India Books

I really enjoy this book. Of course the subject matter is tragic, and the pictures and text reflect the terrible political actions that have created this situation. Mr. Harrison's photographs with the Ultra-Large Format camera are beautiful. Printing is very high quality. Glad I own this book.

I had the pleasure of seeing a preview copy of this book. It isa must read as we move toward understanding what it might mean for thefuture in making China richer and more powerful through trade.

This book puts a gentle face on a very brave people who have suffered not only the largest land grab of the 20th century through the bloody invasion by China (Tibet is the size of Europe) but have suffered a genocide by the Chinese that is the most widely ignored in history.

This is a beautiful book and worth the price. Add to your reading list "Tears Of Blood" by Mary Craig and "In Exile From the Land Of Snows" by John Avedon.

China will be one of the 3 big stories of the next century if we make it richer and more powerful. This book is as important as it is a beautiful undertaking. Congratulations to Mr. Harrison END

In Whispered Prayers: Portraits And Prose Of Tibetans In Exile, Stephen Harrison showcases the inner experiences of being a Tibetan refugee through a moving narration combined with exquisite photography. This wonderful exhibition is a worthy and valued contribution is further enhanced with a foreword by His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Whispered Prayers will be read with deep engagement by students of Buddhism, of Tibetan history, and all who seek an enlightenment path through perilous and stressful times.

This book is a must see and read. Stephen Harrison truly captures the personal side of Tibetans in Exile. As you read the stories behind the Tibetans portrayed in the photographs, it's as if you are in the background while Stephen Harrison interviews these most courageous Tibetan people. The portrait photography is wonderfully presented in a landscape format providing for a personal backdrop behind the emotion and suffering of each Tibetan portrayed. This is a one of a kind presentation providing a first-time moving experience each and everytime you open the book.

Rama has created an outstanding book that actually rings true with me as an Indian marketer now working outside of India. Her insights are original and sharp and at the same time very, very useful to the practical marketer/ strategist. If there was a course on Marketing in India, I am sure this would be the ideal text book!

Gives great insights into indian consumer market. Bijapurkar makes interesting observations and backs them up with data. Overall a great read for someone interesting in setting up business in india.

This book is a very interesting study of the Indian consumer that only Indians can really appreciate. India is a land of contrasts so diverse that one may encounter a totally new local language and food habit every 200 miles. The world's largest democracy has finally woken up to find her rightful place in the global economy, and begun her journey towards market capitalism, thanks to the path breaking policy changes brought about by the Union Budget of 1991. Since then there has been no looking back, despite several changes in political leadership at the Central Government.

Coincidentally, I completed my MBA from India's premier business school, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, in 1991, where I did a course on Market Research taught by Prof Rama Bijapurkar.

Till 1991, the Indian consumer had virtually no choice but a few substandard products in most categories, thanks to the strong barriers to entry of foreign companies and restriction in local competition through a regime of industrial licencing.

The general belief at that time was that the average Indian consumer is hungry for cornflakes and thirsty for colas and there would be mad queues lining up to grab these products once introduced. In reality, two of the world's global leaders in these products are yet to break even since then. The Indian Consumer is content with hot "idlis" (my favorite) for breakfast, and proud to drink water from a earthen pot at home.

It was also believed for example that India's only (and state owned) Life Insurance Company will be in deep trouble once the foreign Insurance companies walk in with innovative "products" and technologies. The fact today is that the largest player remains the largest and most profitable with a reach into 640000 Indian villages that is its competition's envy. "We know India Better" says this India's most recognized brand.

Rama Bijapurkar is India's very well known and highly respected authority on the subject of India's consumer behavior. Her quantitative approach to arrive at accurate qualitative insights is not by adopting unavoidable and conventional statistical techniques, but an outcome of her deep understanding of and involvement in shaping corporate strategies for some of India's most respected brands. This book just is a brief summary of her rich experience.

Following a non jargon ( non MBA !) approach, Rama Bijapurkar explains several contexts of consumer India through many interesting day to day, real life examples.

