Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
- Published by: Beacon Press
- Edition: 1st Edition November 18, 2002
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0807012432
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0807012437
-
Book Dimensions:
5.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
- Weighs: 2.9 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Prolific Tibetan Buddhist scholar Lopez wonderfully advances his argument for framing a contemporary understanding of Buddhism that is rooted in history and pays attention to texts as well as practice. This "Bible" is a selection of 20th-century texts that have shaped modern Western-American Buddhism, which Lopez considers a sect in the same way that Thai or Tibetan Buddhism is a sect. The author of Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West assembles a canon for modern Buddhism, noting the interconnection of influential figures who form a kind of Buddhist lineage. The cast of characters includes some surprises, such as Theosophist Helena Blavatsky, as well as such usual suspects as Paul Carus, Alan Watts and W.Y. Evans-Wentz, who made The Tibetan Book of the Dead an accessible text. The selections are themselves diverse. The earlier 20th century writers provide fascinating views of the beginnings of the modern Asian-Western encounter of belief systems in the context of evolving postcolonial political awareness. An astute essay by Watts from 1959 on "Beat Zen, Square Zen and Zen" might be worth the price of the book. Poems written by Allen Ginsberg about the death of maverick Tibetan Buddhist guru Trungpa Rinpoche simply resonate. The book is a great contribution to bridging the gap between the text-and-language camp of academic Buddhists and the practice, practice, practice camp of modern Buddhist adepts.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This intriguing new work does not, as the title suggests, present canonical texts of ancient Buddhism to modern readers. Rather, Lopez, an academic and author of the superb Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West, seeks to define "modern Buddhism" through the writings of 31 authors who came to prominence between 1873 and 1980. From early seekers such as Madame Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott to more contemporary and recognizable sages such as Alan Watts, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama, illuminating extracts follow brief biographical sketches. The interpretive introduction ties the diverse authors together into a "lineage" of modern Buddhism, seen by Lopez as a new sect neither bound by location nor the product of evolution but rather harking back some 2500 years to the Buddha's original vision. An important contribution to the literature of contemporary Buddhism as explored in David Brazier's New Buddhism and Joseph Goldstein's One Dharma. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
James R. Kuhlman, Univ. of North Carolina Lib., Asheville Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reader ReviewsArguably "A Modern Buddhist Bible" Donald Lopez is the most accessible piece relating to the development of modern Buddhism. This "Bible" is a compendium of 20th-century works that have formed modern Western understanding of Buddhism. Lopez, who also penned "Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West" (another book I highly recommend and is also available on Amazon.com) put together a canon for understanding contemporary Buddhism. Despite taking a straightforward chronological approach, Lopez is keen to interconnect all the influential figures that form what he sees as a lineage. The interpretive introduction brings together the sundry of authors together into a he sees as a development of modern Buddhism taking us back 2500 years to the Buddha's unique vision. Productive and inexhaustible Tibetan Buddhist scholar Lopez deftly advances his thesis for framing a modern appreciation of Buddhism that is based on history and brings original texts as well as considers practice. This absorbing book does not present canonical texts, such as the Lotus Sutra, of ancient Buddhism to modern readers. Instead, Lopez defines "modern Buddhism" through the writings of 31 authors who came to presence between 1873 and 1980. This panoply of authors includes such notables as Theosophists Madame Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott to more contemporary and identifiable thinkers such Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama. Lopez illuminates using biographical sketches and then the entry with original text. Also included are Paul Carus, Alan Watts and the infamous and problematic W.Y. Evans-Wentz. W.Y. Evans-Wentz is the individual responsible form making The Tibetan Book of the Dead "accessible" in the West. The selections are themselves diverse. The earlier 20th century writers provide fascinating views of the beginnings of the modern Asian-Western encounter of belief systems in the context of evolving postcolonial political awareness. The Nobel Price award speech by the Dalai Lama is worth the price of the book. Miguel Llora
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