“May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be safe.”
A couple of months ago, I reviewed the book “The Gift of Loving Kindness.” In the introduction of the book, one of the authors mentions that she sells beads. When I contacted her for more information, she kindly sent along a sample set for review.
What you get: A string of Loving Kindness Beads, hand-made and strung together while the assmbler wishes loving kindness upon the new owner and the word in general. As we have already discussed, loving-kindness generally involves well-wishing for yourself, for others, and for the world, by reciting, “May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be safe,” in several variations. You will notice in the picture that there are four large beads, one for each step of the L-K meditation. Note that these are not mala beads, these are uniquey designed for the 4-step L-K “mantra.”
Along with the beads comes a nice little drawstring bag to keep the beads, but I noticed the bag has a “Made in PRC” (China) tag inside. There is also a CD which includes a walk-through on the ideas of loving kindness, use of the beads, and a 20-minute guided meditation session. The CD will be very helpful to newcomers to Loving-Kindness meditation.
Each strand of beads is unique and hand-assembled, and the ones currently on their website are priced between $45 and $90. Although it’s perfectly possible to do loving-kindness meditation without the use of beads, I can easily see this as an excellent gift. The accompanying CD makes an easily accessible introduction to L-K meditation, and the beads are something “real” to work with while meditating, which might make meditation more appealing to beginners.
Book: The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination By Chan Master Sheng Yen
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Shambhala, 2008. 152 Pages, ISBN 978-1-59030-575-1
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590305752/?tag=askdrarca-20
Someone a few weeks back lamented their inability to go on a retreat. This book is the perfect solution to that situation, as it’s essentially a retreat in book form. I introduced Master Sheng Yen a while back when I reviewed his book ‚ÄúFootprints in the Snow.‚Äù I was impressed with that biography, and wanted to learn more about his actual teachings, so when he released this latest book, I jumped on the opportunity to read it. This book is basically a cleaned-up transcript of one of the week-long retreats that he offers.
There are three main sections to the book, ‚ÄúThe Practice of Silent Illumination‚Äù, ‚ÄúMaster Hongzhi’s Discourse: First Commentary‚Äù, and ‚ÄúMaster Hongzhi’s Discourse: Second Commentary.‚Äù Master Hongzhi lived from 1091-1157 and was the first to write about the practice of Silent Illumination. Sheng Yen has deeply researched into this Master and teaches his ancient method today.
The first section of the book is broken up into seven days’ teachings on how to practice Silent Illumination. Silent Illumination, to put it simply (probably too simply), seems to be a combination of ‚ÄúEmpty Mind‚Äù meditation combined with the idea of being one with the environment. Sheng Yen gives several short talks each day, and each has a small section with that day’s teachings. If you wanted to know what goes on in a retreat, this book is a clear way to see without actually attending one.
The second and third sections are also broken up into seven days’ teachings, but are more theoretical, explaining the original writings of Hongzhi in a modern way.
Since this is basically a transcription of a real weeklong seminar, there is some repetition, as the teacher reiterates some of what has gone before, but it’s not overly repetitious. Actually, some of the expansions in the later days really clarify what silent Illumination is all about.
Although practice and success at Silent Illumination is not an easy thing, the book is not complicated at all. There is some Buddhist jargon in the book, but whenever a new term is introduced, the word is marked with an *asterisk to show that it is explained in the glossary. He explains the practice of meditation, and explains that there are stages in Silent Illumination, but that not all of them are necessary; you might choose to focus on one stage forever. The book is reasonably short, but it did take me a while to get through it, as there is a lot here to think about.
Bottom Line: If you want to learn how a real Master teaches real meditation and theory in a real retreat setting, this is it. The language is easy and conversational, the ideas are not complex (quite the opposite in fact), yet there is enough depth here that you could spend the rest of your life mastering it.
CD: Buddha Moon
Artist: Chinmaya Dunster
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 4 tracks, 58:30 Minutes Buy Amazon CD Buy Amazon MP3
Or buy it through the Apple iTunes store
A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed a CD by Deuter, which I said “felt” Japanese due to the style and the instruments he used. This one is similar in many respects, but this on uses Indian instruments played by classical Indian musicians to give a very strong Indian feeling to the music.
From the cover: “Fusion maestro Chinmaya Dunster teams up with two virtuoso Indian classical musicians for a live performance of two morning ragas. The whole CD remains stately and tranquil, rooted in the meditative atmosphere surrounding dawn on a full moon night. This is hypnotic music to unwind to, to use as a background for a massage, and careful listening reveals a trance-like depth. Timeless.”
