A enlightening history of role of Zen Buddhism in the Pacific War. Victoria analyzes how Zen and the Japanese military affected each other. He takes the writings of the leading Buddhists of the time to tell the story. A classical study on how religion and society influence each other., even a supposedly peace loving religion can be twisted into an instrument of the state. Sheds some light on one of the forefathers of American Zen, D.T. Suzuki

The problem with this fascinating book isn't that it had any quarrel with Zen, but that it tries to point, from the spirit of Zen, at one application of that very Zen spirit that, in today's common understanding, is false and evil. The topic are the more or less hidden underpinnings between (not only Zen) Buddhism and Japanese militarism, but, too, the resistance against that unholy alliance. The author is a professor at Auckland University, and for 30 years an engaged priest of the Soto school of Zen. So his interest surely is more than just casual and distant, and one cannot shrug it off as some 'clearing up the dark sides of Zen' business.

It is essential that not only the historical facts are listed, but that one may have a look at their causal nexus - so it's possible to perceive how a number of rather prominent representatives of the Zen sect with subjectively good conscience came not only to defend, but to call things good and just which aren't compatible with the tenets of Buddhism, or those of any general humanity for that. And that they aren't viewed as bloodthirsty monsters, but as people also stricken with a (only??) Japan-immanent mechanism. When reading, again and again the atmosphere reminded me of the first book I ever read about Japan, and on the deep mutual understanding between Germans and Japanese - from Nazi times.

There's one figure very central in the book - the 'Zen-missionary' so eminent in the West, D. T. Suzuki, and his changes of viewpoint, depending on time and audience - whether before, during, or after the war, and speaking to Japanese or to Americans - his stock of upaya seems to have been inexhaustible. And it seems he couldn't imagine a western oriented mind might be annoyed there and take that as insincerity - as also it didn't burden him that he not only contradicted others, but himself as well. But that's an attitude one meets rather often with masters (or would-be's) nowadays - "Why should I bother with that nonsense I've told you ! the other day!". On the other hand, a lot of his insights and oversights would be most interesting and, maybe, guiding. Especially I remember his saying "With satori alone, it is impossible [for Zen priests] to shoulder their responsibilities as leaders of society. Not only is it impossible, but it is conceited of them to imagine they could do so." (Zenkai Sasshin) There's a second question of course - do Zen priests really want to take the responsibility of being leaders of society, and if so, with what kind of a title?

The - quantitatively minor - resistance against the pocketing of Buddhism and, especially, Zen through 'Imperial Way Buddhism' is appreciated justly - that both sides are quoted in rather harsh tones, only contributes to the realism of description. Most interesting are the passages of those who first were active as hangers-on and flag-wavers, and later learned to critically reconsider and relativize their attitudes of wartime. The last part of the book deals with the working-up (or rather, not-working-up) of the facts inside and outside Japan after the end of WWII. These descriptions made me prick up my ears, and partly bewildered me. The league of inconvincables isn't unknown in Germany, too, but mostly they aren't found among the intellectual and spiritual élite... When 35 years after the war a high-ranking Zen master openly emphasizes that 'Japan destroyed itself in order to grandly give the countries of Asia their independence. I think this is truly an accomplishment worthy the name 'holy war'... I think the various peoples of Asia who achieved their independence will ceaselessly praise their accomplishments for all eternity' (Mumon Yamada), then it might be Suzuki's opinion isn't completely mistaken, that enlightenment attained is not necessarily sufficient to make unerringly correct statements in any given situation. There maybe the expectations of western Zen students play a role, as described in Stuart Lachs' essay 'Coming down from the Zen ! Clouds': "Unlike psychologically-based movements for personal transformation, whose leaders appeared as seekers themselves, Zen Buddhism promised, in the person of the teacher, a master who had actually realized the Buddhist goal of Enlightenment and manifested its qualities continuously in his daily life. American Zen students have tended to hold these teachers in awe, to the point of regarding their every action as pure and selfless. This tendency to idealize the teacher comes in part from the students' inexperience, but is strongly encouraged by the Zen organization and the teacher himself".

The last chapter picks up the thread and ties it to the 'Corporate Zen' of present, which isn't explicitely militaristic but is an offspring of the same spirit - 'Zen is obedience unreflected - reflecting neither the contents of instructions nor the person giving it.' Or, as a contemporary Japanese master says, "Sincerity [in carrying out orders] means having feelings and actions of absolute service, giving one's all [to the task at hand]. In doing this there can be no personal loss or gain... By carrying out our assigned tasks, we become part of the life of the entire universe; we realize our original True Self... This is the most noble thing human beings can do." (Sakai Tokugen)

Brian Victoria it seems has valued his book quite realistically - not as a compendium of answers, but a collection of unsolved - or possibly unsolvable - questions; and not as a conclusion, but an initiative to some examination of the corruptability of spiritual ways.

