This 14th century lively history introduces basic Buddhism as practiced throughout India and Tibet and describes the process of entering the Buddhist path through study and reflection. In the first chapter; we read about the structure of Buddhist education and the range of its subjects; and we're treated to a rousing litany of the merits of such instruction. In the second chapter; Butön introduces us to the buddhas of our world and eon; three of whom have already lived; taught; and passed into transcendence; before examining in detail the fourth; our own Buddha Shakyamuni. Butön tells the story of Shakyamuni in his past lives; then presents the path the Buddha followed (the same that all historical buddhas; including future ones; must follow). Only at the conclusion of the discussion of the result—enlightenment—do we return to the specific case of the Buddha and his twelve deeds. This marks the start of the history of the Buddha as most of us imagine it. After the Buddha's story; Butön recounts three compilations of Buddhist scriptures; and then quotes from sacred texts that foretell the lives and contributions of great Indian Buddhist masters; which he then relates. The chapter concludes with the tale of the Buddhist doctrine's eventual demise and disappearance; a concept and a tale squarely within the Mahayana. The final chapter; the shortest of the three; gives an account of the inception and spread of Buddhism in Tibet; focused mainly on the country's kings and early adopters of the foreign faith. The watershed debate at Samyé Monastery between representatives of Chinese and Indian styles of Buddhist practice is given the most attention in this chapter. An afterword by Ngawang Zangpo; one of the translators; discusses and contextualizes Butön's exemplary life; his turbulent times; and his prolific works.
#119948 in Books University of Massachusetts Press 2001-07-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .98 x 6.02l; 1.16 #File Name: 1558492984336 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Why?By R. M. PetersonThat's the question Lynda Van Devanter asks over and over in the course of this memoir; the centerpiece of which is her year (June 1969 to June 1970) as a surgical nurse in Vietnam; principally at the 71st Evacuation Hospital; Pleiku. She went to Vietnam a relatively carefree; healthy twenty-two-year-old. She returned damaged on the inside; both psychologically and physically. She died in 2002 at age fifty-five from an autoimmune; collagen-vascular disorder caused by exposure to toxic chemicals in Vietnam. Yet one more casualty of America's adventure in Vietnam. And for what?Outside the personal realm of family and friends; Van Devanter had three notable accomplishments in her life about which she could be proud. The first consists of her work as an extremely dedicated nurse; both in Vietnam (where in addition to American soldiers her patients also included Vietnamese soldiers and citizens) and back home in the U.S. over a two-decade nursing career. For some of those patients she was the person most responsible for saving their life. Her second notable achievement was as National Women's Director of the Vietnam Veterans of America; where she was instrumental in raising recognition of the contributions of women Vietnam veterans and in securing benefits for them. Third; there is HOME BEFORE MORNING; which deserves a place in any collection of Vietnam memoirs; especially because it is from a relatively unknown and unappreciated perspective.Van Devanter went to war as a gung-ho believer in the United States and its war in Vietnam. Disillusionment came gradually; but it had enveloped her midway through her year in-country. It was due largely to repeated encounters with devastating; gruesome wounds; some of which are horrifically detailed in the book. The hardest to deal with were the crispy critters - those charred by napalm; surely one of humankind's most insidious inventions. One can easily understand a surgeon muttering; after operating non-stop amidst blood and moans and screams for forty-eight hours; "I'd like to have Richard Nixon here for one week." Compounding the surreal hellishness of Van Devanter's year in Nam was the bureaucratic ineptitude; stupidity; and callousness so pervasive in the U.S. military.HOME BEFORE MORNING was first published in 1983; qualifying it; to quote another reviewer; as "the grandmother of female Viet Nam accounts". This 2001 edition from the University of Massachusetts Press includes an eight-page afterword by Van Devanter; written shortly before she died. The book is very easy to read; although the writing is somewhat slick and conventional; often using rather stock formulations (e.g.; "I'd be lying if I said there aren't still difficult times"). Much of the dialogue obviously was reconstructed or re-imagined; and there are internal indications that some of the events themselves may to some extent have been fabricated. I see that several other reviews or the comments to them claim that some of the incidents in the book are either exaggerated or happened to someone else. Still; I tend to believe that on the whole HOME BEFORE MORNING is a realistic portrayal of a surgical nurse in a field hospital in Vietnam; and as such it is worth reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great readBy Sarah L. BlumI know Lynda personally and miss her. She did a great job of writing her story in a way that holds the readers interest and the details of the story are excellent. Wish she was still here to see this.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy M. RutherfordBest Book I have read on nursing in Viet Nam.
