Writings of Korean Seon Masters Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism

Writings of Korean Seon Masters 

 

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Writings of Korean Seon Masters
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No Subject / TopicRead23 The Great Seon Masters of Korea

The objective of publishing the Great Seon Masters of Korea(planned by the Bureau of Missionary Work of the Jogye Order of in 2006) was to introduce the lives and Dharma talks of the great Seon Masters of Korea to the Western world that is mostly not familiar with them. Twnety-five Seon Masters are introduced, starting with the most venerable priests, such as Wonhyo, Euisang, Doui, Jinul, Bo-u, Hyujeong, and the recent great Seon Master Seongcheol. It would be futile to attempt to introduce Korean Buddhism to the world without introducing the great tradition of these great Masters. 10,038
22 Wake up and Laugh

“Wake up! Stop being deceived by your attachments, fears, and dualistic thinking. The truth you are searching for already exists everywhere in your daily life. When you realize this, you’ll laugh until your sides hurt at how much effort you spent to discover that you are yourself!” The wisdom and deep compassion of one of Korea’s foremost Seon(Zen) Masters shines throughout the five Dharma talks that comprise Wake Up and Laugh. With clear insight, Seon Master Daehaeng emphasizes the role of our fundamental mind, our Buddha-nature, across a wide range of topics from family and business problems to death and mental illness. The act of letting go and entrusting, combined with observing and applying what we learn when we allow this letting go to happen, form the cor.. 9,172
21 No River to Cross

No River to CrossTrusting the Enlightenment that’s Always Right HereSoen Master Daehaeng, AuthorIt is often said that enlightenment means "crossing over to the other shore," that far-off place where we can at last be free from suffering. Likewise, it is said that Buddhist teachings are the raft that takes us there. In this sparkling collection from one of the most vital teachers of modern Korean Buddhism, Seon Master Daehaeng shows us that there is no raft to find and, truly, no river to cross. She extends her hand to the Western reader, beckoning each of us into the unfailing wisdom accessible right now, the enlightenment that is always, already, right here. A Seon (Zen) master with impeccable credentials, Daehaeng has developed a refreshing approach; No.. 12,387
20 The Collected Writings of Gyeongheo

This two-volume set (A prose collection & A collection of poems) is the compiled writings of the great Seon master Gyeongheo (1846~1912). He revive the Seon meditation tradition when it was in turmoil. He established Seon meditation halls at such temples as Cheonjangsa Temple, Sudeoksa Temple, Beomeosa Temple, Hainsa Temple, Songgwangsa Temple, and Hwaeomsa Temple. His disciples (Mangong, Hyewol, Suwol, Hanam, among others) also became great masters, continuing the pure lineage of Seon. This collection includes public teachings, letters, and poems compiled by Mangong Sunim... 12,146
19 Currents And Countercurrents Korean Influences On The East A…

Soon after the inception of Buddhism in the sixth or fifth century B.C.E., the Buddha ordered his small band of monks to wander forth for the welfare and weal of the many, a command that initiated one of the greatest missionary movements in world religious history. But this account of a monolithic missionary movement spreading outward from the Buddhist homeland of India across the Asian continent is just one part of the story. The case of East Asian Buddhism suggests another tale, one in which the dominant eastward current of diffusion creates important eddies, or countercurrents, of influence that redound back toward the center. These countercurrents have had significant, even profound, impact on neighboring traditions. In East Asia perhaps the most important countercurrent of i.. 9,656
18 Thousand Peaks Korean Zen - Tradition and Teachers

THOUSAND PEAKS is the first comprehensive history in English of the rich tradition of Korean Seon, little known in the West but one of the few living links with the vigorous, ancient schools of Chinese Chan... 17,285
17 Living Peace Poetic Reflections of a Korean Zen Master

Living Peace is the first English translation of Zen Master Kyunghoon Sunim’s extensive body of poetry. It contains 57 of his most loved poems, as well as insightful commentary from Zen monk Hyedang Sunim. The poems are artfully rendered into English by Banyahaeng Chookyung Lee. An elegantly designed, spiritually inviting book, Living Peace introduces the voice of a contemporary Zen master to the English-speaking world. As the title suggests, the book invites us to step away from a life often fragmented by desire and enter instead a life rooted in the principles of Zen Buddhism. Thoughtful and eloquent, Kyunghoon Sunim’s poems remind us that the place of peace is not distant from us, but here, awaiting only our discovery. This book is part of the "Voices from Korea" .. 13,941
16 Diamond Sutra Transforming the Way We Perceive the World

In this brilliant new translation and commentary on The Diamond Sutra—one of the sublime wisdom teachings of Mahayana Buddhism—Mu Soeng integrates this ancient wisdom teaching with current scientific and psychological thought. His clear and readable commentary traces the connections between these teachings and contemporary theories of quantum reality, explores the sutra within the framework of Buddhist meditation practices, and provides a comprehensive historical survey of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Mu Soeng’’s goal throughout is to reveal the inspiration and wisdom of The Diamond Sutra to today’’s reader in an accessible, engaging, and modern manner... 13,950
15 A Buddha from Korea The Zen Teachings of T’aego

A Buddha from Korea is intended to open a window on Zen Buddhism in old Korea. The book centers on a translation of teachings of the great fourteenth-century Korean Zen adept known as T’aego, who was the leading representative of Zen in his own time and place. This is an account of Zen Buddhism direct from an authentic source. Customer Review from Amazon.com Brilliant translation of a neglected Zen master, January 24, 2004 Reviewer: a reader (Decatur, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews Prior to this translation, not much was known in the English-speakin.. 18,329
14 Korean Temple Motifs Beautiful Symbols of the Buddhist Faith

At large temple sites, there are usually small and large gatehouses from the main entrance to the temple building, with bells, pagodas, temples, images of Buddha and various decorative emblems seen here and there. Their purpose is not just limited to decorating the temple but they aspire to praise the virtuous deeds of Buddha and realize his ideal world filled with goodness and beauty in a sublime way. This book explains the symbolic significance of varied temple ornaments and decorative emblems that were created from religious yearning towards Buddha and aesthetic sense of the past. It explores the religious yearnings found in varied emblems and ornaments which come in the form of lotus flower, dragon, turtle, lion, fish and so on and takes a fresh look at their beauty. Thes.. 12,866
13 The Path of Compassion The Bodhisattva Precepts

