China Books

This is the second copy of this book that I bought. I purchased second as a gift for artist friend after buying one for myself. We are both painters; but, this is the type of book anyone can enjoy reading for its philosophy and appreciation of Asian art. A visual artist can learn much from the techniques of brush painting used in China and Japan. It is both poetic and visual.

This is the best generally available book on Chinese and Japanese ink-painting in English of which I am aware. Why? Because it is not, primarily, a "how to" book. Yes, there are extensive examples of specific brushstrokes and characteristic forms and techniques, however they are by way of explanation and illustration, rather than instruction. There is much talk of history and aesthetics, but from a practical perspective; this is not, primarily, a book of art history or criticism. Rather, it looks at those things from the point of view of a painter, rather than an academic. While it's not an easy read, I would recommend this every bit as much for beginners as those with more experience.

So, why would this be useful for the beginning painter? While some authors would have you believe that Asian ink work is rooted in a spontaneous expression of feeling, and/or that a meaningful piece of art can be created with just a few, easily mastered, brushstrokes, these are extreme oversimplifications of the actuality of Asian art. Tossing a bit of ink on some rice paper may be spontaneous, but it isn't the same as the Spontaneous school of Chinese painting. In reading this book, which is admittedly dense and occasionally dry, the reader can gain a strong background in the traditions and aesthetics of ink painting. While learning basic brush control from a teacher or how-to book, "The Way of the Brush" will give you not just context and history, but an understanding of how to compose and construct a work -- how to put those brushstrokes together.

It could be said that this is not a book about how to paint in the Chinese and Japanese style, but how to look at a painting in the Chinese and Japanese style. In doing so, it also points the way towards seeing like a brush-painter. Unless you can see, not merely with your eyes, but with your mind, it is impossible to make the jump from brushwork to painting, from technique to art.

This is the book from which I learned sumi-e. It is well written, with wonderful examples. If one is seriously interested in the subject and in learning how to paint high quality works, it is the definitive work. The artist, P'u Ch'uan, who illustrates particular styles and strokes, is a master, providing some of the best examples one could hope for. The works of other artists in their instructional books pale by comparison; they fall into the "You too can paint a masterpiece in 60 minutes" sort of thing one sees on TV. Those are acceptable if you accept the limitations and set your sights accordingly. The standards set by this book are extremely high.

The historical perspectives help a great deal in understanding not only the background of the art, but also in understanding the background of the strokes. These backgrounds are essential to more fully appreciating the work of others and in informing your own work. The great variety of styles and artists presented--contemparary and historical--help one to form one's own style.

This book teaches both an appreciation of the art form and a sound basis for attempting it. I can't say I have mastered the form by any means, but working based on this book has been a rewarding experience.

Highly recommended.

This is one of the best books about Chinese painting for those who want to understand not just Chinese painting techniques, but also something of the history and variety of traditional Chinese brush painting. The one drawback is the usage of the outdated Wade-Giles romanization (the book was first published in 1962), but that is merely a trivial annoyance compared to the wealth of information the author provides. Most instructional painting books are written by painters who focus on their own style, and give no credit to all the masters who have gone before them. This book shows many examples of paintings by master painters (ancient and modern), along with examples from the author's own teacher, master painter P'u Ch'uan. He thoroughly describes the different painting styles, with excellent examples, and many bibliographical references. I especially liked the fact that he gave 7 different versions of translations of "the Six Principles" of Hsieh Ho; by combining the common threads in all of them, their real meaning becomes clearer.

Another subject he talks about, although briefly, is the importance of understanding brush strokes in order to be better prepared to deal with forgeries and copies. This subject is almost universally ignored in books on Chinese painting, and yet it is very important. I have seen a painting in a catalog from one of the big auction houses that on first glance looked like another one of Li Ke-ran's many water buffalo paintings, and was attributed to him by the (anonymous) seller. Upon closer scrutiny of the brush strokes used, it was obviously a fake. And I am by no means a true expert.

If you are a beginner with no teacher to help you, then you will probably need other books, too. But for anyone who wants to learn about the history and traditions of Chinese painting, this is the ideal book.