An Indian with a post graduate degree and working as an officer in a bank with a salary of Rs 50000/- per month has a totally different lifestyle (and hence consumer behavior) compared to a high school dropout who owns a grocery store and earns the same amount. (The shopkeeper may never disclose his income especially to to the tax authorities, and in terms of official national statistics he may be earning less than a dollar a day, a very poor man!)

India earns lots of foreign exchange through NRI's (Non resident Indians) who send money home. We also have a unique local emerging class of consumer market of RNI's (Resident Non Indians) or the aspiring "green card wallas" who think that they are in India only temporarily, and awaiting their immediate opportunity to migrate, but try hard to emulate American lifestyle in India.

Somebody thought that India's belief in Astrology will significantly diminish, thanks to the computer and internet age. Welcome to India which today offers computerized horoscopes and predictions that are accessible through the web.

In short, there is no single India. Multinationals, instead of asking what their global strategies would yield in India, should be asking themselves what strategies they should be specifically adopting for India.

If, Force = Mass X Acceleration, even if India is moving slowly, its massive mass makes her a formidable global force, no marketer can afford to ignore. This book is an ideal guide to understand and tap this global force.

The title of my review is based on a recent Bollywood movie "Chak de India" meaning, "Go for it -India". As Indians know better, "We are like that only".

Professor, thank you for this wonderful book.

This is quite a remarkable book. The author methodically works through a confusing maze of data to present an understandable -- and practical -- summary of the current state of the Indian consumer. She deftly weaves hard and soft data, neither of which are complete without the other. I would recommend this book as the singular must read for any international consumer products or retailing professional trying to understand India.

This is a fantastic anthology of women's writings across a broad spectrum of Indian history - well chosen and edited, with an engaging and thoughtful introductory essay. I assign this book to provide some of the primary documents for my undergraduate Gender in South Asia course. Students, in particular, will find the text clear and easy to use. The only drawbacks of the work are the near absence of writings representing the Mughal period, the 18th century, and the early 19th century, but this is partly because women's writings from this period are difficult to locate or (and this is perhaps the greatest problem) pinned down in obscure books and journal articles by copyright restrictions. Nevertheless, this anthology will not disappoint, and is well worth the cost, providing excellent breadth of material and value for money.

This book was a major find for me, since I'm Indian-American and most fiction I read in college was by white male American and European authors. It's great to have a book like this one and its companion volume. Many of the pieces have never before been translated into English. For example, there is a version of the Ramayana, one of the major Indian epics, written by a Telugu woman, parts of which are translated here.

Women Writing in India is great for curling up with in the evenings, and is a wonderful resource (the ONLY resource, as far as I can tell) for Indian women writers through the ages. Buy it now!

I have ordered these books because I found them at a house I was visiting in Austin. An Indian couple generously invited me into their home to see these books after they found out I was interested in women's history. I was particularly impressed with the writings of the woman, Tarabai. She wrote a feminist treatise in 1873, excerpted in this anthology, which reminds me of a poem, Hombres Necios, written by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz in the seventeenth century. It also called to mind the work by Matilda Joslyn Gage in the U.S. a few years later, 1893--Woman, Church and State. Tarabai's words are so brilliant and inspiring. Fantastic! Our women's movement has a much longer history and a more global representation than I ever learned about in any of my schooling.

