Journeys of Transformation

Searching for No-Self in Western Buddhist Travel Narratives

von John D Barbour

342 Seiten, Hardcover

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

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.

• Themen: Philosophie und Religion Religion und Glaube Buddhismus
• ISBN: 9781009098830
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 31.03.2022
• Größe: 234 x 157 mm
• Verlag: Cambridge University Press