BOOK REVIEW: OLD PATH WHITE CLOUDS (Thich Nhat Hanh)

I found a Japanese version of this in a local bookstore, in order to read it
along side of my wife, who found it much more readable compared to other
Japanese dharma books. So we decided we should read it side by side, me
with an English version and her with the Japanese. As I would expect, Thich
Nhat Hanh (TNH)does a wonderful job of artfully telling the story of the
Buddha and all was well untill after about 60% of the way through, the wife
got board siteing that it just seemed to go on and on a bit repettively:
"the Buddha went here; tought this, the Buddha went there; tought that; over
and over again.

I did not share her aversion and found the story done very skilfuly and
enjoyable.

Again, as with other works by TNH, it would occasionaly leave me with the
feeling like I might get trampled by a herd of unicorns as they came down
from a rainbow bridge, which emerged from cotton candy clouds. But that is
OK.
I even think that there is deffinetly a place for this, particularly for
those of us who are so often stuck in the muck where lotus seeds draw their
noureshment.

TNH also did a great job of exploiting the old pali texts which he used as
his source materials to show that the Mahayana view was existant within
those old writings.

Whith this text I got a familiar story retold in eazy to understand verbage
that appealed to my sympathies.
I recommend it for those who are interested in the Buddha's story but not
nessesarily familiar, and those who are familiar with thePali cannon, and
are interested and seing it from the Mahayana viewpoint. Additionaly, I
think it is a good read for anyone who just likes a good story.

Yours from the sea,
Jordan