Virginia Woolf created the persona of Shakespeare's sister - an equally talented writer whose creativity was stifled under the rigid Elizabethan society. Her Indian counterpart could be called Tagore's sister. Actually, Rabindranath Tagore did have an older sister, Swarnakumari Devi, who became an accomplished writer and journalist in her lifetime. However, rather than being patronized so often, had she received the same encouragement and support as her younger brother, she may have reached an equivalent level of international acclaim today. Editors Tharu and Lalita's anthology is an excellent collection of works by women who throughout Indian history have rarely been encouraged express themselves. Male critics have often ignored women's writing or have been condescending. Until the 20th century, female literacy in India has seldom been advocated. This book captures the development of women as writers in India, from early 6th century Buddhist nuns to the social reformers of the 20th century. Devotional writing provided a safe outlet for the Indian woman, and the bhakti (devotion) movement began in south India in the 8th century, and moved north through Maharastra, Gujarat and Rajasthan by the 16th century. A bhakti poet could express her feelings under the guise of religion, surpassing caste and gender barriers. For example, romanticism and eroticism is acceptable through the lovers Lord Krishna and Radha. Another acceptable method was to invoke the inspiration of Krishna, as Tarigonda Venkamamba (19th century Telugu) did before she imagined Lord Vishnu as her husband. A woman of a low caste, normally forbidden to read the scriptures, could create her own religious songs by attributing it to divine inspiration. Atukuri Molla, from a Telugu artisan caste in the early 16th century, actually revised the Hindu epic, Ramayana. She produced 138 slokas (verses) in six sections within five days, and Molla Ramayanam depicts the story from Sita's point of view. Like most women writers, she was apologetic about herself, "I am no scholar . . . " and said divine powers had given her this voice. A particular mark of the bhakti writer is the ankita - the author's name embedded in the text. An example is Mirabai, a 16th century Gujarati and Hindi writer, whose songs and poems are legendary today. *"Mira is the servant of her beloved Giridhar (Krishna) And she cares nothing that people mock her." (p. 93) Although there are no reliable manuscripts, Mirabai's songs have survived thanks to their lyrics and strong rhythm. Tharu and Lalita have definitely broadened the scope of women's writing in India by embracing the folk song. India has a rich oral tradition of singing at weddings, lullabies, and during house and field work. There is also a stronger collection of songs about with intense statements about childbirth and mistreatment by in-laws and husbands. In this collection, the readers can witness the centuries of oppression, as told by the women in their own words. Rassundari Devi (19th century Bengal) wrote of her own life -- weeping as child bride, bearing and raising eleven children, running a household on an empty stomach at times, and secretly learning to read behind her kitchen stove. She writes: *"I kept the sheet in my left hand while I did the cooking and glanced at it through the sari, which was drawn over my face . . . Wasn't it a matter to be regretted, that I had to go through all this humiliation just because I was a woman? Shut up like a thief, even trying to learn was considered an offense . . . the little that I have learned is only because God did me the favor" (p. 202) These women struggled for a voice within their own households - confronting forced marriages, abuse and neglect by husbands and in laws, the denial of education and the ostracization of widows. There is an especially moving personal and anonymous account of the dehumanizing treatment of widows in the 19th century. If she only knew that a hundred years later, her words had survived. One of the most insightful stories was written by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (19th/20th century Bengali) whose essays on the rights of women have been compared to English feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. In "Sultana's Dream," she envisions a society in which men are restricted to the murdana (men's quarters), while women are free to rule the country, and excel in science and politics. She sharply and logically details the women's acquisition of power and how they utilized it to create a utopic society. This dialogue is indicative of Rokeya's wit: *"[Men's] brains are bigger and heavier than women's. Are they not?" "Yes, but what of that? An elephant also has got a bigger and heavier brain than a man has. Yet men can enchain elephants and employ them according their own wishes."(p. 347) There are 140 women writers from 13 languages in this collection and every one has a singular story deserving to be told. Many pieces have been unearthed for the first time, while others are now translated into English. This collection is most likely available at university bookstores.

This is the "standard introductory textbook" that is also a true joy to read for any layman who wants some accurate information on early India. At the time the book was first published (1954), Professor Basham was teaching at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.Later he moved to the chair of Asian Civilisation, at the Australian National University, Canberra. His book remains a perennial despite his passing.

This is a classic work on pre-Muslim Indian history. The author's scholarship is evident on every page. While the preface specifically states that the book is intended mainly for a Western audience, South Asians especially should find this book salutary reading--it is an account of their history that is both objective and respectful, a healthy contrast to the unscientific views of history that are often put forth by right-wing politicians in India and Pakistan. The book is a little dated when it talks about the Indus valley civilization.

