Journeys of Transformation: Searching for No-Self in Western Buddhist Travel Narratives

ISBN-13: 9781009098830 / Angielski / Twarda / 2022 / 342 str.

Minnesota) John D. Barbour (St Olaf College

Opis

Western Buddhist travel narratives are autobiographical accounts of a journey to a Buddhist culture. Dozens of such narratives have since the 1970s describe treks in Tibet, periods of residence in a Zen monastery, pilgrimages to Buddhist sites and teachers, and other Asian odysseys. The best known of these works is Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard; further reflections emerge from thirty writers including John Blofeld, Jan Van de Wetering, Thomas Merton, Oliver Statler, Robert Thurman, Gretel Ehrlich, and Bill Porter. The Buddhist concept of 'no-self' helps these authors interpret certain pivotal experiences of 'unselfing' and is also a catalyst that provokes and enables such events. The writers' spiritual memoirs describe how their journeys brought about a new understanding of Buddhist enlightenment and so transformed their lives. Showing how travel can elicit self-transformation, this book is a compelling exploration of the journeys and religious changes of both individuals and Buddhism itself.

Recenzje

'… a lustrous analysis of spiritual journeys that transformed individual lives and provided new perspectives on Buddhist enlightenment.' Alisha Saikia, Religious Studies Review

Spis treści

Introduction: A literary genre and some questions about self-transformation; 1. The origins of the genre: John Blofeld and Lama Govinda; 2. Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard and Nine-Headed Dragon River; 3. In a Zen monastery: Ambiguous failure and enlightenment; 4. Thomas Merton and Christian and Jewish pilgrims in Buddhist Asia; 5. Walking the Dharma on Shikoku and in India; 6. Trekking and tracking the self in Tibet; 7. Life-changing travels in the Tibetan diaspora; 8. Encounters with Theravada Buddhism; 9. Searching for Buddhism after Mao; Conclusion: Theories of no-self, stories about unselfing, and transformation.