Pennsylvania Books

I have lived in central Illinois most of my life and often pass through
the Amish area, seeing only part of the picture of their lives and wanting
to know more. Rebecca Mabry, through beautifully written words, and Vanda
Bidwell, with her sensitive photographs, have filled in the missing parts
of the picture with this superb book. The Amish faith, which places
priority on faith in God and the importance of family, is an inspiration
to us all. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to know more
about a fascinating and admirable people.
-- Cindy Pringle

I sit and read this wonderful book and honestly feel you will never get a better understanding of the life of the Amish. Rebecca Mabry has put her heart and soul into this book and it shows. She brings these wonderful people to life and shows how they live each day and continue with their lifestyle among the hustle and bustle of day to day living. I think the rest of us could learn some valuable lessons from the Amish. Don't hestitate when it comes to buying this book, you will love it and send it out as a present, your friends will love you for it.

This singular and sensitive exploration of the Amish culture is beautifully-written and photographed. It's a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what life is like in this religious community that continues to live in the world, yet be not of the world. Readers will enjoy a journey into the hearts, minds, homes and businesses of the Amish Community in the Illinois' Heartland, and emerge feeling peaceful and whole themselves.
Ruth Siburt,
Children's Writer

This book takes you straight to Amish country and into the homes and hearts of the people who live there. Chances are, anything you ever wanted to know about the Amish - weddings, funerals, religious beliefs, schooling, clothing and much more - are included in "The Amish of Illinois' Heartland."
Breathtaking photos illustrate just how different the Amish are from what they call the "English" - but show they're thriving as a separate society.
By the end of this easy-to-read book, you'll feel like you know the Amish personally.

Wow! Rebecca Mabry has taken time to study the CURRENT Amish community and smashes many of the widely held beliefs. For example, no longer do most Amish depend on farm income to support their families; instead, they are woodworkers. Sensitive to cultural issues, tender in portraying individuals, and comprehensive in its approach, this is the best book on the Amish culture that I've seen in the last decade. Add to that Mabry's fine writing and this is the new standard on the topic. Stunning photos.
If you want to know what the Twenty-First century Amish are like (instead of the Twentieth century Amish), read this book. Recommended for middle grade and high school classrooms, as well as a great read for any adult.

What a refreshing book of poems about a hometown. It is good to be able to hear someone talk in such an affirmative and affectionate way about his past in a small town. So many ideas that I have had about my hometown but was never able to put into words are expressed here. I think this book will be a favorite with many readers.

It was a delight to find a book of poetry that concentrates of different aspects of one's hometown. So much is said here that I feel about my own hometown. This book ought to make Small Town America proud.

A friend of mine told me about this sledding poem and I just had to have the book after I read his e-mail. How many poems there are in this collection that rang bells for me!

The reading was delightful and opened up insights as to my own feelings for my hometown. How I feel when revisiting, how I see the buildings and view the landscape. The streets, early love, High School days. I don't know of any other poetry that focuses so intently on the subject of a hometown. An extraordinary book.

So serene, so careful and loving in its approach to everyday happenings. I highly recommend this book of poems.

I have read both of Del Vecchio's earlier books and looked forward to the release of Carry Me Home for a number of years. I certainly hope it is reprinted since I gave away my only copy. The book is an excellent story about the returning Vietnam vets and an inspiration to present day persons in all walks of life. DelVecchio is my favorite author.

I have read both of Del Vecchio's earlier books and looked forward to the release of Carry Me Home for a number of years. I certainly hope it is reprinted since I gave away my only copy. The book is an excellent story about the returning Vietnam vets and an inspiration to present day persons in all walks of life. DelVecchio is my favorite author.

I have read both of Del Vecchio's earlier books and looked forward to the release of Carry Me Home for a number of years. I certainly hope it is reprinted since I gave away my only copy. The book is an excellent story about the returning Vietnam vets and an inspiration to present day persons in all walks of life. DelVecchio is my favorite author.

