Rating: 
Summary: A Delightful Discovery
Review:
On a chance meeting one winter morning in upstate New York author George Craine meets his neighbor, Tsung Tsai, removing a fallen tree. Through this chance meeting a friendship between them develops. Craine learns that Tsung Tsai, a Buddhist monk, had escaped from the Chinese Red Army in 1959 by crossing 3,000 miles of famine-plagued China. 40 years later Tsung Tsai convinces Craine to join him on his one last mission in life - to return to China and Mongolia to find the bones of his Buddhist master and bury them in a shrine in his honor. What ensues is a story of that incredible quest.
As remarkable as this true tale is, it's Craine's firsthand narrative that keeps this book so alive. As a part-time poet he adeptly captures Tsung Tsai's delightful tone and manner of speaking. Moreover, he reveals the remarkable spiritual affect that Tsung Tsai has upon the people that he touches. I thought that Bones of the Master had an excellent blend of writing and adventure that made it a 5-star read and a 5-star adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple. True. Delightful. Profound.
Review: "Bones of the Master" is all at once simple, true, delightful and profound. This is Ch'an Buddism in action. The lessons are in this true story and in the "Jounrney into Secret Mongolia" undertaken by Ch'an master and teacher Tsung Tsai, and writer/ poet/Buddist layman/his very best friend, Georgie.(author George Crane.)As a layperson myself, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Tsung Tsai through the eyes of Georgie, his experiences, his frustrations and the lessons that he learnt along the way. As one example among many, Tsung Tsai's advice to "Just do. Don't think" in trying situations where action is needed without emotion or fear, was one particular incident that I completely related to. "Bones of the Master" is more than the story of Tsung Tsai's escape from communist China and his eventual return to his home ground. It is more than a journey undertaken by two friends into Inner Mongolia forty years later. It is a colourful tapestry of the lessons of Buddisim itself, woven with delicacy, gentleness and profound compassion. To Tsung Tsai you might find yourself wanting to say: "Hello, Buddha..... I see my Buddha so sweet."
Rating:
Summary: A good book for troubled times
Review: 'Bones of the Master' turned out to be an excellent selection for these tense times. Tsung Tsai shows an uncommon ability to view the world with an almost constant air of tranquility, yet he does so without losing touch with his ability to experience such emotions as joy, grief, anger and exasperation. Add to that a delightful sense of humor and you have a book that is just plain fun to read. In 'Bones of the Master', George Crane travels with and faithfully chronicles the adventures of septuagenarian Buddhist monk Tsung Tsai as he travels through China to Mongolia to pay honor to the memory of his old teacher. Through George's eyes we see a world that few westerners have ever seen. The true heart of the story, though, is the interaction between the two travellers. George tries so hard to please Tsung Tsai and acts as if he understands what the monk is telling him when he really hasn't a clue and Tsung Tsai frequently gives in to the temptation to have a little fun with him. It reminds me of a man playing with a puppy and pretending to throw a stick just to watch the puppy go chasing after nothing. These games are never mean-spirited. While it is evident that each has a deep and sincere friendship for the other, I still puzzle over what the two men have in common. Perhaps, as George says, it's in the poetry.
Rating:
Summary: forget indiana jones, this is the real thing
Review: A thrilling, funny and touching adventure that made me want to sell everything I own and join them. The writer could be a modern Sir Richard Francis Burton (the guy who snuck into mecca and translated all the arabian nights tales) and his honesty, wit and humor shine. NOT just for travel buffs or students of Buddhism.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable story!
Review: As a young buddhist monk, Tsung Tsai was exiled from his Inner Mongolia monastery in 1959 before becoming friends with his Catskills' neighbor, author George Crane, many years later. Crane is an indigent poet, who prefers poetry to meditation. Meditation makes him nauseous. Together they share an "unlikely," but astonishingly true adventure--or in Crane's words, "a fool's quest, but the best kind, the only kind worth pursuing" (p. 159)--by returning to China, carrying a statue of Buddha, in search for the bones of Tsai's master. Along the way, their friendship deepens. This book has a heart of poetry, and you will smile reading the dialogue between Tsai and Crane. We all need a neighbor like Tsung Tsai!
