The Buddhist Society – förlag

Originally published in 1978, Zen and the Ways is the first publication in a series of books published by the Buddhist Society in association with the Trevor Leggett Trust. In Japanese Zen, every activity in life, including the martial arts, flower arrangement and serving tea, are considered a field for practicing inner control, mediation and inspiration, and can be termed the 'Way' when practised in this manner. In this book, Leggett collects together translation of texts relating to this phenomenon and offers his own thoughts and observations on the subject.

A new publication from the Buddhist Society bringing together twenty-one stories with over fifty color illustrations, accompanied by a map of the Old Silk Road and extensive glossary. In the Further Stories From The Old Silk Road the reader is transported to a world of flying monks and hidden jewels, where heroes undertake extraordinary quests across ancient empires. These remarkable stories, retold here by Eric Cheetham and illustrated by Roberta Mansell, contain within them an extraordinary degree of warmth and humour and provide a powerful insight into the Buddha's teachings.

In this volume, The Buddhist Society presents Yoka Daishi's Realizing the Way, a T'ang Dynasty Chinese text known as Zhang Dao Ge, or Shodoka in Japanese. This 12th century Japanese edition has been translated by the Venerable Myokyo-ni and accompanied throughout by her own commentary on the text. The title, which is variously translated, is most commonly known as 'The Song of Enlightenment'. With vivid imagery and striking turns of phrase, these verses weave in and out of the various Mahayana doctrines. Each section of the Song is accompanied here by extensive and illuminating commentary.

Look and See comprises over twenty Buddhist teaching stories with commentaries by the Venerable Myokyo-ni.The stories are collected from various Buddhist sources but have in common the Buddhist way of facing the trials life brings. Stories from the Southern Scriptures, such as 'The Parable of the Poisoned Arrow' are included alongside Northern Training Stories such as 'The Taming of the Harp' and 'The Great Wave.' Each story is followed by the thoughts and observations of the Venerable Myokyo-ni.

In this volume, Trevor Leggett presents three texts translated from Japanese and compiled to illuminate the three ages of Zen in Japan: the warrior Zen of crisis and war in the thirteenth century; the feudal Zen of eighteenth-century samurai officials and finally the modern Zen found in 20th-century Japan.

The Venerable Myokyo-ni wrote several books that describe Zen practice in an accessible and clear-minded way. She stressed that Zen was part of Buddhism, as all schools were true to the same core principles: 'Many schools; one way.' Before her travels to Japan, she had undergone Jungian analysis, and spoke of Buddhist practice as a way of transforming the psyche and bending the heart towards compassion and wholeness. Towards Wholeness explores her thoughts on Zen Buddhism and its place in daily life. It includes her well-known analysis of the Bull-Herding Series, as well as pieces on Jung, meditation, Zen practice and study.

When Zen Buddhism crossed from China to Japan in the twelfth century, it entered a phase of development that was not only to inspire a magnificent range of artistic achievement but also to exert a tremendous influence upon Japanese life itself and, eventually, to bring to the attention of the West a religious philosophy both unique and challenging in its power. First published in 1960, the purpose of this anthology is to suggest an approach to answering the perennial question 'What is Zen?'.

Every page of this profoundly erudite book is written with compelling insight. There are five sections, each reflecting in depth a different emphasis by a particular Master or School of Zen. The most important section is the first, an inspired and inspiring commentary on a sutra considered by some to be the very kernel of Mahayana Buddhism: the Heart Sutra.

Trevor Leggett examines and discusses the issues raised in this Hindu book of law as it pertains to the notion of yogic practice leading to the realisation of the Universal Self ( tman-br hman), closely referencing the great Indian sage Shankara.

