Author:D T Suzuki,Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki
'The basic idea of Zen is to touch the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible.'
In this widely praised introduction, Dr D.T. Suzuki presents the nature, technique and practice of Zen with exceptional clarity, wisdom and frankness. A Japanese Zen master who was also a highly respected authority on Mahayana Buddhism and who regularly taught in the USA and Europe, Suzuki was uniquely qualified to explain Zen to an international readership.
Zen is described by the author as the keystone of Oriental culture. This book is essential reading for all Zen students and for everyone who wishes to understand the psychology of the Far East.
His power came from some great reservoir of spiritual life, else it could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it were all his own
—— Claude BragdonThe Dalai Lama is the most influential person in the world
—— Time magazineHe draws crowds that no other spiritual leader or politician could hope to match...he seems to look at life in a different way to everyone else
—— The TimesExtraordinary and compelling
—— Victoria Glendinning , Daily TelegraphShe manages always to keep Pilate living and breathing in the text, and occasionally kicking and screaming
—— Independent on SundayA. N. Wilson's admirable and compelling biography should encourage many to revise their view of the Apostle, if only because, despite its sound scholarship, it is destined to reach a wider audience than most learned studies. Wilson shows clearly that without Paul, Christianity would have been impossible for us to seperate the two... One of the great strengths of Wilson's book is that it reveals the extent of our ignorance about the origins of Christianity.
—— Karen Armstrong , The Timesgloriously engaging and readable ... De Hamel wears his erudition lightly, and the reader is taken deeply into the worlds of individuals who lived across almost a thousand years of history
—— Richard Ovenden , Financial TimesThe story of the people who created, saved and collected Europe's most sumptuous manuscripts, it's beautifully illustrated, a rich feast of scarlet and gold.
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday Times Books of the Yearan eccentric but charming and instructive book which is oddly difficult to put down
—— Jonathan Sumption , SpectatorExtraordinary... She allows her book to grow and swell, like a symphony, expanding and deepening its themes until the traditional wisdom and life of the mountain envelopes you entirely. Rather like a spell, in fact.
—— Country LifeIt soars with the luminous prose and unflinching honesty we have come to expect from this brilliantly gifted writer. Elixir is an extraordinary, profoundly moving book... Her prose is breathtaking, the stories heartbreaking.
—— Feminism and ReligionA joyous celebration of the Pomak community in southern Bulgaria.
—— Spectator, *Books of the Year*