"Saint Echanis" and the cult of Hwarang-do
920883
I'm old enough to remember when the _Black Belt_ and _Soldier of Fortune_ articles on Michael Echanis first came out. The articles ranged from "light touch" to "gushing" in their evaluation of Echanis as a "warrior" and Hwarang-do as a combat martial art.

At 19 years old, I bought this book and tried to train in the techniques. I quickly came to the realization it wasn't working for me. I just could not see how I or anyone else could perform one of the sequences without an opponent doing SOMETHING to screw up the "flow". All three books in this series are the epitome of the "master" performing MULTIPLE un-opposed techniques of devastation on a fully cooperating target who just stands there (feet apparently nailed to the floor). The target (Randy Wanner, an _actual_ HWD practitioner) just grimaces in mock agony while Echanis leaps, spins, and mock eviscerates and heart stabs him. The book might as well have been another vanity production of the already-late "Count Dante" who separated innumerable gullible boys from their allowances to purchase his "World's Deadliest Fighting Secrets".

Since Echanis' death in Nicaragua, serving as a mercenary and bodyguard for the unlamented late dictator Augusto Somoza, much light has come out on Echanis and not much of it has been complementary.  Much of this can be found in the book _The Men Who Stare at Goats_ by Jon Ransom--the movie inspired by this book has a hilarious spoof of an Echanis-like "martial arts instructor" demonstrating his "chi" before the New Age "First Earth Battalion".

In many ways, these Echanis-fronted books were the "last gasp" of 1970s martial arts BS and a preview into the 1980s martial arts BS. If you are a collector of martial arts books for historical and social purposes they can serve as an extreme example of marketing to a particular type of "warrior wannabees". As actual instruction books, they are morbid comedy at best and a quick trip to the morgue at worst.
2925096
Trappist Monk Fr. Thomas Keating's book OPEN MIND, OPEN HEART is considered by many to be a modern classic on contemplative prayer and an introduction to centering prayer. After attending a workshop on centering prayer and later leading such a workshop, I can attest to the helpfulness of this book and Fr. Keating's important insights. While some are critical of his methods, believing they are heavily influenced by Eastern spiritual practices, this is somewhat misleading. While Keating does use some terminology and references to Eastern techniques, his ideas are based on the tradition of the Cistercians, the Catholic religious order to which be belongs.
In the aftermath of Vatican II, many religious orders returned to the texts of their founders and early pioneers so that the orders could be true to their calling. The popularity of contemplative prayer and centering prayer is a result of the Cistercians returning to their founding texts. For Keating, a leader in this effort, this included exploring the writings of St. Benedict, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Cistercian greats such as Bernard of Clairvaux and Aelred of Rievaulx, and the anonymous author of THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING. These are hardly radical writers in the history of Christianity. Since these people lived prior to the opening of the east to the west, they could not have been influenced by Eastern spiritual techniques. Certainly as a spiritual master, Keating is familiar with Eastern techniques, but does not use them in a way that is contrary to Christianity. Also, Keating is writing for people, living in the world, and sees this method of prayer as a way of experiencing God for action in the world. It is not intended to make a person draw more inward in a way that is selfish, but rather as a way of being more Christ-like and more self giving.
Centering prayer is not for everyone, but it is helpful for many. After reading this book and applying its methods, readers will know whether this technique will be helpful in their own spiritual journeys. For those who may not find this method helpful, certainly Keating's spiritual insights will help the reader draw closer to God in other ways.
3264311
In the western fastnesses of Tibet, Mount Kailash is considered sacred by both Buddhists and Hindus.  The point is not to climb it:  it takes us Westerners a long while to realize that for Tibetans climbing a holy peak is a desecrating and ludicrous egotism, rather worse than a poodle pissing on a great Sequoia.  The pilgrimage is to do the several-day clockwise trek around the base, and on the north face of the mountain, Robert Thurman's teacher told him, is a site of enormous spiritual power, where "one can plant one's deepest wish for the world, and all the Buddhas and gods and dakini-angels would see to its accomplishment."  CIRCLING THE SACRED MOUNTAIN (Bantam, 1999) is the story of a trek to Kailash and to the neighboring holy lake, Manasrovar, told in two voices.  One part of the text is the dharma talks by Robert Thurman in his role as longtime student/master of the Vajrayana.  This is Tibetan kamikaze Buddhism, going at the preoccupations of the ego with  a diamond-point drill, and the talks have the special vernacular efficacy of being from someone who speaks English as a first and very lively language.  The narration proper is by Tad Wise, Thurman's student/friend and the trek's resident groundling.  His tone is the candid amusement of one too well familiar with his addictions--wine, women, song, and in one case a round of billiards.  Beneath that is clearly a hope of breaking the shackles these addictions have become--of receiving a crack in the skeptic, materialist viewpoint, which seems to be the special, even unique promise and gift of Tibet.  From these two voices we triangulate the presence of Kailash--we circle around it, as they do.  Thurman's wish  was to plant a prayer not just for the freedom of Tibet but for the releasing of its spiritual vision into "a world that has very nearly blown it."  CIRCLING THE SACRED MOUNTAIN is not so much armchair travel as a contagion of that hope:  like those hidden Tibetan treasure texts, a thought-pilgrimage of its own.

