파란 눈 스님의 한국 선 수행기 - 카르마총서 2
로버트 버스웰 (지은이),김종명 (옮긴이)
예문서원1999-04-15
원제 : The Zen Monastic Experience : Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea
파란 눈 스님의 한국 선 수행기
- 절판 확인일 : 2018-01-17
책소개
파란 눈 스님의 한국 선 수행기
- 절판 확인일 : 2018-01-17
책소개
로스엔젤레스에 있는 캘리포니아대학 교수인 저자가 1974년부터 5년간 송광사에서의 선승 생활을 통해 체험하고 느낀 한국불교에 대한 종합 보고서. 저자는 이 때 경험한 승가 생활을 바탕으로 한국 절의 제도적 구조, 절에서의 일상 생활, 수행 형태, 행자와 이판승 및 사판승들의 활동, 특히 선승들의 활동을 상세히 적고 있다.
김장 만들기, 메주 만들기, 과일따기 등 절에서의 식생활 해결 방법에 관한 부분과 선방의 일과표, 선방 예절, 선방 규정, 여러 고행법 등 선방 생활은 물론이고, 이러한 생활을 견디지 못해 절에서 탈출하는 승려의 이야기까지 자세히 적고 있다.
지은이는 불교 교학에 대한 연구도 중요하지만, 그것을 넘어 교학적 가르침이 실제로 현장에서 어떻게 수행되고 있는가 하는 문제가 더욱 중요하다고 말한다. 이 글을 쓴 목적도 실제로 선승들이 매일 무엇을 하며, 어떻게 실천적 종교 생활을 하고 있는가를 정확하게 전달하는 데 있다고 한다.
또한 구산 스님의 수행기와 그분이 열반에 들 때의 상황 등 구산 스님에 대한 이야기로 많은 지면을 할애하고 있어 지은이의 구산 스님에 대한 각별한 애정과 존경심을 느낄 수 있다.
목차
들어가는 말- 참선 생활과 믿음의 내용
이 책을 쓴 개인적 동기/ 절 생활과 깨달음의 내용/ 참선 이해의 현대적 가치/ 절 전통 연구의 한계/ 승려들의 유형/ 이 책의 기원
1. 한국의 현대 불교
한국의 초기 불교/ 비구승과 대처승의 갈등/ 광복 후의 개혁
2. 일정 계획과 연중 계획
예불/ 연중 계획/ 불교 행사/ 석가탄신일/ 설날 행사
3. 송광사와 구산스님
한국 절의 배치/ 송광사의 역사/ 구산 스님의 삶
4. 승려 생활의 첫 단계
출가 동기/ 행자/ 수계식/ 횐속/ 수계 후의 생활- 예불과 공부/ 운수행각/ 승복
5. 사판직
주지/ 행정승/ 후원의 승려들/ 공양/ 일꾼들/ 대중울력/ 들일/ 김장철/ 메주 만들기/ 과일 따기/ 별식/ 산불/ 건축 공사
6. 세속과의 관계
재가불자회의 초기 모델/ 불일회/ 현대 재가불자회의 모델/ 재가불자회의 장점
7. 한국의 참선 수행
화두 참구/ 현대의 참선 수행
8. 선방 수행
한국 불교 수행상 선방의 위치/ 현대 선방의 일과표/ 선방 입실/ 선방 묘사/ 선방 예절/ 선방 규정/ 잠/ 질병과 보약/ 목욕일/ 절에서의 탈출/ 격주법문/ 용맹정진/ 고행/ 생식/ 단식/ 장좌불와/ 묵언/ 연지/ 분신/ 기타 고행법/ 장기 안거/ 안거 끝
9. 선방의 직책승들
선원의 직책승/ 유나/ 입승과 청중/ 선방의 기타 직책승
=====
저자 및 역자소개
로버트 버스웰 (Robert E. Buswell, Jr) (지은이)
미국 캘리포니아대학교 버클리캠퍼스(UC Berkeley)를 졸업하고 같은 대학교 대학원에서 불교학으로 박사학위를 받았다. 캘리포니아대학교 로스앤젤레스캠퍼스(UCLA) 특훈교수(distinguished professor), 어빙 앤드 진 스톤 인문학 석좌교수, 불교학연구소 창립 소장으로 재직 중이다. UCLA 한국학연구소 창립 소장, 아시아학회(AAS) 회장, 동국대학교 초대 불교학술원장 등을 역임하였고, 만해 대상(학술부문)을 수상하였다.
