Chan Buddhism (Dimensions of Asian Spirituality) [Hardcover]

Peter D. Hershock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004 | Series: Dimensions of Asian Spirituality, V. 2

Chan Buddhism has become paradigmatic of Buddhist spirituality. Known in Japan as Zen and in Korea as Son, it is one of the most strikingly iconoclastic spiritual traditions in the world. This succinct and lively work clearly expresses the meaning of Chan as it developed in China more than a thousand years ago and provides useful insights into the distinctive aims and forms of practice associated with the tradition, including its emphasis on the unity of wisdom and practice; the reality of "sudden awakening"; the importance of meditation; the use of "shock tactics"; the centrality of the teacher-student relationship; and the celebration of enlightenment narratives, or koans.

Unlike many scholarly studies, which offer detailed perspectives on historical development, or guides for personal practice written by contemporary Buddhist teachers, this volume takes a middle path between these two approaches, weaving together both history and insight to convey to the general reader the conditions, energy, and creativity that characterize Chan. Following a survey of the birth and development of Chan, its practices and spirituality are fleshed out through stories and teachings drawn from the lives of four masters: Bodhidharma, Huineng, Mazu, and Linji. Finally, the meaning of Chan as a living spiritual tradition is addressed through a philosophical reading of its practice as the realization of wisdom, attentive mastery, and moral clarity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter D. Hershock is coordinator of the Asian Studies Development Program at the East-West Center, Honolulu. He has been a practicing Buddhist since 1982.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 173 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824827805
• ISBN-13: 978-0824827809
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,933,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best, April 29, 2009

By 

Michael Staples (Sonoma, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chan Buddhism (Dimensions of Asian Spirituality) (Paperback)

Out of an extensive library of western philosophy and Buddhist thought this is one of my favorites. I have read some of the negative comments here and could not disagree more. You have to read this book several times to piece together Hershocks vision. But his is a vision I feel accurately explicates the poetic abstractions of Ch'an (Zen). Unlike at least one commentor, I did not find the writing to be dry, distant or confusing. I thought the writing was exemplary, to the point, and strung together a picture of Ch'an that very few others have done.

When it comes to these kind of books, there are tons of them written by very good practioners who do not have the background in western philosophy or as writers to adequately paint a lucid picture in non-poetic terms. Unravelling the poetic language of Ch'an can be a challenge, and Hershock does a masterful job of it.

I highly recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Introudction to Chinese Buddhism, December 20, 2009

By 

John C. Marshell Jr. - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chan Buddhism (Dimensions of Asian Spirituality) (Paperback)

This book is a general survey of Chan Buddhism written by a respected scholar. It is that simple. It is well written and easy to follow. The author uses images and analogies in relating buddhist teachings, some drawn from the buddhist tradition, others are more secular and contemporary. It is an accessible book for the general reader, though it could also be useful to those more advanced in religious studies.

With all the different "Buddhisms" out there, it was nice to find a book that stuck to the Chinese version of the tradition. So often Chinese, Japanese, and Korean forms of buddhism get lumped together. What I liked most about this book were the distinctions he presented between Indian Buddhism and Chan, making clear how they were different and why they were different. His honest accounting of the influence of Taoism and Chinese culture on a foriegn religious tradition was educating and helpful and answered many growing questions in my own study of this tradition. His discussion of the development of Buddha-nature, interdependence, creativity, and energy work--especially as they are unique to the Chan tradition--provide the reader with a good grounding in the basic teachings of the Chinese tradition. I am, however, still a little fuzzy in my thinking about karma and reincarnation, and perhaps this is an area of the book that is lacking. It is the only criticism I would offer.

If you are looking for an outstanding introduction to this subject, I would recommend this book. The University of Hawai'i Press offers many fine books on this subject. Further reading can be found there.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like No Other, February 20, 2011

By 

Daniel M. Kaplan "mountain light" (San Francisco, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chan Buddhism (Dimensions of Asian Spirituality) (Paperback)

I am rereading Peter Hershock's book Chan Buddhism for the third time. I continue to glean things I missed on previous readings. But what is encouraging, as a long time zen practitioner, is the clarity with which Mr Hershock expresses the fundamental aspects of Chan that remain true today to people practicing. Describing enlightenment as a dynamic awakening into the total interrelatedness of all being, as well as what made Chan so unique amongst the streams of buddhism that came to China, it is a book both concise, and packed with great information and insight. I recommend it to those who ask me for a book on Zen that will give them background and insight into what it is supposed to be about. I find it's a book like no other. It doesn't get you bogged down in dogma, and continually comes back to Chan as being a practice oriented stream of buddhism, an enactment practice(s), not a textually based stream of buddhism. It's unique in that in all of buddhism, even though all the schools of buddhism have always had their meditation practices.
Although Mr Hershock has written other, more scholarly books about buddhism and Chan and it's influence, THIS volume is one to come back to again and again.