lamdha books -
Catalogue of books on Taoism and Zen Buddhism

Click on the small images at right to see a larger picture

201790 Addiss, Stephen The Art of Zen Paintings and Calligraphy by Japanese Monks, 1600-1925 Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York NY, 1989. Quarto; hardcover, with a blind-stamped upper board decoration and black endpapers; 223pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear. Dustwrapper now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film spine panel lightly faded. Near fine. Zen, the practice of seeking and achieving enlightenment, is embodied in art forms as diverse as sand gardens and tea ceremonies. However, the attempt to artistically express the inexpressible finds one of its clearest manifestations in painting. Especially after 1600, more and more Japanese Zen masters began depicting their individual paths to enlightenment with bold, inked brushstrokes of images and calligraphy of Zen subjects and sayings. The result was a visual expression of Zen called Zenga (literally 'Zen picture'), the purest possible communication of Zen principles, and often used as an aid in meditation. As practised by Zen masters, who were expert in calligraphy but not professional artists, the subject matter was often simple, suggestive, and abstract, though sometimes the artists depicted humorous portraits of Zen masters and their followers. With this stunning collection of Zenga masterpieces from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries, prolific author and Professor of Art, Emeritus, at the University of Richmond, Stephen Addiss showcases centuries of great works of Zen calligraphy and painting. Many of the pieces, gathered from Japanese temples, have never been widely seen before. The book also provides a comprehensive introduction to the major Zenga artists, offering extensive, engaging biographies of these awakened monks. Dr. Addiss insightfully describes the history of Japanese Zen art and culture, and includes translations of Zen prose and poems. He also explains the various styles of the fascinating monk-artists, with enriching commentary on their techniques and innovations. These are marvellous visual expressions of self-knowledge and enlightenment. Click here to order $45

207846 Chang, Garma C.C. The Buddhist Teaching of Totality Pensylvania State University, 1971. Octavo hardcover; ochre boards with black spine titling, upper board cream label with Chinese characters; 270pp. Owner's name sticker. Minor wear only; near fine otherwise. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. The Hwa Yen school of Mahayana Buddhism bloomed in China in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D. Today many scholars regard its doctrines of Emptiness, Totality, and Mind-Only as the crown of Buddhist thought and as a useful and unique philosophical system and explanation of man, world, and life as intuitively experienced in Zen practice. Garma Chang explains and exemplifies these doctrines with references to both oriental masters and Western philosophers. The Buddha's mystical experience of infinity and totality provides the framework for this objective revelation of the three pervasive and interlocking concepts upon which any study of Mahayana philosophy must depend. Click here to order $45

207845 Ch'en, Kenneth K.S. The Chinese Transformation of Buddhism Princeton University Press, 1973. First edition. Octavo hardcover; beige boards with black spine label and gilt titling; 345pp. One or two tiny marks on text block edges. Owner's name sticker; long tear with associated scraping on rear panel edge of dustwrapper; spine panel faded and a few tiny scrapes on edges. Very good to near fine otherwise. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. When Buddhism was introduced into China at about the beginning of the Christian era, the Chinese were captivated at first by its overpowering world view. Consequently, Buddhism in China has usually been discussed in terms of the Indianization of Chinese life and thought, but Kenneth Ch'en shows that as Indian ideas were gaining ground the Chinese were choosing among them and modifying them to fit their situation. To demonstrate how the Chinese transformed Buddhism the author investigates its role in the ethical, political, literary, educational, and social life of the Chinese. Buddhism was able to gain a wide following by accommodating itself to Chinese ethical practices. The Buddhist monastic community submitted to the jurisdiction of the state and the monasteries also became integrated into the economic life of the empire through their ownership of land and their operation of industrial and commercial enterprises. Through an analysis of the work of a representative Chinese poet the author reveals the ways in which Buddhism came to be reflected in the literary life of China. Finally, he explores the methods used by the Buddhists to popularize their religion. Click here to order $50

