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Book Reviews
By
Fa Dao Shakya
A wondrous little book has joined the unofficial canon of “American Zen.” And like most things wondrous and miraculous, it is a pebble that deserves to splash the pond like a boulder. Answer Your Love Letters is a collection of essays, thoughts and letters by Adam Genkaku Fisher, an American Zen student in the Japanese lineage of Kyudo Nakagawa Roshi. He operates the Black Moon Zendo – a ...
By
Fa Liang
In his new book "Zen Ties", author and illustrator Jon J. Muth invites us to join Michael, Addy and Karl as they meet Stillwater the panda once again. This time it’s summer and Stillwater is expecting company. Stillwater’s nephew Koo comes for a visit and Stillwater’s greeting, “Hi, Koo!” should give you a clue as to what’s interesting about the little panda. He only speaks in haiku! ...
By
Chuan Zhi
Enlightenment manifests uniquely in each of us. Instead of seeing reality as made up of parts - fragments of thoughts, experiences, and sensations - the enlightened mind delves to see the whole: the pieces along with all the interconnections between them. Our intuitive, spiritual eye perceives with utmost clarity what our dualistic mind struggles to comprehend. In “The Mind Of God, Human ...
By
Fa Liang, OHY
If you ever wished you had a gentle yet fun way to introduce your family to Zen, look no further than a beautiful children's book: Jon J. Muth's Zen Shorts. Three young siblings meet their new neighbor, Stillwater - a giant panda. Each child interacts with Stillwater who, in turn, helps them each learn a priceless lesson through age-old Zen stories. This book touches both the child and adult ...
By
Chuan Zhi
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel through China to discover the historical background of Chinese Zen? Red Pine is the first Westerner to take us on an unprecedented excursion through China to visit the sites we've all read about through stories of Chinese Zen popularized by translations from D. T. Suzuki, Charles Luk, Joseph Campbell, Thomas Cleary, Chang Chung-Yuan, Richard ...
By
Chuan Zhi
John R. McRae offers a unique and fresh look at the historical development of Chan Buddhism in China with his book, Seeing Through Zen: Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism. While both a Buddhist and a scholar, McRae writes with an easy, fluid, and almost childishly enthusiastic style as he sets out to unravel fiction and fantasy, myth and fact, and expose new ...
By
Chuan Zhi
Over the last few decades, scholars have brought us new insights into how we, as Westerners, might best understand and interpret eastern religious traditions. Seth Zu Zuiho’s new book, Buddhism and Human Flourishing: A Modern Western Perspective, is a welcome addition to this growing collection. Following in the footsteps of other scholars, Zuihō asks the important and fundamental question: ...