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Honen The Buddhist Saint: Essential Writings and Official Biography (Spiritual Masters: East and West) Paperback – Illustrated, June 22, 2006
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length192 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWorld Wisdom
- Publication dateJune 22, 2006
- Dimensions6.8 x 0.58 x 9.04 inches
- ISBN-101933316136
- ISBN-13978-1933316130
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About the Author
Alfred Bloom is one of the world's foremost authorities on the study of Shin Buddhism. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, taught World Religions and Buddhism at the University of Oregon and the University of Hawaii. He was Dean at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, sponsored by the Buddhist Churches of America. Prof. Bloom is an ordained Shin priest.
Clark Strand is a former Zen Buddhist monk and the author of Seeds From A Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey and The Wooden Bowl: Simple Meditation for Everyday Life. In 1996 he left his position as senior editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review to write and teach full time. He now lives in Woodstock, NY, where he leads the Koans of the Bible Study Group.
Product details
- Publisher : World Wisdom (June 22, 2006)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1933316136
- ISBN-13 : 978-1933316130
- Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.8 x 0.58 x 9.04 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #770 in Asian & Asian American Biographies
- #2,750 in Hinduism (Books)
- #5,394 in Religious Leader Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2009Maybe this review isn't fair since I will read anything about Honen. I found this book both as a good read as well as a reference.
Worth the price.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2009Honen was the father of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism and yet he is often overshadowed by his student Shinran. This is curious, since Shinran himself never claimed to teach anything other then what his late master taught him. Quotations from Honen are hard to come by and that alone makes this book worth buying. But aside from Honen's voluminous writings and the scholary account of this extradorniary man's life, this book is embellished with dozens of beautiful images. Most are reproductions of prints from Honen's offical biography (of which this work is an abridgment) while others are photos of statues, pagodas, and depictions of Amida.
The material of Honen's is a combinations of quotations, letters he wrote to disciples, and an abridged 'catechism' of sorts on the practice of nembutsu that he wrote for posterity. It truly is amazing that though his message is essentially so simple that the most uneducated peasent could understand, it nonetheless possesses a philosophical depth comparable to any other school of Buddhism. These 'deeper' aspects of Jodo Buddhism are explained in this book for those who feel inclined to study. Nonetheless, even the above teachings are not in any way superflous to Honen's simple teaching. Honen was a highly erudite, but ultimately practical man who had no patience for aimless philosophical conjecture. Even his highest intellectual achievements do not deviate or detract one iota from his simple message: that all sentient beings, no matter their level of intelligence or moral development, can achieve enlightenment through Amida's primal vow.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2022This book is a very good resource to learn about Honen's life and followers.
However, without reading other resources on Honen's teaching, it may be possible to misunderstand some of his teachings, both due the brevity of the sections on the teachings and this book's frequent use of Christian terminology for Buddhist terms. The Promise of Amida Buddha is a much better resource to learn Honen's teachings.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2009"Only repeat the name of Amida [Amitabha] with all your heart. Whether walking or standing, sitting or lying, never cease the practice of it even for a moment. This is the very work which unfailingly issues in salvation, for it is in accordance with the Original Vow of that Buddha." -- Zendo (Shan-tao)
"Honen the Buddhist Saint: Essential Writings and Official Biography" is a remarkably accessible edition of the original volume that was first translated in 1925 by Rev. Harper Havelock Coates and Rev. Ryugaku Ishizuka entitled "Honen the Buddhist Saint: His Life and Teaching" (Kyoto: Chionin, 1925). This initial work was encyclopedic in scope consisting of five volumes offering the most detailed study of Honen available in English. The drawback of this monumental work was its inaccessibility as it was daunting for Buddhist practitioners and lay readers to approach. However, this new abridged edition makes Honen available to both scholars and lay readers alike, providing what is most noteworthy in regards to the life of this great medieval Japanese monk and his teachings. The Introduction contains a comprehensive overview of Pure Land Buddhism written by Alfred Bloom, a foremost authority on Shin Buddhism, and there is also a Foreword by Clark Strand a Buddhist teacher, practitioner and writer.
-AHP Perspective, December 2008/January 2009
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to Honen and Pureland Buddhism.
A good primer for Pureland Buddhism. Lots of illustrations from the original book. An example of Life through faith alone.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2022
3.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version poorly formatted
This is a wonderful book that deserves a five star. I've given it a three because it's such a formatted mess. Wherever there is a word requiring a double LL they are split . Yes real ly. Words ending with a Y as with jo y, you are likely to find the y floating away. Come on kindle get this sorted. This is the second book in the last month that has had these kind of problems.