Customer Reviews

Dharma The Cat : Philosophy With Fur

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These really are good cartoons, whether you're interested in Buddhism or not. If you are, then they introduce the concepts behind Buddhism gracefully and if you're not, then they will raise a smile at minimum.

Not laugh-out-loud funny, they'll just make you smile. A good gift for anyone, old or young.

If you are a cat lover or a student of Buddhism this is a great book to read. It is very easy to understand and it applies to our current way of life. The illustrations have detail that capture the essence of the message, and the cartoon format makes it easy to pickup and learn the message of the day. I especially enjoy Dharma's wisdom after each panel. This book would make a great gift as well as a personal reference for today's path through life. Cats are very knowing and this wonderful work by David Lourie proves it!

Wisdom is one thing. Humour is another. When they come together it is especially gratifying. Lourie and Blackall manage to get Bhuddist teachings across so succinctly in both text and artwork. And the novice monk's struggles towards enlightenment feel very human. Each vignette leaves me with a chuckle. I do hope His Holiness the Dalai Lama gets to see it. He is a great chuckler.

This is a very delicate and precious book. It shows you the struggles of a buddhist novice to walk the path of the Buddha. It helps when you know something about buddhism, but it certainly isn't necessary. For me, knowing a bit about buddhism, this book was really refreshing. It made me laugh out loud about my own strives and struggles and in fact it helped me to look at my life with a smile. It took the weight off some things and in my opinion that is what's buddhism all about! The lay-out of this book shows a comic strip on the left page and gives a certain focus point on the next. This lay-out makes this book a perfect meditation guide!

I am delighted to have Dharma the Cat in a printed format. I have used the online version with my undergraduate and postgraduate students for several years. I have found that they appeal to a wide range of people who laugh at the behaviour of the earnest monk, Boddhi but also comment on the wisdom of the cat. It is good to explore meaning in a way that does not take itself too seriously and is able to cross the boundaries of age and religion. The drawings are good fun and the dialogue is so human that we all can identify with it.

Dharma the Cat is a really great cartoon strip by David Lourie and Ted Blackall. I've been a major fan ever since I first started seeing it on the web. It's wonderfully drawn, funny and very ironic but what makes it different from all the other strips out there is that it actually has something to say. Each strip is a mini Buddhist teaching clothed sweetly and cunningly in a well executed gag. Wisdom with speech bubbles. This book version is a terrific collection of the best of Bodhi the monk and Dharma the cat. It lends itself more to the self help/spirituality shelves than the Snoopy or Garfield area and will appeal to anyone interested in the Buddhist path. It's a classic and will remain fresh for decades. The perfect gift for a friend who is a meditator. I'm buying several copies to give to friends over the holidays.

If you know nothing at all about Buddhism but have a desire to learn then this is the way to go. In a simple but compelling series of cartoons Bodhi the novice monk is led to Nirvana by the Buddhist cat Dharma. Siam the mouse cares for nothing but cheese and cheese is Nirvana. I loved the simply drawn characters along with the common sense of Buddhism. This small book is a painless introduction to the problems facing everyone trying to lead the "good" life. Fun with exquisite philosophy.

Very cute book, clever spins on Buddhism. I only wish there were more cartoon forthcoming!

This is small book packed with philosophical Buddhist cartoons.

One side contains three panels and the other facing page contains a comment by Dharma the cat, and sometimes by Siam the mouse.

This involves three characters
Bhodi: An aspiring young Buddhist Monk, on his path to enlightenment.
Dharma: the pet cat of Bhodi, who thinks he is smarter than Humans
Siam: A mouse in the household, whose enlightenment is Cheese.

Each cartoon approaches a topic, such as "Ego", "Non-attachment" etc.. and mostly how the efforts are futile, and Dharma would have a last word on it.

For instance, Bhodi would talk about How he is so special and efficient in loosing his Ego, which Dharma would be quick to point out.

Nice set of cartoons, that can make you think and laugh.

The images are pretty tiny on the Kindle, the Kindle's font adjustments do not work with images... but it's a fun book.