{"product_id":"the-circle-of-the-way-a-concise-history-of-zen-from-the-buddha-to-the-modern-world-9781611805789","title":"The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World","description":"\u003cb\u003eA comprehensive, accessible guide to the fascinating history of Zen Buddhism--including important figures, schools, foundational texts, practices, and politics.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eZen Buddhism has a storied history--Bodhidharma sitting in meditation in a cave for nine years; a would-be disciple cutting off his own arm to get the master's attention; the proliferating schools and intense Dharma combat of the Tang and Song Dynasties; Zen nuns and laypeople holding their own against patriarchal lineages; the appearance of new masters in the Zen schools of Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and later the Western world. In \u003ci\u003eThe Circle of the Way\u003c\/i\u003e, Zen practitioner and popular religion writer Barbara O'Brien brings clarity to this huge swath of history by charting a middle way between Zen's traditional lore and the findings of modern historical scholarship. In a clear and often funny style, O'Brien parses fact from fiction while always attending to the greatest interest of contemporary practitioners--the development of Zen doctrine and practice as a living tradition across cultures and centuries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBARBARA O'BRIEN has been practicing Zen Buddhism since the 1980s. She works as a journalist, reporting primarily on religion in America. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eRethinking Religion: Finding a Place for Religion in a Modern, Tolerant, Progressive, Peaceful and Science-affirming World\u003c\/i\u003e and has written about Buddhism for many outlets including About.com, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTricycle\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLion's Roar\u003c\/i\u003e. She blogs about whatever is on her mind at her personal blog, \u003ci\u003eThe Mahablog\u003c\/i\u003e (mahablog.com).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Shambhala","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50421643608338,"sku":"9781611805789","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e16213ab-9e46-4885-b952-89d3a8a1dd63.jpg?v=1729510201","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-circle-of-the-way-a-concise-history-of-zen-from-the-buddha-to-the-modern-world-9781611805789","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}