Tracking Bodhidharma

A Journey to the Heart of Chinese Culture

De: Andy Ferguson

Narrado por: George Backman

Duración: 16 h y 16 m

Resumen del Editor

The life of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, has, with the passing of time, been magnified to the scale of myth, turning history into the stuff of legend. Known as the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma brought Zen from South India into China in 500 CE, changing the country forever. In Tracking Bodhidharma, Andrew Ferguson recreates the path of Bodhidharma, traveling through China to the places where the First Patriarch lived and taught. This sacred trail takes Ferguson deep into ancient China, and allows him to explore the origins of Chan [Zen] Buddhism, the cultural aftermath that Bodhidharma left in his wake, and the stories of a man who shaped a civilization.

Tracking Bodhidharma offers a previously unheard perspective on the life of Zen’s most important religious leader, while simultaneously showing how that history is relevant to the rapidly developing super-power that is present-day China. By placing Zen Buddhism within the country’s political landscape, Ferguson presents the religion as a counterpoint to other Buddhist sects, a catalyst for some of the most revolutionary moments in China’s history, and as the ancient spiritual core of a country that is every day becoming more an emblem of the modern era.

©2012 Andy Ferguson (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

It is what it says!

THE BOOK:

I was a a bit apprehensive about getting this book at first. I was not sure exactly what it was going to entail. I was curious because I am a Zen Buddhist in the Soto tradition, and not much is written about our First Patriarch. Bodhidharma is very much apart of Chinese culture and history, so I didn't exactly want a Chinese history lesson (at this point), I wanted to know more about Bodhidharma's life.

THE AUTHOR:

What I got was a great mix of both. Bodhidharma and Chinese culture are inseparable; you can't tell one without the other. This book is about a journey within a journey. Andy Ferguson goes to China to track the historical Bodhidharma. He constantly switches back and forth between his trip, and Bodhidharma's life according to people he meets mostly. That way you never get too much dry history.

I was surprised with how much new information I learned about Bodhidharma and the History of Zen in this book. Zen is a tradition that has a lot of the same stories being told over and over again. Ferguson sheds some new light on them, making for an entertaining story about Zen and Ferguson. I highly recommend this book to any Zen practitioner.

THE NARRORATOR:

I had mixed feelings about the narrator. George Backman does a very capable reading of this book. He pronounces all the Chinese words extremely well (it sounds like he speaks Mandarin fluently). He does however tend to be on the robotic side. He just has a very plain, monotone voice. Not the worst I've heard, but I feel like this story could of used more charisma.

a personal narrative of his trip through China

maybe folliwing Bodhidharma's route through China but little insight into Bodhidharma's life or teachings. Very disappointed overall