There are only four tracks on this CD, all of which are between 13 and 16 minutes long. They are all “Moon themed,” with tracks called New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon‚ and Waning Moon. To be honest, they all sound very much alike, and as the cover quote above states, it is very trance-inducing. This would be another excellent addition to a “meditation music” library. There is plenty of pleasing, relaxing background sound without a distracting tune, which is perfect for covering up outside noises while trying to meditate quietly.
I know some people call Indian music “whangy-twangy” due to the unique stringed instruments, and there is a lot of that here. If you are “anti-twang,” then you might want to skip this one. If, on the other hand, you are looking for authentic-sounding Indian music to make your meditations more “Eastern,” then give this one a try. It’s very soothing in my opinion, but it’s not going to put you to sleep.
I have included the usual link to buy the CD from Amazon above, but this music is also available from Amazon in MP3 format or from Apple through iTunes, so you can buy and listen to the music immediately without paying and waiting.
We have something a little different today, a guest reviewer! This time, Matt Siegrist tells us about a bargain discovery he recently found. If you would like to do a review of some Buddhism-related product, drop me a note and we’ll move on from there!
This book and DVD boxed set offers an introduction to meditation and Buddhist principles. Throughout the book are numerous beautiful pictures, covering everything from statues, paintings and bowls to close-ups of quilts and other exotic fabrics. Written by a Mahayana monk, the book covers all aspects of Buddhism, Theravadin and Mahayana to Zen and Pure Land Buddhism. It also covers many (I hesitate to say all) aspects of Buddhism, from a short history to the Four Noble Truths, suffering, the Eightfold Noble Path, all the way to mindfulness, karma, and the path to enlightenment. The last fifth of the book offers phrases to meditate upon. The DVD offers a brief introduction and short guided meditations with audio and video.
The Good:
The book is constructed of high-quality glossy paper that will last for many thumbings through. The pictures are incredibly colorful and clear, and cover many different subjects. If you want a quick refresher on Buddhism, the book can be read in an hour. The DVD didn’t appear to be of studio quality to me, but it was very peaceful to watch. If you meditate with your eyes open the guided meditations offer many pictures different from the book that are just as equally striking and mesmerizing.
The Bad:
The cover is little more than cardboard stock, and the ring binder doesn’t give it much appeal to leave around as a coffee table book. While the author does attempt to cover everything, there are many aspects in which he doesn’t provide much more than a short synopsis of the principle. The pictures, while amazingly beautiful to look at, have no background information supplied about them. If you are new to Buddhism, you aren’t even sure what you are exactly looking at.
Bottom Line: If you have listened to the first ten podcasts of the Daily Buddhism the book will not offer you any new information. However, if you want a reference book that is short and concise this book will serve you well. The guided meditations on the DVD are short, so if you have been meditating for any length of time they probably are too short for you. I found this boxed set book and DVD package while walking through the local Borders bookstore where it was on clearance for $7.99, and if you can get it at that price I would definitely purchase it.
Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness
by Mary Brantley and Tesilya Hanauer
Review by Brian Schell, http://www.dailybuddhism.com
New Harbinger Publications, 286 Pages, ISBN: 1-57224-562-X
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20
I’ve mentioned loving kindness meditation here on the Daily Buddhism quit often in my postings the past few weeks, and it may still not be clear what it’s all about. This book makes it clear as glass. The book is small (6‚Äùx6‚Äù), and as the title itself suggests, would make an excellent gift for someone interested in taking up a simple form of meditation for perhaps the first time. Although the introduction and explanatory pages mention Buddha a few times, the book is not religious and could be enjoyed by anyone of any faith.
The introductory section explains why the authors wrote the book, how to use the book, and basic instructions for both formal and informal loving kindness meditations. This takes around 44 pages, and is an interesting, fast read. The instructions on the formal meditation are clearly presented, and easy to follow and practice.
The book centers heavily on the ideas of generosity, forgiveness, and compassion. Towards others, of course, but starting with directing those concepts towards yourself. The book explains early on that it’s hard to direct loving kindness outwards towards others if your mind is filled with blame or self-hate. Therefore, the book focuses on directing loving kindness (generosity, compassion, and forgiveness) towards yourself first, and then expanding that mindfulness outward towards others.
