Saturday, May 19, 2012

Library Loot ~ May 16-22

One Hand Clapping: Zen Stories for All Ages ~ by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Junko Morimoto, 1995, YA nonfiction
When is a tiger not a tiger?
When is a mountain more than a mountain?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?

The stories of this collection come from the Zen Buddhist tradition from tales told by the Buddha himself to anecdotes from the lives of the Zen masters of China and Japan who helped pass on the Buddha's teachings.  These stories reflect the wisdom, directness, and spontaneity for which Zen is known.  Zen stories delight as they challenge, enchant as they point towards a different way of seeing things.  In the simple language of stories passed down over hundreds of years, this collection can point us toward our own natural Mind of wisdom, insight, peace, and compassion.  They help us see past our seeming differences into what is the same for all of us.  Rafe Martin, a student of Zen for over 25 years, introduces these tales, providing both background and insight into the collection.  Junko Morimoto's beautiful illustrations reflect the tranquility, wit, and power of these stories.
I've been reading Thích Nhất Hạnh's Living Buddha, Living Christ with my study group, so when I saw this book at a friend's house, I knew I wanted to read it, now.  Luckily, there was a copy in my library system.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire @ The Captive Reader and Marg @ The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share titles of books they’ve checked out of the library. To participate, just add your post to their Mister Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries this week.

2 comments:

Helen's Book Blog said...

This sounds like an interesting book, I would be afraid that some of it would go over my head :-)

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Oh, I don't think so, Helen. It seems to be planned for parents to read it with (or to) their children and discuss the stories.