My husband and I have tried 4 recipes out of this book so far, and all 4 were a big hit. One in particular -- curried shrimp with noodles -- was really good and we have made it 5 times already. You really wouldn't know it was "diet food" unless you saw the book title. I'm only giving it four stars just because I haven't tried most of the recipes yet. But so far, very good, and the format of the book is great too!

A wonderful cookbook, full of recipes that anyone can make. A taste for everyone...ever wonder how to make a low calorie Kung Pao Chicken?...well it's in there. It's an excellent way to get vegetables into your meals too. Real Chinese food has Chicken and Beef as accompliments...veggie and rice/noodles are primary. This book has both ways to calculate your weight watchers needs, points and exchanges. I highly recommend this book. Nothing dull here!

I usually consider a cookbook a success if I find a handful of recipes which I will continue to use. I have already tried 11 recipes from this (comparatively) small book and plan to or have already reused most of them. This is a real find for Chinese food lovers watching their diets, but it's also recommended for anyone who enjoys cooking Chinese food.

This is a fabulous Chinese cookbook, not only for Weight Watchers members but also for those interested in the taste of Chinese cooking without all the extra fat and calories. Being a Weight Watchers member, I was a bit skeptical that the lower-point recipes would be flavorful and satisfying, but I am now a believer. The egg drop soup is so much more delicious than anything I've ever eaten from a take out restaurant. It is a light soup with some unexpected flavors, such as black mushrooms. The Kung Pao Chicken recipe was much better than many 'regular' recipes I've tried. I love to cook Chinese dishes at home but I've never succeeded in getting them to look or taste like something from a restaurant, until now.

I would recommend this title to anyone looking for a good basic Chinese cookbook and would encourage any Weight Watchers members interested in moderate point, yet delicious recipes to buy this book!

This was a very entertaining and enlightening book. I never realized the complete differences in the basic thoughts of every day life. We in Western cultures take for granted things as basic as "pride in one's work" or a "drive for excellence". Mr. Joseph illustrates brilliantly how those concepts are not only different in China but in many cases completely foreign or non-existent. As a Project Manager by profession I understand having to deal with bringing the big picture to resources that may not see things on the larger scale. But, having to deal with fundamental changes in one's understanding of life's truths is a huge challenge. I respect, and thank, Mr. Joseph for bringing these issues to light and wish well all those who venture into China's economy. Dan Joseph scores a huge blow for capitalism by exposing the Achilles' heal to the Communist bastion that is China - Learn the Chinese culture and expose those in it to the concepts of western drive and the Chinese economy will open to the world and create wealth in China and abroad.

Mr. Joseph's book, while dealing with Business matters, also applies to travelers. If you're aware that cultural differences exist, it is easier to handle situations that may arise when traveling. I found myself thinking about what I had learned from the book when traveling Prague. Prague, another delevoping Capitalist ecomony, has made great strides but still has not quite grasped the supply and demand ideas that make a market ecomony work. I don't know if that would have struck me had I not read Mr. Joseph's book. We tend to think that everyone in the world understands the American mindset and that we understand them. Not always true, but easier to deal with if you've read Mr. Joseph's book and begin to understand the role culture plays in people's lives.

I recommend it for the average reader who what to know what goes on in the world.

Daniel Joseph's book is priceless. I wish I had read it before my first trip to China. Despite many trips to China, and a lot of exposure to Chinese Culture - I found I had a lot to learn from Joseph. Not only does he cover the important cultural topics, but he weaves them into a fascinating novel-like story which highlights each of the business and cultural issues. It's one of the few books I have read cover-to-cover (even though he says it's not necessary!).

This book is an excellent guide to those interested in setting up a business venture in remote areas of China. The cultural impact on operations are so vividly described that one feels the problem. The situations which describe the cultural impact on ooperatons are very clearly defined with a historical knowledge of the area and country

Those corpoarate managers making selections of managers to set up operations in remote sections of China should read this book as a guide. Those assigned to the task should also be aware of the cultural problems they face. The technical problems are relatively easy to solve, but, it is the people problem coupled with the cultural impact that operational situations become harder to manage. I personally had such experiences in setting up operations in remote locations but not of a deep cultural difference nor a major language problem.