A translation of the Chinese text, the Brahmajala Sutra. This a fundamental text for Chinese, Korean and Japanese Buddhists in the East and West and demonstrates an ancient ground for socially engaged Buddhism... 8,748
12 Meditation for Life
Meditation is more than staring at your navel. It is a way of transforming life from the inside out. Former Buddhist nun Martine Batchelor knows this from a decade spent in a Zen monastery. Combining theory and practice, Batchelor transforms her own meditation experience into a manual that echoes the simple elegance of Zen. Ten chapters focus on different aspects of meditation, and each is broken down into background, practice, and a final guided meditation. For example, the chapter on daily life first explains the difference between formal and informal meditation, then discusses the many opportunities for informal meditation and how we can learn from those experiences. In the "Practice" section of the chapter, Batchelor offers specific methods for informal meditation, .. 14,044
11 Mind Only Essence of Zen

With so many books available in today’s spiritual supermarket offering advice and guidance, it’s hard to know what is genuine and what is not. Mind Only combines beautiful photographic images of historic Korean Temples with selected teachings, aphorisms and poems of renowned Zen masters to present an authentic portrait of the Korean Zen tradition. Zen was first introduced to the Korean peninsula directly from T’ang China during the 7th Century which means that Zen in Korea considerably pre-dates its better known Japanese counterpart. During its 1400-year history, the down-to-earth but hitherto largely unrecognized Korean Zen tradition has produced a plethora of eminent Zen masters. The provocative and insightful sayings of these great teachers are a delightful counterpoint to the.. 15,221
10 Empty house Zen masters and temples of Korea

Empty House explores the origins of Korean Zen and traces its history as a living tradition up to the present day. Whilst Chinese Zen was effectively wiped out by the Cultural Revolution, the Korean tradition maintains the original vigorous teaching style of the Lin Chi school... 16,840
9 Opening the Eye

Dharma messages by Ven. SongChol, Korean Jogye Zen Master and Patriarch Translated by Brian Barry Korean Buddhist thought maintains the belief that meditation is an effective means to reaching enlightenment. Monk Song Chol is one of the meditation promoters with his famous question of "Who Am I"? If you keep on asking that question over and over, according to him, you will be able to attain "the eye that sees everything clearly" and reach the level to realize that "Mountains are mountains and water is water," another famous phrase coined by the great master. Song Chol is also famous for his practice of asceticism. The objects he left when he died in 1993 at age 82 were only a ragged robe, a pair of glasses and some books. While living as a monk f.. 18,819

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Bhikkhu Anālayo and Mu Soeng: A Conversation on Study, Practice, and Monastic Life

Bhikkhu Anālayo and Mu Soeng: A Conversation on Study, Practice, and Monastic Life


Bhikkhu Anālayo and Mu Soeng: A Conversation on Study, Practice, and Monastic LifeInterview
Bhikkhu Anālayo and Mu Soeng
2021



Bhikkhu Anālayo is a scholar-monk and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, such as Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide. He is a Faculty Member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, where he has been in residence, since 2017, having retired from being a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg. His main area of academic research is early Buddhism, with a special interest in the topics of meditation and women in Buddhism. At the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, he regularly teaches residential study & practice courses, participates in online programs, and undertakes research into meditation-related themes. You can find links to Bhikkhu Anālayo’s freely offered teachings and guided meditations, as well as a list of his publications, here.

Mu Soeng is Scholar Emeritus at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, where he served as administrative director, program director, and as faculty member for almost thirty years. He trained in the (Korean) Zen tradition and was a monk for eleven years. Mu Soeng is the author of Thousand Peaks: Korean Zen (Tradition and Teachers); The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World; Trust in Mind: The Rebellion of Chinese Zen; The Heart of the Universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra; and most recently, The Question of King Ajātasattu: Fractured Narratives of the Samaññaphala Sutta; he is also co-author of Older and Wiser: Classical Buddhist Teachings on Aging, Sickness, and Death.

A pdf version of this interview can be downloaded here.

Mu Soeng: Bhante, you have chosen to live in a way that is not common, even among Western Buddhist monastics: six months each year you are on silent retreat; the other six months you are on silent retreat five days a week, speaking with others only in an arranged meeting the other two days; devoting yourself intensively to scholarship during those days when you are not in retreat; eating only one meal a day; not eating or drinking anything other than water for the rest of the day; not traveling around, but staying in your cottage at BCBS. Can you share with the readers of the Insight Journal your inspiration for doing this?

Bhikkhu Anālayo: I think this is pretty much the traditional way of life among forest monastics in Asian traditions, that is, giving all priority to meditation practice and adopting some of the ascetic practices that suit one, such as taking only a single meal. Actually, I know several monks in Sri Lanka who live in a way that is considerably more austere than myself.

For example, some monastics follow the sitter’s practice, committing not to lie down to take a rest. I have friends who have done that for months, something I would not be able to do for more than a single night, I think. Another of my monk friends likes to spend the night in cemeteries, and those cemeteries in Asia are wilder and more challenging than what we have here in the West. Another very impressive monk, who recently passed away, lived all the time in the forest, accepting only huts that had three walls rather than four. He wanted to stay in continuous contact with the forest. When I asked him about mosquitoes (as he did not use a mosquito net), he just looked at me and said: “After about three years, you won’t feel them anymore!” Well, I admit I still keep using mosquito nets and repellants; three years of patiently bearing up with being bitten all the time were a bit too much for me. So, I do not think there is anything particularly special in how I live; there are plenty of others who are much more impressive in this respect.

Actually, eating only one meal each day, or at least adopting intermittent fasting by not taking food from noon until the following morning, is very useful for meditation practice and also for health.

The pattern of five days of meditation per week is a real luxury, and I am so grateful to the board, staff, and supporters of BCBS for making this possible. I have, throughout my monastic life, tried to make sure that I spend enough time in meditation, simply because I know my mind really needs a lot of practice to get out of all of its unwholesome patterns. Back in Sri Lanka I would dedicate half the day to my studies and communications with others (those days we fortunately did not yet have email and the other time-consuming communications we have now), then retreat and spend the other half in silent practice. Later, when coming to the West, I was able to do three consecutive days every week in silent practice, eventually building up to four, and now it is five days a week. It is such a boon, and I can see how it really benefits me and helps me to better support others in my teaching and other activity. The more I can clear out my defilements, the more compassionate and open I can be when sharing the practice with yogis. This is one of the things that I feel is sometimes missing in the West, a clear awareness of the need to dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to silent formal practice as much as possible.

