![]() It would be interesting to imagine what revisions Rick Fields would have made to any further editions to his contemporary classic narrative history of buddhism in America had he not died so young, from lung cancer at the age of 57. Much has happened since 1999. And yet, he did get to offer what remains (in his Third Edition, Revised and Updated printing) the go-to history of buddhism's transmission from Asia to the United States. In his skillful hands, the story at times takes on the tenor of a It would be interesting to imagine what revisions Rick Fields would have made to any further editions to his contemporary classic narrative history of buddhism in America had he not died so young, from lung cancer at the age of 57. Much has happened since 1999. And yet, he did get to offer what remains (in his Third Edition, Revised and Updated printing) the go-to history of buddhism's transmission from Asia to the United States. In his skillful hands, the story at times takes on the tenor of a suspense story, its first two chapters offering context by reviewing what we know of the life of the buddha and its growth in Asia, followed by the very first contacts with buddhism made by the early Greeks and Persians, through the reign of Asoka, the ironic tale of Barlaam and Josaphat (included in the Roman Catholic Church's calendar celebrated on November 27) up through the Portuguese and Dutch in Ceylon and the Jesuits in Japan. His detailed relaying of the first British 'Orientalists' and the founding of the Asiatic Society of Bengal shows the complexity of influences and relations that are part and parcel of colonialism. He describes the early influence of Indian thought on the American Transcendentalists followed by the rise of American Spiritualism and the Theosophical Society. ![]() Book One ends with the pivotal moment represented by the World Parliament of Religion held in Chicago in 1893. Book Two describes the rooting of buddhadharma in American from 1905, Soyen Shaku, Nyogen Senzaki, D.T. Suzuki and Sokei-an and the First Zen Community in America through the fifties and the 'Beat Zen' of Gary Snyder, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg, and the hippie-trippie sixties with the rise of zen in America as taught by Shunryu Suzuki and Taizan Maezumi and Joshu Sasaki from whom most of the American born zen teachers in American descend. From there he writes about the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism thanks to the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet, bringing to the attention of the western world such figures as the Dalai Lama, Tarthang Tulku, Geshe Wangyal and the outrageous Chogyam Rinpoche. Fields lived long enough to detail the growing influence of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese Zen through such figures as Hsuan Hua, Soen-sa Sunim, Thich Thien-an and Thich Nhat Hanh. And he also covers the first of the major scandals among the zen and Tibetan Buddhist communities. It's a densely packed narrative, and occasionally Fields seems to white-wash some of the history, but overall it attempts to offer a clear and as objective as possible narrative. As I often underline my books, it proved interesting to me to re-read this classic over twenty years after it came out to see what my earlier, younger self was thinking as he read this story! I originally read parts of this book for my Buddhism class and was so captivated by its narrative that I had to own it for myself and read the entire thing straight through, as if it were a novel. What Rick Fields sets out to do is a daunting task: describe the entire history of a very complicated religion (Buddhism) making its way to, and taking root in, a very complicated country (the USA), all the while keeping an interesting enough thread of a storyline to guide, and even pull, the reader thr I originally read parts of this book for my Buddhism class and was so captivated by its narrative that I had to own it for myself and read the entire thing straight through, as if it were a novel. What Rick Fields sets out to do is a daunting task: describe the entire history of a very complicated religion (Buddhism) making its way to, and taking root in, a very complicated country (the USA), all the while keeping an interesting enough thread of a storyline to guide, and even pull, the reader through its pages. Yet he succeeds, and in doing so, provides not only an account of Buddhism in America, but also an outline of the cross-cultural pollination between the East and West. How the Swans Came to the Lake: A Narrative History of Buddhism in America eBook: Rick Fields: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store. This new updated edition of How the Swans Came to the Lake includes much new information about recent events in Buddhist groups in America and discusses such issues. ![]() The title refers to a metaphor of the Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the Sixteenth Karmapa (a Tibetan monastic leader, much like the Dalai Lama), which he used in 1976 to describe the flocks of Asian Buddhists of all sects and orders who came to America in droves during the 20th century. Thus, the story of this book becomes the story of how Buddhism began to be reconciled with itself; Zen and Pure Land from the big three East Asian countries (Japan, Korea, and China), Tantra from Tibet and Mongolia, Theravadin from Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and an ecumenical mix of schools from Vietnam all converged in the Great American Melting Pot on the other side of the globe, often communicating for the first time in hundreds of years. Who'd've thought Buddhism could be so good-ol' fashioned American? In addition, Fields peppers his history with scores of interesting characters, from Sir William Jones, the 18th-century English renaissance man who unearthed 'the mine of Sanskrit' literature for the first time to the West, to the Madame Blavatsky and Col. Olcott, the founders of the Theosophical Society at the end of 19th century, to the erudite Zen writer D. Suzuki who was a favorite of The New Yorker, to Csoma de Koros, the Hungarian linguist who studied Tibetan, about whom I can't resist inserting a paragraph from the book: Csoma set out on foot for Asia in November of 1819 - he carried only a small bundle, a walking stick and one hundred florins in his pocket. He worked on his Arabic in Alexandria, continued overland to Mesopotamia disguised as an Arab, floated on a raft to Baghdad, and finally reached Teheran in 1820. Taking the name of Sikander Beg ('Gentleman Alexander') he reached Kabul in 1822, and then crossed the mountains to the capital of Labakh. Unable to find a pass through the Himalayas he turned back to the Kashmiri border, where he was befriended by the English explorer William Moorcraft. As a footnote to de Koros's story, 'in 1933, Japanese Buddhists pronounced him the first Western bodhisattva.' A compassionate, enlightened person who forsakes entrance into nirvana in order to save all sentient beings. The only thing that mars this book, keeping it from 5-star status, is the overemphasis on Japanese Zen Buddhism