Customer Reviews

The Buddha in Your Rearview Mirror: A Guide to Practicing Buddhism in Modern Life

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

William James, a hundred years ago, played a major part in establishing the dominant philosophical system underpinning American beliefs--pragmatism. In essence, truth is what brings good, what value one derives from belief. In assessing religious beliefs, this comports well with Hochswender's explanation of Buddhism generally and the Nichiren Buddhism of the SGI that he focuses on in this book. The first President of the lay organization of Buddhists that Hochswender profiles was a follower of John Dewey in terms of educational theory and no doubt along with his pragmatic views Dewey held in concert with his associate James. All this history is just to point to the fact that a seemingly Oriental religion has a surprisingly profound correlation to American thought. Moreover, in evaluating the benefit of one Buddhist sect or another, it becomes clear that applying a simple "the proof is in the pudding" analysis, Nichiren Buddhism indeed is worth testing. It is the largest Buddhist sect in Japan and probably worldwide for the reason that its simple practice works. The Rearview Mirror book is broader and more comprehensive than the earlier book that Hochswender coauthored with Greg Martin and Ted Morino. In my opinion, either is a good introduction to Buddhism but the more recent one may be better for the younger or more cerebral type of reader.

Buddha in Your Rearview Mirror

This book is great. It explains how to use a 13th Century Buddhist practice to live a life of great value in the 21st Century without giving up your beliefs, your self-identity or your life style. It explains the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity.

Learn about your evil twin and how to use him (her) as a springboard to a happy life. It's easy to read and easy to understand. Has just the right amount of information and humor to make it great reading.

Very lively and wonderful book. Answers a lot of questions even for an 'old' buddhist practitioner like. Keep cranking it out, Woody!

Young people who I gave this book to as gifts have responded very very positively to it.

I know enjoyed this book. Easy to read and I feel that I learned a lot about Buddhism.

I would recommend it to someone who is looking for an armchair explanation of Buddhism. Even thought I might try some of the suggestions.

This book allows an inside view and understanding of the most dynamic buddhist sect in the 21st century. The concepts are very deep yet simply put in a way that anyone can truly comprehend. I highly recommend!!

Quite by accident I spotted this book, purchased it from Amazon, and quickly became engrossed. I have been entranced with metaphysics for nearly 50 years and have studied the subject extensively. "The Buddha In Your Rearview Mirror" greatly contributed to a deeper insight. I recommend it most highly.

when it comes to buddhism there is so much confusion that people either erroneously think they get it or steer clear of it all together. this is most unfortunate, because in true buddhism lies an explanation of life so profound yet so inherently clear, a practice so detailed yet so accessible to all, that it is like a gem hidden within that when discovered and utilized, can cure all ills and solve all problems. indeed it behooves humanity to study buddhism if we are to survive and thrive at all. this book is among the best i have ever read on the subject in my over 25 years of buddhist practice.

This book is a great companion to The Buddha in Your Mirror. It ties in well with the introduction to Nichiren's Buddhism. The author explains the mechanics of the practice very well. He puts into simple easy to understand terminology. His use of everyday examples facilitates it all and gives one something to think about as he/she goes about their daily lives.

Excellent and engaging read! Of particular benefit, was the chapter comparing the fundamentals of Buddhism with the fundamentals of Christianity. Living as a Buddhist in the Bible belt it can sometimes be very difficult for me to articulate those differences to others in a way that's easily understandable. This book is certainly helpful in that regard! I really enjoyed reading about Hochswender's introduction to Buddhism and its' application in his own life. He has a way of talking about the practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism in a way that's conversational, learned, modern and cohesive. I continue to read and re-read this book as it has become a strong touchstone in the study component of my practice. This is the kind of book that you want to buy and give as a gift to others. Very nicely done!

This is a great read. In addition to being entertaining, it offers a substantial method guiding the migration away from the bedtime nightstand buddhist stage (one that many of us Americans get to and then stick). The book is written in a largely conversational style and provides many insights into the evolution of this form of buddhism. I found the methods of meditation expoused here to be highly adaptable to my very American life and rhythms. This book guides the reader from the "buddhist as philosophy" level to the practical application of these principles to daily life without having to move to Tibet (or to Japan, in this case) to accomplish it. m