I remember seeing the film "The Deer Hunter" years ago and being blown away by the excellent performances, characters, and story. I never thought I'd see or hear of anything like that movie again, but thankfully I was wrong.

"Carry Me Home" is "The Deer Hunter" in print. Don't infer any hidden meaning from that sentence; the plots of the two are as different as night and day. But they both deal with the same subject - the aftermath of the Vietnam war, what that means to several men (and women) in small-town America, and how each of them deals with it.

The two main characters in this book are Robert Wapinski and Anthony Pisano, of Mill Creek Falls, PA. In such an environment it seems incredible that these two men apparently never met before the events in this novel, but that's what Del Vecchio seems to imply. And it really doesn't matter whether they did or not, because their lives become more and more intertwined as the story unfolds.

Their lives take radically different turns. Robert becomes moderately successful as a real estate broker and then as a pioneer in the solar and ecology field. Tony, on the other hand, drops out of society - he just can't handle what people think about him as a Vietnam vet (and more importantly, he can't handle what he thinks about himself as a Vietnam vet). That statement, including the parenthetical comment, may not make any sense unless you know something of the history of US involvement in Vietnam (e.g., Lt William Calley and the My Lai massacre). But Tony does try for a little while - he courts and marries a girl and has two children, but the pressure just becomes too much for him. And even though Robert seems able to integrate himself back into society, he too is haunted by what happened and what he did in Vietnam.

What these two men do to heal themselves and other vets forms the crux of this story, and Del Vecchio never falters in the telling of it until the very end. At that point he seems to deal too much in psychology and not in the people themselves. But until then this is a fantastic story of a subject that not too many novels deal with. The Chicago Sun-Times said of Del Vecchio's "The 13th Valley", "...quite simply, THE novel about the Vietnam war." Well, quite simply, "Carry Me Home" is THE novel about that war's aftermath.

I know John Del Vecchio, he's a friend of my ex-girlfrind's mother and I met him on several occasions. He was always such a nice guy to me and I bought this book because of several recomendations and because he's just a genuine, nice guy. I read the book and was blown away by his attention to detail and emotional weight. Being to young to remember the Vietnam war, this was an interesting lesson in coping with the seriousness of war and a country that doesn't want you back. The story is very involved and very fine tuned. Though not exactly light reading, the book is involving and beckons you to read on.

I had a chance to discuss the book with him a while after I read it and expressed my admiration and respect for him and his book. He was gracious and said he was working on a new book. This soon turned out to be "Darkness Falls"...Another great book by Del Vecchio. "Carry Me Home" requires dedication to read, but you're left with a real connection with the characters and a feeling of accomplishment...

Mr. Macht has done a scholarly job. This biography is thoroughly researched and presented in a style that is organized and interesting. Mr. Macht probes not only the business and baseball facets of Connie Mack, but includes the portions of Mack's personal and private life that contribute to a greater understanding of the man and the time. For those who enjoy baseball within a cultural and historical context, this is a delight.

This reviewer gives Mr. Macht's book on Connie Mack five stars. . .not for
the author but to honor the subject of this book. In all the years that
this legend of baseball was part of my family's life, I never heard him
utter an unkind word or anything approaching profanity. The A's had
their ups and downs and, in the down times, Uncle Con had no choice but
to trade some of his stars so that the club itself might survive. Uncle
Con was a loving and generous gentleman, adored by his children, grand-
children, great-grandchildren, and now another Connie Mack, the FIFTH, has joined the family. The Philadelphia A's are memorable for their
nine pennants and five world series championships. Readers: Kindly note
that the five stars are for Connie Mack, not for Norman L. Macht.

This book brings to light of the early struggles of Baseball and maybe the basis for the future establishment of the current players union. In the early days the owners had all the control. Billy Beane of the Oakland A's is not the original trader of A's players, Connie Mack long ago started that tradition. The problem with this exhaustive book on the early years of this Baseball legend is that it begs for more. What interesting stories are there for those bad teams in his final years when he had very little talent and no superstars. This is a great book but remember it doesn't tell the whole story of the legend Connie Mack.

