Creating Waldens: An East-West Conversation on the American Renaissance

by Ronald A. Bosco, Joel Myerson, Daisaku Ikeda

In the provocative discussions comprising this collection, scholars Ronald A. Bosco and Joel Myerson and Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda explore the multifaceted, enduring legacy of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. In the process they challenge and inspire the reader to do as these great figures once did—to look deep inside oneself to discover potential for growth, to encounter the natural world with reverence and delight, and to express themselves with poetry and imagination. With great appreciation for the timeless and universal relevance of the American Renaissance, Bosco, Myerson, and Ikeda encourage each person to lead lives of greatness and to do nothing less than create Waldens of their own.

Genres: Buddhism

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Creating Waldens mostly because I agree with its message so thoroughly. I share the opinion that because of the ever-increasing number of distractions in society, transcendentalism needs a revival. Had Thoreau lived in the 21st century he would have spent a hell of a lot longer than two years at Walden Pond. In fact, I don’t think he would’ve ever come back.

The book’s content is delivered in form of a transcript of the ongoing conversation between two experts on Thoreau and Emerson (Bosco and Myerson) and another scholar who founded a new type of college that educates students using transcendentalism as its philosophical foundation (Ikeda). All three of them are authorities on the subject and are able to explicate the transcendental tenets using the most relevant excerpts from Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman’s works. The conversational format has a way of distilling each masters’ ideas into the most essential. Being experts on the subject enables them to recall the right quotes at the right time, and to successfully apply the concepts to modern problems.

I will admit I became slightly annoyed by the gratuitous amounts of love and thanks laced into each speaker’s contribution. Too much of a good thing proved to be not a good thing for my reading experience. Each meaty comment was sandwiched between the bread of a lovey dovey thank you to the previous speaker’s contribution and a lofty remark about how that idea would imminently lead to world peace. It was a continual love-fest. I have heard an Episcopalian say that she could never do a Catholic mass because of the hand-holding. I see the excess of gratitude in a Buddhist/Transcendentalist forum as a comparable phenomenon that could make an outsider uncomfortable. I’m not going to start signing my emails “with peace and gratitude” now, but understand that they probably do.

I would recommend this book as a great introduction to transcendentalism, as long as you’re willing to stomach all the love sandwiches.

[Iain Coggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the Transcendentalists for those who have yet to read them deeply and a fresh perspective for those who know them well. Most importantly, a look at Transcendentalism from the perspective of Nichiren Buddhism and the philosophy of soka, or "value-creation".