This Book is Great. Every page of it makes very insightful and intresting reading. It can hardly be bettered in the Subject its dealing with. But, I guess he may not be wholly impartial in his assessments and retains i guess some "Mlechha" attitude. I know the authors reputation and this might appear silly but at a few places he makes some sweeping statements which appear to be made without much proof.

Following are some such sweeping statements.

1. Comparing vedic culture to a culture that bears a generic likeness to that of 'Beowulf' who were semi-barbarians.

2.'and was somehow less advanced than that depicted in the Iliad.

3."BUT IN GENERAL THE MUSLIMS WERE REASONABLY TOLERANT "
Its tough to find any scholar agreeing with this view point. This is almost exclusively of AL BASHAM.

Lot more like this but believe me!.

Bashams scholarship is without peer, he is as comfortable translating tamil as he is in sanskrit, talks about vedic, jain and buddhist ideas with equal flair, passion and clarity.

The book presents ancient India; an idllyic society in an intellectual pursuit unparalled in any society made possible by a liberal and benign social and political environment.

His understanding of philosophy, religion, language and culture (art and prose) is just a pleasure. I am amazed to see the breadth in one person.

His timeline of history and how (only)Indian society has absorbed wave after wave or outsider and make them one in a melting pot is illuminating.

If you are intersted in understading Hindu's(or India); it's a must read, there is nothing as clearly written for an english reader as this.

For anyone who loves the art of photography and portraiture, adventure travel, or remote and ancient cultures, this book is a treasure. It contains haunting, sublime portraits of people of China, Tibet, Bhutan, and Ladakh: laughing children, wise elders, rakish young men, monks, families, laborers, and women, old and young, at work or dressed in ceremonial finery. The portraits were not taken in a studio, and the architecture of their settings -- monasteries, villages, shops, and streets -- are as intriguing as the subjects themselves.

The poignancy and beauty of these portraits lies not only in their technical and artistic excellence, but also in their deft blending of contrasts: the exotic and the familiar, the ancient and the modern, the distinctly Asian, and the rare Western or perhaps global artifacts of our modern culture.

A World Away merits one's attention again and again, as the portraits yield evocative details and depth of meaning with each viewing. This collection is a compassionate and eloquent account of the people encountered during the artist's Asian travels. It would make an elegant gift, and, since the book's impact is visual rather than verbal, the recipient need not speak English to enjoy it.

Larry Snider's book is filled with beautiful, sensitive photographs. I have seen Snider's works before, and it is a great pleasure to be able to "visit" them as often as I like by simply owning this volume.

A thoughtfully engaging and beautifully produced monograph which details the artist's travels thoughout Asia. It is no wonder the artist's work is in so many musuems and has been the subject of numerous exhibits.

A World Away is a stunning collection of portraits that displays Snider's insight into the ancient cultures of his subjects as well as his technical excellence. Through these beautiful black and white photographs, the reader is transported to the remotest corners of Asia to glimpse lives virtually untouched by Western culture. Snider reveals the simple dignity and endurance of these people, and his book offers a rare window on their world.

this book is funny, real, humble, and grand. as a 30 year old searching for her own place in the world after working in advertising as well, it wholly resonated.

I am currently reading this book, Yoga School Dropout, w/ eat pray love and the Bhavighad Gita (SP). I again, like the last reviewer, just happend to find this book, literally while traveling on the ground and it has brought me back to my practice. It is very funny and educational. No matter what your experience w/ Yoga, this book rocks.

Loved loved loved this hilarious book. There's a lot of wisdom in Lucy's comedic descriptions of the guru culture (and industry), and a great deal of humility in Lucy's quest as she faces up to her own foibles and human frailties. The yoga world could use a good laugh at itself, and this book is a healthy step in that direction.

I have just finished reading this delightful book, `Yoga School Drop Out' by Lucy Edge. I happened upon it `accidentally' (we all know there is no such thing as an accident) at the library when I was looking for something entirely different. I did not manage to find what I was looking for; I did however find exactly what I needed!