김장 만들기, 메주 만들기, 과일따기 등 절에서의 식생활 해결 방법에 관한 부분과 선방의 일과표, 선방 예절, 선방 규정, 여러 고행법 등 선방 생활은 물론이고, 이러한 생활을 견디지 못해 절에서 탈출하는 승려의 이야기까지 자세히 적고 있다.
지은이는 불교 교학에 대한 연구도 중요하지만, 그것을 넘어 교학적 가르침이 실제로 현장에서 어떻게 수행되고 있는가 하는 문제가 더욱 중요하다고 말한다. 이 글을 쓴 목적도 실제로 선승들이 매일 무엇을 하며, 어떻게 실천적 종교 생활을 하고 있는가를 정확하게 전달하는 데 있다고 한다.
또한 구산 스님의 수행기와 그분이 열반에 들 때의 상황 등 구산 스님에 대한 이야기로 많은 지면을 할애하고 있어 지은이의 구산 스님에 대한 각별한 애정과 존경심을 느낄 수 있다.
목차
들어가는 말- 참선 생활과 믿음의 내용
이 책을 쓴 개인적 동기/ 절 생활과 깨달음의 내용/ 참선 이해의 현대적 가치/ 절 전통 연구의 한계/ 승려들의 유형/ 이 책의 기원
1. 한국의 현대 불교
한국의 초기 불교/ 비구승과 대처승의 갈등/ 광복 후의 개혁
2. 일정 계획과 연중 계획
예불/ 연중 계획/ 불교 행사/ 석가탄신일/ 설날 행사
3. 송광사와 구산스님
한국 절의 배치/ 송광사의 역사/ 구산 스님의 삶
4. 승려 생활의 첫 단계
출가 동기/ 행자/ 수계식/ 횐속/ 수계 후의 생활- 예불과 공부/ 운수행각/ 승복
5. 사판직
주지/ 행정승/ 후원의 승려들/ 공양/ 일꾼들/ 대중울력/ 들일/ 김장철/ 메주 만들기/ 과일 따기/ 별식/ 산불/ 건축 공사
6. 세속과의 관계
재가불자회의 초기 모델/ 불일회/ 현대 재가불자회의 모델/ 재가불자회의 장점
7. 한국의 참선 수행
화두 참구/ 현대의 참선 수행
8. 선방 수행
한국 불교 수행상 선방의 위치/ 현대 선방의 일과표/ 선방 입실/ 선방 묘사/ 선방 예절/ 선방 규정/ 잠/ 질병과 보약/ 목욕일/ 절에서의 탈출/ 격주법문/ 용맹정진/ 고행/ 생식/ 단식/ 장좌불와/ 묵언/ 연지/ 분신/ 기타 고행법/ 장기 안거/ 안거 끝
9. 선방의 직책승들
선원의 직책승/ 유나/ 입승과 청중/ 선방의 기타 직책승
=====
저자 및 역자소개
로버트 버스웰 (Robert E. Buswell, Jr) (지은이)
미국 캘리포니아대학교 버클리캠퍼스(UC Berkeley)를 졸업하고 같은 대학교 대학원에서 불교학으로 박사학위를 받았다. 캘리포니아대학교 로스앤젤레스캠퍼스(UCLA) 특훈교수(distinguished professor), 어빙 앤드 진 스톤 인문학 석좌교수, 불교학연구소 창립 소장으로 재직 중이다. UCLA 한국학연구소 창립 소장, 아시아학회(AAS) 회장, 동국대학교 초대 불교학술원장 등을 역임하였고, 만해 대상(학술부문)을 수상하였다.
