Buddhist Literature & Sacred Texts

The Best Buddhist Writing 2005

Name: The Best Buddhist Writing 2005
Author: Melvin McLeod
ISBN: 9780641814020

by Melvin McLeod

Write a review

Overview

Wise and witty, heartfelt and profound, this second volume in an annual series brings together the year's most notable prose and verse inspired by the power and insight of Buddhist practice. Compiled by the editors of Shambhala Sun , North America's oldest and most widely read Buddhist magazine, the collection offers a lively array of styles, perspectives, and concerns of contemporary Buddhists. The twenty-five talented contributors include familiar favorites as well as some surprising voices who will delight and enlighten the reader, with pieces ranging from personal memoir, adventure travelogue, prison journal, and poetry, to advice for practitioners and wisdom teachings of the masters. Among this year's outstanding selections are: Natalie Goldberg looks at the complex and troubled relationship with the two most important men in her life: her father and her Zen teacher. The Dalai Lama explains Buddhism's signature doctrine of emptiness. Dharma teacher Gaylon Ferguson writes on issues of self-worth and social justice for people of color. Journalist Joan Duncan Oliver reflects on her struggle with twin addictions: "a drink and a man." Thich Nhat Hanh offers personal meditations to help us lead a more wholesome and mindful life. Cognitive psychologist Eleanor Rosch discourses on mind, meditation, and the creative process. Peter Matthiessen ponders the longing for adventure as he travels the Antarctic. Zen teacher John Tarrant tells how he applied a famed koan as his mother was dying. Contributors: Faith Adiele · Geoffrey Shugen Arnold · Rick Bass · Edward Espe Brown · Michael Carroll · Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche ·Peter Coyote · John Daido Loori · H. H. the Dalai Lama · Scott Darnell · Gretel Ehrlich · Gaylon Ferguson · Norman Fischer · Gehlek Rimpoche · Natalie Goldberg · Joseph Goldstein · Jeff Greenwald · Erik Hansen · Sam Harris · Joan Duncan Oliver · The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche · Barbara Rhodes · Lewis Richmond · Eleanor Rosch · Andrew Schelling · Gary Snyder · John Tarrant · Thanissaro Bhikkhu · Thich Nhat Hanh · Claude Anshin Thomas · Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche · Francisco J. Varela

About the Author, Melvin McLeod

Melvin McLeod is the editor-in-chief of the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma: A Practitioner's Quarterly. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Library Journal

This is the second in an annual series spotlighting a wide range of Buddhist-oriented writing. McLeod, editor in chief of the Shambhala Sun, presents 25 selections published in North America during 2004 that reflect the Buddhist principles of wisdom and compassion as they exist in modern Western society. Teachings from Tibetan, Theravadan, and Zen traditions; thoughts on the nature of the mind; personal experiences in meditation retreats; Buddhism and people of color; haiku poetry in America; and the tea ceremony as a practice of mindfulness are just some of the topics that create the landscape of Western Buddhist thought and practice. Contributors include Buddhist teachers John Daido Loori and the Dalai Lama, authors Gretel Ehrlich and Gary Snyder, actor Peter Coyote, and less well-known but still highly aware and articulate Buddhist practitioners. A short introduction to each entry and biographical sketches of the contributors provide context. One weakness is that no bibliographical information to sources of the essays is given. Recommended for academic and public collections.-Jerry Shuttle, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.