Mu Soeng: Do you have any thoughts about how your chosen lifestyle may resonate with Buddhist practitioners in the West?

Bhikkhu Anālayo: The lifestyle as such is simply what fits my own personal situation. However, I do hope that my enthusiasm for mindfulness, be it in daily life or formal meditation, will inspire others. This is a lifelong love affair; sati is such an extraordinary and transformative quality. The more time we can be with her (sati is feminine in Pāli), the happier we live and the more beneficial it will be for all those who come in contact with us.

In my understanding of the teachings, mindfulness is really a key discovery of the Buddha. Of course, the groundwork in morality must be in place, but an emphasis on ethical conduct was already there in the ancient Indian setting. The Buddha’s innovation was to direct attention to the mind as the source of moral conduct. Another important ingredient is concentration, but that also was something known and practiced before the advent of the Buddha; the absorptions and the immaterial spheres were clearly already being attained by others. This is evident, for example, in the description that the future Buddha developed deep attainments of the third and fourth immaterial spheres under two ancient Indian teachers. The key contribution by him, as far as I can see, is the cultivation of liberating wisdom, which is intrinsically interrelated with mindfulness practice. The potential of mindfulness to be liberating appears to have been a central discovery of the Buddha. It is by learning to remain aware and watch, recognize, and acknowledge, that our wisdom deepens and gradually leads us to ever increasing levels of freedom. So, I do hope that my wholehearted dedication to mindfulness will rub off on others.

Mu Soeng: Your chosen lifestyle is one of living with the bare minimum but you are also a teacher in a culture that makes the pursuit of gratification almost mandatory as a definition of a “good life.” How do you advise others in negotiating this conundrum?

Bhikkhu Anālayo: You are quite right about the general orientation of our culture, but in view of climate change there is a dire need to revise that. The way we live now on this planet is going to lead to the extinction of humanity unless we quite radically change our pursuit of gratification and learn to conceive of the “good life” in different terms. The earth is not able to sustain the rapacious greed of our consumerist society. As the Dalai Lama rightly said: “This planet is our only home.” There is no alternative. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we all find ways of bringing an element of renunciation into our lives. That need not be as radical as the lifestyle adopted by forest monastics. But each of us can take a step in that direction, realizing that we all have a responsibility toward the future. We cannot pass on this environment in a condition that makes it impossible for our children and grandchildren to live a happy life. On top of that there is the drastic inequality in the distribution of wealth and means to make a livelihood in the world. This makes it all the more important that we reorient ourselves, that we value renunciation over consumerism.

Mu Soeng: As a scholar-monk, you work in a highly specialized area of comparing Pāli Nikāyas and Chinese Āgamas. How would you describe the value of this specialization to an average Buddhist practitioner in the West?

Bhikkhu Anālayo: This is a topic that I have to some extent tried to express in my recent book on Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions. The main point is that pretty much all Buddhist traditions believe they are the true heirs of the historical Buddha. Since they hold quite different views, however, it seems that not all such claims can be true. So the question arises: What did the historical Buddha actually teach? In order to answer that question, the most promising approach is to rely on the modes of knowledge production that we have developed in Western academia. Just as a comparison of the Gospels can bring us closer in time to the life of Jesus, so a comparison of different orally transmitted textual recordings of teachings by the Buddha and his disciples can bring us closer to them in time.

These teachings were originally given orally and at those times they did not use writing, so the teachings were passed on from generation to generation by oral transmission. One such lineage of transmission reached Sri Lanka in a language called Pali. Other such lineages went from India to Central Asia, some of which we can access in fragments in Sanskrit or in a language called Gandhari. Still others survive in Chinese and Tibetan translation. Discourses extant in this way are equal testimonies to the earliest period of Buddhist thought that we can still access nowadays. Comparing the different versions of a particular teaching helps to discern what is earlier and what is later, and thereby improves our understanding of the early stages in the development of Buddhism. This provides an important backdrop for our own personal understanding and practice.

It does not mean that only what is early should be accepted; that would be absurd. There is so much beauty in later Buddhist traditions, so much of value and benefit. The point is that the historical perspective enables us to contextualize things, to understand them better. This in turn facilitates holding whatever tradition or practice we have adopted in a light manner, without clinging to it and without assuming that only we got it right and others must all have gotten it wrong.

The key throughout is non-identification, I think. We do what we have chosen to do, but no need to make a production out of it, to create a sense of superiority over others. The tool for putting that into practice, of course, is none other than … mindfulness.



If you found this article helpful, please consider supporting the work of BCBS.


Insight Journal


2021



In this volume:


Reflections on Nibbana

By Joseph Goldstein

ARTICLE


The Interplay Between Meditation Theory and Practice

By Bhikkhu Anālayo

ARTICLE


Grieving for the Buddha: Three Cambodian Songs

By Trent Walker

ARTICLE


Friendship, the Whole of Life Well-lived

By Janet Surrey and Charles Hallisey

ARTICLE


Technologies of Transformation: The Power of Spiritual Autobiography

By Lama Liz Monson and Sarah Fleming

INTERVIEW


Bhikkhu Anālayo and Mu Soeng: A Conversation on Study, Practice, and Monastic Life

By Bhikkhu Anālayo and Mu Soeng

INTERVIEW


The Ibex Sutra

By Mu Soeng

ARTICLE


Narratives of Grief, Narratives of Care

By Sarah Fleming

ARTICLE


Honoring Our Ancestors: A Buddhist Response to Anti-Asian Violence

By Chenxing Han

ARTICLE


A Country Called Witness

By Georgia Kashnig

ARTICLE


An Excerpt from Storied Companions

By Dr. Karen Derris

ARTICLE


Into the Heart of Suffering: Lessons From the Story of the Tigress

By Bill Crane

ARTICLE


Practice for Self, Practice for Others: A Prison Minister’s Reflections on Faith and Freedom