The Korean Approach to Zen: The Collected Works of Chinul(Honolulu, 1983), The Formation of Ch’an Ideology in China and Korea(Princeton, 1989), Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul’s Korean Way of Zen(Honolulu, 1991), The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea(Princeton, 1992), Cultivating Original Enlightenment: W?nhyo’s Exposition of the Vajrasam?dhi-S?tra(Honolulu, 2007) 등의 저서와 Religions of Korea in Practice(Princeton, 2007), Currents and Counter currents: Korean Influences on the East Asian Buddhist Traditions(Honolulu, 2005) 등의 편저가 있다. 대표적 불교사전인 Encyclopedia of Buddhism(Macmillan Reference, 2004), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism(Princeton University Press, 2013) 등을 편찬하였다. 접기
최근작 : <중국과 한국의 선사상 형성>,<동아시아 속 한국 불교사상가>,<파란 눈 스님의 한국 선 수행기> … 총 6종 (모두보기)
김종명 (옮긴이)
서울대학교에서 유가공학 전공으로 학사학위와 석사학위를 받았다. 연세대학교에서 한국학으로 석사과정을 수료한 후, 미국 UCLA에서 한국학·불교학 전공으로 석사·박사학위를 받았다. 불교의례를 포함한 불교문화, 불교와 국가, 선사상 중심의 한국 불교학과 해외 한국학을 연구해오고 있다. 한국학중앙연구원 한국학대학원 교수, 한국연구재단 학술지평가위원, 동아시아불교문화학회 부회장으로 재직 중이다. 한국학중앙연구원 해외한국학연구소 창립소장직, 고전학연구소 소장직을 역임하고 청호불교복지대상(학술 부문), 불이상(학술 부문)을 수상했으며, Marquis Who’s Who in the World에 수차례 등재되었다.
최근작 : <중국과 한국의 선사상 형성>,<동아시아 속 한국 불교사상가>,<파란 눈 스님의 한국 선 수행기> … 총 6종 (모두보기)
김종명 (옮긴이)
서울대학교에서 유가공학 전공으로 학사학위와 석사학위를 받았다. 연세대학교에서 한국학으로 석사과정을 수료한 후, 미국 UCLA에서 한국학·불교학 전공으로 석사·박사학위를 받았다. 불교의례를 포함한 불교문화, 불교와 국가, 선사상 중심의 한국 불교학과 해외 한국학을 연구해오고 있다. 한국학중앙연구원 한국학대학원 교수, 한국연구재단 학술지평가위원, 동아시아불교문화학회 부회장으로 재직 중이다. 한국학중앙연구원 해외한국학연구소 창립소장직, 고전학연구소 소장직을 역임하고 청호불교복지대상(학술 부문), 불이상(학술 부문)을 수상했으며, Marquis Who’s Who in the World에 수차례 등재되었다.
저서로 『국왕의 불교관과 치국책』(한국학술정보, 2013), 『한국의 세계불교유산』(집문당, 2008), 『한국 중세의 불교의례』(문학과지성사, 2001), Korean Religions in Relation(공저, SUNY Press, 2016), Zen Buddhist Rhetoric in China, Korea, and Japan(공저, Brill, 2012), Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism(공저, SUNY Press, 2010), Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience(공저, Oxford University Press, 2008), Traditions and Traditional Theories(공저, LIT Verlag, 2006), Korea and Globalization(공저, RoutledgeCurzon, 2002) 등이 있고, Korean Studies, Korea Journal을 비롯한 다수의 국내외 학술지에 논문을 게재했다. 역서로는 『북종과 초기 선불교의 형성』(민족사, 2018), 『중국과 한국의 선사상 형성』(한국학중앙연구원출판부, 2015), 『파란 눈 스님의 한국선 수행기』(예문서원, 1999)가 있다. 접기
최근작 : <상원연등회와 중동팔관회>,<국왕의 불교관과 치국책>,<종교 근본주의> … 총 17종 (모두보기)
마이리뷰
외국인이 본 한국불교의 전통과 실제
얼마 전에 현각이란 법명을 쓰시는 폴 뮌젠 스님의 불교입문기가 베스트셀러가 되면서 불교에 대한 대중적 관심이 고조된 바가 있었다. 이 책은 원래 1992년 미국에서 출판된 책으로 한국 불교를 1970년대에 직접 체험했던 저자의 기록으로 현각의 이야기보다는 좀 더 객관적이고 세밀하다. 현각 스님의 책은 자신의 종교적 회심이란 사적인 면에 더 치중하고 있으니까... 그리고 숭산이란 자신의 스승을 한껏 치켜올리는데 열중하고 있으니까... 반면 저자 로버트 버스웰은 송광사 구산스님 밑에서 수행생활을 했지만 그와의 인연이 그리 큰 부분을 차지하지는 않는다.
