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摘要
摘要
They are the most unlikely of friends: one an American poet in love with words, a self-described ne'er-do-well and sensualist with a finely honed suspicion of authority. The other an aging Chinese monk steeped in an ancient tradition and devoted to the memory of his ascetic meditation master. Their lives come together in this extraordinary journey that takes us from the still-medieval villages of Inner Mongolia to a modern Hong Kong of black magic and stunning materialism. The journey begins in 1959, as a young monk named Tsung Tsai (Ancestor Wisdom) escapes the Red Army troops that destroy his monastery, and flees alone three thousand miles across a China swept by chaos and famine. Hidden under his peasant jacket he carries a book of poetry and his monk's certificate, either of which means death if discovered. His mission: to carry on the teachings of his Ch'an Buddhist master, Shiuh Deng, who was too old to leave with his disciple. Nearly forty years later Tsung Tsai--now an old master himself--travels with his skeptical friend Crane back to his birthplace at the edge of the Gobi Desert. China is stirring with spiritual renewal, and Tsung Tsai is determined to find Shiuh Deng's grave and build a shrine in his honor. Ignoring visa restrictions, facing down hostile bureaucrats, the two men reenter a lost world of belief and superstition nearly extinguished by history. As their search culminates in a torturous climb to a remote mountain cave, it becomes clear that this seemingly quixotic quest may cost Tsung Tsai's life. Laced with passion and humor, Crane's vivid prose captures it all: foxy town girls and outback shamans, ice-cold morning meditations and drunken feasts, sand-scoured wilderness and gold-clad Buddhas. Finally, as past and present come together we glimpse the power of a timeless faith to endure in the heart of suffering. The journey begins in 1959, as a young monk named Tsung Tsai (Ancestor Wisdom) escapes the Red Army troops who destroy his monastery, and flees alone across a famine-wracked China carrying a book of poetry and his monk's certificate, either of which means death if discovered. His mission: to carry on the teachings of his Ch'an Buddhist master, Shuih Deng, who was too old to leave with his disciple. Nearly forty years later, Tsung Tsai, now an old master himself, travels with his skeptical American friend, Crane, back to his birthplace at the edge of the Gobi Desert, determined to find Shuih Deng's bones and rebury them with the proper ceremony. As their search culminates in a torturous climb to a remote mountain cave--a climb that nearly kills Tsung Tsai--Crane's vivid and poetic prose captures both the paradoxes of modern China and the power of China's lost spiritual traditions. -->
评论 (4)
出版社周刊评论
Though not as widely discussed as the Cultural Revolution, China's Great Leap Forward (1957-1963) also inspired an internal struggle among Chinese Communist Party leaders. As they argued about the pace and type of development best suited for China, famine settled upon the land, killing tens of thousands and affecting millions. In 1959, the monks of Puu Jih Monastery knew they had to leave in order "to keep Buddha's true mind alive." Tsung Tsai, the youngest, journeyed alone through the heart of China to Hong Kong, eventually settling in Woodstock, N.Y. The story unfolds in an engaging way as author Crane befriends his quirky new neighbor, Tsung Tsai. When Tsung Tsai proposes to return to China to find the bones of his master and build a shrine, Crane follows to record the event. Despite their abbreviated poetic nature, Crane's impressions of Chinese life are some of the richest and most vivid readers will encounter. His words float like silk prayer flags at a Buddhist temple, enticing readers to explore their own spirituality. This book is the best reflection on Ch'an Buddhism to appear in quite some time. Written on multiple levels, it will appeal to readers looking for a good story, armchair travelers who want to understand more about China and spiritual seekers with an interest in Buddhism. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus评论
A poetry-filled account of the friendship between author Crane and Ch'an Buddhist master Tsung Tsai and of their fascinating journey through China's remote outer regions. When maverick poet Crane meets his new neighbor, Buddhist monk Tsung Tsai, in upstate New York, the two strike up a friendship based on a mutual love of verse. Crane soon learns that his hermetic neighbor is the last master of the Ch'an sect as well as a revered scholar, artist, and healer. Once their friendship deepens, Tsung Tsai invites Crane on a quest to find the bones of his deceased teacher, thought to be somewhere in inner Mongolia. His double purpose is to honor his mentor with a ritual cremation and to return Buddhism to this physically and spiritually barren territory. Crane's narrative recounts Tsung Tsai's past, including a harrowing trek through Communist China to escape religious persecution at the hands of the Red Army during the famine of 1959, as well as the self-revelations his own association with Tsung Tsai elicits. Their trip brings the reader through the outskirts of China'where Mao, Buddha, and Mickey Mouse all dwell together in timeless desert villages'and on to Hong Kong, the 'heart of chaos.' Throughout, the matter-of-fact juxtaposition of Tsung Tsai's spirituality with Crane's worldly outlook makes this record of their journey refreshingly devoid of the political overtones and moralizing that usually accompany Western glimpses of modern China, resulting in descriptions as clear and pure as the poetry both protagonists love so much. Ultimately, however, Crane's objective appears to be to pay homage to the venerable, ever-so-charming Tsung Tsai. For all his occasional narrative longeurs, Crane's insights into Ch'an beliefs and his unlikely friendship with Tsung Tsai prove that poetry in its purest form is indeed universal.
《书目》(Booklist)书评
After an early blizzard blanketed the Catskill mountains in 1987, Crane, a poet, went out to investigate, met a neighbor he didn't know he had, and entered into a relationship that changed his life. Tsung Tsai, a small but strong man, introduced himself as an old Buddhist monk, and invited Crane in for the first of many visits during which they talked about poetry and Tsung Tsai's need to return to Inner Mongolia. Like the Dalai Lama, he fled from the murderous Red Guard in 1959, covering thousands of miles alone and on foot, utterly heartbroken at having to leave his beloved teacher, Shiuh Deng, behind. Now, decades later, he convinces Crane to accompany him to Mongolia to search for his teacher's bones so that he can give him a proper burial. Crane is no Buddhist, yet he is deeply affected by Tsung Tsai's remarkable powers and unshakeable faith, so off they go on a seemingly quixotic and unquestionably dangerous mission. They make an odd but endearing and effective pair, and Crane chronicles their perilous and miraculous adventures, the beauty of Mongolia's wilderness of wind and sand, and Tsung Tsai's transcendent determination with uncommon clarity, wit, vitality, and love. --Donna Seaman
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
In 1959, after the Red Army had decimated his monastery and killed his fellow monks, Tsung (Ancestor Wisdom) fled across China and eventually made his way to the United States. There he became a meditation teacher, doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, martial artist, poet, and calligrapher. Forty years after his emigration, Tsung convinced his neighbor Crane, a poet and former journalist, to return with him to his old home near the Gobi Desert, where Tsung hoped to plant and nurture the seeds of spirituality. Although reluctant to leave his wife and daughter, Crane joined Tsung in his quest, which led them to an isolated mountain cave where they encountered unexpected physical danger and realized that faith isn't for the faint-hearted. This story of faith, friendship, and determination is fascinating, but, unfortunately, it is told in a passionless voice that can leave readers uninvolved. Only for large academic libraries with Asian or Buddhist studies collections.--Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.