Jesuit priest and art historian McNamee presents his memoirs. He was born on a Wisconsin farm and schooled at St. Francis Seminary before joining the Society of Jesus. From there, he went on to become an art historian at St. Louis University. He discusses his life of scholarship and traveling, liberally sprinkling his tale with observations on religion, culture, and art. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This classic collection of texts on the meditation practice and theory of Dzogchen presents the Great Perfection through the writings of its supreme authority, the fourteenth-century Tibetan scholar and visionary Longchen Rabjam. The pinnacle of Vajrayana practice in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Dzogchen embodies a system of training that awakens the intrinsic nature of the mind to reveal its original essence, utterly perfect and free from all duality—buddha nature, or buddhahood itself. In The Practice of Dzogchen, Tulku Thondup translates essential passages from Longchen Rabjam’s voluminous writings to illuminate and clarify this teaching. He also draws on the works of later masters of the tradition, placing Dzogchen in context both in relation to other schools of Buddhism and in relation to the nine-vehicle outline of the Buddhist path described in the Nyingma tradition. This expanded edition includes Counsel for Liberation, Longchenpa’s poetic exhortation to readers to quickly enter the path of liberation, the first step toward the summit of Dzogchen practice.
Responding to a deep and universal need of philosophizing in the context of intensive intercultural interaction among all philosophical traditions in the process of globalization, this timely book offers a unique collection of excellent papers on inter-translatability, art, and ethics; subjects which are most crucial for intercultural conversations today. Instead of opting for a “comparative philosophy” that suggests the superiority of philosophy in comparison with other forms of thought, this book explores “inter-translatability” between East and West, given that any dialogue between heterogeneous cultures and systems of thought has to start with translation, which constitutes the first part of this book. Art and ethics are the two areas that most obviously link philosophies of the past and the present and constitute a fundamental part of Chinese long-living and practical philosophy. The value of art and aesthetic appreciation, no less than ethics, is at the core of Chinese culture and, indeed, promises a great deal for the future world. Thus, they are dealt with here in the second and third parts. This book is also relevant to inter-culturalism in philosophy itself, as the contributors, firstly, come from several different continents and, secondly, though most of them are philosophers, all contributors are well-versed in other disciplines, such as anthropology, literature, religion, aesthetics, history of art, sinology, cognitive sciences, and social sciences.
Robert Duncan’s nine lectures on Charles Olson, delivered intermittently from 1961 to 1983, explore the modernist literary background and influences of Olson’s influential 1950 essay “Projective Verse.” These transcribed talks pay tribute to Olson and expand our knowledge of Duncan’s vision of modernist writing.
At the beginning of a new writing project—whether it’s the first page of a new novel or a less ambitious project, writers often experience exhilaration, fear, or dread. For Kristjana Gunnars, the call of a new project is “like someone you don’t know knocking on your door—you either choose to let the person in or not. It’s both exciting and dangerous to start a new manuscript.” This book is an engagement with that “stranger” called writing. Creative or imaginative writing is a complex process that involves more than intellect alone. Writers make use of everything: their sensibilities, history, culture, knowledge, experience, education, and even their biology. These essays seek out, and gather into a discussion, what writers have said about their own experiences in writing. Although the writers are from around the world and of very different backgrounds, the commonality of their remarks brings home the realization that writers everywhere are grappling with similar problems—with the seemingly simple problems of when, where, why, and what to write, but also larger questions such as the relationship between writer and society, or issues of privacy, appropriation, or homelessness. While none of these questions can be definitively answered, they can be fruitfully discussed. Originating as questions posed in creative-writing seminars, these essays have grown into companion texts for both writers and readers who want to participate in a conversation about what writers do.
Compiles 70 of the key terms most frequently used or discussed by authors of the Romantic period – and most often deliberated by critics and literary historians of the era. Offers an indispensable resource for understanding the ideas and differing interpretations that shaped the Romantic period Includes keywords spanning Abolition and Allegory, through Madness and Monsters, to Vision and Vampires Features in-depth descriptions of each entry's direct meaning and connotations in relation to its usage and thought in literary culture Provides deep insights into the political, social, and cultural climate of one of the most expressive periods of Western literary history Draws on the author’s extensive experience of teaching, lecturing, and writing on Romantic literature
On the blind side is an account of the rehabilitation of some of the men and women Lynda has trained when they lost their sight either through accident or illness or on the battlefield. They are all heroes. Theirs are stories of bravery and courage, of hope and fulfillment. Arriving at the Enid Whitaker Rehabilitation for the Blind at a crisis point in their lives, often suicidal, always downcast, they departed on completion of their course full of new ambition to conquer the world. Running in tandem with the stories of the rehabilitees are brief vignettes from Lyndas own history, glimpses into how she came to take up the work she did. The contents include chapters such as: In the beginningLyndas own background for doing the work Clash of the Titians a case history of one of the students Pancakes and snow...an account of optacon teaching Too much sugar about Diabetes Mellitus The book should appeal to the general reader, to those facing impending loss of sight, and those who are already blind, as well as to professionals in the field of blindness. It is an essentially human story of hope and courage which Lynda had the privilege to witness many, many times in the course of her career as the first locally trained Mobility Instructress in South Africa. Lynda was employed by the South African National Council for the Blind and later by St Dunstans for War Blinded Veterans.Today she freelances in the community.
The Time by the Sea is about Ronald Blythe's life in Aldeburgh during the 1950s. He had originally come to the Suffolk coast as an aspiring young writer, but found himself drawn into Benjamin Britten's circle and began working for the Aldeburgh Festival. Although befriended by Imogen Holst and by E M Forster, part of him remained essentially solitary, alone in the landscape while surrounded by a stormy cultural sea. But this memoir gathers up many early experiences, sights and sounds: with Britten he explored ancient churches; with the botanist Denis Garrett he took delight in the marvellous shingle beaches and marshland plants; he worked alongside the celebrated photo-journalist Kurt Hutton. His muse was Christine Nash, wife of the artist John Nash. Published to coincide with the centenary of Britten's birth, this is a tale of music and painting, unforgettable words and fears. It describes the first steps of an East Anglian journey, an intimate appraisal of a vivid and memorable time.