그보다는 한국 불교의 특성과 전통, 그리고 실제적인 수행과 삶의 내용을 세밀하게 담고 있다. 현각의 책이 에세이 풍이라면 이 책은 설명문에 가깝고 선가의 관습과 직책, 수행의 구체적인 방법론들과 그 과정에서의 실제적인 일화들, 승려생활들의 요모조모등을 시시콜콜하게 담고 있다. 수행기라기 보다는 인류학적 보고서에 더 가까운 듯 하다.
간달프 2001-09-03 공감(3) 댓글(0)
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The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea Paperback – 15 December 1993
by Robert E Buswell (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
Robert Buswell, a Buddhist scholar who spent five years as a Zen monk in Korea, draws on personal experience in this insightful account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. In discussing the activities of the postulants, the meditation monks, the teachers and administrators, and the support monks of the monastery of Songgwang-sa, Buswell reveals a religious tradition that differs radically from the stereotype prevalent in the West. The author's treatment lucidly relates contemporary Zen practice to the historical development of the tradition and to Korean history more generally, and his portrayal of the life of modern Zen monks in Korea provides an innovative and provocative look at Zen from the inside.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1 edition (15 December 1993)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 out of 5 stars6 customer ratings
Product description
Review
A myth-shattering foray behind the walls of a Korean Zen Buddhist monastery.... Less the sound of one hand clapping than of hands, mind and heart working together to lead a sanctified life--and, as such, a sound corrective to Western misunderstandings about Zen.Kirkus Reviews is ... forged from own experience and practice.... He enlivens his study with a detailed personal account of his daily life at Songgwang-sa, one of Korea's main monasteries, and with wry humor.... This book should be read by anyone interested in the daily life of Zen training.Martine BatchelorTricycle: The Buddhist Review
From the Back Cover
Robert Buswell, a Buddhist scholar who spent five years as a Zen monk in Korea, draws on personal experience in this insightful account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. Buswell's depiction of Zen reveals a religious tradition that differs radically from the stereotype prevalent in the West. Westerners exposed to Zen through English-language materials have been offered a picture of an iconoclastic religion that is bibliophobic, institutionally subversive, aesthetically sophisticated, devoted to manual labor, and intent solely on sudden enlightenment. Its most revered teachers are depicted as torching their sacred religious icons, bullying their students into enlightenment, rejecting the value of all the scriptures of Buddhism, and even denying the worth of Zen itself. In discussing the activities of the postulants, the meditation monks, the teachers and administrators, and the support monks of Song-gwang-sa, a major Korean Buddhist monastery, Buswell challenges much of this picture. In the "counterparadigm" of Zen offered in the daily lives of the monks, Zen's putative iconoclasts are replaced by resolute members of a community dedicated to a methodical regimen of spiritual training. Zen's apparent bibliophobia pales to reveal contemplatives learned in classical Chinese and often having extensive experience in Buddhist seminaries. And the brash challenge allegedly made to systematizations of religion, even to Zen itself, fades before monks with strong faith in the arduous way of life they have undertaken. The author's treatment lucidly relates contemporary Zen practice to the historical development of the tradition and to Korean history more generally, and his intimate, sympatheticportrayal of the life of modern Zen monks in Korea provides an innovative and provocative look at Zen from the inside.