Every Zen student, scholar, and especially every Zen teacher should read this sobering, stimulating, excellent book. "Do not put any heads above your own." "A disciple of the Buddha does not kill," two Buddhist fundamentals, violated deeply by well-known, well-respected teachers in the Zen school in pre-1945 Japan. This book is an incentive to the reader to re-examine one's own life and daily actions and decisions. The incredible ability of the human mind to rationalize away behavior that is immoral, and to intellectually contort Buddhist teachings in the same service, is vividly brought forth in this book. I want to keep this book always visible on my desk or altar as a reminder to never forget about living with integrity, true courageous integrity.

This book is filled with stories that will definitely make you remeber where you were on that fateful day. The emotions expressed are raw, in depth looks into how Americans as individuals felt about and dealt with this tragedy. This is one of the books you should keep on your shelf for years to come.

I had thought I'd heard and seen all I could stand of the 911 terrorist act. My heart could not take anymore, my soul had cried enough....then I read this book. It was then that I realized my heart needed to take it -- all of it. Or how could I go on? I was foolish to think my soul had cried enough, for there never will be enough tears shed for those who were lost on that day, or for those who had their families brutally ripped apart by senseless acts of hostility. I urge you to read this book and never forget that fateful day, because those who were lost deserve at least that much from us.

This beautiful book clearly defines the reasons why September 11 will never be forgotten as it pays a memorial tribute to the victims and families who lost loved ones that day. "Voices of America's Children" is a chapter in the book that shows even the children of America were deeply affected and felt the need to write out their feelings about the heartbreaking event. Executive Director of the Todd M. Beamer Foundation, Doug MacMillan, said, "Although each story is unique, you will be especially touched by the short stories written by the children. Their unique perspective on the events of September 11 reminds us that today's children are tomorrow's heroes, capable of positively impacting our world for the good of others." American will never get over September 11, but this book clearly shows that the victims who died that day did not die in vain, and they will never be forgotten. As editor Tina L. Miller said, "This book was born of a tregedy, but it is offered in the spirit of hope." Victoria Walker, who complied the book, said, "To all the young writers who contributed to this book--Your forthright honesty and emotion is priceless. Never stop reaching for your dreams, never give up hope in America or in your fellow Americans." There are seven chapters and 243 pages of inspiring contributions from the contributors who as Victoria Walker said, "You are the heart of this book." This is not counting the biographical information that is interesting in itself. The stories will awaken saddness, but they will also inspire, encourage, and motivate us all to stand united for the sake of our country, America, the land of the free and the home of the brave! Old Glory yet waves! From children's inspiring, encouraging words to those of adults, let freedom continue to ring with their lasting words of encouragement. As President George Bush said, "Freedom itself was attacked this morning, and I assure you Freedome will be defended." "The Heroes of Flight 93: Interviews with Family and Friends Detail the Courage of Everyday People" begins the book and is one of the most interesting parts of the book written by Kim Barker, Louise Kierman, and Steve Mills with the Chicago Tribune. Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Todd M. Beamer Foundation, and contributing authors unanimously decided to donate any royalities from the sale of this book to the Todd M. Beamer Foundation. My contribution is "911: A Cry for Tolerance," and my website is http://pages.prodigy.net/bud25. My students and I are proud to be part of such a worthwhile cause, and it is a great feeling to know that our writing could contribute to such a great cause.

... This book is a terrific addition to anyone's recipe collection. There is such a wide variety of recipes here, and each is unique and delicious. I love that the recipes are separated by season. This allows me to thumb through and find a light bread (summer, spring) or a heavy one (winter, fall), depending on what I'm looking for. Also, I must mention that this book was my very first attempt at baking bread ever -- and it went off without a hitch! I think Hensperger's book is a must have.

One of the - initially - most unasuming bread baking recipe collections. Once I started to bake breads from this book, it was hard to try a new recipe, and not to repeat the old one: every single one was a clear favorite (for a week, until a new one appearred!). I have a nice collection of bread baking books , but this one holds a very special place. Superb, and so tasty!