Glenn Shea, from Glenn's Book Notes, at www.bookbarnniantic.com
2017632
Praying with icons has a long (and not always untroubled) history in Christian practice; even the Western Protestant tradition that has come to eschew iconographic elements in worship to varying degrees still recognises the history and artistic value of images in some contexts.  Author Frederica Mathewes-Green is writing primarily to this group in her text, with careful explanations and good descriptions that show the spiritual value of icons in a worshipful and prayerful setting.

Mathewes-Green writes, 'Unelss you're a member of an Orthodox church, you probably haven't encountered icons in their natural setting.'  In this text, she constructs an imaginary church for the reader to visit, with various icons in their typical Orthodox positions.  The first part, Iconostasis, looks at the icons that would been on the screen at the altar area.  Pictures of the icons are included as colour plates at the centre of the book - these include The Christ of Sinai, The Virgin of Vladimir, The Resurrection, and St. John the Baptist.  The second part of the book looks at other icons that might be present in a church, including images of saints, images from scriptural stories of both Old and New Testaments, and other gospel/traditional images of Christ.  These are included as black-and-white images in the centre of the book.

Mathewes-Green describes the images both in terms of artistry as well as spiritual connection.  Some icons are stylised to a high degree, and others are more realistic.  By realistic, however, icons are not meant to be portrayals of people in natural settings - icons are meant to connect the one pondering and meditating upon them with the object of worship, that is, with God, in ways that reach the soul beyond what mere words could achieve.  Icons often have a 'penetrating effect', with a play at elements of perspective, colour, materials, size and other aspects that draw the eye in particular directions, and place the viewer in otherworldly positions.

Icons are meant to be more than interesting pictures.  As Mathewes-Green concedes, some icons aren't even 'good art' in many technical senses.  'Icons have their fullest impact on those who are saturated in prayer and Scripture, and who participate in the full life of the Church, with all her mysteries, hymns and worship.'

Mathewes-Green describes liturgies and services as well as times of private prayer and devotion during her trips to the imaginary Orthodox church.  Her book ends with one of my favourite images, the Old Testament Trinity done by Rublev in 1411.  (Archbishop Rowan Williams writes about this in one of his books on icons, too.)  The icon is known to me more frequently by the name The Hospitality of Abraham, and this feature is made more prominent by the fact that in some versions of this icon, the figures of Abraham and Sarah are not present, even in the background.

Mathewes-Green invites the reader on a dozen imaginative trips to gaze upon the 'windows into heaven', to meditate upon their stories and be enriched.  There is a glossary of terms that might be unfamiliar, particularly to those whose background is not from a liturgical tradition, but such terminology is kept to a minimum throughout the text.  Mathewes-Green concludes with some suggestions for further readings, and some website resources for finding out more about icons, including where to purchase them.