About the Author
Robert E. Buswell, Jr., is Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Director of the Center for Korean Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among his other works is The Formation of Ch'an Ideology in China and Korea (Princeton).
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Top international reviews
M
5.0 out of 5 stars informative
Reviewed in Canada on 21 March 2018
Good book, informative. Recommend reading in the rain or stay well hydrated, its a bit dry.
Lily Penny
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, I loved it
Reviewed in the United States on 20 April 2010
Robert Buswell crafts the book "The Zen Monastic Experience" from a combination of research and personal experience in order to shed light on the monastic life and communities of Korea. He gives historic accounts and research interspersed with anecdotes from his own years spent as a monk in the Korean monastery Songgwang-sa. While this book may at first appear to be a written construct of Buswell's historical and ethnographic research, there is revealed an underlying motive to change contemporary Western views of Zen. Buswell uses Korean Buddhism as an example against typical Western thought on the topic, and states in his conclusion, "Modern Son monastic life in Korea therefore offers a valuable counterparadigm to the usual Western portrayals of Zen, an alternative vision that yields quite a different picture of the day-to-day reality of Zen religious experience from that to which we in the West have become accustomed" (Buswell 223). He spends the book explaining his research on the topic and giving a full view of everything about Korean monastic life. In his conclusion he shows some of the disparities between typical Western thought and the Buddhism he has showed in the preceding pages. He argues for a "reappraisal of Zen religious experience" (Buswell 217).
Buswell's combination of research and personal experience makes this book both profoundly informative and entertaining. For every description he gives of a Son practice or monastic tradition, he has a story to illustrate the point more fully. This makes the book suitable for many audiences; it provides the accurate ethnographic and historical research a scholar would require as well as the interesting personalities that would make the book great for even an everyday reader. For example, when describing the different administrative positions within the monasteries, he gives both detailed information about what the job entails as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the politics surrounding it. After describing the position of Abbot, he mentions that because of the heavy workload involved, the monks often have to "cajole someone into accepting the job" (Buswell 109). Later when talking about the intensive meditation week that is practiced during the winter retreat, he describes the occurrence through his own experience. He provides the reader with insight into not only the details of practice, but the effects it had on the practitioner. He says at the end of his talk about intensive meditation, "Then it really was quite remarkable how effective - even almost refreshing, in a bizarre sort of way - such intensive practice could be" (Buswell 189). It is this mixture of information and experience that makes the book so different and compelling to read.
It is precisely this strength that I believe leads to the major drawback of the work. Because he is mixing together several different sources of information, he ends up jumping from topic to topic with little organization. To be fair, strong organization would certainly be difficult in such a work, but the lack of coherency in places leads to confusion and slight frustration while reading. For example, he places the chapters involving administrative officers of the "Support Division" and involving the "Officers of the Meditation Compound" with several other chapters about relations with the laity, history, and practice in between. It was rather confusing to read because just when you thought you had learned about all of the different positions in the monastery, there was an entire chapter left to go. It also felt out of place to have the chapters about the actual monastic practice come before the listings of the different positions because those positions had already been mentioned several times before, and you almost had to skip ahead to find out more about them. This disorganization, however, was the only drawback to the book; overall I found the work extremely informative and enchanting to read.
2 people found this helpful
--
Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars It wasn't a bad book, I just didn't enjoy it
Reviewed in the United States on 24 May 2017
Required reading for my history class. It wasn't a bad book, I just didn't enjoy it.
