Customer Reviews

Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree: The Buddha's Teachings on Voidness

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I read this book, published under the title, Heartwood of the Bo Tree, while I was living in Thailand. It is, in my opinion, an extremely important discussion on the essential truth of Buddhism, stripping away all of the unnecessary glitz which accompanies it in the East and all of the new-age pseudo gurus who speak and write about Eastern religion in the West. I found myself entranced by the text, which is actually a series of lectures, originally given in Thai, to Thai laypeople by a revered senior monk, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. The sermons methodically and simply explain the simple essence of Buddhism as they cover the most crucial truths which, interestingly, all seem to boil down to one: Emptiness. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is truly interested in Buddhism without all of its trappings, or someone who is struggling to let go of all which causes them sufferring. (i.e. let go of absolutely everything-including their strife for happiness) Hope that doesn't give too much away! I am very pleased to see that this book is now available outside of Thailand, because I loaned my well worn copy to my brother-in-law over two years ago and haven't seen it since. It's still hard not to cling.

This is a real precious gem very clear and sharp. Buddhadasa points his finger and one really forgets the finger and sees exactly what he is pointing at. The most perfect teaching to directly experience and realize, in the very moments of reading. Everybody interested in Buddhism beginner or not can profit, as the book is both easy to read and full of enlightening information of the real nature of our existence. Personally I have read few books with such power and clarity. Buddhadasa shows "Void ness" he dos not merely talk about. This book is heart to heart communication, in the real sense of the words, it is more then fantastic, excellent or great, but it is simply realistic.

The most straightforward, authoritative, and impressive collection of Dhamma talks on emptiness I have come across, by a teacher embodying the simultaneously ordinary and profound material he teaches. Something to read and contemplate over and over.

I bought this book a year or two ago and loved its no-nonsense approach to explaining one of the most (if not THE most, besides meditation and the Path) important aspects of Buddhism. When referring a person to this site to buy a copy I was pretty shocked to see a used copy of the book going for 70 dollars all the way to 140 or so. If you must read this book (and I highly recommend you do), go here:[...]

I'm not sure if this is because the book is out of print, but it is a shame people feel a need to cash in on a book where the ultimate message is that all things are void of an enduring identity and inherently unsatisfactory. In short, don't feed the greed of those looking to cash in on this book and wait until Wisdom republishes it.

There are a number of concepts within the doctrine of Theravadan Buddhism that might seem incomprehensible to the average Western mind, and prominent among them are the ideas of anatta (no-self) and sunatta (voidness). Having been a serious student of Buddhist thought for awhile, I have read much of the Pali Canon available in English in addition to numerous commentaries, but nowhere have I encountered such a concise and lucid explanation of these difficult ideas as the author presents in this little volume. In just 117 pages, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu suumarizies just about everything one really needs to know. For example, consider this quotation from the Khuddaka-nikaya: "O Bahiya, whenever you see a form, let there be just the seeing; whenever you hear a sound, let there be just the hearing; when you smell an odor, let there be just the smelling; when you taste a flavor, let there be just the tasting; when a thought arises, let it be just a natural phenomenon arising in the mind. When you practice like this, there will be no self, no 'I'. When there is no self, there will be no running that way and no coming this way and no stopping anywhere. Self doesn't exist. That is the end of dukkha (suffering)." (page 83)

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for the serious student. However, though it may be worth the nearly $200 some vendors are asking for a new copy, it can be purchased from Wisdom Books [...], a considerable savings.

I recently read this book before going on a ten-day meditation retreat at Suan Mokkh (the meditation center for lay people established by the author of this book) in Thailand. I had previously practiced zazen in California (San Francisco and San Diego) and Japan (Kanagawa), and heard a lot on the topic of "emptiness" during my practices; so I was interested in what Bhikku Buddhadasa had to say on the subject. For in additon to being a Buddhist monk of the Theravada tradition, from reading some of his previous writings, it seemed he felt a connection with Zen Buddhism as well. In short, I wanted a non-Zen take on emptiness (sunnata).

So in the spirit of learning more about the concept of "emptiness/voidness," but from the perspective of a Theravada Buddhist monk, I bought this bought. It was a highly illuminating read, as the author is able to distill this extremely difficult concept (voidness) so it is understandable to a wider (non-monk, non-Buddhist, Western) audience. In fact, his directness at explaining this concept was easier for me to understand than some of the writings by Zen monks/masters on the same subject. I also think credit is in order for the excellent translation of this book by Bhikku Santikaro, who has translated other works by Bhikku Buddhadasa as well.

In short, I found this book extremely valuable in increasing my understanding of "emptiness." In addition to this book, I have also found "Mindfulness with Breathing: A Manual for Serious Beginners" (by the same auther) to be highly instructive in learning how to do the breath-based "anapanasati" meditation. (This, by the way, is the type of meditation taught at Suan Mokkh retreats.)

Finally, related to the concept of emptiness, I would also recommend "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" (by S. Suzuki) and two books by D. Katagiri: "You have to Say Something" and "Returning to Silence" (but these latter two books discuss various other concepts besides emptiness).

I would heartily recommend any of Buddhadasa's books. He had a wonderful ability to talk and write with succinctness and clarity, explaining and distilling sometimes complex subjects (such as the subject of this book on emptiness/voidness), in a remarkable teaching style that could not only be understood but remembered, and his ready wit, worldliness, and common sense shine through. I would also recommend Mindfulness with Breathing: A Manual for Serious Beginners (the best explanation of the Anapanasati Sutta I've read) and Handbook For Mankind (the whole of Buddha-Dhamma in one book).

Although this book is pleasant looking and enjoyable to read, and written by an apparently revered author, I found it a bit disappointing. As a long time student of this subject, sunnata/ voidness/emptiness, as it is presented in Mahayana teachings, I wanted to see if there was anything to be gained from studying Theravadin (Hinayana) teachings on this central Buddhist topic. Perhaps this book disappointed me in that regard because of its format: it is another of those books that was not written as a book, but is merely a collection and reworking of talks the author gave about this subject. As such it did not seem very rigorous in its treatment of this profound subject, but instead it seemed to spend most of its time talking around the subject. I didn't feel that I came away from the reading with much new knowledge or insight. Perhaps it would serve as an introduction to the topic, but anyone who really wanted to make headway in this difficult field would quickly realize the need for more in-depth study and a great deal of meditation training under a qualified teacher.