This is a wonderful, spirit-filled book.
313544
Mary takes the reader with her through the forty days that she spent in the monastery witn the monks, nuns and Thay. The book is full of trees, vegetables, cookies, meals, cats, rifles... I could see how the dharma teachings are being applied to the interaction with nice people and with not so nice people. The book is full of the teachings of Thich Nhat Han and other traditions like the Tao Te King or the Tibetan Book of the Death. I enjoyed the book and want to go to a retreat to Plum Village or to Deer Park.
1246535
The book focus on the encounter of West Africa with the diverse religious traditions that has shaped the sub-regional history. It traced the advent of Christianity into West Africa, beginning with the Portuguese and their  desire to find the Kingdom of John Prester. This attempt led to the  interactive history between the people of the area and various Western  forms of Christianity, and eventually of colonialism. The author also  expressed that prior to Christianity  acculturation of elements of the  traditional  th African religious experience had occurred precipitated by  contact with Islam. This book provides a wonderful insight into the early  period of Christianity in West Africa, and articulates its pre-Christian  heritage significantly. I enjoy the book and recommend it to those who want  to have any meaningful resources to the happenings in Africa since the 15th  Century. This book provides another view of the tripple heritage position  as is forcefully articulated by Ali Mazrui and others.
836015
Jim Griffith's Saints of the Southwest is a beautiful gift book that combines photographs of images or representations of thirty-one saints with very short essays that summarize the life of each saint and describe his/her following in Northern Mexico, Arizona, or New Mexico.  The saints range from the obvious - San Martn de Porres, la Virgen de Guadalupe, el Santo Nio de Atocha - to the more obscure, like San Ramn Nonato and San Pascual Bailn.  Many of the images themselves are exquisite, reflecting some of the artistic traditions of the Southwest.  That they are located in a variety of places - from roadside shrines commemorating accidents to private chapels to churches open to the public - attests to how deeply these saints resonate in the region's consciousness.  Griffith's descriptions of how and when the veneration (and representation) of the saints developed tell us a lot about the popular religiosity and cultural history of the region.  This book will appeal to many readers, whether they are aficianados of Southwest culture and art, faithful Catholics, religion buffs, or folklorists.
2265729
The book gives an excellent account on the 11 generation stage practices of the Yidam Vajrayogini, as transmitted by Naropa, a famous Buddhist saint and disciple of Tilopa.

Although the book was written by a monk of the Gelugpa order it is of great interest to all followers of Buddhism and especially to the followers of the Kagy&uuml; lineage, as this Buddha form belongs to the most central practices of the linaege.

It is rich in basic and advanced explanations, from taking refuge to secret offerings and vivid explanations on the energy system of the body. "Sublime Path to Kechara Paradise" establishes the link between Yidam practice and the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Advanced, very worthwhile reading!
2655770
This book spans much of the 17th century in China. It follows the life of Zhu Da (finally calling himself Bada Shanren), a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, who has the tremendous gift of producing beautiful pieces of artwork. His scholarship progresses, as his character morphs and adapts to the new regime of the Manchus, from Buddhism studies through to feigned madness - his goal to keep his integrity as an artist, and continue his quest to capture the essence of nature with a single brushstroke. The book is a thought-provoking study of scholarship and persona, and is beautifully translated from the German original.
2088890
This book introduces the fully enlightened master, the great 16th Karmapa, through stories and recollections of his disciples. These stories are precious for their conveyance of the primary method of Vajrayana: reaching enlightenment through confidence in ones teacher and in own mind. The enlightened nature of the great master shines through these very human stories.

While less known today than the Dalai Lamas, the Karmapas are considered to be the kings of yogis of Tibet, and their lineage predates the Dalai Lamas by three centuries. Dusum Khyenpa (1110-1193) started the first line of re-incarnating Lamas in Tibet and became known as the first Karmapa.

While bringing the figure of the 16th Karmapa closer to the reader, the book deliberately and consciously omits important aspects of the recent story of the Karmapas. The 16th Karmapa passed away in 1981 in the US. As it happened before in the history of the Karmapa lineage, today there are two candidates for the title of the Karmapa. This is known as the Karmapa controversy. The book keeps referring to Ogyen Trinley as the Karmapa and does not even mention Trinley Thaye Dorje. The readers should inform themselves about the issue and understand that today two people are considered the 17th incarnation of Karmapa.

Trinley Thaye Dorje was found by the late 14th Sharmapa, the second highest Lama of the lineage, and enthroned by him as the 17th incarnation of the Karmapa. The head Lama of the Karma Kagyu lineage was typically (with a few exceptions) alternating between the Karmapas and the Shamarpas with the Karmapas and the Sharmapas recognizing each other. In a strange twist, the other candidate, Ogyen Trinley, is endorsed by the atheist Chinese Communist Party. One may only wonder about the role of the Communist Party in recognition of re-incarnation of the great yogi and meditation master: did the Politburo examine the evidence of his minds transference to the new body according to the teachings of dialectic materialism?

Another serious omission of the book is its blanket silence about the first and the most influential Western students of the 16th Karmapa, Hanna and Ole Nydahl. The Nydahls were very close students of the 16th Karmapa. They spent a few years by Karmapas side in the Himalayas, organized Karmapas visits to Europe, and started in Karmapas name the Diamond Way Buddhism organization, which has about 700 centers and meditation groups throughout the world. Hanna Nydahl died in 2007, but without a doubt, Ole Nydahl could enrich the collection of stories about the 16th Karmapa. Today, Lama Ole Nydahl is an authentic powerful teacher of thousands of western Buddhists. He is respected by Tibetans and despised by the Chinese Communist Party.