By Myokei Caine-Barrett

ARTICLE


The Best Buddhist Story: Yasodhara’s Love and Loss

By Vanessa R. Sasson

ARTICLE


Wings of Wisdom and Compassion: Lessons of Freedom from Japanese American Internment in WWII

By Duncan Ryūken Williams

INTERVIEW


Sense Restraint in Daily Life: Recommendations from a Health Behavior Change Perspective

By Curtis Breslin

ARTICLE


The Idea of Dhammadāna

By Bhikkhu Anālayo

ARTICLE



All issues:

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Dharma for Sale - Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

Dharma for Sale - Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

Dharma for Sale


Contributing editor Tracy Cochran speaks with Buddhist scholar Mu Soeng about the danger of selling the dharma.By TricycleWINTER 2005

One Saturday afternoon in December, Mu Soeng, the longtime co-director and now resident scholar at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts, walks down a street in Manhattan, talking about the sheer force of American corporate capitalism and consumer culture. This is like talking about the weather in the middle of a hurricane, because at this particular moment we are threading our way through a tide of Christmas shoppers surging into the side streets from the megastores on Sixth Avenue, and pooling around the entrance to the open-air antique and flea market at Twenty-sixth Street.



Mu Soeng, who trained in the Korean Zen tradition and was a monk for eleven years, speaks of the Zen image of the old man entering the marketplace after his enlightenment: the old man’s hands are empty, and his expression is jolly and free. This is the surprise ending of some versions of the Oxherding Pictures, a traditional Zen guide to awakening told in drawings.

“He bestows blessings with empty hands,” explains Mu Soeng. “He doesn’t try to grasp anything. He wants nothing. He carries nothing.”

“Prada! Gucci! Right here! Fourth floor!” yells a young man who is balancing on a brass fire hydrant, the better to be heard.Libby Vigeon

Mu Soeng, the author of poetic and incisive commentaries on the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and most recently the beloved seventh-century Chinese Zen poemHsin Shin Ming (Trust in Mind), has spent the day teaching a workshop on the Heart Sutra in the serene sanctuary of the New York Insight Meditation Center, only to emerge into the marketplace at its most elemental.

“I think it would be possible to live like a kind of hermit here,” he says with a smile. “Not easy, but possible.”

New York has hermits, we think. New York is a river of human possibility. On any given day, you can see isolation and celebration, heartbreak and joy, anger and generosity, poverty and wealth, flowing past in quick succession. What you don’t see very often are willingly, reposefully empty hands. This is the world capital of finance and marketing, of grasping and longing, of materialism. Even the destitute here push shopping carts piled high with stuff. The Twenty-sixth Street flea market we pass charges admission just to browse.

I am with Mu Soeng because writings and remarks he has made in an article about the last presidential election recall the revolutionary spirit that prevailed in the earliest days of the tradition—and in the earliest days of Buddhism in America. He has written about how Buddhists, especially Buddhist teachers, can live skillfully in a culture dominated by a “corporate oligarchy” driven by “predatory greed.” His views recall a time when practice felt like a subversive act because it was sacred—set apart, beyond price. We settle in a quiet cafe and talk.

—Tracy Cochran

You have said that Buddhists, especially Buddhist teachers, have no choice but to be outsiders, willing to speak the truth at all costs, and you have implied that Buddhist communities in America are in a state of decline. What I have tried to say is that very few places or teachers seem to be interested in the teaching of liberation. In most places, Buddhism is in danger of becoming another consumer item.

How so? Teachers live in the marketplace, like the rest of us. They know how the game is played, and at a very unconscious level, at least, they want to play that game. Many of them have spent their lives in dharma communities and they seek the approval of their peers, yet they also want the success, the rewards, that our materialistic culture has to offer. In the end, many of them allow themselves to succumb to marketplace dynamics. They have to promote their books and attract students, so it becomes a celebrity game, because celebrity brings attention, it brings money, and it satisfies people. It’s human nature to want to say “my students” and to have a lot of students. Most people forget that they began practicing for the sake of liberation. Teachers may now be playing the student game, the numbers game, the celebrity game.

There is a famous teaching story. In the 1880s there was a monk who was so dedicated to liberation that he had the meditation hall of his monastery out over a sea cliff, and he had a hole cut in the floor so there was a sheer drop onto the rocks below. He was very respected for his sincerity, and many people would come for seven-day retreats. The rules were very strict; people could not lie down during those seven days. Two trained monks guarded the door so people couldn’t leave. The monk would sit there watching twenty-four hours a day, and when he saw people nodding off, he would shout, “Wake up! Wake up! This is precious time!” Once in a while, when someone kept falling asleep, he would get up from his cushion and drag the person over to this trap door, open it, and just hang him upside down. That was his way of waking people up. I don’t know if it’s true, but the legend is that sometimes he would let somebody go. From his vast knowledge, he would see that they would not wake up in this lifetime.

Libby Vigeon

I don’t think this approach would attract many people in America, nor does it seem at all a realistic one in our culture. But it was ahighly respectable one in Korean society within the context of Buddhist practice. This kind of unflinching and uncompromising commitment to practice was expected. The teacher was putting himself on the line to do his job. When you’re working with that kind of pure motivation, it doesn’t matter if you have many students or if you’re working alone. But everybody in America seems to want to become a teacher in the shortest possible time. Then the competition begins for students and all the means to get students—centers, books, media engagements—and this takes away from the purity of the motivation. In ancient times, a person would become a monk and stay a monk for fifty years and not bother about being a teacher. Out of ten thousand monks, one teacher might emerge. Here, out of ten students there will be one teacher.

The hard reality, though, is that the centers have to raise money to survive, and in the thick of whatever else may be arising, there is still a genuine motivation to spread the dharma. This is true. But some of them get caught up with getting media attention, and it’s very sad to see what happens to them. They get caught up in a desire for fame and for the wealth and comfort that comes with it.

Getting caught up, as you say, with establishing a bourgeois version of a Buddhist lifestyle is just another way of being manipulated by the system. It’s like an addiction, though, isn’t it? It is. American Buddhists have brought a very sophisticated understanding of psychology, cognitive science, physics, to Buddhist practice. Yet we may not have paid sufficient attention to our personal greed, hatred, and delusion.