One person found this helpful
--
Juri Christensen
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interest insight into the everyday Zen life
Reviewed in the United States on 4 October 2010
It has been some years since I read this book, bit I still remember it ag giving a very interesting insigth into the Korean monestary life. I would recomend it. Love,
최근작 : <상원연등회와 중동팔관회>,<국왕의 불교관과 치국책>,<종교 근본주의> … 총 17종 (모두보기)
마이리뷰
외국인이 본 한국불교의 전통과 실제
얼마 전에 현각이란 법명을 쓰시는 폴 뮌젠 스님의 불교입문기가 베스트셀러가 되면서 불교에 대한 대중적 관심이 고조된 바가 있었다. 이 책은 원래 1992년 미국에서 출판된 책으로 한국 불교를 1970년대에 직접 체험했던 저자의 기록으로 현각의 이야기보다는 좀 더 객관적이고 세밀하다. 현각 스님의 책은 자신의 종교적 회심이란 사적인 면에 더 치중하고 있으니까... 그리고 숭산이란 자신의 스승을 한껏 치켜올리는데 열중하고 있으니까... 반면 저자 로버트 버스웰은 송광사 구산스님 밑에서 수행생활을 했지만 그와의 인연이 그리 큰 부분을 차지하지는 않는다.
그보다는 한국 불교의 특성과 전통, 그리고 실제적인 수행과 삶의 내용을 세밀하게 담고 있다. 현각의 책이 에세이 풍이라면 이 책은 설명문에 가깝고 선가의 관습과 직책, 수행의 구체적인 방법론들과 그 과정에서의 실제적인 일화들, 승려생활들의 요모조모등을 시시콜콜하게 담고 있다. 수행기라기 보다는 인류학적 보고서에 더 가까운 듯 하다.
간달프 2001-09-03 공감(3) 댓글(0)
Thanks to
공감
---------------
The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea Paperback – 15 December 1993
by Robert E Buswell (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
Robert Buswell, a Buddhist scholar who spent five years as a Zen monk in Korea, draws on personal experience in this insightful account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. In discussing the activities of the postulants, the meditation monks, the teachers and administrators, and the support monks of the monastery of Songgwang-sa, Buswell reveals a religious tradition that differs radically from the stereotype prevalent in the West. The author's treatment lucidly relates contemporary Zen practice to the historical development of the tradition and to Korean history more generally, and his portrayal of the life of modern Zen monks in Korea provides an innovative and provocative look at Zen from the inside.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1 edition (15 December 1993)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 out of 5 stars6 customer ratings
Product description
Review
A myth-shattering foray behind the walls of a Korean Zen Buddhist monastery.... Less the sound of one hand clapping than of hands, mind and heart working together to lead a sanctified life--and, as such, a sound corrective to Western misunderstandings about Zen.Kirkus Reviews is ... forged from own experience and practice.... He enlivens his study with a detailed personal account of his daily life at Songgwang-sa, one of Korea's main monasteries, and with wry humor.... This book should be read by anyone interested in the daily life of Zen training.Martine BatchelorTricycle: The Buddhist Review
From the Back Cover
Robert Buswell, a Buddhist scholar who spent five years as a Zen monk in Korea, draws on personal experience in this insightful account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. Buswell's depiction of Zen reveals a religious tradition that differs radically from the stereotype prevalent in the West. Westerners exposed to Zen through English-language materials have been offered a picture of an iconoclastic religion that is bibliophobic, institutionally subversive, aesthetically sophisticated, devoted to manual labor, and intent solely on sudden enlightenment. Its most revered teachers are depicted as torching their sacred religious icons, bullying their students into enlightenment, rejecting the value of all the scriptures of Buddhism, and even denying the worth of Zen itself. In discussing the activities of the postulants, the meditation monks, the teachers and administrators, and the support monks of Song-gwang-sa, a major Korean Buddhist monastery, Buswell challenges much of this picture. In the "counterparadigm" of Zen offered in the daily lives of the monks, Zen's putative iconoclasts are replaced by resolute members of a community dedicated to a methodical regimen of spiritual training. Zen's apparent bibliophobia pales to reveal contemplatives learned in classical Chinese and often having extensive experience in Buddhist seminaries. And the brash challenge allegedly made to systematizations of religion, even to Zen itself, fades before monks with strong faith in the arduous way of life they have undertaken. The author's treatment lucidly relates contemporary Zen practice to the historical development of the tradition and to Korean history more generally, and his intimate, sympatheticportrayal of the life of modern Zen monks in Korea provides an innovative and provocative look at Zen from the inside.
