Customer Reviews

Buddha Book: A Meeting of Images

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The book begins with a decent 5 page intro to the Buddha by Robert Thurman. There is nothing wrong with the intro, but one can tell he mainly studies Tibetan Buddhism -- there is a great emphasis on gods, heavens, divinity, and the like. The intro would have been better had it been representative of Buddhism as a whole.

The actually images of different Buddhas, which constitute most of the book, are extremely interesting, varying widely in style, media, composition, and even subject matter. (It is fascinating how many different forms of the Buddha have been created.) The differing Buddhas vary from serene to silly (such as Jim Crump's photo of the Putt Putt Buddha.) More famous Buddhas include those done by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Nam June Paik. Some images are awesome (as in inspiring awe), but a few just aren't very good.

This book won't do anything for a scholar of Buddhism -- there is nothing that tells what the Buddha's different positions, hand gestures, etc. are supposed to mean. But does contain some beautiful works of art, and in that respect it fulfills its purpose.

I had been looking for a book with just images of the Buddha for awhile, when I came across the 'Buddha Book'. It's exactly what I wanted. Full of interesting photos depicting the Buddha in varied ways, mediums, and locations. From statues in Asia, Tibetan tangkas, modern-day sculptures, installations, paintings, to digital/computer generated images. Both contemplative and thought provoking, this delightful book might also at times put a smile on your face.

This book is great, with art for Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg to photos of the Loshan Buddha and a great photo of a Buddha surounded by skulls in Kampuchia.