What do you think in your own background has contributed to your view? I grew up in Delhi, in India, in a middle-class, devout orthodox Hindu family. But at a very early age I had some insight into the hypocrisy of the bourgeois society all around me, and that sense of disappointment has never left me. Indian people can be very materialistic. I was influenced by Marx and the existentialist thinkers as a teenager, and these influences segued into my Buddhist practice. I am very conscious of the way that bourgeois society co-opts everything it comes in contact with.

What brought you to the U.S.? I came here in 1969 because a close friend was coming to New York. We had thought of getting a car and traveling all around, and then I was going to go to Europe and enroll in a university. Once I got here, I was completely fascinated by the counterculture, which was in full bloom at that time. I really believed that the counterculture was going to change America, that there was a new consciousness that was the cutting edge of some new evolutionary leap. As it turned out, it was a very fringe movement and it never made any real impact on the mainstream culture. I misread the movement.

Yet you stayed. I stayed, but not with any intention of living the typical immigrant life. One of my personal benchmarks has always been the question, “Why did the Buddha choose to live the life of a homeless person after his awakening?” He did not return to his palace to live a life of luxury as a philosopher-guru. I’m not suggesting that Buddhists go around half naked today, but it is still crucial to look and investigate the levels of greed, hatred, or delusion in our psychological lives. A lot of what goes on in Buddhism in America is about creating a personal story and an identity. Dharma centers can become social clubs that allow people to process an identity, allowing them to feel good about themselves for a short period of time. I meet people who tell me, “I am a Theravada person” or “I am a Zen person.” But this is just another process of commodification, of packaging oneself. It has nothing to do with Buddhist practice. It’s a group sharing, a group identity. Yes, there is some connection to Buddhist practice, but underneath it all people don’t really want to displace their personal and social identities or their inherited Judeo-Christian worldview. When Buddhist teachings are practiced authentically, there’s no choice but to deconstruct the inherited psychic structures.

This is not an Asian culture. The teachers and centers have to hustle to survive, and it is clearly good and valuable to have retreat centers where people can go practice. So what is the alternative? To just let these places go? In some cases it may indeed be appropriate to let some of the places go. I think your question contains the hint at the problem. If a teacher or a center is “hustling,” as you say, what exactly is the point? Is it necessary for a teacher to have a center? Why can’t a teacher be happy as a hermit? Granted, one will still need a few basic necessities to survive, but I have seen plenty of self-aggrandizement when teachers rationalize their teaching by saying that they are teaching the true dharma. The story of the Buddha meeting his five former colleagues after his awakening experience is quite instructive, I think. The Buddha was not hustling to find disciples. It was his inner radiance that convinced his hearers that they were in the presence of something transformed. When this radiant presence is not there, a dharma center is in danger of becoming another business shop.Libby Vigeon

Still, isn’t a center the most skillful way to reach people? In my reading of Buddhist history, I have always been struck by how the tradition was kept alive in each generation by a handful of practitioners. The pursuit of liberation was never a mass movement.

The Buddha advocated the homeless life for his own community. You could not stay in the same village for more than three nights. You could not stay under the same tree for more than one night. Buddha was completely committed to the wandering ascetic life. He was aware of the dangers of even an institutionalized monastic life. He understood that human self-interest basically dominates everything else. The point of promoting this kind of community was psychological homelessness.

Who is an outsider today, someone outside of our institutionalized society? That’s a good question. I think Noam Chomsky is an outsider. Ralph Nader, perhaps. Gary Snyder.

These people are famous. There may be countless nameless others who haven’t bought into the system.

Do you think this is what’s required for a sincere Buddhist practice? I do.

The post-Marxist Frankfurt School philosopher Herbert Marcuse talked about how America could dismantle any revolution by making a consumer item out of it. Is this what is happening to Buddhism in America? The old lion is being made to tone down the roar? I think so.

So what are we to do? This may be controversial, but as an example, I don’t think a Buddhist should own stocks. The stock market is driven by greed and manipulation, and by its very nature an investor becomes greedy. And yet there are dharma centers that have their money in the stock market.

And the Barre Center of Buddhist Studies, of which you are co-director, does not? It does. But this was not my choice or decision. This was decided by the board of directors.

Isn’t your presence at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies a tacit approval of their policies? Don’t you benefit materially from those policies? You separate yourself from the board’s decision to invest in the stock market, saying it is not your decision. Yet you have a home, a salary, and a forum all provided by that decision and other values and policies that you disagree with. How do you view this apparent contradiction?One way of looking at BCBS is as an ongoing process rather than an organization with identifiable goals, such as selling a product, making profit, supporting an entrenched corporate managerial class, et cetera. Participating in the values and aspirations of BCBS is, I think, a significant form of public discourse about Buddha-dharma in the West. BCBS distinguishes itself from most dharma organizations in that it is not centered around a particular teacher or a sectarian tradition and does not seem to have those unconscious drives that ignore the shadow side of things. Apart from the fact that BCBS has its endowment in the stock market, BCBS is a transparent organization. The internal conversations about its vision and its possible role in the transmittal of Buddha-dharma in the West seem like a wholesome and worthwhile thing to do. At this stage in its evolution, I may even have something to contribute to that process and to public discourse.

The only thing I can do as an individual in this complex situation is to be responsible for my own motivations and integrity, and argue for those convictions when possible. In the case of Tricycle, for instance, if it doesn’t want to be an engine of Buddhist commodification, it could throw itself at the mercy of like-minded philanthropists who will privately support its publication entirely. But it would work only if Tricycle stops taking ads. Tricycle can perform a valuable service, but it has to be radically honest itself.

It is true that I am provided with modest housing, but I only get a stipend—just barely enough to buy my toothbrush and gas for my car. I would like to think that by consciously choosing to live a life of self-restraint I am better able to argue for it as a necessary condition for the core paradigm of Buddha-dharma. There does not seem to be a disconnect between my personal views and my participation in the ongoing conversations about the vision of the study center. If, however, the situation changes in such a way that I feel my core values are being distorted by the policies of the board and our internal conversations, I would be happy to pack up and move out.