I got this book for my birthday and thought, "Oh, well, a cookbook for the coffee table." After a couple of weeks, however, I started to skim through it out of boredom. I could not put it down. The recipes themselves are enough to make this a book well worth having (although they are somewhat complicated and can be intimidating for the beginning bread baker) but the photographs are mouth-watering as well. And the text that accompanies each section of the book, both in the introductions to the seasons and the introductions to each recipe, are essays unto themselves, worthy of note. If the passing of the seasons has meaning for you, for whatever reason, and you like to bake or just eat bread, you NEED this cookbook

As a Chiropractor, I have read dozens of books on the subject over the years. The Chiropractic Way by Michael Lenarz, D.C. is one of the finest books on what we do and why we do it. But more than that it gives real life, common sense advice for our patients written in a manner which is concise and easy to follow. Dr. Lenarz thoroughly covers a variety of chiropractic techniques and philosophies and explains his viewpoints without a defensive or apologetic posture. This is a must read not only for chiropractors and our patients, but for anyone who is suffering from poor health and wants to once again reclaim their health. I'll be ordering extra copies for my reception room and to give to patients.

Good work Dr. Lenarz!!!

I strongly recommend "The Chirpractic Way" to anyone interested in understanding how their body operates on a daily basis and why there might be aches and pains along the way. The book is written in a way that is easily understandable to readers about how chiropractic care can promote wellness in the body - without surgery. The book covers the questions I had relating to chiropractic care. I have watched friends through the years who have been in pain and I always felt unable to articulate why chiropractic care works for me - now I can tell them about this book. THIS BOOK EXPLAINS YOUR BODY!

I like to consider myself well educated about health and how the body works. This book has a straight forward layout that is readable by all, and is extremely helpful to anyone seeking a better quality of life and answers to health problems. I have personaly found the book to be very helpful and I have given several copies to friends who have health challenges. Reading this book will change your life for the better; it's already helped several of my friends.

This book is a companion to Barnhardt's work on the school portfolio. It is a beautiful introduction to basic data analysis for teachers and administrators in today's schools. The introduction to data bases, the importance of clear identification of dissagregation points and simple but critical rules of good action research make it a must for anyone interested in real accountability and reflective practice.

Our whole school district and infact 12 out of 13 school districts in the state are using this book along w/ Vickie's other book on School Portfolios.

Being in the educational system I have found this resource to be very helpful in our work w/ educational reform.

Even if fishing is not your thing, you will enjoy this latest by Victoria Houston. Retired dentist Paul Osborne doesn't really enjoy finding dead bodies in the water, but at least it keeps him in contact with the attractive, fiftyish Police Chief Lew Ferris. When the two bodies of young women show up with similiar bite marks on them, Lew asks Paul to help her as a temporary Medical Examiner. Paul is usually accompanied by his young friend Ray Pradt, a man-of-the-woods who this time is occupied by the sudden appearance of a son he knew nothing about.

The arrival of one of the dead woman's friends and the long-lost "goth" son bring a great mix to the small town of Big Creek characters. As Paul and Lew focus on a con man who may have targeted the dead women the two become suspicious of newcomers and find themselves not knowing who to trust.

This is a character driven series that will not fail to entertain and will introduce fish-phobes to the pleasures of fishing.

I read Victoria Houston's first book because she was an area author and she hooked me! She pens the words my husband trys to express about his fishing passion. Doc, Lew and Ray were old friends by the third book and I can't wait for their next adventure. A just right mystery that I can stay up reading into the night, just a hint of sweet older romance.

Victoria Houston's Loon Lake Fishing Mystery Series has me hooked. The wait for the release of DEAD WATER has been worth every minute. Once again I'm drawn in, hook, line and sinker, into the lives of Doc Osborne, Lew Ferris and the unforgettable Ray Pradt. When you add murder, suspense, plenty of fishing and just the right touch of romance, this series is a keeper. DEAD WATER is definitely the must read of the summer.

About 20 years ago, I read an older translation of this biography. Then, as now, a reader cannot help but be impressed by the thorough and meticulous scholarship that went into its preparation. Because of its size and scope (900+ pages), it may be somewhat daunting to new readers who may be just now encountering Bonhoeffer. However, given the nature of his literary output (Bonheoffer was still a young man when he died, and many of his ideas exist only in limited or underdeveloped forms), this in-depth look at the man and his motivations by the individual who probably knew him best is essential to an informed understanding of his work. For Bonhoeffer admirers, it doesn't get any better than this.

Eberhard Bethge was Dietrich Bonhoeffer's closest friend and the lifelong editor and interpreter of his life and writings. For the first time we now have the completely unabridged biography in a revised and updated English translation. This is not only a classic of twentieth century biography; it also addresses key issues not only of German and European history, World War II, and the Holocaust but also, through Bonhoeffer's theology, the church and modernity. It sharply poses the question of authentic Christian life. A big book and a challenging read!