The rest of the book is broken into four parts, consisting of exercises that expand or modify these basic instructions in simple, yet useful ways. Part one of the book consists of meditations of loving-kindness towards yourself, part two is about loving-kindness towards difficult emotions, part three covers loving-kindness towards others, and finally, part four involves loving-kindness towards the world. On the last few pages are some additional resources for further exploration.
The bulk of the pages are filled with 100 mindful practices that can be attempted in any order. Some are quite good, others are a little weak, but since you can pick and choose the ones that appeal to you, there’s plenty to work with. Each exercise is explained clearly and concisely, usually with only two or three paragraphs. Some of the ideas are a bit saccharine, but with a book on this subject, that’s nearly unavoidable.
Buddhism Level: Beginner. All Daily Buddhism readers should be able to understand all parts of this one. It has no jargon and requires no special background. It’s even fine for those who may be uncomfortable with Buddhism, yet interested in meditation.
It’s easy to do, it’s easy to understand. Send yourself a little gift of loving kindness, and you can learn to pass it on to the rest of the world.
Movie: Zen Noir
Director: Marc Rosenbush
Reviewed by Brian Schell
English, 71 Minutes Amazon Link
I saw the trailers for this movie last winter, and it looked hilarious, so when I finally had a chance to watch the film, I jumped at it. Zen humor is not something you see everyday, and this was obviously advertised as a comedy.
The movie is narrated in the first person by a 30’s hard-boiled detective type, clearly a Mike Hammer parody, complete with tough-guy monologues and beard stubble. The action starts out with a chuckle, as an old Zen monk sits in a room with other monks meditating. He keels over and dies, but the others are so into their meditation they don’t even notice. When the detective arrives and starts asking questions about the murder‚Ķ Well, you know what kind of answers you get when you ask a question in Zen.
The first 25 minutes or so were rough. The back and forth rapid-fire questions and non-answers got old fast, and the overuse of Noir and Zen cliches got to the point of silliness, which was probably intentional, but still wasn’t very funny. By around the 20-minute mark, I was ready to declare this the “stupidest movie ever.” Then the silliness slowed down and the Zen took over.
There was still the occasional funny line, such as when the detective asks the Master,
“What happens when we, you know‚ die?”
“Don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Not dead yet!” OK, so humor of that sort is in the delivery.
There are dozens of images of oranges and glimpses of oranges In different scenes and positions flashing onscreen throughout the drama. Once the meaning of the orange is explained, many things become clear, both in the movie and in real Zen itself. There really is a lot of Zen in the movie, and it was obviously very cleverly written.
Yet, I still have to ask myself, is it entertaining? The problem is that even after watching the movie, I cannot answer that one. This is definitely one of those love-it or hate-it movies, and I suspect most audiences are going to be split down the middle. If someone is fairly knowledgeable about basic Zen ideas, then there is a message in the ending; however, for the person who isn’t very familiar with Zen ideas, this is going to be a seriously boring movie that makes no sense whatsoever.
I’m going to give this one a 3/5 since I really just don’t know what to think‚Ķ Or maybe I should give it a 5/5 for the same reason.
Book: The Saint of Kathmandu and Other Tales of the Sacred in Distant Lands
By Sarah Levine
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Beacon Press, 242 Pages, ISBN 978-0-8070-1312-0
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0807013129/?tag=askdrarca-20
This is a little different from the other books I’ve reviewed here. It’s not strictly a Buddhist book; it’s about various religions around the world. There are six stories in the book, each one a more-or-less true story in the experience of the author, a British anthropologist.
The first tale is about spirit possession in a Muslim town, the second is about the Cult of the Virgin in Mexico, Witchcraft in Kenya, Buddhism in Kathmandu, Charismatic Christianity in Hong Kong, and Zen in America. For the readers of Daily Buddhism, I am going to focus on just two of the stories, although all are worth your time.
The third story involves the author’s trip from Kathmandu to India, where she visits the places where the Buddha gained Enlightenment and also where he died. Along the way, she has many discussions with Guruma, the leader of the group and a Nepalese Nun, as well as being the titular ‚ÄúSaint‚Äù of the book. Guruma’s stories show what it was like to be a little girl being forced into an arranged marriage, her escape and distant travels to the nunnery, and her later work in bringing the Dharma to thousands of women who otherwise would be neglected by the male-dominated society. Interestingly, early in the story, the author laments the possibility of having to talk about western Buddhism with two Americans, yet at the end of the story she finds that she cannot tolerate the more disciplined approach of the East.