Yet you speak of psychological homelessness as the preferred state. Wouldn’t it be more true to the path, and more honest, to really choose homelessness—to walk out on BCBS? Psychological homelessness is not necessarily dependent on physical homelessness. If physical homelessness is full of angst and confusion, it does not serve any purpose. I mentioned that I thought it would be possible to live like a hermit in New York City. I meant that I think there can be creative ways of pursuing psychological homelessness without being physically homeless.

But what do you think the Buddha would do? Knowing a little bit about the shramana [ascetic or monastic] culture of ancient India, I feel reasonably certain that the Buddha would choose to live in a community of hermits and let the world come to him. There’s the story of one of the prominent Korean Zen masters of the twentieth century, Han Am [1876-1951], who came to live at a mountain temple in 1926 and vowed never to leave the mountain. Even when the North Korean Communists invaded in 1951 and took over the temple, he remained. The rest of the Korean Buddhist world came to him.

I would like to think that if the Buddha were alive today, he would not be on the celebrity circuit and would not participate in the marketplace and turn his dharma into a commodity. Of course, the community will have to be supported by some people, just as the structures in the Jeta Grove were supported by [the wealthy merchant] Anathapindika. The crucial thing here is to consider whether the symbiosis between the Buddha and Anathapindika of ancient times could be replicated in our contemporary situation. I would like to think so. Of course it also means there needs to be a Buddha with the sensibility of the Buddha and an Anathapindika with the sensibility of the latter, with the same clarity of intentions and motives and commitments, on the part of the donor and the recipient.

To many laypeople in the dharma today, the purity and uncompromising nature of your views will seem like a luxury, even an indulgence. Many people seem to be all but overwhelmed by their jobs and their lives. To support themselves and their families there seems to be no choice but to get up each day and go to work. There is a certain kind of circularity here. People want to engage with teachings that point out that craving and clinging are root causes of stress. Yet people don’t want to let go of patterns of being and consuming that fuel craving and clinging. We have to ask honestly whether the people you describe really want to be transformed or whether they are simply looking for ways to reduce their stress. What do they want?

In the Buddhist cultures of East Asia that I know of, there is a pattern of people finding themselves in the difficult situation of having a family and caring for them, but there was also an equally powerful understanding that this is not how one should live one’s life forever. The spiritual markers of those societies encouraged people to leave home after reaching middle age, having taken care of their families. In Chinese and Korean societies, there was a respected tradition of rich merchants using their money to build a temple or monastery where they would retire and live the rest of their lives as lay monastics, either with or without an ordained monk as the resident teacher. Like-minded retired laypeople would join in and create a community that could perhaps survive for a few generations.

This way of thinking and being may be totally horrifying to Western sensibilities, but it is a model that should not be dismissed out of hand. This model may also highlight the basic clash of intention in the Buddha-dharma and the Western intellectual and Judeo-Christian traditions about self and being. For the Buddha the basic issue is unsatisfactoriness, as opposed to “being.” It seems much more reasonable to expect that this unsatisfactoriness gets resolved to a large degree if one retires to a community of like-minded practitioners, leaving the problems of the world behind them. Likewise, if this is the retirement plan one is working toward, one naturally tends to live a life of self-restraint now.

The intentions of Buddha-dharma are remarkably different from the inherited intentions of Western culture, and this tension needs to be sorted out by each and every practitioner in their own life. The basic intention that gets set up in the study and practice of Buddha-dharma is that the whole sense-linked world, samsara, is inherently unsatisfying.

What about our style of practice in the U.S. itself? According to an article in the New York Times, the world’s fastest-growing religion is not any type of fundamentalism but the Pentecostal wing of Christianity. What is most important to Pentecostals is not doctrine and the inerrancy of Scripture, as it is for Christian fundamentalists, but spirit-filled experience and healing. The same tendency seems to exist in American Buddhist practice. Without the context, meditation practice can become another quest for a certain kind of experience. But it is worth considering that while the broader context of Buddha’s teaching is dukkha [unsatisfactoriness], its resolution is nibbana, or liberation, not sukkha[happiness]. Sukkha is an experience, a by-product, a fruit of letting go. The search for happiness, as some teachers might offer, is not the context of Buddha’s teachings. It does not mean that Buddhists want to be miserable. The context of Buddha’s teachings always and above everything else is of anicca [flux] and anatta [insubstantiality]. I translate them together as “psychological homelessness,” to get out of the trap of empty philosophizing and provide a context for personal transformation. We could, for example, take the Pali word nibbida [turning away] as another layer that informs the context of psychological homelessness. I believe all of Buddha’s teachings are aiming for this contextualization.

Buddhist philosophical thought is extremely sophisticated, and I find myself fascinated by its ideas, but it must be in the service of psychological homelessness as the framework for personal transformation rather than a word game.

What do you suggest we do to get out of our peculiarly Western predicament? What’s the solution? It is a peculiar American hubris to look for radical solutions. Each solution has its own life cycle, and it gets commodified. Small communities are a start, but I continue to think of small, intentional communities as a process and model rather than a solution. The ultimate problem in human existence is alienation. The only solution to alienation is to deal with it in wholesome and skillful ways. The teachings of the Buddha seem to be a wholesome model for dealing with alienation. But these teachings cannot be a formula or even a solution. They have to be living truths.

===

Tricycle is the leading independent journal of Buddhism in the West, where it continues to be the most inclusive and widely read vehicle for the dissemination of Buddhist views and values. By remaining unaffiliated with any particular teacher, sect, or lineage, Tricycle provides a public forum for exploring Buddhism and its dialogue with the broader culture.

The Heart of the Universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra : Soeng, Mu: Amazon.com.au: Books

The Heart of the Universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra : Soeng, Mu: Amazon.com.au: Books




The Heart of the Universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra Paperback – 2 March 2010
by Mu Soeng (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 16 ratings



Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.

This is the bold and intriguing assertion of the Heart Sutra, a text of seminal importance to the Buddhist tradition made even more fascinating by its deep resonance with the cutting edges of quantum physics and cognitive science. In spare and approachable language, The Heart of the Universe deftly explores this gem of world religious literature from a variety of perspectives--historical, spiritual, linguistic, and scientific--each serving to interdependently illuminate the other.

