Living Buddhism

by Andrew Powell, Dalai Lama XIV (Foreword), Graham Harrison (Photographer)

A portrait of Buddhism in the late twentieth century - how, where, and by whom it is practiced, as well as its expression in art and architecture.

Genres: Buddhism

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 1989

Reviews

[Jan Morrison]

I've owned this book in hardback since 1990. I've enjoyed the gorgeous photographs and dipped in here and there, but not read it through. Recently, with the heartbreaking crisis in the sangha that I belonged to for twenty years, I wanted a dispassionate history - a big non-academic view of Buddhism. This is a good start. It is, naturally, not deep nor wide enough, but helpful in that it reminds me of how many ups and downs this path has endured.

[Mckinley]

Great book. First great photos depicting many aspects of Buddhist life. Second chapters cover various topics and places, thus branches.


This is a good introduction to Buddhism as it is in the late 1980s in several countries: Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, South-East Asia, Japan, and India. Various schools of Buddhism are explained via their historical backgrounds and the underlaying fundamental philosophical concepts. Additional focus on the contemporary situtations in each nation is discussed which, unfortunately, often includes the perilous position of practing Buddhism in those places. It is more an overview of the variations in each nation resulting in a sense of the religious expression rather than a deep exploration of the Buddhist traditions.

That said, following the foreword by His Holiness the Dali Lama, the first chapters provide an clearly understandable introduction to the basic tenets and life of the Buddha. Color photos, often full page and double page layouts, futher convey the richness of Buddhism's heritage.

This large format is more than a pretty coffee table picture book; the photos are interesting to look at and the complementary accompany text while providing Buddhist thought and practice manages to stay readable. There is glossary to aid understaning of specific termonology and a bibliography pointing to other basic work on the subject.

While it provides an excellent introduction for general readers, other readers already familiar with Buddhism will appreciate the pictures and clearity of destinctions between Buddhist practices.

[Jeanne Daly]

Interesting book on the history of Buddhism. Not too deep although I was yearning for more information by the time I finished. Great place to start if you want to learn more about how Buddhism has evolved and spread throughout the world. Includes great photos that will help you relate to the time and places that they are referring to in each section of the book. I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in Buddhism and is looking for more historical information.