Lucy sets out on a Spiritual Quest to India determined to return home a Yoga Goddess. Things do not quite flow as Lucy anticipated and it looked as if she was destined never to return home as the Yoga Goddess she had envisioned. She did, however, gain more inner wisdom and insight than she could have imagined when she first set out.

Along the way it was the "ordinary" people she met, not the yoga she did, or the gurus she listened to, that held the most lessons. Here are a few pearls that were shared along the way:

On Asana: "Today asana has been made into a `photograph,' ... there is no difference between this and gymnastics ... But asana is not a performance, asana is what happens in the posture and afterwards"

On Change: "Change occurs only when we become what we truly are, not when we are trying to be something we are not. Change can't happen when we are trying to escape our true nature"

On Travel: "Unfortunately, when you travel, you take yourself with you"

On Yoga: "... the reason I found them so inspiring was because their yoga practice stretched way beyond their mat. They saw yoga as a state of mind, an attitude to life, and the world as their school. Yoga was, for all of them, `a harmonious way of living', not a one-off physical goal - they knew all they had to do was look within"

On Practice: "It was an unremarkable thing - Pranayama, meditation and perhaps a few simple sun salutations. It was practiced informally, not in a big class on the instructions of a big name teacher, but at home - quietly without fuss"

On Enlightenment: "Enlightenment was not a trophy to be lifted high in one triumphant moment, it was about seeing clearly, and choosing wisely in daily life"

All round just a great book! Thanks for the deLightful and inspiring read Lucy :-)

State of the art review of the techniques for dealing with chronic and acute pain. Clear, consise, yet thorough examinations of the various treatments for acute and chronic pain. Extensively annotated so that you can dig deeper. Richard Patt is a doctor who rises to the level of physician unlike a major sector of the medical community which seems more concerned with their real estate investments than their patients. Twenty years from now the treatments advocated in this guide will be "best practices" for everyone who suffers physical pain not just for the rich, the lucky, and the committed as the vast majority of pain management is today.

This book was enormously valuable to me in helping my father through his final illness. My deepest thanks to the authors and the publisher!

Readers should know that the second author of this valuable text can no longer be reached at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and is best reached at "RPatt@cancerpain.org."

Thanks you & best wishes,

RP

"You Don't Have to Suffer" is one of the most helpful, honest, clearly written books on the management of long-term, severe pain that I have ever read. Every cancer patient who has or fears having pain needs to own and read this book. It is also appropriate and helpful for people with severely painful, progressive conditions like endometriosis, sickle-cell disease, lupus, or any painful condition that is being treated with narcotic medications.

The clear and thorough writing in this book helped me to understand the difference between drug tollerance and drug addiction, to know why my doctors were uncomfortable prescribing appropriately strong medication, and gave me the ammunition and courage I needed to go to a pain clinic and get treatment to control my pain and allow me to live my life.

The title character, Younguncle, is endearing, benevolent and completely, unconventionally brilliant. It is rare to find a book that is truly fascinating to all ages. My five year old devours each word as I delight in reading it again and again. Singh's words dance and entrance as the stories demonstrate that the world can be made to be a better place. A most enchanting book.

Ursula LeGuin said of YOUNGUNCLE COMES TO TOWN, "Anyone who reads this book will be perfectly happy." It's true. It's a glorious children's book that adults can read and enjoy, where the good people win and the bad people get exactly what they deserve, told with a deceptive gentleness and set in an India that perhaps exists nowhere but in the world of Vandana Singh. Also a prizewinning adult writer, Vandana Singh has a storytelling voice that can be compared with T.H. White in its down-to-earth kindness and its respect for the fantastic nature of the world.

There's a second book, so far published only in India, that will come out here if this one does well. So I'm giving it to EVERYONE for the holidays.

This is a very funny book with a wonderful plot. It is actually several short stories that together make a bigger plot! This is a great book!