at the cost of everything. For long sections in the middle of the book, other sects of Buddhism are hardly given a mention, thus bogging the reader down in what are nearly catalogues of roshis who spent time in America. ![]() ![]() Yet, despite this small problem, How the Swans Came to the Lake is a great introduction to Buddhism in America and East-West relations, reportedly objectively by a powerful writer. How the Swans Came to the Lake could be translated as: How the Buddhist masters came to America. The book answers the implied question by reviewing the seeds of Buddhism as they were planted in America over the last several hundred years. As an interest in Buddhism developed in America a need for Buddhist masters also developed. Thus the Swans (Buddhist Masters) came to the Lake (America) because the need for them had arisen. This is a wonderfully informative book on the history of Buddhism in A How the Swans Came to the Lake could be translated as: How the Buddhist masters came to America. The book answers the implied question by reviewing the seeds of Buddhism as they were planted in America over the last several hundred years. As an interest in Buddhism developed in America a need for Buddhist masters also developed. Thus the Swans (Buddhist Masters) came to the Lake (America) because the need for them had arisen. This is a wonderfully informative book on the history of Buddhism in America. This was not a whitewash though; it showed the problems and scandals as well. If you have an interest in Buddhism it's well worth reading. A great overview of the history of Buddhism in America, with a lot of build up. The first few chapters feel fairly awkward, with long introductions on the Theosophical society and how there was rumors of people traveling to Tibet in the 1800s. They feel like tentative links, and the author probably could have exchanged them with other similar stories of people in the same nature of 'discovery' and had the same outcome. However, once the narrative moved to the actual movement of Buddhists (both p A great overview of the history of Buddhism in America, with a lot of build up. The first few chapters feel fairly awkward, with long introductions on the Theosophical society and how there was rumors of people traveling to Tibet in the 1800s. They feel like tentative links, and the author probably could have exchanged them with other similar stories of people in the same nature of 'discovery' and had the same outcome. However, once the narrative moved to the actual movement of Buddhists (both populations, and specific teachers) to the US, it was quite an intriguing tale. I certainly learned a lot of the nature of Buddhism in America--including the sheer vastness of the number of different teachers that came over. It was great to read about the more famous teachers, like Suzuki Roshi, Thich Naht Hahn, Chogyam Trungpa, etc. However, it was obvious that it was funded by Shambhala, because WOW did they paint him out to be the patron saint of the book. They also dramatically underscored his alcoholism, attributing his famous car accident to a black out, not mentioning that he drank until the next chapter. Not that I didn't enjoy learning a lot about him. All in all, it was a good book that covers vast ground, and it was well laid out. This 1992 edition is a revised and updated third of a work that appeared in the 1980s (1981 and 1988). So much has occurred in the intervening years between then and now that it is probably of 'historical' interest. While much in it is fascinating, there is actually limited continuity between the Buddhism brought to the West Coast of America in the 19th century and what occurred in the 1950s, 1960s, and thereafter. The chapter on 'hip' Zen of the Beatniks of the 1950s seems today to be a curiosi This 1992 edition is a revised and updated third of a work that appeared in the 1980s (1981 and 1988). So much has occurred in the intervening years between then and now that it is probably of 'historical' interest. While much in it is fascinating, there is actually limited continuity between the Buddhism brought to the West Coast of America in the 19th century and what occurred in the 1950s, 1960s, and thereafter. The chapter on 'hip' Zen of the Beatniks of the 1950s seems today to be a curiosity in comparison with the work as a whole and could (should?) have been omitted. There is far too much detail given to the Zen scene of the West Coast of the 1960s; perhaps it seemed more immediate in 1981, but today it is remote. Buddhism in the United States has reached a stage where more survey histories of amazing array of Zen, Pure Land, Vipassana, Tibetan, etc., varieties of Buddhism would be useful welcome. I don't remember how this book was on my reading list. Maybe because it sounded interesting, and I knew that there would possibly be something about the Beats involvement with Buddhism in the 1950s and 60s, but I was totally unprepared for the comprehensive look into the history of Buddhism, not only in America, but through its long history. There are a lot of stories, and Rick Fields managed to present them clearly. It is an overwhelming history, and to keep things straight and making sense is I don't remember how this book was on my reading list. Maybe because it sounded interesting, and I knew that there would possibly be something about the Beats involvement with Buddhism in the 1950s and 60s, but I was totally unprepared for the comprehensive look into the history of Buddhism, not only in America, but through its long history. There are a lot of stories, and Rick Fields managed to present them clearly. It is an overwhelming history, and to keep things straight and making sense is quite a feat. The real accomplishment, though, is that the ideas with each story came through strongly. You get a clear idea of how people approached the practice of Buddhism and how it changed depending upon where it was from and its interpretations. It was an intense read, and I wish I had taken notes while reading to be able to look up certain things that made an impression. 'Heroic in scope and of undeniable historic importance.' — Los Angeles Times 'This fascinating book delivers more than it promises. It takes the reader from the origins of Buddhism right up to the immediate past, through Buddhism's growth and spread in Asia to the personalities that opened it up to the West and those that brought it to America as well as those who were affected by Buddhism or nurtured it here. Fields possesses a clear style and infectious enthusiasm for his subject.' — Library Journal 'The definitive treatment of the impact of Buddhism on American thought.' —Roderick Frazier Nash, Professor of History and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara 'I found this engaging book literally crammed with the sort of lively and accurate information which I had for years been longing to find assembled. The leading characters emerge with a quality of independence and individuation that certainly dispels any stereotype of the Buddhist practitioner, teacher, or layman.' — Washington Post.
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