What is enlightening is the approach that China is taking to economically develop the country away from a communision. Mr. Joseph describes the approach China is taking and why he sees much progress in its systematic approach. The remote regions will be their biggest problem as Mr. Joseph's experience so indicates. The attitude of the die hard "war lord" types are clearly described in the book.

Mr.Joseph's grasp of the Chinese language allows him to describe the problems of communicating as the dialects vary in different areas of China. The differences in food, lodging and transportation are also well described. Those interested in taking on such an operational task need to be aware that remote regions are quite different than the urban areas.

The book provides food for thought on how to set up in China, with partners of former goverment operations, private or go it alone. Mr Joseph discusses the options and comments on each.

This book is easy reading and is filled with humor as he cites situations on his personnel and himself.

Cohen's book is among the better works to document the short but exciting history of Pan American's pacific clipper operations, providing insight into the pilots and aircraft that flew it and the route they took. My few complaints were with the relative dirth of information following the outbreak of World War II, some speculative accounts which have been correctly described in other books, and a lack of color photos. Still, for the price it is a most valuable addition to anyone's aviation library.

This book is one of the finest collections on information regarding Pan-Am's famous flying boats. Loaded with old photos, classic ads, maps and much more, this book details the building of the reknown yet short lived Pacific air route. I read it from cover to cover in two days and enjoyed every page of it.

For the lay person who doesn't understand aeronautical engineering, but thinks the Clippers were possibly the coolest thing in the world, this is a great book to have around. The pictures are excellent, there's enough--not too much--technical info to make it interesting and it's a concise introduction to this phase of history.

Stan Cohen's book is a wonderful pictorial exploration of the commercial aviation conquest of the Pacific. I found the discussion of the North Haven Expedition and the Pacific Clipper base construction most interesting. Cohen shows pictures of their heyday and as the looked when he researched the book. Cohen also has some photos of the China Clipper I had not seen previously. If you are a Pan Am Clipper history buff - this is a must have book.

Jamie Dodson, Author
[...]

This is a lovely collection of sacred biographies of Tibetan Buddhist yoginis. The author, a former Buddhist nun, provides an extensive introduction including an autobiographical account-virtually a 7th biography. She provides much valuable information about the Buddha families, biography vs. sacred biography or hagiography, and Tibetan traditions and terminology such as delogs (people who die and come back to life), Togdens (Tibetan yogis), etc. The six sacred biographies included here vary considerably in length (2 are quite long and 4 are rather short) and in nature (some include much more hyperbole and others are more historical). The author states on p. 54 that "Goodness is not necessarily truth." She also provides a prolog and extremely valuable endnotes for each chapter, suggesting that (p. 215) the reason for embedding teachings into a biography is to make them come to life.

She also provides psychological explanations for a number of otherwise fantastic descriptions and activities, frequently based upon the writings of Jung's disciple Esther Harding:
p. 147: "When we think of a demon, we generally think of an external spirit which attacks us, but Machig realized the true nature of demons is the internal functioning of the ego...all four demons are thought-processes which block a state of clear, unattached awareness."
p. 195 note 62: "If we understand the serpentine underwater Nagas as a manifestation of Machig's unconscious, as part of her own mind, this assumption being based on the idea that our environment is a manifestation of our karma and our own projection." Other contemporary books support such a view: Loren Pederson's "Dark Hearts," George Weinberg's "Invisible Masters," & John Sanford's "Invisible Partners."

Further, she also clears up the ambiguity about Tibetan Buddhist practitioners consuming meat:
p. 194 note 54: "the Buddha did not teach strict vegetarianism, but rather that all meat one eats should have passed through at least three hands before a Buddhist should consume it...if a Tantric practitioner eats the meat of an animal with awareness and transcendent insight into the true nature of reality, this creates a connection between the animal and the yogi, and therefore the animal will have a much better chance of reaching a higher rebirth than if it had not been killed and offered to the yogi or yogini. Also...it symbolizes going beyond the limitations of vows and conventional `goodness,' and transformation of poison and dangerous substances into a means for enlightenment. Therefore a big piece of meant would be an appropriate offering for a Tantric initiation." Interestingly, this practice parallels that of Kabbalah where practitioners raise the spiritual level of animals by eating them with proper kavvanah (mystical intention).