Young reader books. Bane of my existence. Light of my life. Sometimes I swear that half my life is spent relentlessly tracking down worthy early chapter books for those kids who still need large fonts and plenty of pictures with their stories. In the year 2006 I've managed to locate two worthy early chapter books for the kiddies. One is "Roxie and the Hooligans" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The other is the so far ignored "Younguncle Comes To Town" by Vandana Singh. Now for years I've been complaining to friends, family, and blogosphere alike that there are far too few Indian children's books brought to America. For crying out loud, they're already going to be in English! How hard is it to bring in some literature from another culture? And now it's as if Viking Children's Books has heard my plea. Straight from India (though written by a resident of Massachusetts who was born in Delhi) comes the first adventure of Younguncle. He can't hold down a job. He was kidnapped by monkeys as a child. And he hasn't an American equivalent anywhere that I can find.

Sarita, Ravi, and their little baby sister are just thrilled. Their crazy relative Younguncle (everyone has forgotten his real name) is coming to live with them for the very first time. Younguncle is their father's youngest brother and he's like nobody they've ever met. He's incredibly intelligent, sweet, good with kids, and afraid of settling down in any way. Once he moves in with the family, everyone in the village gets to know and love him. Of course, he can't stay in any one job for any amount of time. It isn't that he doesn't enjoy his work. He enjoys it way too much. He scares off customers with his intense adoration of car repair, sewing, and train timetables. At the same time, he manages to get mixed up in all kinds of trouble. There's his constant battle with the family baby who is intent on devouring one of his shirts. He manages to rescue his uncle's prize-winning horse from rich and powerful schemers. He employs some naughty monkeys in the search for a beloved village cow. By and large, if there's a mystery to be solved or an adventure to be had, Younguncle is on it. This is modern day India as few American kids have ever seen it before (and will ever see it again, for that matter).

The review of this title in Booklist was more than a little harsh, by the way. In it, the reviewer states, "The chief charm of these low-key stories, for American readers, is in their introduction to Indian culture, family life, lore, and legend". I respectfully disagree. Not about how well the book introduces Indian culture, mind you. You are certainly not going to find a book in America that talks about that particular country with a narrative that's half as light-hearted and easy going as this one. And certainly not for this reading level. Keep your "Blue Jasmine"s. I'm sticking with "Younguncle". But for Booklist to say that this is the chief charm of the title is a bit disingenuous. Humor is hard. Drama is simple (see the aforementioned "Blue Jasmine" which is very good but...). So the fact that Singh's book is as honestly amusing as it is no small feat. Singh works in subtle jokes alongside wonderful vocabulary words (as in a sentence about mangoes that reads that they were, "large, golden, luscious, and ambrosial, enough to inspire poetry in the most prosaic soul"). The slapstick scenes are funny without getting gross. The funny stuff is honestly funny.

Actually, you know what book this reminded me for quite some time? "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Richard Atwater. The reading level and the good-natured animal-inspired insanity just struck a similar tone with me. On the other hand, Younguncle himself views the world in a particularly Pippi Longstockingish way. You wouldn't be surprised in the least to find him living with a horse or crashing a tea party (which he essentially does when he wants to break up his sister's arranged marriage). Not every book to hit bookshelves gets a blurb from Ursula Le Guin. This one did. And not every early chapter book is going to talk about a culture outside of America with as much charm, verve, and honest-to-goodness down-to-earth storytelling as, "Younguncle Comes To Town". The second book in this series is already out in India. Let's encourage Viking to bring it stateside as well by giving this first novel a shot. Fine fine reading.

This book along with its companion volume (Zen Buddhism, Volume 2: A History - Japan), also by Heinrich Dumoulin, is a unique offering among the many fine books of Zen. As the only extensive single-set history of Zen Buddhism available it is an essential reference for all Zen students, teachers, and practitioners. It also has plenty to offer students of Buddhism of all traditions, especially those of Mahayana.

Zen Buddhism, Volume : A History - India and China, begins by offering an extensive examination of the rise and development of Buddhism in India. Starting with an introduction to the pre-Buddhist spiritual traditions, including discussions of the major ideas informing the various philosophies, literature, and practices of those traditions.