After researching Connie Mack for more than 20 years, author Norman Macht definitely knows his subject. Macht masterfully weaves the story of Mack and the early years of baseball in this 675-page biography, which covers the time from Mack's birth in 1862 through 1914.

Mack is the ideal subject to use to tell about baseball's early years because he was involved, in one way or another, in virtually every development. Macht chronicles Mack's childhood, his family, his days as a player and manager.

Macht spends much of the first part of the book dispelling myths about baseball's early years and Mack.

As a catcher, Mack was underrated. Writer Hugh Fullerton described him as a "better hitter than credited and dangerous in the pinch. He was a perfect backstop; cool, unhurried, deadly in throwing."

Wilbert Robinson called him "a little tin god behind the plate."

Macht writes that "It's difficult to reconcile the later image of Mack the public remembers--dignified, kind and soft-spoken--with the sharp-tongued, hot-headed manager of the 1890s, which he was."

Macht does an excellent job of capturing what the times were like, both on and off the field. A reader will learn a lot about the issues of the times and how the rules changed during baseball's early years.

Macht is extremely knowledgeable about the personalities of the players associated with Mack. He has a habit of adding little details, insight and color that bring the players to life. He does the same with Mack's family life. You truly feel you are in Mack's shoes.

While Macht is a noted baseball historian, he is also an excellent writer. He avoids the pitfall of getting bogged down in too many details, and he tells the story in an easy-to-read manner.

Although Macht explains why his book doesn't have a bibliography or footnotes, their absence is disappointing, particularly since Macht is a baseball historian.

Macht plans a second volume which will cover 1915 through Mack's death.

This trove of valuable information and entertaining stories is must-read material for those who want to know about the old Philadelphia Athletics and Connie Mack's pre-eminent role in baseball history. A salient and exhaustive examination of the teams he built and the dynasty he started, this book was written with an authority only Norman Macht could have brought to the task.

Anyone joining the debate about deer management in Pennsylvania should read this book before speaking -- it's that important. Read it and you'll understand that conservationists and biologists (Aldo Leopold, Richard Gerstell, Roger Latham and others) have for a long time recognized that because the forests changed, deer hunting policies needed also to change.
Read Deer Wars and you'll gain a better grasp on the relationship between a healthy habitat and a healthy deer herd -- a relationship that cause the PA Game Commission biologists to advocate a decrease in the deer population to improve both the deer and the habitat as long ago as 1935.

Frye covers the era of market hunting... to the days when the forests were clear cut... to the time when a deer track was rare... through the various attempts to repopulate the state with deer... to the arguments about protecting does... right up to our current controversy. His book is thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and an easy read for hunters, anti-hunters, farmers, forest managers, politicians, biologists, environmentalists, and ordinary people who want to understand what's happening with deer management in Pennsylvania.

It's all in this book. Read Deer Wars and you'll learn enough to speak with confidence backed up by knowledge.

Well written. Shows all points of view and where they overlap and conflict.

This book is a must read for anybody concerned about the future of deer hunting in Pennsylvania. Bob and Spike did a tremendous amount of research for this book and the final product demonstrates this. I am looking forward to the follow up documentary?

I TOTALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I FEEL THAT EVERY HUNTER SHOULD READ IT. IT OPENED MY EYES AND MIND. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH GARY AULT, BUT, AFTER READING THIS BOOK IT MAY CHANGE THEIR MIND.

