to the clock, and that’s the bowl placement. The bowl has to be placed reasonably close to the plunger in order to strike, but not too close. It’s meant to be adjustable, and that’s OK, but any movement of the bowl away from the plunger, which is not fixed down at all, will keep the chime from sounding. I can imagine several unfortunate scenarios for someone relying on this clock to wake them in the morning. It wouldn’t take much of a jar for the bowl to slip just a little, leaving the alarm‚Ä¶silent.

The biggest feature of the clock is the chime. The solid brass bowl has a great resonance to it, and just tapping it with a fingernail makes a great sound. There’s no reason you couldn’t use the bowl in any kind of group meditation for a bell or gong sound. When the clock’s chime strikes, the deep bell resonates for 10 to 15 seconds, and you can imagine you hear it long after the sound has actually faded.

The price is steep for a clock of this size, but it is a very well-designed clock, and the sound is unique to my knowledge. It’s a Buddhist ‚Äúluxury toy‚Äù if there ever was one. The unusual design and bowl are bound to be conversation starters, if nothing else.

Book: Here You Are, By Mayke Beckmann Briggs

Brian Schell — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:06:08 +0000

Here You Are, Mayke Beckmann Briggs

Book: Here You Are
By Mayke Beckmann Briggs
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Boathouse Books, 42 Pages, ISBN 9780977646913
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0977646912/?tag=askdrarca-20

There are umpteen-gazillion books out there, both good and bad, concerning Buddhism for adult readers. There are very few good books for Children that involve Buddhist ideas. Books based upon the Jataka Tales are classics, but those stories are ancient and somewhat generic in nature. Modern-day Buddhist children books are starting to enter the market, albeit slowly. This is one of them.

It’s a durable hardcover children’s book with heavy pages and bright colors throughout. The text is short and extremely simple, and even beginning readers will be able to move through the book quickly. The drawings are simple but bright, and mostly involve ‚ÄúYou,‚Äù the central character in the story. Unlike stories about 3rd-person characters, ‚ÄúYou‚Äù are the center of attention here. Fortunately, since the pronoun ‚ÄúYou‚Äù works whether reading the book yourself or having the book read to you, it’s a neat idea.

The subject here is about the main character, who asks the questions, ‚ÄúWho made everything?‚Äù, ‚ÄúWhy am I here?‚Äù and several other ‚Äùbig‚Äù questions. The book does not supply answers to any of the big questions, that’s up to the adult in the child’s life to explain. There are no references to God or any other specific religion. The book could literally be used to introduce any child to the big questions, and the adult must supply whatever answers they feel are appropriate.

I’m assuming that Daily Buddhism readers are going to want to use the book to explain the Buddhist perspective on the questions posed here. The book is fine for that, and there is one section of the book:

Here you are, wondering,

how everything appears out of nowhere like the waves rise up from the sea,

and how everything vanishes into nothing,

like the waves, on a calm summer’s day.

This could lead into a decidedly Buddhist-tinted discussion.

The one and only problem I see with the book are the pictures of ‚ÄúYou‚Äù (see the cover image). The pictures are all of a little boy, or perhaps a girl with very short hair. I’m not sure whether this was an artistic decision or an oversight. I imagine it would be confusing to try to make the pictures of ‚ÄúYou‚Äù to apply to everyone. Still, unless you are buying the book is for a little caucasian boy, be prepared.

Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0977646912/?tag=askdrarca-20

Book: Footprints in the Snow, by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Brian Schell — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:39:11 +0000

Book: Footprints in the Snow
By Chan Master Sheng Yen
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Doubleday, 210 Pages, ISBN 978-0-385-51330-2
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385513305/?tag=askdrarca-20

Have you ever dreamed about becoming a Buddhist monk? I have. I’ve visited some of those temples, and can imagine living there, doing the daily work, chanting, meditation, and so forth. After reading this book, I see that my mental picture of it all may have been a bit rosy.

Footprints in the Snow is the autobiography of Sheng Yen, a Chan (‚ÄúChinese Zen‚Äù) Master. There are several biographies of the man in Chinese, but this is the first edition in English. Sheng Yen was born in an extremely poor farming family in the Chinese countryside. With few other options, he was taken by a family friend to the Wolf Mountain monastery, where he learned the basics of becoming a monk. He later moved on to Shanghai, but the war between the Communists and the Nationalists drove him to become a soldier-for-life in Taiwan. Eventually securing his freedom from the soldier’s life, he once again became a monk. After travels to Canada, the USA, and back to China, he finally became a Chan Master and one of those most influential Buddhists alive today. He combines his personal story with historical events, and we can see how political changes in China and Taiwan altered not only his life, but Buddhism in general.