Rating:
Summary: a modern day spiritual journey
Review: Bones of the Master is a wonderful story that engages the reader. It is a modern day spiritual journey that connects with an ancient tradition that lives on through the book's key proponent, Tsung Tsai. Tsung Tsai is a monk who escaped from China during the Cultural Revolution. The story of his escape is incredible in itself (and included in the book). Now living in the US and approaching his final years together with his neighbour and friend George Crane (the book's author) he plans to return to China to discover the remains of his master and properly enshrine them. While Tsung Tsai possesses great wisdom, Crane is in many ways his antithesis. He openly acknowledges his only failings which are highlighted in comparison to Tsung Tsai. Despite this his love for Tsung Tsai is great and he endures many hardships to help him. More than anything Bones of the Master provides an insight into an ancient wisdom tradition of which Tsung Tsai perhaps, and sadly, represents the last generation. The book has two small flaws. One is that Crane tends to overdwell on his own shortcomings. Tsung Tsai is the most wonderful character and focus of the story. Crane's lamentations are unnecessary. The other is the failure to use any consistent or logical system of transliterating Chinese words used in the text. Any student of Chinese will find this frustrating and it represents a failure in the editing.
Rating:
Summary: Teacher
Review: Delightful and inspiring to finally read a book worth my time. George Crane wrote with clarity and understanding. While searching for Tsung Tsai's master's bones Georgie found his master. I hope to read more of George Crane and missed them both when the book was finished.
Rating:
Summary: Author's Subject Takes Charge
Review: First, let me say that this is a very well written, sad, poignant and occasionally funny book. Author George Crane brings life to his subject, Tsung Tsai, by presenting this story in a very "conversational" style. He captures Tsung's broken English in a way that is not only charming, but becomes curiously congruent with Zen philosophy -- great meaning with few words. Thus, this book is a quick read, but you may need to go back and re-read passages and reflect upon them, for the profundity may escape you the first time. A reader may be a bit disappointed if expecting a travelogue type book that is rich in historical and cultural explanation. While Crane does introduce a bit of that, almost in a "teaser" sort of way, the story is firmly anchored in his relationship with Buddhist monk Tsung Tsai, and their the oddly moving friendship that manages to break through various cultural barriers. Because of this aspect of the book, I have thought of using it as supplemental reading in one of the sociology classes that I teach -- it does more to promote cultural understanding (NOT mere "tolerance") than many books with a direct goal to that effect. Crane is honest, that's for sure. He documents his ongoing troubles trying to be a worthy "disciple" of Tsung Tsai, and even in the end, describes incidents that reveal that he has not yet harnessed his impatient desires. Yet, he has at least, through his part grueling and part amusing journey with Tsung Tsai, begun to see that the Path is there. Excellent storytelling that will motivate many readers to seek out more knowledge on Zen (especially the Cha'n tradition) as well as recent Chinese history.
Rating:
Summary: Author's Subject Takes Charge
Review: First, let me say that this is a very well written, sad, poignant and occasionally funny book. Author George Crane brings life to his subject, Tsung Tsai, by presenting this story in a very "conversational" style. He captures Tsung's broken English in a way that is not only charming, but becomes curiously congruent with Zen philosophy -- great meaning with few words. Thus, this book is a quick read, but you may need to go back and re-read passages and reflect upon them, for the profundity may escape you the first time. A reader may be a bit disappointed if expecting a travelogue type book that is rich in historical and cultural explanation. While Crane does introduce a bit of that, almost in a "teaser" sort of way, the story is firmly anchored in his relationship with Buddhist monk Tsung Tsai, and their the oddly moving friendship that manages to break through various cultural barriers. Because of this aspect of the book, I have thought of using it as supplemental reading in one of the sociology classes that I teach -- it does more to promote cultural understanding (NOT mere "tolerance") than many books with a direct goal to that effect. Crane is honest, that's for sure. He documents his ongoing troubles trying to be a worthy "disciple" of Tsung Tsai, and even in the end, describes incidents that reveal that he has not yet harnessed his impatient desires. Yet, he has at least, through his part grueling and part amusing journey with Tsung Tsai, begun to see that the Path is there. Excellent storytelling that will motivate many readers to seek out more knowledge on Zen (especially the Cha'n tradition) as well as recent Chinese history.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: George Crane has written a wonderful tale of his exposure to a great Zen monk and their journey together. Not a boring page can be found. Our naive expectations of Monks is shattered immediately, yet all is not lost, as every encounter brings Insight and wisdom from both action and from verbal teachings. Added to this, we get an exciting, danger filled journey into the back regions of China, the homeland of this Monk. Read this. It can never happen to you, and there are a lot of eye-openers in this book.
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