About the Author
Robert E. Buswell, Jr., is Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Director of the Center for Korean Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among his other works is The Formation of Ch'an Ideology in China and Korea (Princeton).
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Top international reviews
M
5.0 out of 5 stars informative
Reviewed in Canada on 21 March 2018
Good book, informative. Recommend reading in the rain or stay well hydrated, its a bit dry.
Lily Penny
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, I loved it
Reviewed in the United States on 20 April 2010
Robert Buswell crafts the book "The Zen Monastic Experience" from a combination of research and personal experience in order to shed light on the monastic life and communities of Korea. He gives historic accounts and research interspersed with anecdotes from his own years spent as a monk in the Korean monastery Songgwang-sa. While this book may at first appear to be a written construct of Buswell's historical and ethnographic research, there is revealed an underlying motive to change contemporary Western views of Zen. Buswell uses Korean Buddhism as an example against typical Western thought on the topic, and states in his conclusion, "Modern Son monastic life in Korea therefore offers a valuable counterparadigm to the usual Western portrayals of Zen, an alternative vision that yields quite a different picture of the day-to-day reality of Zen religious experience from that to which we in the West have become accustomed" (Buswell 223). He spends the book explaining his research on the topic and giving a full view of everything about Korean monastic life. In his conclusion he shows some of the disparities between typical Western thought and the Buddhism he has showed in the preceding pages. He argues for a "reappraisal of Zen religious experience" (Buswell 217).
Buswell's combination of research and personal experience makes this book both profoundly informative and entertaining. For every description he gives of a Son practice or monastic tradition, he has a story to illustrate the point more fully. This makes the book suitable for many audiences; it provides the accurate ethnographic and historical research a scholar would require as well as the interesting personalities that would make the book great for even an everyday reader. For example, when describing the different administrative positions within the monasteries, he gives both detailed information about what the job entails as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the politics surrounding it. After describing the position of Abbot, he mentions that because of the heavy workload involved, the monks often have to "cajole someone into accepting the job" (Buswell 109). Later when talking about the intensive meditation week that is practiced during the winter retreat, he describes the occurrence through his own experience. He provides the reader with insight into not only the details of practice, but the effects it had on the practitioner. He says at the end of his talk about intensive meditation, "Then it really was quite remarkable how effective - even almost refreshing, in a bizarre sort of way - such intensive practice could be" (Buswell 189). It is this mixture of information and experience that makes the book so different and compelling to read.
It is precisely this strength that I believe leads to the major drawback of the work. Because he is mixing together several different sources of information, he ends up jumping from topic to topic with little organization. To be fair, strong organization would certainly be difficult in such a work, but the lack of coherency in places leads to confusion and slight frustration while reading. For example, he places the chapters involving administrative officers of the "Support Division" and involving the "Officers of the Meditation Compound" with several other chapters about relations with the laity, history, and practice in between. It was rather confusing to read because just when you thought you had learned about all of the different positions in the monastery, there was an entire chapter left to go. It also felt out of place to have the chapters about the actual monastic practice come before the listings of the different positions because those positions had already been mentioned several times before, and you almost had to skip ahead to find out more about them. This disorganization, however, was the only drawback to the book; overall I found the work extremely informative and enchanting to read.
2 people found this helpful
--
Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars It wasn't a bad book, I just didn't enjoy it
Reviewed in the United States on 24 May 2017
Required reading for my history class. It wasn't a bad book, I just didn't enjoy it.
One person found this helpful
--
Juri Christensen
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interest insight into the everyday Zen life
Reviewed in the United States on 4 October 2010
It has been some years since I read this book, bit I still remember it ag giving a very interesting insigth into the Korean monestary life. I would recomend it. Love,
rdv
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 9 February 2016
Very good and informative; nice reading.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 9 February 2016
Very good and informative; nice reading.
