Buddhist Psalms

by Shinran Yamabe

It is a singular fact that though many of the earlier Buddhist Scriptures have been translated by competent scholars, comparatively little attention has been paid to later Buddhist devotional writings, and this although the developments of Buddhism in China and Japan give them the deepest interest as reflecting the spiritual mind of those two great countries. They cannot, however, be understood without some knowledge of the faith which passed so entirely into their life that in its growth it lost some of its own infant traits and took on others, rooted, no doubt, in the beginnings in India, but expanded and changed as the features of the child may be forgotten in the face of the man and yet perpetuate the unbroken succession of heredity

98 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Christian for Buddhists, too Buddhist for Christians, I'm not sure who this book is for. In the attempt to bridge a gap between east and west, it seems like a lot of questionable translations were used. Christian buzzwords like "kingdom" and "father" abound, and the style is reminiscent of the King James Bible (the use of the word "sinneth" comes to mind). I know that Jodo Shinshu and Christianity share a few superficial similarities, but this is a bit much.

If you don't know anything about Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, look elsewhere. I can't imagine a worse introduction to the religion than this book. If you do know about Jodo Shinshu, then this book is still only a curiosity rather than an essential text.

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

These Buddhist Psalms I felt were pretty generic. Change a few words here and there and replace them with others and this book would work with any religion. It is as if the author took a few Psalms added Buddhist words to it to make it for Buddhism.