207332 Cleary, Thomas (trans. & ed.) The Politics of Tao - Translations from the Taoist Classic Huainanzi Lessons of the Masters of Huainan Eastern Dragon Books/S. Abdul Majeed & Co., Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. 1992. Octavo; paperback; 101pp. Mild wear; covers rubbed; previous owner's ink inscriptions to the insides of both covers. Very good. Click here to order $15

96576 Cooper, J.C. Taoism: The Way of the Mystic Aquarian Press, Wellingborough, 1976. Paperback, octavo; 128pp. Mild foxing to rear panel of cover and a few scattered spots on text block edges; wear to edges and chipping on head of spine. Very good. Click here to order $13

207582 Covell, Jon, & Yamada Sobin Zen at Daitoku-Ji Kodansha International Ltd., Tokyo Japan, 1974. Quarto; hardcover; 203pp., with maps and many full colour and monochrome illustrations. Mild wear; text block edges lightly toned; some very light spotting to the preliminaries. Dustwrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good to near fine. The most lasting cultural phenomenon in Kyoto's rich history began with the building of the great Zen temples in the fourteenth century, and the subsequent gathering of artists and minds associated with the flowering of Zen Buddhism in Japan: Of these the 'Temple of Great Virtue' Daitoku-ji quickly prospered and grew, becoming Japan's most respected cultural and religious monument. The authors not only provide a history of Daitoku-ji, its art, architecture and gardens but also a sympathetic and informative portrait of one of Daitoku-ji's greatest thinkers, Ikkyu Sojun and furnish insights into the careers and personalities of other influential Daitoku-ji associates, including the tea master Sen no Rikyu, whose tea ceremony is still celebrated here each year. The book would be worth reading for the essays on Ikkyu and Sen no Rikyu alone. The charm and lucidity of this book is reflected in the many personal observations and comments of the authors; while a certain nostalgia if not sense of sorrow, looms, at the loss of some of the characteristic Japanese shamanism to modernity. (from Joseph Kitagawa) Click here to order $50

98203 Goldberg, Natalie The Great Spring Writing, Zen, and This Zigzag Life Shambhala, Boulder, 2016. Hardcover, octavo; quarter bound blue boards with dark blue spine and gilt spine titling, green endpapers; 207pp. Minor wear only. Near fine in like dustwrapper. Click here to order $18

93703 Grant, Beata Eminent Nuns Women Chan Masters of Seventeenth Century China University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu HI, 2009. Octavo; hardcover, with silver-gilt spine titles and decorative endpapers; 242pp. Dustwrapper. Remainder. New. The seventeenth century is generally acknowledged as one of the most politically tumultuous but culturally creative periods of late imperial Chinese history. Scholars have noted the profound effect on, and literary responses to, the fall of the Ming on the male literati elite. Also of great interest is the remarkable emergence beginning in the late Ming of educated women as readers and, more importantly, writers. Only recently beginning to be explored, however, are such seventeenth-century religious phenomena as 'the reinvention' of Chan Buddhism - a concerted effort to revive what were believed to be the traditional teachings, texts, and practices of 'classical' Chan. And, until now, the role played by women in these religious developments has hardly been noted at all. Eminent Nuns is an innovative interdisciplinary work that brings together several of these important seventeenth-century trends. Although Buddhist nuns have been a continuous presence in Chinese culture since early medieval times and the subject of numerous scholarly studies, this book is one of the first not only to provide a detailed view of their activities at one particular moment in time, but also to be based largely on the writings and self-representations of Buddhist nuns themselves. This perspective is made possible by the preservation of collections of 'discourse records' (yulu) of seven officially designated female Chan masters in a seventeenth-century printing of the Chinese Buddhist Canon rarely used in English-language scholarship. The collections contain records of religious sermons and exchanges, letters, prose pieces, and poems, as well as biographical and autobiographical accounts of various kinds. Supplemental sources by Chan monks and male literati from the same region and period make a detailed re-creation of the lives of these eminent nuns possible. Click here to order $24

207510 Hall, Manly P. The White Bird of Tao A Seminar of Three Classes Given at Los Angeles in the Summer of 1962 The Philosophical Research Society Inc., Los Angeles CA, 1964. Quarto; paperback, stapled booklet; 51pp., with monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; covers lightly rubbed; previous owner's ink stamp throughout. Very good to near fine. Click here to order $25