Overall, this is a great book if you want to get a feel of the great 16th Karmapa. Unfortunately, the book also seems to be an Orwellian attempt to remove from history both Trinley Thaye Dorje and Lama Ole Nydahl. The book is interesting, but dishonest. For this reason, I cannot rate it higher than 3.
2786453
Of the English-language books that are by or about the late Dudjom Rinpoche, "Light of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom" will no doubt be the one that is felt most personally by his students in the English-speaking West and Asia.  (Hopefully, translations into French, Spanish, Chinese, and other languages will become available.)

Biographies are well-suited for inspiring those on the journey of spiritual truth, and the life story of this great 20th-century master from the Nyingma school of Tantric Buddhism will help many of his thousands of students to revitalize or rediscover their connection with him.  For those newer students of the Nyingma approach who have lamented never meeting or hearing Dudjom Rinpoche, this book will help them get a sense, by way of his example, of the person as well as his teachings.  Further, because two of Dudjom Rinpoche's tulkus have been recognized, these students might find hope in this book that they do indeed still have a chance to meet the lineage holder after whom the Dudjom Tersar lineage was named.

Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal has created a very special book.  It contains many autobiographical quotes from Dudjom Rinpoche in addition to Khenpo's personal recollections and experiences of Rinpoche.  The book's historical reach goes all the way back to Padmasambhava (and even before him), who predicted the presence of Dudjom Rinpoche in this world.  It tells the story of when Dudjom Rinpoche's predecessor, Dudjom Lingpa, foreseeing the turmoil and cultural destruction that would befall Tibet in the 20th century, told his students to go a mysterious place named Pema Ko to find the next Dudjom incarnation.  In Pema Ko, the students found a young boy, born in 1904, who would become beloved by many as Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje.

Woven throughout the chapters are devotional verses that create a stream of poetry in parallel to the biographical prose, and these streams converge by the end of the book (and in the memories of those acquainted with Rinpoche) to create great impact.  These streams, in combination with teachings and correspondence from Dudjom Rinpoche, as well as Khenpo's recollections, help to give the reader a taste of this gentle and exemplary teacher.

Those who met or heard Dudjom Rinpoche recall him as a great example of humility and humor, along with being the very embodiment of authoritative wisdom--a wisdom so authentic that, to hear Dudjom Rinpoche teach, was to hear Shakyamuni Buddha teach.  In addition--a point that might be missed by newer students--Dudjom Rinpoche's character is embodied in his close Tibetan disciples, many of whom are listed in one of the book's chapters and who have established teaching centers in the West and Asia.  These disciples have been the reliable and trustworthy representatives of Dudjom Rinpoche, presenting to new and old students the knowledge and character of Dudjom Rinpoche.  In addition to the richly informative biography, a very substantive section of notes and a glossary help the reader to understand the subject matter.
72341
An erudite presentation of the ideas on monastic life and contemplative spirit in the modern world of one of the most well-loved spiritual writers of the 20th century. Although not exactly a book for beginners, the author, John Eudes Bamberger, OCSO, who has known personally Thomas Merton, and who was a former superior of the Cistercian Order in Guimaras, threshes out the finer points in the spirituality of Merton in a way that makes Merton more understandable to the contemporary readers. He highlights the spirit of reform that animates Merton's ideas, and how this reform is the constant attunement of divine love to the ever-changing face of humanity passionately in a quest for God.
2131461
This is a synopsis of a large body of work (1000s of pages). It is a Tibetan study so it's focus has more ceremony than Theravedan practice.
3051927
Description From the back of the book: The ancient Norse knew a rough magic drawn from the beautiful grandeur of vast mountains and deep forests, from the power of rolling oceans and thundering storms. This religious and  magical system of explorers, farmers, warriors and hunters went with the  Vikings to the to the New World, and was practiced across Europe &  eastward to the steppes of Central Asia. The rites and beliefs that  sustained the Norsemen have been brought compellingly into the present in  The Rites Of Odin. Here is a complete sourcebook on Odinism which brings  the ancient values back to these turbulent times. The material is authentic  and the presentation is poetic and powerful. This book opens the door for  the solitary seeker, for groups who have chosen to follow fhe Old Ways, and  for families who wish to be unified by warm and close ceremonies. This book  puts forth the message, in rites, practice and background lore, that you  are uniquely important. You are in charge of your own destiny. The family  and friends that constitute your "extended Family" are also  important: by working together and helping one another, all of you can  prosper and be happy. The archaic Way of Valhalla has a beauty, magic,  magnificence and power that has not lessened over the last 100 years.  Today, as well as in ages long past, it remains the way of the bold.  "...For many years Norse and Saxon neopagans have been starved of  suitable ritual inspiration. This has now changed and Fitch's ritual  workbook will be one of the great benefit to those following the Northers  Mysteries." --The Cauldron  "...For those with children who are  looking for a Pagan way that is warm and poetic, with magic and mystery,  and with powerful messages for us all, here is a book to look at."  --Pan Pipes  Write me and I can tell you if we have it on sale NOW at our  auctions!
2468659
This book is unique in its kind, and I think it is one of the finest books published on the Kadam tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It contains teachings "to become peacock-bodhisattvas, who can transmute the poisonous afflictions of lust, anger, ignorance, envy, and pride into the elixir of [compassion]."