I found this book hard to put down. I’m not usually a fan of biographies, but his easygoing writing style and obvious love of what he does makes every page enjoyable. Along with the story, the author explains a bit of Buddhist philosophy in a comfortable, jargon-free style that DailyBuddhism readers will appreciate. My favorite parts of the book, however, are his interactions with the monks and abbots of the various monasteries. Far from being the altruistic teachers and devoted worshippers we usually envision, he shows us the real picture. Many of the Chinese monks sell their services for money, they get into trouble with alcohol and women, there is ‚Äúoffice politics‚Äù in the hierarchies, and so forth. The pettiness of some of the monks and abbots are shocking. One thing is clear though, in the monk’s world, everything revolves around money. Given that we stereotypically assume monks to be poor and penniless, above such financial concerns, the reality or monastery life is quite different.

He goes from poor farm boy to a monk, to a soldier, to an abbott, to a monk again, eventually becoming homeless and rising back to the top. All the way, he refines his teaching style and is attached to nothing. It’s a dramatic story, and there are some good educational bits on Buddhism scattered throughout. If you ever wanted to know about Monastery life, this is a must-read.

This one is going into my ‚ÄúRead it Again someday‚Äù pile.

Book: The Saint of Kathmandu, by Sarah Levine

Brian Schell — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:08:08 +0000

Book: The Saint of Kathmandu and Other Tales of the Sacred in Distant Lands
By Sarah Levine
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Beacon Press, 242 Pages, ISBN 978-0-8070-1312-0
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0807013129/?tag=askdrarca-20

This is a little different from the other books I’ve reviewed here. It’s not strictly a Buddhist book; it’s about various religions around the world. There are six stories in the book, each one a more-or-less true story in the experience of the author, a British anthropologist.

The first tale is about spirit possession in a Muslim town, the second is about the Cult of the Virgin in Mexico, Witchcraft in Kenya, Buddhism in Kathmandu, Charismatic Christianity in Hong Kong, and Zen in America. For the readers of Daily Buddhism, I am going to focus on just two of the stories, although all are worth your time.

The third story involves the author’s trip from Kathmandu to India, where she visits the places where the Buddha gained Enlightenment and also where he died. Along the way, she has many discussions with Guruma, the leader of the group and a Nepalese Nun, as well as being the titular ‚ÄúSaint‚Äù of the book. Guruma’s stories show what it was like to be a little girl being forced into an arranged marriage, her escape and distant travels to the nunnery, and her later work in bringing the Dharma to thousands of women who otherwise would be neglected by the male-dominated society. Interestingly, early in the story, the author laments the possibility of having to talk about western Buddhism with two Americans, yet at the end of the story she finds that she cannot tolerate the more disciplined approach of the East.

The sixth and last story is an interesting one as well. It’s about the author’s encounter with an American Zen Master (said to be the first American Zen master). While the author is initially taken by the quirky Zen Master/artist, she quickly discovers the dark side of the situation. The man loves being the center of attention, is a control freak, and never wanted to be a teacher anyway. He, as well as his students, became victims of his own cult of personality. Zen Masters do generally come off a somewhat arrogant in most tales, but this story gives a much more real sense of the problem, which is probably much more common than we in the West would probably assume.

It’s an interesting book with an interesting perspective. There are things here both positive and negative about all these various groups and religions. The author is clearly more interested in the people and their attitudes than the places she visits or beliefs the people hold, and the stories she relates are very personal in nature.

You aren’t going to learn anything about how to practice Buddhism with this book, but it’s a good read, and it’s fun to visit the unusual cultures and share the odd experiences the author relates with us here. The final chapter in particular, shows us some of the inherent problems with lineage traditions where it is assumed that the teacher is always right.

Once you reach enlightenment, does it last forever or does it fade?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-

Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0807013129/?tag=askdrarca-20

DVD Review: Zen Noir

Brian Schell — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:06:56 +0000

Movie: Zen Noir
Director: Marc Rosenbush
Reviewed by Brian Schell
English, 71 Minutes
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LUBZDU/?tag=askdrarca-20

I saw the trailers for this movie last winter, and it looked hilarious, so when I finally had a chance to watch the film, I jumped at it. Zen humor is not something you see everyday, and this was obviously advertised as a comedy.

