Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression ― An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism - Softcover

Leighton, Taigen Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1614290148 ISBN 13: 9781614290148

Publisher: Wisdom Publications, 2012

Synopsis

2013 Nautilus Book Award — Gold Medal in Religion/Spirituality — Eastern

Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They're not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities but shining examples of our own highest potential. Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton engagingly explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psychological and spiritual wellsprings.

Emphasizing the universality of spiritual ideas, Leighton finds aspects of bodhisattvas expressed in a variety of familiar modern personages - from Muhammad Ali to Mahatma Gandhi, from Bob Dylan to Henry Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Teresa. This edition contains a revised and expanded introduction that frames the book as a exciting and broad-scoped view of Mahayana Buddhism. It's updated throughout to make it of more use to scholars and a perfect companion to survey courses of world religions or a 200-level course on Buddhism.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"To meet the bodhisattvas is to embrace more fully our own humanity, and our ultimate capacity for courage, devotion, compassion, and transcendent wisdom. Taigen Dan Leighton has lovingly illuminated still another dimension of the human condition. This is a tour de fource."—John Daishin Buksbazen, author of Zen Meditation in Plain English

Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psychological and spiritual wellsprings. Emphasizing the universality of spiritual ideals, Leighton finds aspects of the bodhisattvas expressed in a variety of familiar modern personages—from Muhammad Ali to Mahatma Gandhi, from Bob Dylan to Henry Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Teresa. This book also functions as a thorough and engaging introduction to the world of Mahayana Buddhism.

About the Author:

Joan Halifax, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher and an anthropologist. Her books include Simplicity in the Complex: A Buddhist Life in America and Being with Dying. She is the founder of the Upaya Institute in Santa Fe NM, where she now practices, teaches, and works. She is a Founding Teacher in the Zen Peacemaker Order of Roshi Bernie Glassman and the late Sensei Jishu Holmes and is a Soto priest and teacher.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1614290148
• ISBN 13: 9781614290148
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 352