Book Reviews significant on current situations as they harmony of inner and outer conditions of addressed the issues of how to apply peacefulness. Buddhists have stood firmly Buddhism to peace and social orders in against wars, violence, of the past and the present world. present. Buddha said: you cannot end violence by violence. The Buddha’s The world is beset by so many problems, teaching urges humankind to shoulder the such as the nuclear threat, terrorists’ responsibility for the elimination of activities, hunger, injustice, violence injustice and violence and restoration of and conflicts. Seeing these problems, peace. the authors of these essays called for immediate attention and action. They – Darui Long believed that leaders of the countries should lead their people to peace, prosperity and happiness instead of wars, violence, vengeance, etc. In this process to promote peace and the establishment of a peaceful social order, Buddhism is Buddhism and Peace: to become an instrument that could be utilized for the achievement of peace. Theory and Practice Leaders of Buddhist communities should teach their people to work Edited by Chanju Mun actively for peace and in supportive Blue Pine Books, Honolulu, Hawaii cooperation with others. 2006, 454 pp. ISBN: 0-9777553-1-2 Regarding the contributions Buddhism can make to overcoming obstacles to This is the second of two volumes on the peace, the participants believed that subject of Buddhism and Peace that has since Buddhists view violence and war been edited by Ven. Chanju Mun and as arising out of “greed, hatred, and issued from a publishing house that he ignorance,” the Buddhist tradition himself founded and still coordinates. It is enlightens people with the idea of a splendid collection of essays presented ahimsa, pointing out the way to by thirty-one eminent scholars of eliminate the root causes of violence. Buddhism (both eastern and western) at Buddhist principles can be a guide for the Seventh International Seminar on cultivating the qualities of the people, Buddhism and Leadership for Peace, especially leaders who support to build convened in Honolulu in 1995. The a peaceful and harmonious world. This conference was co-sponsored by Dae Won is how Buddhism, one key part in Sa Buddhist Temple in Hawaii and the oriental culture, can make its unique Department of Philosophy, University of contributions to the transformation of Hawaii at Minoa and was coordinated by the current world. Daniel Kalupahana.

The contributors of the book believe The volume in organized around five that Buddhism has a tremendous central themes: (1) the Individual and potential as a source for active peace in Peace, politics. Yet the potential remains (2) Society and Conflict Resolution, (3) untapped to a large extent. It can be a the Environment, (4) Health and (5) East nonviolent catalyst for global Asian Buddhism. The section on transformation. The violence of the “Individual Peace,” contains six papers mind and the violence of material that address the relationship between the existence must be changed by attainment of inner peace and the striving nonviolent means that will bring a for social concord, based on a reading of

