Taming the Ox
Buddhist Stories and Reflections on Politics, Race, Culture, and Spiritual Pract ice
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- €19.99
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- €19.99
Publisher Description
Renowned author and National Book Award winner Dr. Charles Johnson writes that his creative work and Buddhist practice are the two activities in his life that have reinforced each other—and have anchored him. In this wide and varied collection of essays, reviews, and short stories, Johnson offers writings that passionately and compellingly illuminate how politics, race, and spiritual life intersect in our changing culture. Throughout his long and varied creative career, Johnson has been a cartoonist and illustrator, screen- and teleplay writer, novelist, philosopher, short fiction writer, essayist, literary scholar, and professor. His work is often philosophically, politically, and spiritually oriented, and he has deeply explored racial issues in the United States, most notably in his novel Middle Passage, which won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1990. Johnson received a MacArthur Fellowship, or "Genius Grant," in 1998. Taming the Ox is a wonderful reflection of what Johnson has learned during his passage through American literature, the visual arts, and the Buddhadharma.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In much of popular Buddhist literature, contentious topics such as political activism and race are absent or quickly glossed over. This collection of essays, prefaces, and short stories on the intersection of politics, race, and Buddhist practice aims to remedy that lack. Johnson, an African-American author who won the National Book Award for his novel Middle Passage, offers a fresh viewpoint on a religious culture dominated by white and Asian voices. His essays are the strongest portion of the collection, often focusing on the leadership and life of Martin Luther King Jr. to emphasize the necessity of being politically active in order to reduce suffering and bring about beneficial social changes. Though some essays are dated, such as a piece on Obama's presidential campaign, they provide a time capsule of Johnson's hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, the prefaces and philosophical short stories, while well-written, come across as filler between the essays; more concentration on Johnson's essays would have improve the collection. This is a welcome compendium of short works showcasing the interweaving of black American history and culture with Buddhist practice.