The size of the whitetail deer population in Pennsylvania has been a matter of controversy for decades, and the debate is currently more emotional than ever. Here, Pennsylvania journalist Bob Frye helps clarify at least some sides of the argument. With a lack of predators, and several decades of under-hunting, deer are now severely stressing the habitat on which they depend. Frye deftly explains how dense deer populations prevent forests from regenerating. This creates severe impacts on ecosystems across Pennsylvania, and also damages the health of the deer themselves. Frye extensively examines the science of deer population, and presents the many arguments for and against management of the deer herd. He also includes very illuminating coverage of the financial damage done to farms and suburbs by browsing. Refreshingly, Frye mostly tries to let the science of deer management speak for itself. However, this book is not as impartial as it appears to be. Most of Frye's coverage is from the point of view of sport hunters. Opinions or statements from any other interest groups are introduced briefly, followed by considerably more commentary on whether hunters agree or disagree. There are several appearances of the derisive term "treehuggers" for those opposed to hunting, and Frye generally prints the statements of excessive numbers of officials and interested persons who support hunting lobby positions (which in turn makes the book very repetitive), while only offering short snapshots of all other opinions. This book is still very informative for anyone concerned about deer population issues. But Frye does not adequately cover all sides of the controversy. [~doomsdayer520~]

A fascinating book of photographs of Central Pennsylvania. It brough back many memories of another, gentler time. It also reminded me of just how beautiful my home state is.

By researching the contents and by presenting them as you have, you have given a real feeling of place and time.

Thank you kindly for the magnificent book of photographs that captures Pennsylvania's landscape. It is a treasure for today's readers. It will be a superb history for those who will read it tomorrow. Beautiful contribution. Professional. Exquisite.

The book is sensational. It is the sort of thing the Lord would have done if he had money. Joking aside, it is the product of a monumental undertaking. Painstaking, professional, and powerful are words which spring to my lips in describing it.

Warm feelings of visitng my greatgrandmother on hot summer days in Curwensville and Clearfield. The outhouses, the barns, the bear in the big city, brought back those memories of unearned family affection and the mountain views. A joyful book for families in Pennsylvanial, Nevada or any where else in the world.

A masterful guide to the Gettysburg battlefield. I took several books on my trip to Gettysburg earlier this year but this was the only one I carried on the battlefield. It is organized around the tour stops, but also contains several side trips to lesser known areas, and simply tells you all you need to know about the events in that area at the time of the battle. It contains several maps and the directions it provides to areas on the battlefield are concise and easy to follow. If you wish to seriously tour Gettysburg National Park, this book is essential.

I recently took a trip to Gettysburg (my 3rd) and carried this tour guide for the 1st time. It is far and away the best experience I've had seeing the battlefield. It follows the battle chronologically and offers several sites and insights not offered on the audio tours available at the local shops. Many of the stops are multifaceted. At several points the stops feature 7 to 10 asides which often involve only a minor shift in position to point out various phases of the battle. It includes a side trip to the cavalry field which I've never run into on the audio tours. The driving directions are easy to follow but do veer from the order of the Military Park brochure and the audio tours to give greater detail to the battle. The book says to allow for 6 hours-it's more like 10 hours to give time for exploring beyond some of the "stand here and turn left" instructions. 11 hours total if you include a break for lunch. We started at nine on one morning, toured until about 4 with a break for lunch and finished the following day. Sites included on the audio and Park tours tend to start getting crowded from 11 to 3, so this will add to the tour time depending on time of year and crowd. To sum it all up and paraphrase a popular commercial-when going on a tour of Gettysburg-"Don't leave home without it!"

I grew up near Gettysburg & have been there numerous times. I just spent 2 days there with this book on the battlefield--this book made the battle crystal clear! I ran out of time exploring the battlefield (it takes more than the 6 hours described in the book--my only criticism). This book brings the battle to life and explains the terrain like never before. I learned a lot about the battle that I never knew and many components of the battle came into focus in new and exciting ways. In particular, this book does a good job on overviews of each day and with it's clear directions, leads the reader through each stop--I really felt as if I had an expert by my side explaining all the facets of each aspect of the battle. Along the way, everything was just as the book described. The maps were excellent & it's nicely complimented with various portraits of leaders, common soldiers, etc. The guide brings the 3 days together as a cohesive whole. This is the book to get if you're going to visit Gettysburg; forget all the others.

I now live near Chickamauga and I plan on getting their book on that battle!