This impressive new scholarly translation and commentary on the key work of J do Shinsh 's 8th lineage successor to founder Shinran is an extremely valuable contribution by one of the leading academics in the field. Professor Kemmyo Taira Sato is Director of the Three Wheels Shin Buddhist Temple in London, and Visiting Professor at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. Featuring a detailed chronology of Rennyo's life, an exhaustive bibliography of primary and secondary sources, a glossary, five appendices and a detailed index.

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is widely acknowledged as the greatest of all the Japanese haiku poets. In the original Japanese, the two defining features of the haiku form are its 5-7-5 sound unit format (the syllable being the corresponding unit in English) and its rhythm. This selection of three hundred of Basho's finest haiku represents the first successful strict translation into English haiku of what was actually written, some 350 years ago, by a genius of the form. The renditions are beautiful; the crucial cadences are retained.

Rinzai Gigen was the founder of the Linji, or RINZAI school of Zen / Chan Buddhism during T'ang Dynasty China. He died in 866 AD. Information on Rinzai is based on the Linji Yulu, the Record of Linji. This book is a translation made by the author of this text, which is a record of Rinzai's teachings and episodes from his life. It is assumed to have been written by later disciples. It was originally published in 1976 by Shambhala under licence from the Buddhist Society and has been long out of print.

Kobayashi ISSA (1763-1828) followed Yosa BUSON, who followed Matsuo BASHO: the three greatest Japanese haiku poets. This book is the third in the series of 3 handsome presentation hardcovers from the Buddhist Society, which share a key common feature: all the English translations are rendered in the same metric rhythm of 5 then 7 then 5 syllables. The poems are printed on fine paper in Japanese orthography, also romanised with an English translation. Original drawings and calligraphy by Issa complement the book.

Yosa BUSON (1716-1784) followed immediately after Matsuo BASHO and before Kobayashi ISSA: the three greatest Japanese haiku poets. This book is the second in the series of 3 handsome presentation hardcovers from the Buddhist Society, which share a key common feature - all the English translations are rendered in the same metric rhythm of 5 then 7 then 5 syllables. The poems are printed on fine paper in Japanese orthography, also romanised with an English translation. Buson's highly skilled paintings are also included.

'There are many women around the world who have contributed in their own ways to the wellbeing of others and have left legacies that many find inspirational. Therefore, I welcome this book that includes biographies and works of some well-known women in the Buddhist world. I commend the Buddhist Society Trust for bringing out this book and hope it will be of benefit to many people.'His Holiness the Dalai LamaA distinguished friend of the Freudian Nina Coltart once said 'I don't really know what enlightenment is or could possibly be. The only thing I hope for and work slowly towards is a process of gradual disendarkment.'This collection from The Middle Way, Journal of the Buddhist Society established in 1924, may help in that process. This anthology consists of writings of Buddhist women, authors, artists, explorers, therapists, mothers and wives whose lives are wonderfully interesting. Many share a fascinating and curious connection with one another. The Buddhist Society Trust is a distinguished Press which enriches lives around the world by advancing the study and practice of Buddhism. It has published and co-published important Buddhist textbooks for universities and schools with a number of leading international academic presses.

House of Silent Light tells the story of Mrs. Ida Russell. She was the first Westerner to practice Zen meditation under the direct guidance of a Japanese Zen master, and the first Westerner to live for an extended period at a traditional Zen monastery. It was in her mansion, located on a quiet stretch of Californian beach and dubbed locally 'The House of Silent Light', that Soen Shaku, the first Zen teacher to actively engage in missionary activity in the West, first spoke on Zen in America. House of Silent Light will show that Ida Russell's enthusiasm for Zen ignited in Soen Shaku the desire to see his mission understood and appreciated internationally. Without her interest and support, Zen could not have taken root in America in the way that it did. In fact it can be argued that without Ida Russell, Zen may never have captured Americans' imagination at all. So this ground-breaking book will show how Ida Russell's unconventional religious pursuits led to her friendship with one of Japan's most prominent Zen figures at the turn of the twentieth century, and directly inspired his work to establish Zen's first foothold in the United States.