[Buddha-l] A really good & provocative book

[jkirk]

Dear Piya Tan

I'm pretty sure you will find it as intriguing as I did. First I did a quick
read, now am going through it chapter by chapter and trying to focus more on
his examples. 
Please post your "take" on the book when you get a chance. 
Yes, many more books on Buddhism than earlier on--good thing winter is
approaching--
more time to read :) 

Best wishes, Joanna
==================================


Dear Joanna,

Yes, I have already booked the title with the local Buddhist bookshop. I
should have at least browsed it when i first saw the book. Thanks for
recommending
it: just what I would enjoy reading.

It's amazing how many new Buddhist books get published every year (month?)
compared to some 2 decades ago.

Best wishes,

Piya



On 10/16/07, jkirk <jkirk at spro.net> wrote:
>
> Speaking of the cooky Mahayana sutras, y'all have GOT to get this 
> book--I got it via ILL--it's a fantastically good critique of 4 
> Mahayana sutras as literature, of their rhetorical hankypanky--I am so
impressed:
>
> Alan Cole. _Text As Father : Paternal Seductions in Early Mahayana 
> Buddhist Literature_. UCPress, 2005.  He takes on the Lotus, the 
> Tathagata, the Diamond, and Vimalakirti's Nirdesa. [how they got rid 
> of the old Buddha and made a new one: the texts! + their tricks of the 
> trade]
>
> My only quibble is the same as with some other scholarly books--he 
> overdoes the writing, it's often prolix and repetitive, he could 
> have eliminated at least 25% of it. Still a brilliant contribution to 
> undoing the smug Mahayana mainstays.
>
> Joanna

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