Zen Skin, Zen Marrow
Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up?
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| Author(s) : Heine, Steven |
| Publishers Price : £13.99 |
| Wisdom Price : £13.29(save 5%)
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| ISBN : 0195326776 | | EAN : 9780195326772 | | Cover : Hardback | | Pages : 220 | | Size : 242 x 164mm | | Publisher : Oxford Univ Press, New York | | Published : 2007 |
Category : Western Study of Buddhism
Category 2 : Zen: General
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Synopsis:
This book attempts to end the dispute between scholars who see Zen through two different viewpoints. Since Zen Buddhism first captivated the attention of Western seekers the dominant discourse about Zen has been romantic, idealistic, and utopian. The essence of Zen has been described as ineffable, wholistic, and promoting social harmony. In recent years, however, some scholars have begun to examine Zen through the lenses of historical and cultural criticism, producing a sharp challenge to the traditional view. These clashing viewpoints have become entrenched in two warring scholarly camps. Heine argues that a constructive compromise is possible. He focuses on three principle areas of disagreement: the role of language and discourse in a tradition that claims to be "outside of words and letters", yet has produced a voluminous body of texts; the function of rituals and objects of worship to gain world benefit in a tradition supposedly founded on unmediated experience attained in an iconoclastic and ascetic environment; the impact of a tradition that espouses peace and harmony on such issues such as class and gender discrimination and on nationalism and imperialism in Japan. Avoiding the stagnant polarization that characterizes most encounters between Zen traditionalists and their critics, he suggests ways in which these two perspectives can complement each other in a more balanced way.
"As we enter the twenty-first century and Western Zen Buddhism develops the roots and branches of its second and third generations, the time has come to reflect on what aspects of this ancient tradition we are importing...With its critical reflection, deep investigation, and outstanding scholarship, Zen Skin, Zen Marrow is a step in the process allowing Zen to take the shape of the container that holds it. This book belongs on the shelf of every Zen center in the West." John Daido Loori. |
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