An excellent, well-written guidebook and the best I've seen on the subject. I carried this book on my first visit to Gettysburg in Spring 2001, and it greatly enhanced the experience. The directions are clear and up to date, and the text is precise and detailed enough to be compelling without trying to be an exhaustive treatment of every minute detail. If used as a companion to an actual visit, I would strongly recommend reading the book in advance of your visit, then bringing it with you for reference. There are only a few very minor faults I might find with this guidebook. On the maps, it would be helpful to have present-day landmarks indicated in some way to help with orientation. Also, the book suggests the full tour can be completed in six hours, but in my experience to make all the stops and fully enjoy it you'd need at least a full day, or preferably two. You'll want to leave some time for reflection at such places as McPherson's Ridge, Little Round Top, the High Water Mark, and others to think about the enormity of what occurred on that ground.

Read this book and you'll come away with a good working knowledge of the three-day battle. Highly recommended!

I've lived and/or worked in Gettysburg for almost twenty-five years, and I've been on the battlefield hundreds of times. But I can honestly say that I never really had a good appreciation for what happened there until I got my hands on Grimsley's and Simpson's guide. It's completely user-friendly.

For each of the places it highlights, the guide includes:

(1) Driving instructions to each site.

(2) An extremely useful orientation section telling you what's on your left, on your right, in front of you, etc. (For example, for Barlow's Knoll, the Orientation is this: "As you face west, the town of Gettysburg is due left of you; Oak Ridge and Oak Hill are straight ahead, as is Carlisle Road in the middle distance.") For those battlefield visitors who don't think to bring a compass with them, this kind of information is worth its weight in gold.

(3) An historical description of what actually happened during the battle at the site.

(4) A "Vignette," which provides one or two eyewitness accounts pertinent to the site.

(5) A tactical analysis of what happened at the site.

The maps are excellent, the layout of the text is convenient and easy to follow, and there's an informative appendix on "Organization, Weapons, and Tactics." Moreover, the East and South Cavalry Battles are included in the guidebook, and the description of Farnsworth's deadly charge in the latter is the best I've ever read.

Highly recommended for both the beginner and the seasoned Gburg afficionado.

By the way, for those who don't know it, co-author Mark Grimsley's The Hard Hand of War (1997) really is one of the best books on the Civil War written.

Just finished this one and I loved it. I hope Mark Nesbitt keeps writing these great little books. I have all 5 and there all great reads.

Ah...Mark Nesbitt finally plays down the Gettysburg ghost tours and gets back to telling the stories. Another well done melding of ghost stories and historical events. This book is on a par with the first 3 volumes of stories and just as entertaining.

This is book V, and the fifth on that I've read so far. They're not very long, but each one has been fun to read.
Each story begins by giving you a little history lesson about the backdrop of each haunted location, and this is
very beneficial for the reader because you have some idea
where the troubled spirit met their fate and how. Whether
the ghosts were civilians, rebels or yanks, they're all included here. Even if you don't believe in ghosts, the
little historical backgrounds of each story are very interesting to read. Once you start reading, you'll probably finish each of these books in one or two sittings.

Former Park Ranger Mark Nesbitt has over the years gathered many ghost stories from other park rangers, visitors and people who live in the area. Nesbitt tries to gather factual data on the stories he receives so he can offer a background as to why these ghost stories may have evolved. His stories are usually quite interesting and do not just talk about battlefield soldiers, civilians alike are also involved in famous ghost stories in Gettysburg! Buy all 5 books, there worth it! Each has many short stories that are easy and fun to read.

For the fifth time Mark Nesbitt has produced a real gem dealing with the ghosts of Gettysburg. At Gettysburg one can almost feel the spirits all around and Mr. Nesbitt has given us five books full of accounts of encounters with these spirits. Only someone who loves Gettysburg could turn out such fine work time and again and all of us who feel a special draw to that place owe him a great debt of gratitude. This fifth book may be the best in the series. Thanks Mark!