The second edition of Tsultrim Allione's Women of Wisdom features, at the request of her many readers, a much expanded spiritual autobiography, enriched by photographs not included in the first edition. This and the Introduction comprise over a third of the book, and are in a sense a resonating complement and counterpart to the biographies of female Tibetan teachers and adepts which Tsultrim Allione sought out and translated. In keeping with the Buddha's dictim that we should endorse only those things we have actually experienced as true, Allione's life has been a journey to spiritual truth underwritten and ratified by her faithfulness to her own experience-- her need to bear and rear children, to embrace but also to leave marriages, to stay true to the essence of the Tibetan teachers and teachings she sought out from her teens-- and from all of that, to create Tara Mandala, a retreat center whose wellsprings include North
American First Peoples' teachings, families, feminine spiritualities, healing of earth and of bodies, and deep dedication to preserving and transmitting several Tibetan lineages.
One of the threads woven into the tapestry of Allione's life is her pursuit of the life and teachings of Machig Lapdron, the 12th century teacher who first formalized the Chod ceremony for feeding rather than murdering demons. Allione's forthcoming book, Feeding Your Demons, as well as her oral teachings in the already available CD series, Cutting Through Fear, develop the ways in which this approach to personal and collective darkness contrasts with the more dualistic western myth of the hero who slays the dragon. But Allione has discovered another body of Machig's work: extensive, subtle and practical teachings on the Prajnaparamita Sutra and on the nature of mind, and in the years to come we are sure to see more teaching on this topic from this gifted scholar-practitioner.
In 2007, Allione was recognized in Tibet as an emanation of Machig Lapdron. So, Women of Wisdom contains a book within a book of books, and tracings of a particular life within a much larger lifestream-- teachings brought forward for our times that encourage us to not be afraid! to dive directly into those things we fear most! and to join with each other in the quest to discover our own truths, and express them by art and ritual and service and fully experiencing the life of the body. This is a book to take to bed with you, to let seep into your dreams. Read it, and take heart.

There is a time when women shall have names. The time of consciouness rising, when the wisdom of all life perceiving will be received by humankind.

This text will be recognized - by those who sense that they are called - as an entry point to the evolution of consciousness found in the divine feminine; the source of all inspiration to the Buddhas.

Those who feel a hunger for echoes of the great women spiritual leaders of Buddhism will find great inspiration in this book. It is a personal, fascinating, warm, and inspirational book.

The stories are translated by Tsultrim and her Tibetean associates with a tremendous respect for the meaning in the original sacred texts.

I recommend this work highly to anyone who desires to connect with Buddhism's sacred center, the Prajna Paramita. I recommend it to anyone who perceives that Buddhism has misplaced its joyously empty center, and who senses a chance for a more complete knowing of their own divine spirituality.

There is a hunger among women practitioners for the stories of other women who have gone on before them. Often these stories have been lost or over time turned to silence.

Tsultrim Allione, founder of Tara Mandala, a 600 acree retreat center in South West Colorado, sets out with this book to reclaim some of those lost voices. She was initiated on this journey with the death of her daughter from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Prior to becoming a mother to four children, Tsultrim had been one of the first American women to take vows. For four years she lived in the Himalayas as a nun devoted to in depth practice. Later she returned her vows and became a mother and with the death of one of her twins began the search for stories to sustain her during unbearable times.

In Women of Wisdom she uncovers and chronicles the stories of several of the more well-known women practioners, saints, and delogues, but what is particularly compelling is her own story. She writes openly and honesty with remarkable ease.

It is a must for anyone who wrestles with integrating Buddhist practice with the demands of a modern life.

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.

Among the educated of the half of the planet that lives in China and India, the name of Xuan-Zang is very well known. The records of his journey from China through India and back provide a great deal of insight into the culture along his route at the time, as well as the state of Buddhism. The texts he brought back had a strong influence on the development of Buddhism in China. This is an excellent book. I visited many of the Buddhist sites in India and found Xuan-Zang's descriptions to still be of use to the pilgrim today. If you're interested in the history of the silk road and central asia, this book will be of use to you also.