After furnishing the reader with a solid grasp of the cultural and spiritual landscape of the India of Shakyamuni's (the historical Buddha) time, Heinrich Dumoulin examines the life of the Buddha. Though brief, he gives a well-rounded explanation of the various facts, as well as the theories and legends surrounding both the historical and mythological significance of the birth, quest, enlightenment, teachings, and death of the Buddha (after teaching for nearly 50 years!).

Next, Dumoulin traces the developments of the major schools of Buddhism arising in the wake of the Buddha's death. He provides readers with solid insight of these schools by highlighting their various points of contention, and unique interpretations of the Buddha's teachings.

Heinrich Dumoulin also examines the development of the major sutras (scriptures) and shastras (treatises) offering the reader not only an outline of the main ideas informing this literature, but also highlighting how the various Buddhist schools related to and were influenced by it--focusing, of course, primarily on Ch'an (Zen).

By providing both, historical as well as legendary (or traditional) information each of the Indian Zen "ancestors", Dumoulin allows readers to "see through" the traditional accounts, without losing sight of the "mythic" elements that served to distinguish Ch'an from other Buddhist schools.

The book then presents an overview of the transmission of Buddhism to China through the Indian Buddhist master, Bodhidharma, the semi-legendary founder of Ch'an (Zen) in China. Dumoulin again offers both historical and traditional accounts of how the teaching slowly took root and over several generations of development and adaptation with Confucian and Taoist elements of Native China.

Next Heinrich Dumoulin describes how Ch'an (Zen) finally came into its "own" distinctive, and specifically "Chinese" flavor with the teachings of the revered Sixth ancestor of China, Huineng. Extensively covering the great masters of Ch'an history, Dumoulin describes how the various "schools" came to be identified through a number of factors including the "styles" of great master, the development of specific techniques or doctrines, emphasis on particular aspects of the path, etc.

Finally, this book explains how later generations of Ch'an teachers, students, and practitioners came to collect, and systemize the teachings of the "Seven schools and Five houses" of Zen in efforts to preserve, maintain, and transmit the teachings of Buddhism in light of the uniquely vivid, liberating, humorous, and powerful tradition Ch'an.

While this book, in offering such an extensive overview, does not go into great depth, it does deliver the goods. Even though some of the material is not up-to-date with recent scholarship, all in all, most of the "out dated" content is of minor significance.

With all the trimmings, front and back matter of quality scholarship (notes, detailed index, glossary, etc) this two-volume history of Zen offers plenty of unique material that will be welcomed by Zen students for many generations to come.

Basically the book is just what it claims to be: a history of Zen Buddhism in China (it says "India" because it discusses the precursors to Zen in the Mahayana tradition and yoga). It is perfect for students interested in the topic.

I've heard from a few people (and the preface of the book admits it as well) that this book is somewhat dated because scholarship in this field has ballooned in the past decade or two. However, there is no equivalent introduction to all of Zen history. Thus, if you plan to study Zen history in depth, this is still the best place to start and you can move on to more recent books covering more specific movements and time periods. On the other hand, if you're not going to study in depth, then the new developments are not so radical as to render this unhelpful. Within ten years a better, up to date history of Zen is bound to come out. If you can wait...

On the other hand, I believe that a background in Chinese religion would be helpful, since Dumoulin really doesn't provide the background that a student needs in that area. But he does refer to them--Taoism and other strands of Chinese Buddhism--enough that perhaps he ought to have given a bit of introduction to them. He does give an interesting coverage of Neo-Confucianism, although not in much depth and only discussing their relationship to Zen. I was glad I had some familiarity with Taoism, but I found myself wishing I'd had more familiarity with Chinese Buddhism.

For that reason, if you are a beginning student, I'd strongly recommend some other books first.

If you're new to Zen, start with "An Introduction to Zen Buddhism" by D. T. Suzuki.

If you don't know much about Taoism, I recommend Livia Kohn's "Daoism and Chinese Culture."

If you don't know much about Chinese Buddhism, I recommend "Buddhism in China" by Kenneth Ch'en.

