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Rating: 
Summary: excellent
Review: I live in the Buddhist hell of Too Many Zen Books. This nicely accompanies all my other ones, and clearly stands out in its own right.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: I live in the Buddhist hell of Too Many Zen Books. This nicely accompanies all my other ones, and clearly stands out in its own right.
Rating:
Summary: The True Teachings of Tamo
Review: This scholarly work on the teachings of Bodhidharma sets a new standard. Not only does Broughton provide clear translations, but the volume of informative commentary has made this text my number one Bodhidharma resource. Broughton provides quality with quantity here, explaining unusual phrases from the ancient texts at page bottoms, and endnoting items requiring more thorough treatment. (The endnotes are generally both useful and quite insightful.)This is not a book on "pop Zen"; it is a resource for those seeking to contextualize Tamo's teachings both historically and philosophically. Broughton makes a very good case that the "Two Entrances" commonly attributed to Tamo is actually the work of T'an-lin, an early Sanskritist. He points out that the character of the "Method for Quieting Mind," what he calls "Record I," is more consistent with what we know of Tamo's teaching. It is also more consistent with philosophical attributions to Tamo within my own tradition of Ch'an (a nice bit of corroboration). Broughton also discusses other members of Bodhidharma's circle, the supporting roles played by other sutras in these texts, and much more. Philosophy and Ch'an Buddhism are two things close to my heart. But I believe that I can still state objectively that this book represents a superb piece of research, and that Broughton has made Tamo's early teachings very accessible. It is my sincere hope that the author will continue working in this field. For anyone interested in the early development of Zen, this text is a fascinating read.
Rating:
Summary: The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen
Review: Thorough and enlightening. Brilliant insights! Where has Prof. Broughton been all of these years?
Rating:
Summary: The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen
Review: Thorough and enlightening. Brilliant insights! Where has Prof. Broughton been all of these years?
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