Since the destruction of the famous Buddhas at Bamiyan, Afghanistan in March 2001, the importance of this book has rocketted from its original publication.

Xuanzang wrote some eyewitness accounts of these gigantic statues around 630AD, and this book is an important starting point to finding out more about these monuments and what they originally looked like.

This is not an academic book but more a detailed compilation of events connected with a personage with whom the author has obviously felt a close connection. The text is well sectioned with good maps and useful information, notes and an extensive bibliography that makes the work substantive (e.g., it highlights the wider territory of ostriches in the past). Xuanzang becomes a portal through which we view the art and history of a predominantly Buddhist India before she entered a chaotic phase to re-emerge as a Mughal and Hindu civilisation later.

There is staggering insight into the mentality of the Chinese and Kings at the time and the art they bestowed on the world. The importance of the Chinese civilisation is highlighted at a time when Europe was in the grip of the dark ages.

The book contains minor errors, could have been more critical and Xuanzang's feet on the cover need alteration. Leaving this aside, there is a stunning picture from Bamiyan and we can see what was lost as well as related paintings and statues which are quite exquisite (at least one of them lost from the Kabul museum since the destructive episode recently).

A book worth treasuring as written by a professional, well travelled and strong minded author (and she found the time).

XuanZang's story has got to be one of humanity's most amazing adventures of discovery. I had heard brief references to him in various books about Buddhism, but when I read this book I was just amazed at what a prodigy he was. The amazing synchronicities that helped him on his travels really bespeak a divine providence.

I just wish there were longer direct quotes from his original book, so you could get a feel for his own writing. Also wish there was more discussion of his own spiritual journey or experience with the abbot of the Nalanda university, and the Yogacara/Vasubandhu philosophy.

Great pictures of Nalanda ruins. The story of Nalanda is really interesting in itself and the book gives you a good feel for what was happening there at its height.

All in all makes you want to read XuanZang's original book.

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By all means read this book if you are interested in the history of the Silk Road.

However there is a significant omission in this book. Xuanzang embarked on this epic journey because he wanted to learn Buddhism from the original source. But if you think you'll be able to learn much about 7th century Buddhism from this book, think again. Of course there are tid-bits and small blurbs about Buddhist ideas but it is more an expedient to advance the story rather than an effort to explain. This book is basically a travelogue, not a book of ideas.

Of course researching the various schools and thoughts of 7th century Buddhism would have been difficult and explaining it to the layperson without being confusing or boring would have also been difficult. But still I feel that writing a book on Xuanzang without attempting to explain the Buddhism of that era is incomplete.

Despite the above reservation, I still give it 4 stars because the rest of the book is quite well done.

There's a lot of important advice within these pages, event if the contributors don't always agree. It's good to have several perspectives on important issues! The book is an easy read, but doesn't stint on facing difficult questions. This isn't all from the female standpoint. There are many male contributors, too, which rounds out the opinions.

This will make your divorce a little easier.

"You can keep the damn china!" is a book filled with advice from Hundreds of Ex-Spouses. Divorce is hard, there's no need to go through it alone. With this book it feels like you are surrounded by friends who can sympathize with your situation. They offer you advice such as: Making the Decision to Divorce, The First Stage of Separation, Children, Friends and Family, Law, Finances and Property, Your New Life, Media Therapy, Maintaining a Relationship with Your Ex, Moving On, Healing, Best and Worst Things About Divorce and Divorce Information.

What I like best about this book is that you don't have to make the same mistakes they have made, you can learn from them. The other great thing about it is that you are not alone; it helps to ease the pain when you can listen to others who have gone through the same thing. I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about divorce or anyone who is already divorced.

Getting re-married but wanted to make sure I had processed my divorce before jumping in again. This book has thoughtful, useful and witty advice and stories. I think there's something for everyone in here.

I bought this for my cousin who is going through a messy divorce (is there such thing as a clean one?). She burst out laughing at the name of the book and told me she couldn't wait to read it. A week later she called to tell me it's really good because it's a relatively light read with some really helpful advice. She was touched that I thought of her and said she keeps it next to her bed.

Divorce is very personal, but it's good to see so many diverse opinions and perspectives in one book.

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)

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