The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen

Rating:
Summary: An Invaluable Guide to Buddhism
Review: I bought this book several years ago and it has proven an invaluable reference. For anyone wanting to deeply study Buddhism and Buddhist sutras this book is very helpful. The entries are clear and accurate, with extensive cross-references. There are entries for each of the major sects of Buddhism as well as various doctrines and teachers. Like one reviewer above, I too was at first nonplussed by the "and Zen" in the title. Then I re-read the first page, "Guide to Using This Dictionary," where it explains that "Zen, although frequently considered to be one among many schools of Buddhism, had its own independent development to such an extent that it is here treated as a separate subject area. This also corresponds to its own understanding of itself as 'outside the orthodox teaching.'" There has been an occasional time when I cannot find a Sanskrit or Pali term in the Dictionary, but for all the basics, this book is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: An Invaluable Guide to Buddhism
Review: This book has been helpful, but several times I have turned to it to look up a word and found the word not there. However, there are very clear explanations and examples of words that are listed in the book, and the information given is much more than just the definitions. Some words have illustrations, too. I find this interesting and helpful. If you are studying Buddhism this book is a must for your library.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, but falls short of an all inclusive dictionary.
Review: This book has been helpful, but several times I have turned to it to look up a word and found the word not there. However, there are very clear explanations and examples of words that are listed in the book, and the information given is much more than just the definitions. Some words have illustrations, too. I find this interesting and helpful. If you are studying Buddhism this book is a must for your library.

Rating:
Summary: A useful reference book for anyone interested in Buddhism
Review: This dictionary includes over 1,500 entries; a helpful guide to the pronunciation of Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan terms; a five-page chart of the major Ch'an/Zen lineages (from the Buddha mainly through the 11th century, plus a few later figures like Dogen and Hakuin); and an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources on Buddhism.

I occasionally find this dictionary frustrating when I know only the English version of a term that the editors apparently expect me to know in Sanskrit (e.g., there's no entry for "dependent origination," not even a cross-listing sending you to "pratitya-samutpada"). And there's a strange dearth of information about Korean Buddhism (e.g., no entries for Chinul, Son, or the Chogye Order). But all in all, this is a very good dictionary, and it makes good browsing for learning more about Buddhism.

You may want to compare this dictionary with Damien Keown's "Dictionary of Buddhism," which is more up-to-date and has more entries, including more extensive coverage of Western Buddhism, but it's also a good bit more expensive (currently available only in hardback), and the coverage of Zen isn't as good. (John Powers's "Concise Encyclopedia of Buddhism" is less comprehensive than the Shambhala dictionary and only a little less expensive, and Charles S. Prebish's "Historical Dictionary of Buddhism" is less comprehensive and a lot more expensive.)