207471 Herrigel, Gustie l. (R.F.C. Hull, trans.) Zen in the Art of Flower Arrangement Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1958. First edition. Small octavo hardcover; red boards with silver gilt spine titling; 124pp., monochrome line drawings. Owner's name stamp. Offsetting to endpapers; mild rubbing to board edges and corners; spotting to upper text block edge. Small missing segments to spine panel extremities and corners of decorated dustwrapper, browned spine panel and tape reinforcement to some corners and spine extremities; a few spots. Very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Japanese masters have developed the techniques of ikebana over centuries and, while many different styles have evolved, they all share the same fundamental principles. The art embodies aesthetic considerations, knowledge of the natural forms of plants, and a profound understanding of the space around them. This book explains these principles by describing the lessons learned from master arranger Bokuyo Takeda. It demonstrates that ikebana is a process of achieving spiritual enlightenment and the craft of arranging flowers a form of meditation. Click here to order $75

203722 Holloway, Kenneth W The Quest for Ecstatic Morality in Early China Oxford University Press, London, 2013. Octavo paperback; 161pp. Remainder. New. There is an intense love of freedom evident in the "Xing zi mingchu," a text last seen when it was buried in a Chinese tomb in 300 B.C.E. It tells us that both joy and sadness are the ecstatic zenith of what the text terms 'qing'. Combining emotions into qing allows them to serve as a stepping stone to the Dao, the transcendent source of morality for the world. There is a process one must follow to prepare qing: it must be beautified by learning from the classics written by ancient sages. What is absent from the process is any indication that the emotions themselves need to be suppressed or regulated, as is found in most other texts from this time. The Confucian principles of humanity and righteousness are not rejected, but they are seen as needing our qing and the Dao. Holloway argues that the Dao here is the same Dao of Laozi's "Daode jing". As a missing link between what came to be called Confucianism and Daoism, the "Xing zi mingchu" is changing the way we look at the history of religion in early China. Click here to order $20

207403 Hoover, Thomas Zen Culture Random House, New York, 1977. First edition: octavo hardcover; quarter bound gray boards with maroon cloth spine and gilt labels; 262pp., monochrome plates and illustrations. Well-rubbed board edges; offsetting to endpapers; browned and spotted text block edges. Illustrated dustwrapper, faded along the spine panel, tiny chips and tears on edges and corners with small scrapes on lower spine and corners. Good to very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $22

207818 Humphreys, Christmas A Western Approach to Zen Buddhist Society/George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, 1971. First UK edition: octavo; hardcover; 212pp., top edges dyed dark red. Mild wear; mild toning to text block edges. Price-clipped dustwrapper mildly rubbed and edgeworn; now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Very good. Click here to order $30

30290 Ikeda, Daisaku (Burton Watson, trans.) The Flower of Chinese Buddhism John Weatherhill Inc., New York, NY, 1986. Hardcover, octavo, 205pp. Bookshop stamp on front endpaper, some spotting to text block edges; otherwise very good to near fine in dustwrapper a little worn at edges (now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film). Click here to order $20

207335 Jacques, Louise V. Lao Tzu and the Eight Immortals of China and T'ik, T'ak, T'oh - signed A Classic Historical Novel of China George Channing Enterprises, Carmel CA, 1974. Octavo; paperback; 132pp., with maps, a monochrome portrait frontispiece and eight colour plates. Minor wear; signed by the author in ink to the limitations page. Near fine. Laid in: a promotional bookmark. Number 26 of a limited edition print run. Click here to order $50

