Zen & the Taming of the Bull: Towards the Definition of Buddhist Thought

by Walpola Rahula

Essays

Genres: Religion, Buddhism

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Walpola Rahula (1907–1997) was a Buddhist monk, scholar and writer. He is one of the Sri Lankan intellectuals of the 20th century. In 1964, he became the Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University, thus becoming the first bhikkhu to hold a professorial chair in the Western world. He also once held the position of Vice-Chancellor at the then Vidyodaya University (currently known as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura). He has written extensively about Buddhism in English, French and Sinhalese. His book, What the Buddha Taught, is considered by many to be one of the best books written about Theravada Buddhism.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book jacket describes this as a collection of essays (and talks) that had been published in various places during Walpola Rahula's life, and that's what you should expect from the book: a somewhat random collection of essays. The essays cover a wide range of topics, they aren't necessarily cohesive, and they also assume a strong base knowledge of Buddhism.

There are useful tidbits scattered throughout the book, but the essays definitely take a deeper dive than a new Buddhist would need. For example, if all you've read is Rahula's book What the Buddha Taught, these essays will be too much for you. Unless you're familiar with the names and passages found in the Tripitaka, these essays will likely be a level above what you need. In particular, I found it challenging that certain essays use primarily Pali while other essays use primarily Sanksrit. (You may not have a problem switching between them if you're more well-versed in the Tripitaka texts than I am.)

Overall, I enjoyed this collection of essays but think I will need to revisit it after I learn more about the historical figures and scripture of Buddhism.