The Youming lu is a work that demonstrates Buddhist influence as it began to appear in Chinese narrative on a relatively large scale.
Book reviews
Gathering of Intentions: A History of a Tibetan Tantra
When the tantras first arrived in Tibet, Tibetans were slow to compose full-blown commentaries on these esoteric works…
At Home in the World, by Thich Nhat Hanh
Seeing this peaceful image, the idea came to me that l wanted to become someone like that Buddha, someone who could sit very still and calm…
The Power of Patriarchs: Qisong and Lineage in Chinese Buddhism
This book provides a detailed biography with a focus on the influential historical writings he composed to defend Chan claims of a “mind-to-mind transmission” tracing back to the historical Buddha.
The Heart Sutra a review.
Book review: There have been many translations of this short text over the years, but this is a completely fresh look and the translator comes up with some rather unique conclusions.
Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture
As illuminating for new enthusiasts of Chinese Buddhist art as for scholars and connoisseurs, Wisdom Embodied is a glorious tour of the Metropolitan’s unparalleled collection, certain to ear its place as a classic in the field…
Field of Boundless Emptiness, by Zen Master Hongzhi
The subtlety of seeing and hearing transcends mere colours and sounds. The whole affair functions without leaving traces, and mirrors without obscurations…
Buddhism: What is So-Called Tathāgata Chan
Chinese Chan masters in the earlier periods did not possess a unified definition of Tathāgata Chan and Patriarchal Chan—instead, they wrote with rather ambiguous meanings and loose definitions…