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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Philosopher Strikes Gold

Mon, 15 Oct, 2018 - 13:19

Philosopher Strikes Gold

Mon, 15 Oct, 2018 - 13:19

Another review – this time by myself (Dhīvan) on an excellent new history of Buddhist philosophy in India:

The Golden Age of Indian Buddhist Philosophy

by Jan Westerhoff

Oxford University Press, 2018, 326pp £30 hb

 review by Dhīvan

In a customary gesture in books like this one, [1] Jan Westerhoff asks in his introduction what the purpose might be in his writing another history of Buddhist philosophy, given that those already available were written by such eminent scholars. In this case, the eminent scholars are Volker Zotz (writing in...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Weighing the Evidence

Fri, 12 Oct, 2018 - 10:55

Weighing the Evidence

Fri, 12 Oct, 2018 - 10:55

We present a review by Nāgapriya of Anālayo’s recent study of the Buddhist teaching of rebirth and what evidence there might be for the truth of it:

Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research

by Bhikkhu Analayo

Wisdom Publications, Somerville MA, 279pp. hb. £22.50

review by Nāgapriya

Bhikkhu Anālayo has garnered a distinguished reputation as an authoritative scholar of the Pali Canon and early Buddhism. His mastery not only of Pāli sources but also of parallels in Chinese translation has enabled him to produce a growing corpus of...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Triratna Scholars' Network retreat

Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 15:12

Triratna Scholars' Network retreat

Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 15:12

About an event coming up at Adhiṣṭhāna that should be of interest to readers of the Western Buddhist Review:

‘From here to the beyond…’: Studying the ‘Spiral Path’ in Early Buddhist Discourses

Led by Dhīvan and Sāgaramati

9–16 Dec 2018

This study retreat marks the first led by the newly-initiated Triratna Scholars’ Network and will offer an opportunity to go behind the scenes, as it were, of Sangharakshita’s presentation of the Dharma, to look at the sources and texts connected with the ’Spiral Path’. We will examine closely the sources of...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Welcome to Gandhāra

Fri, 21 Sep, 2018 - 16:12

Welcome to Gandhāra

Fri, 21 Sep, 2018 - 16:12

We present here a review by Dhīvan and Kulamitra of an important new book for the study of early Buddhist literature and history:

Richard Salomon

The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra: An Introduction with Selected Translations

Wisdom Publications, Somerville, MA, 2018, pb $29.95

review by Dhīvan, with a contribution by Kulamitra

In 1994, a clay pot containing ancient birch-bark scrolls appeared on the antiquities market in Pakistan, and was acquired by the British Library. Richard Salomon was one of the first scholars to inspect these fragile scrolls,...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Freedom and persuasion in the attention economy

Sat, 8 Sep, 2018 - 11:32

Freedom and persuasion in the attention economy

Sat, 8 Sep, 2018 - 11:32

We’re delighted to present a review by Akasapriya of an important new book of philosophical reflection on the effects of contemporary social media:

James Williams, Stand Out of our Light

Cambridge University Press, 2018, pb £13, or available as a free ebook

Readers of Vaddhaka’s book The Buddha on Wall Street (reviewed here) may recall that he dedicated a chapter to the attention economy. The term refers to the various ways in which internet-based companies make money, often indirectly, from the users of their services. Stand...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Buddhists and Stoics in the Philosophy Café

Sat, 12 May, 2018 - 13:22

Buddhists and Stoics in the Philosophy Café

Sat, 12 May, 2018 - 13:22

We present here a review of a new book exploring common ground between Buddhism and the philosophical tradition of Stoicism:

More Than Happiness: Buddhist and Stoic Wisdom for a Sceptical Age

by Antonia Macaro

Icon Books, London, 2018. £12.99 hb

review by Dhīvan

I met the author of More Than Happiness, Antonia Macaro, at a mindfulness retreat in 2016 led by Ven Anālayo,[i] and then again in November 2017 at a Bodhi College weekend on ‘Philosophy as a Way of Life’. An encouragingly large number of us listened to Stephen...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Searching for the Sublime

Sun, 22 Apr, 2018 - 19:46

Searching for the Sublime

Sun, 22 Apr, 2018 - 19:46

Here is a review by Ben Atmer of Vajragupta’s new book from Windhorse Publications:

VajraguptaWild Awake: Alone, Offline & Aware in Nature

Windhorse, Cambridge, 2018, £10 pb

review by Ben Atmer

Vajragupta, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order and writer, has had published a new book based on his long and deep immersion in the practice of solitary retreat. He attempts, for the most part remarkably successfully, to convey his sense of intimacy with the natural world, and tries to suggest just what it...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

More Advice From the Zen Master – Read Dōgen!

Tue, 5 Dec, 2017 - 18:27

More Advice From the Zen Master – Read Dōgen!

Tue, 5 Dec, 2017 - 18:27

We present another review by Vidyavajra, this one of Brad Warner’s second book re-interpreting the great Zen Master Dōgen for the present day:

Brad Warner, It Came From Beyond Zen! More Practical Advice from Dogen, Japan’s Greatest Zen Master, New World Library, 2017 (£15 pback)

review by Vidyavajra

As I start a review of another book by Brad Warner, I am conscious that, should I be so inclined, I could just rehash my previous review of Don’t Be A Jerk. Comment on the pulp sci-fi...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

Metta for Everyman

Mon, 21 Aug, 2017 - 11:36

Metta for Everyman

Mon, 21 Aug, 2017 - 11:36

We are pleased to present a review of a new book from Windhorse Publications on the therapeutic use of mettā or kindness by Paramabandhu and Jed Shamel – reviewed by Paul Wielgus, himself a mindfulness teacher.

Mindful Emotion: A Short Course in Kindness by Paramabandhu Groves and Jed Shamel, Windhorse Publications, Cambridge, 2017.

review by Paul Wielgus

The first thing that struck me about Mindful Emotion – the book as well as the support on the accompanying website – was its simplicity and sheer accessibility. The book is well-structured and...

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Dhivan Thomas Jones

The Chapter of the Eights

Sat, 21 Jan, 2017 - 17:29

The Chapter of the Eights

Sat, 21 Jan, 2017 - 17:29

Gil Fronsdal, The Buddha Before Buddhism: Wisdom from the Early Teachings, Shambhala, Boulder, 2016, paperback £15, 180 pages.

reviewed by Dhivan Thomas Jones

Gil Fronsdal’s new book is a translation of and commentary on ‘The Chapter of the Eights’ (Aṭṭhakavagga), the fourth chapter of the Sutta-nipāta, itself a miscellaneous collection of Pāli Buddhist verses (including such classics as the Karaṇīya-metta sutta and the Ratana sutta). I was excited when I heard about this new translation, because The Chapter of the Eights is a fascinating...