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Heart Sutra: Ancient Buddhist Wisdom in the Light of Quantum Reality

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The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries
Thich Nhat Hanh
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Elegant, simple--and invaluable.--Professor Mark Unno, author of Shingon Refractions

Mu Soeng helps us understand this seminal sutra and its intuitive view of the nature of ultimate reality. He also gives his commentary an ultramodern twist by focusing on the place where quantum physics and Mahayana Buddhism converge.-- "Shambhala Sun"

Mu Soeng's The Heart of the Universe is a brief, thought-provoking commentary on the Heart Sutra. In his introduction, the author, who is the scholar in residence at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, reminds the reader that the sutra has a history, and that all who have read--and chanted--it have done so within a specific cultural context. For Soeng, quantum physics--the scientific insight that the basic particles of matter are actually in constant flux-informs how the sutra is understood in the modern West. Of course, any discussion of the Heart Sutra is going to center on the concept of emptiness--the Mahayana theory that all phenomena are without fixed and independent identity. Soeng presents his fascinating discussion of emptiness early in the book, leaving little to say when discussing the famous line 'form is emptiness, emptiness is form' in his line-by-line commentary.-- "Buddhadharma"

Mu Soeng's scientifically inspired commentary opens up the meaning of the Heart Sutra from the side of informed spiritual enquiry and direct meditative experience. Heart of the Universe carries an edge of incisive, practical wisdom.--Ajahn Amaro, abbot of Abhayagiri Monastery

Mu Soeng's treatment of this foundational text is original, clear, helpful, and wise.--Andrew Olendzki

Through his meditative wisdom and scholarly sophistication, Mu Soeng brings to life the profound richness of the Heart Sutra, capturing its transformative meaning for our lives. An in-depth exploration of a vital text.--Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma
About the Author
Mu Soeng, a former Zen monk and teacher, is the scholar-in-residence at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. He is the author of many books on Buddhism, including Trust in Mind and The Diamond Sutra. He lives in Barre, Massachusetts.

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wisdom Publications (2 March 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 150 pages
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The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World

Mu Soeng
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The Heart Sutra
Red Pine
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Zen Words For The Heart: Hakuin's Commentary on the Heart Sutra

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The Heart Sutra Explained: Indian and Tibetan Commentaries
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NPBM
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2018
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Am excellent read, and a good commentary on the Heart Sutra.
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Readsalot
5.0 out of 5 stars I've read Mu Soeng's commentaries before. His work is ...Reviewed in the United States on 16 February 2017
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I've read Mu Soeng's commentaries before. His work is always worth studying. This particular commentary really gave the Heart Sutra imagery that worked for me in a way I had not expected

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Tyson Davis
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, rational look at an important SutraReviewed in the United States on 9 December 2013
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This translation of The Heart Sutra was a very rational look at one of the most important Mahayana Sutras. I read Red Pine's translation and commentaries before this one. They compliment each other very nicely. However I would probably start with this one and then read Red Pine's since his is more dense.

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Gregory Coates
5.0 out of 5 stars As Good as IT GetsReviewed in the United States on 26 October 2013
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Mu Soeng puts himself in the same class as Red Pine (Bill Porter) and the Cleary Brothers with this outstanding work, which is a tremendous work of scholarship mixed with tremendous insight into the Heart Sutra.

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D. Apperson
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice commentaryReviewed in the United States on 16 May 2010
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Nice commentary and breakdown of the Heart Sutra. It does not have the lengthy historical/scholarly commentaries like Red Pine's Heart Sutra commentary, but I enjoyed it very much just the same.

9 people found this helpful

rad Hammers rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Relevant and insightful

Bridging the insight of a thousands of years old mantra and giving it validity to our modern context is a skilled accomplishment. This book would be beneficial to all dharma practitioners. I especially enjoyed how the book was arranged to progressively examine each line of the Sutra to explain the cultural influences and its various uses.

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D Schmudde

Dec 22, 2018D Schmudde rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: buddhism

Brilliant. Like the text the book is analyzing, it packs a lot of wisdom into a small space. Both this and Mu Soeng's writing on the Diamond Sutra are must-reads. (less)

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Gina

Jul 09, 2010Gina rated it it was amazing

Brief, well grounded account of the history of the Heart Sutra and lucid exploration of its meaning.

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Genabella

Sep 03, 2011Genabella rated it it was amazing

Blew my mind. I am keeping this one and will read it over and over.

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Faces of Compassion by Taigen Dan Leighton, Joan Halifax - Ebook | Scribd

Faces of Compassion by Taigen Dan Leighton, Joan Halifax - Ebook | Scribd



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Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression — An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism


By Taigen Dan Leighton and Joan Halifax
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Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They're not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities but shining examples of our own highest potential. Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton engagingly explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psychological and spiritual wellsprings.

Emphasizing the universality of spiritual ideas, Leighton finds aspects of bodhisattvas expressed in a variety of familiar modern personages - from Muhammad Ali to Mahatma Gandhi, from Bob Dylan to Henry Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Teresa. This edition contains a revised and expanded introduction that frames the book as a exciting and broad-scoped view of Mahayana Buddhism. It's updated throughout to make it of more use to scholars and a perfect companion to survey courses of world religions or a 200-level course on Buddhism.

===

Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression ― An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism Paperback – Illustrated, May 1, 2012

by Taigen Dan Leighton (Author), Joan Halifax Roshi (Foreword)

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2013 Nautilus Book Award — Gold Medal in Religion/Spirituality — Eastern

Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They're not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities but shining examples of our own highest potential. Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton engagingly explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psychological and spiritual wellsprings.

