classics 1969-1982 shambhala meditation

books:

66 reviews
PETER MATTHIESSEN

PAN, 1980

a great travel log with a little zen
Matthiessen is a talented writer who consistently manages to capture the essence of what he sees. He insists that he is a fiction writer, first and foremost, but the honesty and vibrance of his words in nonfiction are phenomenal. As an "travel log"-type book, this is one of the best. His interactions with the sherpas and his colleague, GS, are human and believable. There are extremely personal ...

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

24 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Viking, 1991

An infuriating portrait of injustice
I'm often deeply suspicious of writing as political as one finds in this book - I greatly admire Matthiessen's writings on travel, nature and Buddhism, but found his novel "At Play In The Fields Of The Lord" a bit ham-fisted in its' approach, even when I agreed with it's sentiments. But after a few reads, several years apart, IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE stands as a great, damning document - ...

Zen Meditation in Plain English

11 reviews
John Daishin Buksbazen, Peter Matthiessen

Wisdom Publications, 2002

Destined to be a Classic
You can always pretty much guarantee that if Wisdom Books publishes the book, it's guaranteed to be concise and helpful to followers of the "Way" ; and so it is in this book. This book is destined to become in the future a classic guide for beginner's of Zen meditation. In loving and uncomplicated prose, John Daishin Buksbazen uncovers the actual core of Zen: the straightforward practice of ...

Shadow Country (Modern Library)
Peter Matthiessen

Modern Library, 2008

Peter Matthiessen’s great American epic–Killing Mister Watson, Lost Man’s River, and Bone by Bone–was conceived as one vast mysterious novel, but because of its length it was originally broken up into three books. In this bold new rendering, Matthiessen has cut nearly a third of the overall text and collapsed the time frame while deepening the insights and motivations of his characters with brilliant rewriting throughout. ...

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

24 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Penguin (Non-Classics), 1992

An infuriating portrait of injustice
I'm often deeply suspicious of writing as political as one finds in this book - I greatly admire Matthiessen's writings on travel, nature and Buddhism, but found his novel "At Play In The Fields Of The Lord" a bit ham-fisted in its' approach, even when I agreed with it's sentiments. But after a few reads, several years apart, IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE stands as a great, damning document - ...

Tree Where Man Was Born

3 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Harvill Pr, 1998

A loving and detailed account of a difficult journey
Is there anyplace wild enough to lift the weight that Occidental culture has placed on our shoulders? Africa, where the first man walked erect, may be the last place where man can feel awed enough by Nature to try and remember that he, also, is just another among the millions of other species that populate the planet. Paul Bowles, Bruce Chatwin, Doris Lessing, Isaak Dinesen and Peter ...

Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh

8 reviews
Helena Norberg-Hodge

Sierra Club Books, 1992

Riches to Rags
The first half of *Ancient Futures* will delight and amaze you; the second half will break your heart. In the 1970s, the Ladakhis of Little Tibet were a happy people. They had a sustainable traditional economy based on trade and cooperation - not money. One person's gain was not another person's loss. There was plenty of leisure, no hunger or poverty, very little sickness or disease, everyone ...

The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranes

12 reviews
Peter Matthiessen, Robert Bateman

North Point Press, 2001

Fantastic, well-illustrated book on all things crane
_The Birds of Heaven_ by Peter Matthiessen is a well-written and informative account of the fifteen living species of crane. Matthiessen chronicled in the book his years of experience with these birds, traveling to Russia, China, Mongolia (where six species have been recorded), India, Bhutan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Africa, England (where the Eurasian or common crane, extinct there since ...

Far Tortuga: A Novel

18 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Vintage, 1988

a unique tone-poem of a novel of sea and men
Let's begin low-brow: "Far Tortuga" is the ultimate beach read. Read this while the sun strikes the sand and the waves crash and you'll practically hallucinate yourself into a full blown virtual reality. But even if you're landlocked, Matthiessen does a masterful job of evoking the sights, smells, and sounds of the Carribean. His success is due largely to the pungent, poetic, shorthand style of ...

Killing Mister Watson

23 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Vintage, 1991

Excellent exploration into human nature
It took me a few chapters to get totally hooked on this narrative. At first, I wondered why I'd want to read a book that gave the ending in the first few paragraphs as well as in its title. Soon, though, I realized that not only is this a well-written historical novel about the early years of Florida's development, it's a haunting exploration into the nature of human beings. How all of Mr. ...

Baikal: Sacred Sea of Siberia

1 review
Peter Matthiessen

Sierra Club Books, 1995

the spirit of Siberia
The hardcover book is a jewel: the pictures are absolutely beautiful, and the texts which accompany them is interesting. The excerpts from Valentin Rasputin's books on Lake Baikal are well chosen. It is extremely interesting to "meet" this controversial Russian author in the way we do through this book. He deserves praise for his environmental work, especially in such a country as Russia. The ...

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

24 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Vintage, 1991

Recommended
I see there are many 5 star reviews here on Amazon. I 2nd these reviews. Recommended. I am reading this book as a book on tape which is a good way to "read" it. This is a "good read" and worth your time. Recommended. Email Boland7214@aol.co

Lost Man's River

18 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Vintage, 1998

Matthiessen's Mastery of Voice
I read "Lost Man's River" nearly 10 years ago, and finished the trilogy immediately following the release of #3. I've been a repeat reader of "Snow Leopard" and "Nine Headed Dragon River" and when I saw an unknown (to me) Matthiessen title I bought it on reflex, dug in, slogged, and followed in short-order to consume "Killing Mr. Watson" and wait impatiently for "Bone by Bone." When talking with ...

Bone by Bone

15 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Vintage, 2000

A work of Art
Peter Mattiessen would have to be one of your greatest living writers. The life of Mr EJ Watson is a metaphor for the modern American way of life, all its light and darkness, good and bad. I've never been to America, but these book have given me such an insight into its way of life, and the way it conducts itself in the greater word.

AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS OF THE LORD
Peter Matthiessen

Bantam Books, 1976

Cloud Forest (Classic, Nature, Penguin)

6 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Penguin (Non-Classics), 1987

What's with Ginsberg?
Macchu Picchu, a giant fossilized mandible, steam ships, and Allen Ginsberg. What can be wrong with a book that features all that. Seriously, this is a great book. Good culutral anthropology without all the anthropology to get in the way. From his depiction of the natives to his own almost childlike desire to explore and see, Matthiessen conveys a great story in a great way. Not exactly ...

Walden and Other Writings (Modern Library Classics)

31 reviews
Henry David Thoreau, Peter Matthiessen

Modern Library, 2000

FIVE STARS FOR THE GIRL IN WYOMING!
I have no intention of reviewing the writings of Thoreau. The way I figure it is this : if you don't "get it" (and the world around us clearly testifies that few do), I'm not about to explain it. Besides, several other reviewers here have already done a very admirable job of excavating and cataloging the rich treasures that constitute the thoughts of Concord's timeless, self-professed "mystic, ...

Nine-Headed Dragon River: Zen Journals 1969-1982 (Shambhala Dragon Editions)

7 reviews
Peter Matthiessen

Shambhala, 1998

Simply the Best Book on Zen Buddhism
I believe this work by Matthiessen is simply the best written, most accessible and enlightening work on Zen Buddhism out there. For those who disagree, please post your own recommendation. It's a huge challenge (if not a Mission Impossible) to write a powerful, poetic and insightful autobiography on Zen Buddhism. We are very fortunate to have someone of Matthiessen's genius to introduce Zen to ...

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse
Peter Matthiessen

Viking, 1983

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