- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Thorsons (15 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007131461
- ISBN-13: 978-0007131464
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,166,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
"These are not 'born again' stories about blind faith and revelation, but studies in hard thinking, transformation and compassion."
Product Description
A fascinating look at why Westerners are turning to Buddhism in record numbers, featuring world-renowned Buddhists such as composer Philip Glass and Professor Bob Thurman.
Why is Buddhism the fastest growing religion in the West? Vicki Mackenzie, best-selling author of A Cave in the Snow, has been a Buddhist for 25 years. A skilled interviewer, journalist and author, she explores this question in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia with extraordinary people who have turned to Buddhism, taking its philosophy and spirit into their lives and work. Among the stories are those of Buddhist luminaries Sharon Salzberg and Stephen Batchelor, and ordinary people: a mother, a counsellor and a businessman.
The book explores Buddhism, ideas about other religions, about work and worldly success, thoughts on mind, consciousness and enlightenment; views on nature, the family, relationships, and death. The picture that emerges is an intriguing reflection on what Buddhism means to the contemporary West. Buddhism is attracting intelligent and creative thinkers who seek a wiser way to live, inspiring them with joyful spirituality, tolerant and practical ethics, and fellowship within the unity of all life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Uma Thurman's dad, Philip Glass, Sharon Salzberg represent the nexus of a coterie of eccentric, intelligent, thoughtful and highly sensitive beings that Mackenzie has chosen to portray through a series of colourful interviews as to Why Buddhism?, what's in it?, and something of how it goes. It is of course also a good look in to the minds of a few of these extremely interesting individuals and what makes them tick.
The book smiles, is optimistic and the lessons in it bring hope and happiness. Not because Buddhism is spreading - globally it isn't and the slower it grows the better according to one teacher. But because some people have aspired to the highest goodness they can muster based on their own efforts, common sense and intelligence. These people are either very happy, very succesful, very content or have come to terms with their problems. We enjoin in their lives and empathise with their progress and perils.
This book is like a flower one picks up during the exhaustive walk of life.
The book smiles, is optimistic and the lessons in it bring hope and happiness. Not because Buddhism is spreading - globally it isn't and the slower it grows the better according to one teacher. But because some people have aspired to the highest goodness they can muster based on their own efforts, common sense and intelligence. These people are either very happy, very succesful, very content or have come to terms with their problems. We enjoin in their lives and empathise with their progress and perils.
This book is like a flower one picks up during the exhaustive walk of life.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think that for me the biggest drawback to this book is the sectarianism of its subjects. Of the 16 people featured in this book by Vicki Mackenzie (herself a Tibetan Buddhist) all but 4 are Tibetan Buddhists, two of them being Theravaden and of the remaining two, Stephen Batchelor was once a Tibetan Buddhist monk and Yvonne Rand is married to a Tibetan Buddhist and say she practices that alongside the Zen for which she is better known. I do think the author could have made more effort to also talk to Westerners who had found themselves drawn to other forms of Buddhism, notably (because it arguably has the largest number of adherents in the West) Zen Buddhism, and explain that there are other ways of experiencing the Buddhist teachings than the way in which it is interpreted in Tibet, which is idiosyncratic to say the least.
That aside, on the whole her interviewees were interesting enough, and had certainly varied in the ways in which they incorporated Buddhist teachings into a "Western" setting and culture, and there is enough general information about Buddhism to attract and inform people who know very little to begin with. Perhaps the two I found most intriguing of those she talked to were Michael Roach, who is a very successful diamond merchant as well as being a Buddhist monk and Sister Kovida, whose humility and understanding of the dharma made quite an impact on more.
Having been riveted by her book "Cave In The Snow", a true story of a really remarkable English woman Tenzin Palmo (formerly Diane Perry), this was never going to be as good, but the stories in it do shed some light on how, why and when Buddhism started to become popular in the West, and as such it is a valuable record.
That aside, on the whole her interviewees were interesting enough, and had certainly varied in the ways in which they incorporated Buddhist teachings into a "Western" setting and culture, and there is enough general information about Buddhism to attract and inform people who know very little to begin with. Perhaps the two I found most intriguing of those she talked to were Michael Roach, who is a very successful diamond merchant as well as being a Buddhist monk and Sister Kovida, whose humility and understanding of the dharma made quite an impact on more.
Having been riveted by her book "Cave In The Snow", a true story of a really remarkable English woman Tenzin Palmo (formerly Diane Perry), this was never going to be as good, but the stories in it do shed some light on how, why and when Buddhism started to become popular in the West, and as such it is a valuable record.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Why buddhism was put together by Vicki Mckenzie who first discovered buddhism in the 1970's a time when buddhism was very unknown in the west.
To make this book possible 15 other westerners who have also discovered buddhism tell their personal stories to Vicki.
The 15 people who tell their stories in this book come from all different backgrounds and countries and you discover each of them are at a different stage in their buddhism journey.
All of them first explain why they turned to buddhism and then explain what role it has personally played in all parts of their lifes.
The people who surpised me the most were the ones who despite being christian for the best part of their life decided to turn to buddhism.
As you read each chapter you discover some of them have completly embarced buddhism and become monks and nuns where others have just adpated buddhism in to their normal day to day lifes.
A very thought provoking book that gives a intresting insight into why buddhism has now become just as common in the west as it always had been in the east.
If you are considering practing buddhism in your life then this book will certianly give you a push in the right direction.
To make this book possible 15 other westerners who have also discovered buddhism tell their personal stories to Vicki.
The 15 people who tell their stories in this book come from all different backgrounds and countries and you discover each of them are at a different stage in their buddhism journey.
All of them first explain why they turned to buddhism and then explain what role it has personally played in all parts of their lifes.
The people who surpised me the most were the ones who despite being christian for the best part of their life decided to turn to buddhism.
As you read each chapter you discover some of them have completly embarced buddhism and become monks and nuns where others have just adpated buddhism in to their normal day to day lifes.
A very thought provoking book that gives a intresting insight into why buddhism has now become just as common in the west as it always had been in the east.
If you are considering practing buddhism in your life then this book will certianly give you a push in the right direction.
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