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mc_easton's review
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This is a beautiful introduction to Zen Buddhist koans through women Zen teachers around the world. Each koan is presented—ranging from thousands of years old to mere decades and always featuring women practitioners and teachers in the tradition—and then the Zen master (always a woman) who selected it includes a short reflection, sometimes directly unpacking it and sometimes, in traditional fashion, setting ideas and experiences alongside it to illuminate it. I read one section each night as able, and taking it slow, bite by bite, gave me time to reflect on the many teachings here on humility, not-knowing, handling difficult feelings, and being present to reality—not our idea of it. The only limitation really is that the teachers are all English speakers, a fact the editors apologize for and explain resulted from a limited budget. Hopefully the success of this book can convince publishers to fund more projects—and translators—that can more fully encompass the diverse Buddhist world. A beautiful, enlightening, and inspiring read.
lisa_casey's review
3.0
I didn't read the whole book, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for but instead I went with my intuition and read what I was drawn too.
clairewords's review
5.0
The Hidden Lamp is not a book to read in one sitting, it is a reference to draw on now and then and a rich source of feminine wisdom.
It is a compilation of one hundred stories, some a mere paragraph long, each one chosen by one woman and commented on, sharing a contemporary perception of how that text speaks to her.
My complete review here at Word by Word.
It is a compilation of one hundred stories, some a mere paragraph long, each one chosen by one woman and commented on, sharing a contemporary perception of how that text speaks to her.
My complete review here at Word by Word.
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