The Practice of Perfection: The Paramitas from a Zen

·期刊原文
The Practice of Perfection: The Paramitas from a Zen
Buddhist Perspective
Penny Spoke
Booklist
Vol.90 No.22
August 1994
p.1996
COPYRIGHT American Library Association 1994

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Based in Honolulu, Aitken is the most senior American Zen master and
an author and translator of books on Zen, especially the practice of
lay Buddhism in the West. Here he explicates the 10 paramitas
("perfections," or guides to conduct) of Mahayana Buddhism. Each
discussion is followed by responses to his students' most-asked
questions, addressing not only the topic at hand, but also the role
of the teacher, the transformation of the self through sitting
meditation (zazen), koan study, and the Mahayana tradition of
responsibility for the welfare of others. Though known as a rigorous
and traditional Zen master of both Rinzai and Soto lineages, Aitken
calls the paramitas "inspirations, not fixed rules" and eschews
perfectionism. This will be a good companion to The Mind of
Clover(1984), Aitken's beautifully written exploration of Zen's Ten
Grave Precepts (the uniquely Buddhist commandments). Both will
appeal to those interested in Buddhist practice and ethics and, more
broadly, to those who look to books for help with that perennial
question: how to live. Glossary and extensive notes follow the text.