In this work, Bonhoeffer's student and friend brought me closer to Bonhoeffer than I thought possible. Previously, I had thought Letters and Papers From Prison was as close as I could get to understanding the "religionless" Christian -I was wrong. Bethge's opus gives an incisive look into the formation of Bonhoeffer the man and the theologian which sheds more light on his Christian fortitude in the Nazi tempest. I whole-heartedly recommend this work for it has been an inspiration to me as a human being as well as a student of theology

I stumbled on this cookbook truly by accident, having to buy one book for a commitment to a cooking book club--and what an amazing suprise! I love to cook gourmet food--especially recipes fit into my busy schedule as a mom and author of The Mom Book (www.momcentral.com) and often almost always in charge of appetizers for my various women group gatherings. I always rate recipes from 1-5, and anything below a 4 never gets cooked again. I have now worked my way through about 17 recipes from the Diva Cookbook, and remarkably they are all 5's--when most cookbooks fall into the 3 star rating of recipes. I have been raving about this all of my friends, who have been impressed by the complex tastes and sophisticated presentations of these delicious appetizers (while they have not taken me more than a half-hour to make at home)--so I figured it was high time to share my complete enthusiasm for this book on Amazon[.com] to pass the word along. Outside of The Splendid Table, this is the very best cookbook I own--all I can say is: Wow!

Jennifer and Victoria do a wonderful job with walking you through each dish so it looks and tastes as wonderful as the pictures throughout the book. I use the book every weekend trying new dishes for my guest - All have been fantastic! This is a must buy for anyone who entertains.

I received this book before the holidays as a gift and found it great for preparing glamorous holiday food. The recipes were not too complex, yet my friends and family were very impressed with the tasty results. Besides great tasting recipes, I think one of the best aspects is presentation. The smoked salmon in filo dough appetizer looked very elegant at New Year and went great with bubbly. The tips (called Diva dos and don'ts) are also quite helpful in avoiding problems.
I liked this book so much I bought a couple copies as gifts for friends.

The narrative interesting for an overview of all the species featured and the jewel in the crown, for me, is the photography.
The cat featured on page 85 in Utah and the facial spread over pages 104/5 says it all for me. The good people of the US get together, protect them by law, control the hunting if it cannot be banned outright. Look after them. If only we could have them in our forests over here in the UK.....Oh well at least I can dream about it.

This is a good book to learn about behaviors of the 3 Northern cats. Expecially good for those of us who own, and are interested in learning about the behavior, traits and differences between the species. Of course in tame bobcats, the authors comments about being like a big domestic? housecat are very true. Who can explain "domestic" in any cat species anyway? There are in my opinion only 2 types of cats: feral (wild NO human contact) and Tame: (raised by humans from birth)

This book really is wonderful. My interests lie mainly in bobcats, and it is rather difficult to find good sources on these felines. This book is one of the few good bobcat books I have found, giving equal attention to bobcats, lynxes, and cougars. It combines beautiful, vibrant photos with informative, clear text. Color range maps and "basics" boxes appear for each species, and the book even contains several American Indian legends, trivia (such as "How not to become a cougar victim,") and quotes concerning these cats. I am very pleased with this book, and highly recommend it to any lover of American wildcats.

Long before Antonio Banderas donned The Mask of Zorro, the Latin Lover was a Hollywood staple: the ludicrously sensual seducer characterized by Rudolph Valentino, Ramon Novarro and Cesar Romero. Fernando Lamas once voiced his frustration with being cast as a cliché. "They seem to think all Latins make love all day long," he said in 1961. "I assure you that isn't true. Once in a while I read a book!"

You wouldn't know it by reading this book. A swooning tribute to Hollywood's leading lotharios, its profiles are light on insight, serving merely as an excuse to print some appealing archival pictures. In modern times, Thomas laments, the Latin Lover has been slowly emasculated by the "gorgonlike gaze" of feminists, leaving just one amigo to fill his well-stitched boots: Banderas. "He is at once leather and lace," she writes, "merging uninhibited animal beauty with a teasing finesse." That's enough to make any guy want to hide behind a mask.

Great pictures, sexy reading, buy one and invite the gals over to dish & drool. Guys, just close your eyes.

When I went to the Virgin Bookstore in Orlando, I was browsing through and this book caught my eye. I've seen the others before but Desi Arnaz is one of my favorites. For a man who never gets credited for some of the greatest innovations of television, the book captures the positive image of Desi Arnaz.

I couldn't resist picking up this book because the cover was so fabulous. I thought it was just going to be about vaqueros, but no-- Thomas hunted down the best picutres of latin stars (including French and Italian men)-- they're incredible and so are the stories she tells. I saw the review in People magazine, so I knew it would be good, but this book is a keeper. How can I give it 6 stars? Thanks Victoria Thomas!