Emphasizing the universality of spiritual ideas, Leighton finds aspects of bodhisattvas expressed in a variety of familiar modern personages - from Muhammad Ali to Mahatma Gandhi, from Bob Dylan to Henry Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Teresa. This edition contains a revised and expanded introduction that frames the book as a exciting and broad-scoped view of Mahayana Buddhism. It's updated throughout to make it of more use to scholars and a perfect companion to survey courses of world religions or a 200-level course on Buddhism.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Faces of Compassion captures the poignant truth that that a bodhisattva may appear in the form of a pirate or a spiritual leader and modernizes it, bringing the bodhisattva ideal into the present." ― Tricycle

"In his wonderful book Leighton animates the history of Buddhism and offers insight into human nature and contemporary culture." ― Turning Wheel

"What Leighton offers is the living tradition of Mahayana Buddhism: diverse, mysterious, vibrant, real." ― Journal of Buddhist Ethics

"Edifying and imaginative..A modern spiritual classic." ― Spirituality and Health

"Faces of Compassion is a wonderful resource and source of guidance and teaching…an invaluable companion to our lives." -- Joan Halifax Roshi, Head Teacher, Upaya Institute

"The lay reader will take from the book an appreciation for the complexity of Buddhist doctrine as well as a sense that bodhisattvas may well be living amongst us." ― Foreword magazine

"Vigorous and inspiring, Faces of Compassion guides the reader into the awakening life within our contemporary world. An informative, useful, exhilarating work." -- Jane Hirshfield, author of Women in Praise of the Sacred

"A clear-as-a-bell introduction to Buddhist thought." -- Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Senior Dharma Teacher of San Francisco Zen Center and author of Benedict's Dharma

"Taigen Dan Leighton has lovingly illumined still another dimension of the human condition." -- John Daishin Buksbazen, author of Zen Meditation in Plain English

"This is useful as a fine axe...the perfect antidote to today's spiritual materialism." -- Peter Coyote, actor and author of Sleeping Where I Fall

From the Back Cover

"To meet the bodhisattvas is to embrace more fully our own humanity, and our ultimate capacity for courage, devotion, compassion, and transcendent wisdom. Taigen Dan Leighton has lovingly illuminated still another dimension of the human condition. This is a tour de fource."—John Daishin Buksbazen, author of Zen Meditation in Plain English

Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psychological and spiritual wellsprings. Emphasizing the universality of spiritual ideals, Leighton finds aspects of the bodhisattvas expressed in a variety of familiar modern personages—from Muhammad Ali to Mahatma Gandhi, from Bob Dylan to Henry Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Teresa. This book also functions as a thorough and engaging introduction to the world of Mahayana Buddhism.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wisdom Publications; 2nd edition (May 1, 2012)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1614290148

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1614290148

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.07 pounds

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #713,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

#84 in Mahayana Buddhism

#329 in Buddhist History (Books)

#371 in Religious Arts & Photography

Customer Reviews: 4.9 out of 5 stars    21 ratings

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SaltyDog

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book but a bit weedy

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2018

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This volume is a revision of a previous book, which I haven't read. In this new version, the author and publisher have two somewhat conflicting goals: One, to create an accessible and very interesting volume. Success!! I enjoyed it and learned a lot. However, the apparent goal to create an academic volume on bodhisattvas competes with accessibility. It may be frustrating for the reader who either cannot or doesn't care to get into the weeds about the 35 manifestations of Avalokitesvara or the 10 vows of another bodhisattva. But the reader should not be discouraged. She should scan the weedy sections to get a taste of the beautiful complexities, undaunted by the details. But I will keep this book nearby so I can find these details if and when I need them. Dharmas are boundless. My bodhisattva vow is to be teachable.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Leading Buddhist Archetypes from History

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A remarkably clear and easy to read book, creating archetypes for 7 key leaders in Buddhist philosophy. Accessible for beginners and knowledgeable student alike.

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Diana M. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Broadened my Horizons

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I was introduced to several new, yet widely popular, bodhisattvas. And I learned volumes about those bodhisattvas I thought I already knew -- especially cultural practices associated with each across the broad spectrum of Asian expressions.

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Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression

by
Taigen Dan Leighton,
Joan Halifax (Foreword)
4.19 · Rating details · 42 ratings · 1 review
This wonderful book could also be artly titled "An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism." From Ali to Gandhi, Dylan to Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Theresa, Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They're not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities, but shining examples of our own highest potential. Zen teacher and scholar Taigen Dan Leighton takes us through the ages to meet the people who have shaped history and society with their compassion and wisdom. Faces of Compassion emphasizes the universality of spiritual ideals, and the power each of us has to change our world. (less)
Write a review

Dec 23, 2013Jon Ciliberto rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: buddhism-and-buddhist-art
Religious art’s purpose is, obviously, religious. Faces of Compassion, by Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton approaches iconography from this direction, and moves from the often distanced, scientific approach to images commonly found in volumes on Buddhist art to engaging directly the religious efficacy of observing and using images. Images in Buddhist art are a means, not an end. His approach is fresh, and of great usefulness to modern readers: by seeking for archetypes in real, familiar, modern day individuals, he provides those seeking models for a compassionate live ready and understandable guides. Full review at http://buddhistartnews.wordpress.com/... (less)
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Faces of Compassion

Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression

By Taigen Dan Leighton

https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/912/faces-of-compassion

An exploration of the imagery and lore of seven important archetypal bodhisattvas of Buddhism.

Book Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

"Bodhisattvas are beings who are dedicated to the universal awakening or enlightenment of everyone. They exist as guides and providers of succor to suffering beings and offer everyone an approach to meaningful spiritual life," writes Zen priest, leader, and translator Taigen Daniel Leighton. In this edifying and imaginative revised edition of his 1998 classic with a foreword by Joan Halifax, he examines the seven major bodhisattva figures of the Mahayana tradition. There are five cosmic or mythic bodhisattvas — Manjushri (prince of wisdom), Samantabhadra (wisdom), Avalokiteshvara (heart of compassion), Kshitigarbha (earth mother), Maitreya (lovingkindness) — and two historical ones — the Buddha Shakyamuni (who was first Siddhartha Gautama) and Vimalakirti (a layman iconoclastic follower of Skakuyamuni). Leighton keys each of these liberators to the ten transcendent practices called the paramitas in Sanskrit.

Perhaps the most innovative and dramatic aspect of the book is the way the author discusses modern exemplars of the seven bodhisattva archetypes including Bob Dylan, Margaret Mead, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Schweitzer, Toni Morrison, Gary Snyder, and Thich Nhat Hanh. He concludes "The bodhisattvas are not glorified, exotic, unnatural beings but simply our own best qualities in full flower."

This is a watershed Buddhist work on the qualities that make for sainthood in our times. It deserves to be put on the shelf next to Joan Chittister's A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God (1996) and Robert Ellsberg's All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time. (1997)

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Wisdom Publications, 05/12

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