Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps Of the Buddha: Amazon.ca: Parallax Press: Books

Product Description

From Library Journal

Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, has drawn from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources to create this highly acessible retelling of the story of the Buddha. The simple style is engaging, leading the reader through events in the Buddha's life while taking care to present and reinforce the central meaning and tone of his teaching. This is not a scholarly study but rather a heartfelt interpretation that draws on important sources. The result is a beautiful and contemporary book that can offer an attractive introduction for those new to the subject as well as many bright moments for serious students of Buddhism. Recommended for college and public libraries.
- Mark Woodhouse, Gannett- Tripp Lib., Elmira Coll., N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

life/teaching of the Buddha, Vietnam, tr Mobi Ho

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Customer Reviews

33 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A moving story about a great man!, Jun 18 2011

By

David - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps Of the Buddha (Paperback)

An amazing book about the story of the Buddha , well written, clear, presented in a romantic way with the important aspect of the buddhist teaching...emotion and tears guaranty!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely Biography of the Buddha, July 27 2002

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Jisetsu "beancurdsbooks" (Rivendell) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps Of the Buddha (Paperback)

Old Path White Clouds
Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Drawings by Nguyen Thi Hop

This beautiful book is perhaps the best biography of the Buddha available in English. Comparisons with Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha are probably inevitable because both books employ a lyrical, literary style, but actually this book is quite different. Hesse's novel is an exploration of Siddhartha's motivations and the search that led to his enlightenment; Thich Nhat Hanh's book is a biography covering all eighty years of the Buddha's life based on Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, which are assiduously notated in the book's appendix.

The story throughout is told very simply and in a tone that may be described as devotional. Chapters are short and usually illustrate a particular concept or event, and the text throughout is illustrated with many beautiful drawings. It is not a short book but its structure and style maintain the reader's interest over the course of story, and one may be tempted to say that it reads like a novel.

The length of the book is due to the fact that beyond being a history of the life of the Buddha, it is an exposition of his teachings, which are presented clearly and with increasing depth as the story of the foundation of the Sangha unfolds. Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike will benefit from this summation of the many concepts inherent in the Buddhist tradition, presented as they were to Buddha's first disciples.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story for this reader was to see clearly how the teachings of the Buddha were encapsulated from the very beginning as a monastic tradition. For Western Buddhists, who for the most part are lay practitioners, this monastic foundation is something to be clearly understood as one one tries to formulate one's own practice which is inevitably a compromise with the way of life originally presented by the Buddha.

Highly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars To calm the soul, Jun 16 2002

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"cattykitt99" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps Of the Buddha (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book. It's very easy to read, and tells a wonderful story filled with meaning and significance. I found it very hard to put down, and on numerous occasions, burst out into tears at the sheer beauty and wisdom of it. If you want to find out more about buddhism, this is a good way to go. Non-intimidating, it tells a story, not expecting you to know anything, but taking you along it's path effortlessly. It will highlight the basic principles with ease, without confusing you with terminology, ritual or rules. A definite keeper! Once I'm done reading it through for the first time, I'll go back to highlight passages and refer to it on a regular basis.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
My deepest gratitude to Thich Nhat Hanh and all those who have helped him to bring this book to light.

Published on Sep 6 2003 by Oscar Amodeo

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
Thich Nhat Hanh leads us along the Old Path White Clouds the Buddha walked during his long and eventful life. Read more

Published on Jun 11 2003 by Russell Fanelli