93697 Keping, Wang Reading the Dao A Thematic Journey Continuum International Publishing Group, London, 2011. Octavo; paperback; 182pp. Remainder. New. This is an introductory guide to the Dao de Jing, exploring key themes and passages in this key work of Daoist thought. The Dao De Jing represents one of the most important works of Chinese philosophy, in which the author, Lao Zi (c. 580-500 BC), lays the foundations of Taoism. Composed of 81 short sections, the text itself is written in a poetic style that is ambiguous and challenging for the modern reader. Yet while its meaning may be obscure, the text displays the originality of Lao Zi's wisdom and remains a hugely influential work to this day. In "Reading the Dao: A Thematic Inquiry", Wang Keping offers a clear and accessible guide to this hugely important text. Wang's thematic approach opens up key elements of the Dao De Jing in a way that highlights and clarifies the central arguments for the modern reader. Presenting comprehensive textual analysis of key passages and a useful survey of recent Taoist scholarship, the book provides the reader with an insight into the origins of Taoist philosophy. Click here to order $17

207602 LaFleur, William R. The Karma of Words: Buddhism and the Literary Arts in Medieval Japan University of California Press, Berkeley, 1986. Octavo paperback. 204pp. Minor wear only; very good to near fine. Click here to order $20

207438 Leggett, Trevor (trans.) The Tiger's Cave Translations of Japanese Zen Texts Rider & Co., London, 1964. First edition: hardcover, octavo; black boards with gilt spine titling; 191pp., monochrome plates. Mild spotting to pastedowns and endpapers; faint spotting to text block edges; rubbed board edges; watermark on rear panel spine edge of dustwrapper; chipping and wear to upper edge especially on head of spine panel; rubbing to rear panel. Very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $40

204049 Levi, Jean (trans. & ed.) (Jody Gladding, trans.) The Complete Tao Te Ching with the Four Canons of the Yellow Emperor Inner Traditions International, Rochester VT, 2011. Octavo; hardcover, with gilt spine titles; 184pp. Dustwrapper. Remainder. New. Click here to order $16

203869 Little, Stephen Realm of the Immortals Daoism in the Arts of China Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland OH, 1988. Quarto paperback; 67pp., colour and monochrome illustrations. Remainder, new. Exhibition catalogue. Click here to order $17

207797 Matsunaga, Alicia Orloff The Buddhist Philosophy of Assimilation - A Monumenta Nipponica Monograph The Historical Development of the Honji-Suijaku Theory Sophia University - Tokyo/Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo Japan, 1969. Royal octavo; hardcover, quarter-bound in cloth with decorative papered boards and gilt spine tiles on a black label; 310pp., with 26pp. of monochrome plates and other illustrations likewise. Mild wear; some mild corner-bumping. Price-clipped dustwrapper rubbed and edgeworn; sunned along the spine panel; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Click here to order $65

207395 Ogata, Sohaku Zen for the West Rider & Company, London, 1959. First edition. Octavo hardcover; black decorated boards with white spine titling; 182pp. Offsetting to endpapers and a few scattered spots on prelims; spotting and toning to text block edges. Rubbed yellow illustrated dustwrapper with wear to edges and corners; tiny missing segment and tear to head of spine panel. Very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $30

30284 Rahula, Walpola Zen and the Taming of the Bull Towards the Definition of Buddhist Thought The Gordon Fraser Gallery Ltd., London, 1978. Octavo; hardcover; 160pp., with some monochrome illustrations. Mild wear; boards a little fanned; spotting to upper text block. Dustwrapper with some rubbing and light edgewear; a small sticker ghost to the upper panel; mild wear to edges and corners; now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Click here to order $30

83717 Senzaki, Nyogen (Foreword by Eido Shimano; Roko Sherry Chayat, ed.) Eloquent Silence Nyogen Senzaki's "Gateless Gate" and Other Previously Unpublished Teachings and Letters Wisdom Publications, Boston MA, 2008. Paperback, octavo; 433pp. Remainder. New. Click here to order $18

86104 Stamm, Joan D. Heaven and Earth are Flowers Reflections on Ikebana and Buddhism Wisdom Publications, Somerville MA, 2010. Paperback, octavo, 168pp., colour plates. New. Remainder. Joan Stamm shows us how her twin paths of Buddhist practice and artistic endeavour converge and indeed become thoroughly intertwined. Stamm's lush, elegant voice weaves childhood memories of her mother's joy at a just-bloomed morning glory with meditations on the symbolic importance of bamboo, of pine, of the lily. She takes us with her on her travels to Japan as she learns the essential principles of ikebana, and lets us join her as she teaches flower arranging to women in a nursing home who, though they won't recall tomorrow the rules of arrangement or even the flowers' names, nonetheless partake in the joy and love that celebrates all living things, however briefly they endure. And, when Joan shows us the natural symmetry of a blossom, we find that we too have regained our balance. Click here to order $15

