(Paperback)

For many people attracted to Eastern religions (particularly Zen Buddhism), Asia seems the source of all wisdom. This book examines the study of Chan/Zen from the standpoint of postmodern human sciences and literary criticism. It also questions the assumptions of 'Easterners'.

(Paperback)

Asks whether Buddhism offers women liberation or limitation. This work focuses on Buddhist conceptions of women and constructions of gender. It also asserts that the study of Buddhism through the gender lens leads us to question what we uncritically call Buddhism, in the singular.

(Paperback)

Is there a Buddhist discourse on sex This book reveals Buddhism's paradoxical attitudes toward sexuality. It covers the geography of this religion, and its long evolution from the time of its founder, Xvkyamuni, to the premodern age.

(Paperback)

Exploring key concepts and metaphors, Bernard Faure guides readers to an appreciation of some of the more elusive aspects of the Chinese traditions of Chan Buddhism and Japanese Zen. Faure focuses on Chan's insistence on "immediacy"--its denial of all traditional meditations, including scripture, ritual, good works--and yet shows how these mediations have always been present in Chan.

(Paperback)

Looks at Chan/Zen with an array of postmodernist critical techniques. This book probes the imaginaire, or mental universe, of the Buddhist Soto Zen master Keizan Jokin (1268-1325). It draws on texts particularly the "Record of Tokoku" and the kirigami, or secret initiation documents.