Customer Reviews

The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism: A Phenomenological Perspective of Kukai and Dogen (Suny Series in Buddhist Studies)

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This book, as the previous review shows, is not for the average student to whom it will appear beyond comprehension. The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism is, however, a rewarding find for the serious comparativist and Buddhist scholar. David Shaner begins by explaining the phenomenological method of Husserl and proceeds to use the method as a way of explaining the various experiences in the human bodymind (Shaner's term for the integration of mind and body), as conveyed in Buddhism and in particular, Japanese Buddhism. The sections are conveniently divided and concise, always resulting in a comprehensive analysis of the particular (Kukai or Dogen) Buddhist methods of achieving 1st order Bodymind Awareness (aka enlightenment). If you want to methodically understand and gain insight into a new way of interpreting the Japanese Bodymind experience (integration of mind and body), do not overlook this book.

This was a text for Dr. Shaner's course when I took it back at Furman University, and it hasn't improved with age. Still reads as incomprehensible, with a tangled semi-colloquial writing style and real-life examples that never connect with the text. I was never sure whether it was the subject matter that was unclear or Dr. Shaner's inability to convey it. If I didn't know he had written it in English, I'd have assumed it was at least partly translated from the Japanese via Babelfish.

In any case, avoid this book. There have to be texts on the subject that do a better job and are more of a pleasure to read.