I think, at that point, if you want to get into the history of Zen Buddhism in greater depth, then you'll be ready to get a lot out of Dumoulin's fine book.

Of course, if the history of Zen really is the ONLY thing you're interested in, not how it interacted with Taoism or other kinds of Chinese Buddhism, then go ahead and just jump straight into this one.

Zen Buddhism: A History India And China is a new edition of volume 1 of the classic two- volume history by Heinrich Dumoulin (1905-1995), one of the world's most renowned Zen scholars. Covering the emergence of Zen through India and China, the new edition also includes additional notes by James W. Heisig of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture; a new introduction by John R. McRae of Indiana University exploring recent developments in the study of Zen; and the complete original text. An excellent, thoroughly researched, in-depth history especially recommended for advanced students and scholars of Buddhism and religious history.

A detailed survey that begins in India with the historic Buddha, Sakyamuni, and finishes with the decline of Zen in China. The amount of detail would be overwhelming if Dumoulin hadn't digested it so well and hadn't written so well. Packed no only with historical events and persons, there are many observations and insights that reveal not only how Zen developed but the extent of diversity and challenges within it.

There were some highlights for me: the roots of Zen in yoga (hence the emphasis on the lotus pose for zazen), the importance of the Mahayana sutras with all the work to translate them into Chinese, the interplay of Buddhism with Taoism in China that led to Zen, the persecution of Buddhism in China that only Zen and Pure Land survived, and the settling down into the methods of regular zazen and koan practice. The differing views on enlightenment and other key Buddhist concepts as well as on meditation practice reveals that Zen was ever exploratory and many things to many of its masters and those who followed them.

Remarkably NeoConfucianism eventually gathered strength so as to be able to successfully challenge Zen for the Chinese heart. This volume closes with Chinese Zen in a decline from which it never recovered. Dumoulin explains how NeoConfucianist scholars were able to weaken the hold of Zen upon the Chinese such that Zen only was able to progress outside of China. Thar Zen later prospered in Japan did not lead to its rehabiilation within China so one is left wondering if Japanese Zen largely succeeded due to not facing a NeoConfucian challenge within Japan: all the more reason to read carefully Dumoulin's history of why Zen declined in China. I find it impossible to wonder if Japanese Zen, however much it flourished there, did so to some extent by avoiding the challenges that Zen faced in China. Any such questions may be answered by a careful reading of both this Volume 1 and the companion but consensus seem less to be found than a struggle by many that shaped the tradition without bringing it closure.

Zen Buddhism, Volume 2: A History (Japan) (Treasures of the World's Religions)

I just made the Egg and Lentil Curry; I have no words to describe how good it is! The recipes in this book are all easy to read and VERY easy to eat! Some of the spices I can only get at my local natural foods store, but since that's where I shop anyway, it's not a big deal. I'm a vegetarian and have found that Indian food is one of the easiest types of food that will accomodate my needs. Although not all of these recipes are vegetarian, the ones that aren't make it easy to substitute tofu or beans or veggies or whatever you want. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

The curry recipes in this book are simply exquisite. My favorite is the Tikka masala, which is a rich and creamy suace with a little bite. My fiance was absolutely blown away by it and asked me to cook it twice in the same week. If you have a food processor and a store near you, these recipes will all be easy to prepare. This is one of my two cooking bibles along with Thai Home Cooking by Robert Carmack. If you have any inclination of making Indian curries, and want to do so as good or better than a gourmet chef, this is the perfect book for you.

I've always been a fan of curries, but have never been able to cook a really good curry. I've had this book for two years now and can say that since using it I've never had a failure.

The recipes are very clearly laid out and easy to follow. The instructions and ingredients are sufficient without being over done. The book is extremely well illustrated with many bright and attractive photos of ingredients, cooking steps and finished meals.

As for the acid test. The food tastes and looks great. I am now asked to cook curries by friends and family, and have had several requests for recipes. This book is now my favorite cooking book, and I believe should be on the shelves of any would be curry cook.

I recommend it highly