The sixth and last story is an interesting one as well. It’s about the author’s encounter with an American Zen Master (said to be the first American Zen master). While the author is initially taken by the quirky Zen Master/artist, she quickly discovers the dark side of the situation. The man loves being the center of attention, is a control freak, and never wanted to be a teacher anyway. He, as well as his students, became victims of his own cult of personality. Zen Masters do generally come off a somewhat arrogant in most tales, but this story gives a much more real sense of the problem, which is probably much more common than we in the West would probably assume.
It’s an interesting book with an interesting perspective. There are things here both positive and negative about all these various groups and religions. The author is clearly more interested in the people and their attitudes than the places she visits or beliefs the people hold, and the stories she relates are very personal in nature.
You aren’t going to learn anything about how to practice Buddhism with this book, but it’s a good read, and it’s fun to visit the unusual cultures and share the odd experiences the author relates with us here. The final chapter in particular, shows us some of the inherent problems with lineage traditions where it is assumed that the teacher is always right.
Once you reach enlightenment, does it last forever or does it fade?
Have you ever dreamed about becoming a Buddhist monk? I have. I’ve visited some of those temples, and can imagine living there, doing the daily work, chanting, meditation, and so forth. After reading this book, I see that my mental picture of it all may have been a bit rosy.
Footprints in the Snow is the autobiography of Sheng Yen, a Chan (“Chinese Zen”) Master. There are several biographies of the man in Chinese, but this is the first edition in English. Sheng Yen was born in an extremely poor farming family in the Chinese countryside. With few other options, he was taken by a family friend to the Wolf Mountain monastery, where he learned the basics of becoming a monk. He later moved on to Shanghai, but the war between the Communists and the Nationalists drove him to become a soldier-for-life in Taiwan. Eventually securing his freedom from the soldier’s life, he once again became a monk. After travels to Canada, the USA, and back to China, he finally became a Chan Master and one of those most influential Buddhists alive today. He combines his personal story with historical events, and we can see how political changes in China and Taiwan altered not only his life, but Buddhism in general.
I found this book hard to put down. I’m not usually a fan of biographies, but his easygoing writing style and obvious love of what he does makes every page enjoyable. Along with the story, the author explains a bit of Buddhist philosophy in a comfortable, jargon-free style that DailyBuddhism readers will appreciate. My favorite parts of the book, however, are his interactions with the monks and abbots of the various monasteries. Far from being the altruistic teachers and devoted worshippers we usually envision, he shows us the real picture. Many of the Chinese monks sell their services for money, they get into trouble with alcohol and women, there is “office politics” in the hierarchies, and so forth. The pettiness of some of the monks and abbots are shocking. One thing is clear though, in the monk’s world, everything revolves around money. Given that we stereotypically assume monks to be poor and penniless, above such financial concerns, the reality or monastery life is quite different.
He goes from poor farm boy to a monk, to a soldier, to an abbott, to a monk again, eventually becoming homeless and rising back to the top. All the way, he refines his teaching style and is attached to nothing. It’s a dramatic story, and there are some good educational bits on Buddhism scattered throughout. If you ever wanted to know about Monastery life, this is a must-read.
This one is going into my “Read it Again someday” pile.
There are umpteen-gazillion books out there, both good and bad, concerning Buddhism for adult readers. There are very few good books for Children that involve Buddhist ideas. Books based upon the Jataka Tales are classics, but those stories are ancient and somewhat generic in nature. Modern-day Buddhist children books are starting to enter the market, albeit slowly. This is one of them.
It’s a durable hardcover children’s book with heavy pages and bright colors throughout. The text is short and extremely simple, and even beginning readers will be able to move through the book quickly. The drawings are simple but bright, and mostly involve ‚ÄúYou,‚Äù the central character in the story. Unlike stories about 3rd-person characters, ‚ÄúYou‚Äù are the center of attention here. Fortunately, since the pronoun ‚ÄúYou‚Äù works whether reading the book yourself or having the book read to you, it’s a neat idea.
The subject here is about the main character, who asks the questions, ‚ÄúWho made everything?‚Äù, ‚ÄúWhy am I here?‚Äù and several other ‚Äùbig‚Äù questions. The book does not supply answers to any of the big questions, that’s up to the adult in the child’s life to explain. There are no references to God or any other specific religion. The book could literally be used to introduce any child to the big questions, and the adult must supply whatever answers they feel are appropriate.