371 Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism texts in both Theravada and Mahayana concepts of meditation and techniques of Buddhism. The one theme they all practice, on the one hand, and a report on share in common is the agreement that a practical study of the relationship social change for the better cannot be between stress and meditation, conducted achieved within the resolution of during five retreats held in Malacca, West internal conflicts and egotism. Malaysia. The author’s conclusion of the study is: “Meditation is a scientific way of The second part, concerning issues observing and investigating the mind so pertaining to the resolution of social that we become the master of the mind conflict, contains eight papers on instead of being the slave of our emotions subjects ranging from the early Buddhist through self-understanding and attitude toward war and peace, the realization.” search for a Mahayana social ethic, the origin of “engaged Buddhism,” initiated The final section contains an assortment of by the Sarvodaya Movement in Sri addresses on various aspects of East Asian Lanka, Buddhist principles of conflict Buddhism: “The Role of Repentence – Or management and a second paper on the Lack of it – in Zen Monasticism,” “How Sarvodaya Movement. can Grasses and Trees Attain Buddhahood? An Aspect of the Japanization of Part three contains nine papers that Buddhism,” “Beyond Manha (1869-1944) address various aspects of the and Seongcheol (1912-1993),” two establishment and maintenance of a modern-day Korean Buddhist masters proper relationship between human with significantly different understandings beings and the natural environment. of the Buddhist tradition, and an excellent Individual papers consider such essay from Alfred Bloom, professor challenges as the development of a emeritus of Religious Studies, University Buddhist environmental ethic, the of Hawaii on “The Shin Buddhist teachings of Bhikkhu Buddhadass on Approach to Spiritual Discipline and environ-mentalism, Buddhist attitudes Peace.” toward non-human nature, the stand taken by the Pine Broad Temple in A few brief evaluative remarks on his Korea against modern development, and essay could reflect on the overall theme of meriting special mention is the essay by the volume. Professor Bloom provides a a female scholar, Rebecca Clare, the distressing description of the modern representation of female figures in the world, plagued as it is with persistent Gandavyuha-Sutra of the Flower tribalistic violence, environmental Garland School. pollution, political corruption, a disturbing proliferation of nuclear development, Part four, concerning issues relating to unstable and inequitable economic Buddhism and human health (both conditions, and on and on. He then physical and mental), contains four pronounces a rather dire projection essays concerning the topics: “Is concerning the very survival of the planet Buddhism Psycho- therapy,” (the in modern times: “With such conditions in author’s answer is in the negative), “The the background of our lives, without a Role of Buddhism in Mental Health in radical change in the under- standing of the Modern World,” “Psychological human life and in the way that our Transformation of the Mind: the religious faith expresses itself in the Foundation of Overcoming Disease,” modern world, there is little hope that we and “Buddhist Meditation and Mental can avoid the destruction and the degre- Health.” Special mention should be dation of life that is amply represented and made of the final essay that combines a strikingly evident in the terrors of summary of traditional Buddhist

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Hiroshima and Nagasaki or Auschwitz All seven seminars have been held under and Serbia.” the auspices of Dae Won Sa Temple in Hawaii and have been co-sponsored by This volume should prove illuminating various other Buddhist or Buddhist-related both to practitioners and scholars of organizations. Collectively, these Buddhism who may not have schooled conferences represent a consistent and themselves on this particular perspective thorough exploration of the potential or on the tradition and to people around the actual contributions of Buddhism, world who are personally and worldwide, to the promotion of Peace and collectively involved in one or another Social Justice and, on the whole, have phase of the peace initiative, as well as maintained a high level of inquiry all the to, the general educated reader who is way along. interested in learning what Buddhism has to contribute to the human striving As the title indicates, the volume is toward world peace. concerned with the exploration, from various academic and religious – J. Bruce Long perspectives, of possible and actual contributions that Buddhism has made to the establishment of peace and justice within the modern, seriously fractured and war-torn, but ever hopeful, world of the 20th and the 21st centuries. Buddhist Exploration of It is impossible, in short order, even to Peace and Justice summarize, let alone analyze and evaluate the many papers that make up this By Chanju Mun & Ronald S. Green, complex volume. Thus, the most that we eds. can hope to achieve in a brief review is to Blue Pine, Honolulu, HI, 2006, 294 pp. offer a brief overview of the entire volume ISBN: 0-9777553-0-4 and a short statement of the primary focus of selected papers. This book is one volume in an on-going series edited by Ven. Chanju Mun on The volume is divided into two sections, the general topic of Buddhism and beginning with five special speeches Peace. It is composed of five special delivered by native spokesmen for the speeches and twenty-three papers Korean tradition, followed by twenty-three presented at the fifth seminar convened papers presented by scholars and on this topic in Seoul, Korea in 1991. practitioners of Buddhism, representing a The theme of the seminar was variety of academic and religious “Exploration of Ways to Put Buddhist communities. Thought into Social Practice for Peace and Justice.” Jean Sadako King, the former Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawaii, made a These seminars have been convened pre- sentation on the “Exploration of Right consistently every-other year since 1983. Livelihood as One Path to Peace and The papers from the first, second and Justice.” She asserts that in contrast to the fourth seminars have already appeared letter and the spirit of the Buddhist Eight- in print; Dr. Mun is planning to publish fold Path to “do no harm,” modern nation the proceedings of the third, sixth and states, especially the US, have invested a seventy meetings in the future. discouragingly large percentage of their national budgets to the production of weapons of warfare. She contends that to

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