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The Zen Monastic Experience
Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea
by Robert E. Buswell
ISBN: 069103477X
ISBN-13: 9780691034775
Format: Paperback
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Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr
Published date: 1993
Size: 6.25 x 9.25 inches
Weight: 0.85 pounds
Publisher's Notes
Robert Buswell, a Buddhist scholar who spent five years as a Zen monk in Korea, draws on personal experience in this insightful account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. Buswell's depiction of Zen reveals a religious tradition that differs radically from the stereotype prevalent in the West. Westerners exposed to Zen through English-language materials have been offered a picture of an iconoclastic religion that is bibliophobic, institutionally subversive, aesthetically sophisticated, devoted to manual labor, and intent solely on sudden enlightenment. Its most revered teachers are depicted as torching their sacred religious icons, bullying their students into enlightenment, rejecting the value of all the scriptures of Buddhism, and even denying the worth of Zen itself. In discussing the activities of the postulants, the meditation monks, the teachers and administrators, and the support monks of Song-gwang-sa, a major Korean Buddhist monastery, Buswell challenges much of this picture. In the "counterparadigm" of Zen offered in the daily lives of the monks, Zen's putative iconoclasts are replaced by resolute members of a community dedicated to a methodical regimen of spiritual training. Zen's apparent bibliophobia pales to reveal contemplatives learned in classical Chinese and often having extensive experience in Buddhist seminaries. And the brash challenge allegedly made to systematizations of religion, even to Zen itself, fades before monks with strong faith in the arduous way of life they have undertaken. The author's treatment lucidly relates contemporary Zen practice to the historical development of the tradition and to Korean history more generally, and his intimate, sympatheticportrayal of the life of modern Zen monks in Korea provides an innovative and provocative look at Zen from the inside.
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The Zen Monastic Experience (Qty: 3)
Robert E., Jr. Buswell
Very Good. Ships SAME or NEXT business day. We Ship to APO/FPO addr. Choose EXPEDITED shipping and receive in 2-5 business days. See our member profile for customer support contact info. ( more information) Offered by TextbooksRus.com (United States)
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The Zen Monastic Experience
Buswell, Robert E., Jr
Princeton University Press, 1993. From Kirkus Reviews A myth-shattering foray behind the walls of a Korean Zen Buddhist monastery. The common Western image of Zen as a religion that features unpredictable, iconoclastic teachers ``bullying their students into enlightenment'' is, says Buswell (East Asian Languages and Cultures/UCLA), grossly inaccurate. And he should know, having spent five years as a monk at Songgwang-sa, one of the largest Zen monasteries in Korea. Here, deftly weaving scholarship and memoir, Buswell depicts what life in a Zen monastery is really like. Early chapters discuss the history and current status (not terribly vital) of Buddhism in Korea; the course (surprisingly flexible) of a typical monk's career and of a typical monastic year; and the layout and bureaucracy of Songgwang-sa, plus a look at its charismatic ``master,'' Kusan, who ``achieved the great awakening'' in 1960, at age 50. Through this survey, which is well-detailed but hardly gripping, Buswell explodes Zen's reputation as bibliophobic, artsy-craftsy, and reliant on physical labor. Ironically, the narrative takes flight with the author's description of the aspect of Korean Zen that matches its reputation--the arduous life of the monastery's ``elite vanguard,'' the meditators. Although meditators comprise only a small percentage of the monks (with the rest devoted to support activities or ritual), their efforts astonish: sitting in meditation for 14 hours a day; for one week a year, sitting seven days straight without sleep; engaging in such severe practices as extensive fasting, never lying down to sleep, and the frowned-upon but ever-popular practice of burning off their fingers (a ``symbolic commitment''). But for most monks, Buswell notes, it's ``a disciplined life, not the transformative experience of enlightenment,'' that's crucial. Less the sound of one hand clapping than of hands, mind, and heart working together to lead a sanctified life--and, as such, a sound corrective to Western misunderstandings about Zen. (Sixteen pages of b&w photographs.) -- Copyright (c)1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Review [This book] is ... forged from [Buswell's] own experience and practice.... He enlivens his study with a detailed personal account of his daily life at Songgwang-sa, one of Korea's main monasteries, and with wry humor.... This book should be read by anyone interested in the daily life of Zen training.. Paperback. Like New. 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches. ( more information) Offered by Dickey Books (United States)
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3)
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The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea
Buswell, Robert E
Princeton University Press, 1992. 8th printing.. Hardcover. NF. Very square and clean. Uncreased.. Based on personal experience of 5 years in a Korean monastery. Places the subject in an historical and scholarly context. Heavy book may require more postage. Hardcover ( more information) Offered by Old Goat Books (Canada)
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4)
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The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea
Buswell, Robert E
Ewing, New Jersey, U.S.A.: Princeton Univ Pr, 1994. Used sticker but nice covers with some underlining to about 6-8 pages with a few margin notes.. Later Printing. Soft Cover. Very Good. Illus. by Illus. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Large Trade Paperback. ( more information) Offered by Randy Burns (United States)
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5)
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The Zen Monastic Experience
Jr. Robert E. Buswell
Princeton Univ Pr, 29-Nov-1993. Paperback. NEW. Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: U20081010150747G ( more information) Offered by A1Books (United States)
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The Zen Monastic Experience (Qty: 5)
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Robert E., Jr. Buswell
Princeton University Press. PAPERBACK. 069103477X Average used book, may have price sticker on front cover. Shows some shelfwear on the edges. Immediate shipping for all orders and FREE STANDARD DELIVERY on Domestic US Orders! International, APO, FPO and PO Box addresses accepted. All of our titles are exactly the same title as shown and are 100% Guaranteed! Used items may not include extras such as infotrac, CD or other web access codes. We recommend expedited shipping for fastest delivery. Standard shipping may take up to 14 business days. . Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Paperleaf Books (United States)
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The Zen Monastic Experience (Qty: 5)
Robert E., Jr. Buswell
Princeton University Press, 1993-11-29. Paperback. New. Brand New. In Stock. Order Now. Ship from CA, IN, PA, OR, TN and FL. Over 600,000 CD/DVD, Books and bibles. Free tracking with every order. ( more information) Offered by *** www.HarvardBooksellers.com *** (United States)
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The Zen Monastic Experience
Robert E., Jr. Buswell
Paperback. Brand New, Never Used, Perfect Condition. Orders take 5-7 days to process and ship. ( more information) Offered by PapaMedia.com (United States)
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