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Product Description
Saint Benedict's Rule is a set of guidelines that has governed Christian monastic life since the sixth century. Those who live according to the Rule, which regulates daily life in a monastery, feel great affection for the text itself and for its writer, a monk whose humility and extraordinary insight into human nature are legendary. The Rule has fascinated lay people and monastics alike, including Buddhist monks and nuns who are intrigued by the similarities between their traditions and those of their Christian counterparts.
Now, for the first time, four prominent Buddhist scholars, Norman Fischer, Joseph Goldstein, Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa, have turned their attention to this seminal text. The fruit of their discussion is Benedict's Dharma. In this thoughtful and lively book, full of personal anecdotes, they reveal how the wisdom of each monastic tradition can revitalize the other-and how their own spiritual practices have been enriched through familiarity with the Rule. Benedict's Dharma will appeal not only to Buddhists and Christians but to anyone who is interested in what the ancient disciplines of monasticism have to offer a materially glutted and spiritually famished culture.
Edited by Patrick Henry.
Amazon.com Review
When four senior Buddhists sit down to discuss the rules of Christian monasticism, ideas fly. In Benedict's Dharma, Zen priest Norman Fisher, meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, professor Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa, a nun of the Chinese Buddhist tradition, flesh out The Rule of Saint Benedict, which has guided the organization and daily life of the Western Christian monastic tradition since the ninth century. Time after time, these Buddhists find in The Rule of Saint Benedict, which is included in its entirety, points that resonate with the their own experiences--points such as an emphasis on reverence, a pragmatic mindset, and the need for hard work and practice. From these agreements, as well as out of some marked differences, come lively evaluations of both Buddhist and Christian practices. And in the end, as the Christian monk David Steindl-Rast says in his "Afterword," the resources of the monastic tradition, for lay people as much as for monks, still have much to offer everyday life. Taking a Christian text as a source of inspiration for Buddhism offers a new rapprochement for those who have fled to Buddhism from a Christian upbringing. And for the Christian faithful, it offers a fresh perspective on a revered but musty classic. --Brian Bruya
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