Or, better, in the words of Atisha: "As copper when touched by mercury turns into pure gold, so the afflictions when touched by pure gnosis become true causes of virtue."

From the introduction: "The two teachings contained in this book, "The Wheel-Weapon" and "The Poison-Destroying Peacock" are early examples of the Tibetan religious genre known as lojong, or mind training. This class of literature developed within the Kadampa school, the earliest of the organized Tibetan Buddhist denominations, and was introduced to Tibet by Atisha Dipamkara, best known for his teachings on "The Seven Points of Mind Training". Atisha's arrival in western Tibet in 1042 is universally regarded as one of the great landmarks in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. (...) By the fifteenth century, the Kadampa evolved into the Gelukpa."

"In fact, lojong is not just a genre of religious literature, but the defining ideology of the Kadampa school itself, just as the Great Perfection (dzogchen) is for the Nyingmapas, the Great Seal (mahamudra) for the Kagyupas, the Paths and Fruits for the Sakyapas, and the Stages of the Path (lamrim) for the Gelukpas."

These teachings are the Kadampa alternative to what amounts to the same in for instance Severance (Ch): very powerful yogic methods for fighting the view of a real personal identity and the self-cherishing attitude.

The relevance of this knowledge was expressed, for instance, by Shantideva, when he said: "Whoever wants to save himself and others quickly should practice the holy secret of exchanging self and others."

The deity of the two practices in this book is Yamantaka, the wrathful form of Manjushri. Yamantaka means "he who brings an end to Yama," or "Yama's terminator". Yama, the lord of (spiritual) death, symbolizes all evil forces opposed to the Dharma and its practice.

These are advanced mahayana teachings, because it is said:

"The poison that nourishes the peacock
brings ruin to all others." - Tibetan proverb
420434
The 77 pictured lamps and burners out of a total of over 100 donated by a collector to the Fowler Museum "offer a glimpse into the complexities of the symbolic and ritual systems that dominate daily life in South Asia." Most of the lamps are from India, with the next largest group from Nepal and Tibet, and a few from the Southeast Asia countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. The oldest ones comes from these latter countries. The large majority of the lamps and burners are from the 19th and 20th centuries. There is not a marked difference between older and later Hindu and Buddhist ritual objects as to spiritual figures depicted, shapes, and design details. The objects don't change as in the Western concept of "art styles" or "historical period styles" for instance. What differences there are are that the later ones, of the 20th century, have somewhat more complexity, or sophistication, in their detail presumably from advanced tools and the use of advanced, more modern, machinery in the making of them. The author Anderson with a background in architecture and design discusses the cultural background, use, and production of the Asian lamps and burners. Besides the age of the particular objects, photo captions concisely identify figures in them, what is distinctive as applicable, and how they would be used. The knowledge of the Indian collector of the numerous objects making for the exceptional, broad collection makes the work, though limited in subject matter, especially useful as an introduction and guide to the lamps and burners.
1397839
Recent years have seen an upswing of interest, in Christian circles, in the early Celtic Christianity of the British Isles during what we call the "Dark Ages."  The Celtic monasticism an missionary activity of that time were significant forces in shaping Western Christianity.  To some believers today, including the authors of this devotional, that branch of the Church seems to offer a model which is fully orthodox, but more wholistic, inclusive, and biblically-balanced in its lifestyle than some later traditions.  How accurate that perception is can be debated; but there is no doubt that this is a fresh and winsome work of devotional literature.

The Amazon description explains the format of each of the 15 devotionals.  (Patrick, of course, is the best-known saint profiled.)  A number of the invocations and blessings are actual translations of traditional Celtic originals.  This can be highly recommended to any Christian who makes use of devotional literature.