I am a long time, transplanted resident of Buenas Aires. In my homeland, we take great pride in the revolutionary heroes that both overthrew the political colonialism of Spain and the economic colonialism of Great Britain. Although we live in the shadow of the North Americans, we share a common revolutionary heritage. As one who has spent many hours amongst the people in our capital city, I share Senior Kashatus' enthusiasm for the sites of the North American city of revolution. His guide has proven most illuminating and having read it through, look forward to using it as the basis of my visit to that historic city.

I am a long time, transplanted resident of Buenas Aires. In my homeland, we take great pride in the revolutionary heroes that both overthrew the political colonialism of Spain and the economic colonialism of Great Britain. Although we live in the shadow of the North Americans, we share a common revolutionary heritage. As one who has spent many hours amongst the people in our capital city, I share Senior Kashatus' enthusiasm for the sites of the North American city of revolution. His guide has proven most illuminating and having read it through, look forward to using it as the basis of my visit to that historic city.

I visited Philadelphia as a young man while involved in a liason with a young woman from that city many years ago. During my time there, I idly walked through the lower parts of the city, looking at, but paying little attention to the magnificent things around me. I confess to having brought little back with me from the experience save a broken heart, a few maps and some local guides.

A corresponding friend from the neighboring state of New Jersey happened to send me a copy of Herr Kashatus' book, indicating that the author is a friend. I soon thereafter read it. I found it a pleasant enlightener of old memories, putting into context what I simpy walked by.

Having since gained a more serious appreciation of the American past, I look to this book as a sourse of background material for subjects that I hope to explore further. I intend to visit Philadelphia again soon and to take these "walks", book in hand and really see what I have previously just looked at.

I visited Philadelphia as a young man while involved in a liason with a young woman from that city many years ago. During my time there, I idly walked through the lower parts of the city, looking at, but paying little attention to the magnificent things around me. I confess to having brought little back with me from the experience save a broken heart, a few maps and some local guides.

A corresponding friend from the neighboring state of New Jersey happened to send me a copy of Herr Kashatus' book, indicating that the author is a friend. I soon thereafter read it. I found it a pleasant enlightener of old memories, putting into context what I simpy walked by.

Having since gained a more serious appreciation of the American past, I look to this book as a sourse of background material for subjects that I hope to explore further. I intend to visit Philadelphia again soon and to take these "walks", book in hand and really see what I have previously just looked at.

I visited Philadelphia as a young man while involved in a liason with a young woman from that city many years ago. During my time there, I idly walked through the lower parts of the city, looking at, but paying little attention to the magnificent things around me. I confess to having brought little back with me from the experience save a broken heart, a few maps and some local guides.

A corresponding friend from the neighboring state of New Jersey happened to send me a copy of Herr Kashatus' book, indicating that the author is a friend. I soon thereafter read it. I found it a pleasant enlightener of old memories, putting into context what I simpy walked by.

Having since gained a more serious appreciation of the American past, I look to this book as a sourse of background material for subjects that I hope to explore further. I intend to visit Philadelphia again soon and to take these "walks", book in hand and really see what I have previously just looked at.

First of all, I agree with other reviewer's assertions that this is not a book for beginners. Without a basic understanding of foundational Buddhist thought and Buddhist cosmology, this book wouldn't make much sense. Vimalakirti is one of my favorite characters since he is a great example of how a lay person can achieve Buddhahood. He could enter gambling halls and other dens of iniquity, engage in business and family life, and still remain unsullied as he taught the Dharma. This book is one of the few readable texts about him. Although very well translated, it still retains some of the repetition and obscure references found in any ancient Buddhist work having a basis in an oral tradition. If you have an intermediate knowledge of Buddhism, this is an excellent work.

This and the Flower Ornament Scripture will keep you busy for awhile. Not easy or light reading by any means.

I agree with many of the other reviewers in this space. This sutra is quite simply my favorite Buddhist text, and Prof Thurman's translation is my favorite translation. I travel with this book because it is so compact and precise in describing the way of the Bodhisattva, the great vehicle of the Mahayana path. I have heard Prof Thurman read from his book, and his transmission is no small contribution to the progress of Buddhism in the West.