207402 Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro (illus. Zenchu Sato) The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk Wehman Bros Publishers, Hackensack, 1959. First edition: hardcover, octavo; beige cloth boards with red spine label and gilt spine titling; 161pp., monochrome plates, top edges dyed mauve. Offsetting to endpapers; toning and spotting to text block edges; slightly rubbed, illustrated dustwrapper with chipping and scraping at spine panel extremities and corners. Very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $30

210135 Tetsuzan Shinagawa (Mikio Shinagawa, ed.; Foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama) Talk to a Stone Nothingness Stewart Tabori & Chang/US Media Holdings Inc., New York NY, 1998. Quarto; paperback, bound orihon style, with illustrated wrappers; unpaginated, with many monochrome illustrations. Mild wear; spotting to the covers and text block edges. Very good, in a lightly rubbed illustrated folding portfolio with silk and bone closures. Click here to order $45

207366 Waley, Arthur (trans.) Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China George Allen & Unwin, London, 1974. Reprint; hardcover octavo; gray boards with gilt spine titling; 275pp. Small price sticker stain on upper corner of front endpaper; spotting and a few marks on text block edges; slight rubbing to board edges. Ochre card dustwrapper with red titling. Very good to near fine. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film In the fourth century BC three conflicting points of view in Chinese philosophy received classic expression: the Taoist, the Confucianist, and the "Realist." This book underscores the interplay between these three philosophies, drawing on extracts from Chuang Tzu, Mencius, and Han Fei Tzu. Click here to order $25

207347 Watts, Alan & Al Chung-liang Huang Tao: The Watercourse Way Jonathan Cape, London, 1976. First UK edition: hardcover, octavo; black boards with gilt spine titling, blue endpapers; 134pp., monochrome illustrations, top edge dyed red. Mild spotting to text block edges; slightly foxed red dustwrapper with a tiny tear on upper rear edge; mild scraping and chipping to edges and corners; spine panel slightly faded. Very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $50

207371 Wienpahl, Paul Zen Diary Harper & Row, New York, 1970. First edition. Octavo hardcover; beige cloth boards with red spine titling and dark red endpapers; untrimmed page edges; 244pp. Small price sticker on front endpaper; toned text block edges; rubbed dustwrapper with slight wear to edges. Very good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $25

204084 Williams, Paul Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations - 2nd edition Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices series Routledge, Abingdon Oxon. UK, 2009. Reprint: octavo; paperback; 438pp. Minor wear; covers lightly edgeworn. Very good to near fine. Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. Click here to order $30

209880 Xiaoting, Guo (trans. John Robert Shaw) Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong The Drunken Wisdom of China's Famous Chan Buddhist Monk Tuttle, North Clarendon, 2014. Octavo; paperback; 542pp. Remainder, new. The brilliant and hilarious adventures of a mad Zen Buddhist monk who rose from humble beginnings to become one of China's greatest folk heroes. Ji Gong studied at the great Ling Yin monastery, an immense temple that still ranges up the steep hills above Hangzhou, near Shanghai. The Chan Buddhist masters of the temple tried to instruct Ji Gong in the spartan practices of their sect, but the young monk, following in the footsteps of other great ne'er-do-wells, distinguished himself mainly by getting expelled. He left the monastery, became a wanderer with hardly a proper piece of clothing to wear, and achieved great renown in seedy wine shops and drinking establishments. This could have been where Ji Gong's story ended. But his unorthodox style of Buddhism soon made him a hero for popular storytellers of the Song dynasty era. Audiences delighted in tales where the mad old monk ignored or even mocked authority, defied common sense, never neglected the wine, yet still managed to save the day. Ji Gong always had the rogue's knack for exposing the corrupt and criminal while still pursuing the twin delights of enlightenment and intoxication! Click here to order $15