Attaining the Way

October 1, 2006
Who am I? Where am I going? How do I connect with my indwelling nature and the oneness of life? Ardent Chan Buddhism (Chinese Zen) master Yen ("There Is No Suffering") vests these vibrant questions with a much-needed practical response, aiding Western laypersons and scholars as they learn or deepen their spiritual practice through Buddhism. Three Chan masters' works are presented here in addition to the author's. Part 1 (Boshan Yuanlai) indicates common practice mistakes and erroneous views. Part 2 (Yuanyun Jiexian) focuses on constructively addressing the above problems and also describes the history of Chan. Part 3 (Xuyun) deals with ridding oneself of scattered thoughts in order to develop inner calm. Part 4 (Sheng) highlights dynamic Chan methods for use on long meditation retreats and is helpful to novices of Zen, Tibetan, and secular types of meditation as well. Coming in contact with the innate sense of not knowing, Chinese "huatous" (life questions to be spiritually and gently pondered), and finding or becoming a qualified teacher are also deftly explored. One detraction: the section on losing the correct thought may be difficult for Chan beginners to grasp. For larger specialized philosophy/religion collections as well as larger public and academic libraries."Lisa Liquori, MLS, Syracuse, NY"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.