I’m assuming that Daily Buddhism readers are going to want to use the book to explain the Buddhist perspective on the questions posed here. The book is fine for that, and there is one section of the book:
Here you are, wondering,
how everything appears out of nowhere like the waves rise up from the sea,
and how everything vanishes into nothing,
like the waves, on a calm summer’s day.
This could lead into a decidedly Buddhist-tinted discussion.
The one and only problem I see with the book are the pictures of ‚ÄúYou‚Äù (see the cover image). The pictures are all of a little boy, or perhaps a girl with very short hair. I’m not sure whether this was an artistic decision or an oversight. I imagine it would be confusing to try to make the pictures of ‚ÄúYou‚Äù to apply to everyone. Still, unless you are buying the book is for a little caucasian boy, be prepared.
Review: Now & Zen Timepiece
Review by Brian Schell
Manufacturer Link: http://www.now-zen.com
Price $189
Packing & Contents:
My review sample arrived in a nice retail box with plenty of safety packaging. The heavy brass bowl was separated from the wooden clock unit to avoid damage. I played with the bowl a while before ever opening the rest of the clock; you can make a nice resounding gong sound by striking it with anything, even a pencil. Eventually though, I wanted to see the clock, and had to proceed. The box says Batteries not included, yet batteries were in the box, ready to go. A comprehensive manual and product catalog were also in the box. The clock is available in several colors, cherry, maple, and black lacquer. I got the cherry version. From the catalog, it appears that the bowls are all the same, brass.
Setup:
I played with the buttons a bit, and figured out how to set the clock on my own, but did have to peek inside the manual for anything more than that. The instruction booklet is English only, at 40 pages, clearly organized with everything you need to know, plus a good deal of additional suggestions for usage.
There are two small screw-type adjustments, one Hi and one Lo that are located under the bowl; these control the force at which the little plunger strikes the bowl. You can fiddle with these until you get the sound you want from the bowl. The sound can also be adjusted by moving the bowl nearer or farther from the plunger that shoots out to strike the bowl. You can set the clock to run silently, go off at a specified time, or set it to chime on the hour.
Usage:
Setting the alarm is essentially the same as on any other digital clock. The ringing of the alarm is a little unusual, since there is just one long chime rather than the constant chatter a regular ringing alarm clock would make. When the alarm goes off, the bowl gongs once. Then it does it again 3 minutes and 48 seconds later. Then again at 2:21, 1:28, :54, :34, :21, :13, :08. and then repeatedly every 5 seconds. This Golden Ratio Progression is explained in the instructions, and you can Google Golden Ratio for more of an explanation of the mystical significance. More practically, it’s the bowl-striking equivalent of the sleep mode on a most standard clock. They call this progressive awakening. I have mine set to ring on the hour, every hour, so I end up sleeping through single gongs all night long.
Other than the regular alarm mode, it also has a countdown timer, which is pretty straightforward. You set the number of minutes and seconds, and the counter counts down to zero and chimes. There is also a repeat feature that you can set to count down for however long, chime, and then do it again. This is the meditation timer feature, which you can use during meditation. Overall, it’s easy
to set up and use, and the booklet has many interesting suggestions for how to use the clock in meditation, dreamwork, and progressive awakening.
Zen Timepiece in Cherry
The Good & The Bad:
There is one major drawback to the clock, and that’s the bowl placement. The bowl has to be placed reasonably close to the plunger in order to strike, but not too close. It’s meant to be adjustable, and that’s OK, but any movement of the bowl away from the plunger, which is not fixed down at all, will keep the chime from sounding. I can imagine several unfortunate scenarios for someone relying on this clock to wake them in the morning. It wouldn’t take much of a jar for the bowl to slip just a little, leaving the alarm silent.
The biggest feature of the clock is the chime. The solid brass bowl has a great resonance to it, and just tapping it with a fingernail makes a great sound. There’s no reason you couldn’t use the bowl in any kind of group meditation for a bell or gong sound. When the clock’s chime strikes, the deep bell resonates for 10 to 15 seconds, and you can imagine you hear it long after the sound has actually faded.
The price is steep for a clock of this size, but it is a very well-designed clock, and the sound is unique to my knowledge. It’s a Buddhist luxury toy if there ever was one. The unusual design and bowl are bound to be conversation starters, if nothing else.
Review: Seeds of Kindness Beads
