The Secrets of Chinese Meditation: Self-Cultivation by Mind Control As Taught in the Ch'An, Mahayana and Taoist Schools in China

Rating:
Summary: Not suitable for a novice
Review: As a novice, I found this book troublesome. While the information is very interesting for my Buddhist study, it offered me little practical help in my meditation practices. I do enjoy the text for its readings and explanations of the various schools of Buddhist thought. But I have found better texts and more helpful texts when it comes to instruction on personal meditation.

Rating:
Summary: A solid text on the subject.
Review: This is an interesting book. I have long been a fan of this author after reading a wonderful translation of the Diamond Sutra he did years ago. Here he has laid out the basics of several types of "self cultivation" practiced for centuries in China. He has done so using an interesting style, wherein the bulk of the book is devoted to extensive quotes from original source texts of bygone masters. His own commentary is kept to a minimum, and the reader is left to make his/her own comparisons and conclusions. Starting off with an exposition from the Surangama Sutra, he then deals in turn with the techniques of the Ch'an (Zen), Pure Land, T'ien T'ai (Tendai) and Taoist schools. A larger amount of time was spent on the latter than seemed warranted, and the source material quoted seemed less directly related to most people's practices than the others, but it was still interesting. I was particularly pleased to have such a clear explanation of the Ch'an school, something hard to find in the other writings about it that I have read.

Rating:
Summary: A Treasure Trove of Teachings!
Review: This text deserves all the praise heaped on it by one of the reviewers.There is not a wasted word in it. It is thoroughly practical, and rightly so, because (a) based on the teachings of experienced masters and (b) translated by an eminent lay-practicioner. Master Hsu Yun (1840-1959) recommended that Lu KUan Yu (Charles Luk) should present these texts. Be it the Surangama Sutra, Ch'an (Zen,T'ien Tai or Taoism,everything is presented clearly - allowing for the fact that only a practicing reader - will find the meaning between the lines.One reviewer found the 'Taoist' section difficult,but it is based on the teachings of Chao Pi Chen, a famous Taoist, known all over China, before the revolution. The detailed notes on T'ien Tai practice are for the most part drawn from Master Yin Shih Tsu, an eminent practicioner who cured himself of T.B. - using these techniques. This book is a treasury of helpful advice and relevant information.