Several reviewers have mentioned the humor. I have fond memories of reading this text out loud to my fellow dharma students, and having a good laugh each time a disciple sheepishly declines Lord Buddha's invitation to go visit the ailing bodhisattva, Vilmalakirti. The replies of Vimalakirti, on the other hand, are the highest wisdom I know of in Buddhism, and reflecting on them is a great treasure.

The Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra, though almost certainly not spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha himself, is nontheless held in the highest esteem by all schools of the Mahayana. It belongs to the category of sutras which are, in all probability, fictional creations of Mahayana scholars, and not expounded by the Buddha. Despite this, the Vimalakirti Scripture is still given the title of a sutra. For the doctrine it expounds is in perfect conformity with the highest teachings of the Buddha, and, more than any other sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra shows the perfection of the bodhisattva ideal for laymen and women. Robert A.F. Thurman's translation of this masterpiece is close to perfect. Working from a Tantric perspective (being himself a Vajrayana Buddhist), Thurman details, in his notes and introduction, the clear relation between Buddhist Tantrism and the Vimalakirti sutra, which can lead one to the conclusion that its composition was largely influenced by the esoteric teachings of the Tantras. Yet, the teachings of the Vimalakirti Sutra are in no way exclusive to students of the Vajrayana, or of Tibetan Buddhism in general. This scripture has historically been of tremendous influence on Chinese Buddhism, and is the subject of some of the greatest works of Chinese Buddhist Art. It is also held in the highest esteem by Zen Buddhism for its emphasis on the practice of the layman amongst the cares of the world. Indeed, it is one of the few canonical scriptures that are of particular value to Zen. The scripture tells the story of the layman Vimalakirti (almost certainly a fictional character), a bodhisattva of the highest order, on par with such figures as Manjushri, who, in order to develop living beings, lives as a layman in the crowded metropolis of Vaishali, participating in business and government and teaching the dharma in accordance with conditions. On this occasion, Vimalakirti manifests himself as being sick, in order to develop beings who come to inquire after his health. The Buddha, desiring to know how Vimalakirti is doing, requests several students and bodhisattvas to go and visit him, all of whom decline, however, saying that their skill in the dharma cannot be matched with Vimalakirti. Finally, Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, goes to the house of Vimalakirti along with a retinue of several hundred disciples. The vast majority of the scripture is composed of the dialogues that occur between Vimalakirti and Manjushri, as well as with the disciples and bodhisattvas. Finally, the entire retinue (Vimalakirti included) return to the Buddha, who delivers a final section to the discourse. Many famous incidents in Buddhist lore occur in this sutra: the exchange between Shariputra and the Goddess, the chapter concerning the Dharma Gate of Nonduality, Vimalakirti's explanation of the cause of his sickness, etc. To any Buddhist practitioner, particularly those of Vajrayana Buddhism and Zen, this sutra is of the utmost importance. The only two major translations available in English are those of Thurman and Burton Watson. Thurman's translation, however, is the better of the two, rendering in clear, poetic English the difficult doctrines of the Mahayana. His notes provide excellent insight into the historical relations of the Sutra, and its importance to Tibetan Buddhism, as well as to Chinese Buddhism. Highly, highly recommended.

This is the Vimilikirtisastra, a Mahayana treatise that deals with nonduality. What this means is that the construct of the Therevada (or Hinayana-- meaning devotional Buddhism) is replaced by something other-- larger-- (from Sanskrit little vehicle to larger vehicle).

What does this mean to you? You have a book here in which all of the paired items (good/bad, monk/layperson, holy/inholy) start to be broken down. Buddhism becomes 'purer' through being less pure, more people are offered the ability to have salvation...

More than that, this is a fun read that can be gone through multiple times-- which will be necessary if you want to fully grasp all that this book says. It will alter your conception of what the Dharma is, or introduce you to one if you're just beginning to learn about it.

I would suggest, though, that you have some background in the Therevada stuff before you start-- otherwise this book would kind of be pointless: excepting that parts of it are amusing. Prof. Thurman has a knack for translation...