The movie is narrated in the first person by a 30′s hard-boiled detective type, clearly a Mike Hammer parody, complete with tough-guy monologues and beard stubble. The action starts out with a chuckle, as an old Zen monk sits in a room with other monks meditating. He keels over and dies, but the others are so into their meditation they don’t even notice. When the detective arrives and starts asking questions about the murder‚Ä¶ Well, you know what kind of answers you get when you ask a question in Zen.

The first 25 minutes or so were rough. The back and forth rapid-fire questions and non-answers got old fast, and the overuse of Noir and Zen cliches got to the point of silliness, which was probably intentional, but still wasn’t very funny. By around the 20-minute mark, I was ready to declare this the ‚Äústupidest movie ever.‚Äù Then the silliness slowed down and the Zen took over.

There was still the occasional funny line, such as when the detective asks the Master,
‚ÄúWhat happens when we‚Ä¶ you know‚Ä¶ die?‚Äù
‚ÄúDon’t know.‚Äù
‚ÄúWhy not?‚Äù
‚ÄúNot dead yet!‚Äù OK, so humor of that sort is in the delivery.

There are dozens of images of oranges and glimpses of oranges In different scenes and positions flashing onscreen throughout the drama. Once the meaning of the orange is explained, many things become clear, both in the movie and in real Zen itself. There really is a lot of Zen in the movie, and it was obviously very cleverly written.

Yet, I still have to ask myself, is it entertaining? The problem is that even after watching the movie, I cannot answer that one. This is definitely one of those love-it or hate-it movies, and I suspect most audiences are going to be split down the middle. If someone is fairly knowledgeable about basic Zen ideas, then there is a message in the ending; however, for the person who isn’t very familiar with Zen ideas, this is going to be a seriously boring movie that makes no sense whatsoever.

I’m going to give this one a 3/5 since I really just don’t know what to think‚Ä¶ Or maybe I should give it a 5/5 for the same reason.

Sigh. Zen makes me crazy sometimes.

Purchase it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LUBZDU/?tag=askdrarca-20

Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness

Brian Schell — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:12:00 +0000

Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness
by Mary Brantley and Tesilya Hanauer
Review by Brian Schell, http://www.dailybuddhism.com
New Harbinger Publications, 286 Pages, ISBN: 1-57224-562-X
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20

I’ve mentioned loving kindness meditation here on the Daily Buddhism quit often in my postings the past few weeks, and it may still not be clear what it’s all about. This book makes it clear as glass. The book is small (6‚Äùx6‚Äù), and as the title itself suggests, would make an excellent gift for someone interested in taking up a simple form of meditation for perhaps the first time. Although the introduction and explanatory pages mention Buddha a few times, the book is not religious and could be enjoyed by anyone of any faith.

The introductory section explains why the authors wrote the book, how to use the book, and basic instructions for both formal and informal loving kindness meditations. This takes around 44 pages, and is an interesting, fast read. The instructions on the formal meditation are clearly presented, and easy to follow and practice.

The book centers heavily on the ideas of generosity, forgiveness, and compassion. Towards others, of course, but starting with directing those concepts towards yourself. The book explains early on that it’s hard to direct loving kindness outwards towards others if your mind is filled with blame or self-hate. Therefore, the book focuses on directing loving kindness (generosity, compassion, and forgiveness) towards yourself first, and then expanding that mindfulness outward towards others.

The rest of the book is broken into four parts, consisting of exercises that expand or modify these basic instructions in simple, yet useful ways. Part one of the book consists of meditations of loving-kindness towards yourself, part two is about loving-kindness towards difficult emotions, part three covers loving-kindness towards others, and finally, part four involves loving-kindness towards the world. On the last few pages are some additional resources for further exploration.

The bulk of the pages are filled with 100 mindful practices that can be attempted in any order. Some are quite good, others are a little weak, but since you can pick and choose the ones that appeal to you, there’s plenty to work with. Each exercise is explained clearly and concisely, usually with only two or three paragraphs. Some of the ideas are a bit saccharine, but with a book on this subject, that’s nearly unavoidable.

Buddhism Level: Beginner. All Daily Buddhism readers should be able to understand all parts of this one. It has no jargon and requires no special background. It’s even fine for those who may be uncomfortable with Buddhism, yet interested in meditation.

It’s easy to do, it’s easy to understand. Send yourself a little gift of loving kindness, and you can learn to pass it on to the rest of the world.

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Order the Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20
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