Meditation isn't the whole of Buddhism. Promoters of the mindfulness movement tend to sidestep the fact that Buddhism is a religion. Like all religions, it's mired in the myths and superstitions of earlier times. Does it contain any spiritual content of value apart from its meditative practices? The Soka Gakkai branch of Nichiren Buddhism-the subject of this book-is now the largest Buddhist denomination in a range of countries, including Japan, Brazil, Ghana, Italy, and the United States. It has largely moved out of the past, bridging the gap between present-day realities and the realm of faith. How does it stack up against other creeds?In this mesmerizing volume, author J.M. Walsh insightfully cracks the hard nut of our global religious heritage. In his view, Soka Gakkai Nichiren Buddhism can't be understood without reference to the world's most impactful faiths. By placing eight of them on a spectrum, he challenges our assumptions about Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and Daoism. Although he has practiced Nichiren Buddhism for decades, his honesty is unsparing in dealing with it and other traditions.Blue Ink Review (June 2018) calls the book "robust and informative." It contains "a level-headed examination of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, a practice often misinterpreted by critics." The author "delivers overall a well-rounded examination of an often misunderstood faith." He's "a capable, level-headed teacher looking to shake off the shackles of superstition to showcase a practical faith for everyday living."Foreword Clarion Reviews (July 2018) states: "With a vast and sweeping exploration of the world's religions, beginning with early Semitic traditions and a classic account of Mesopotamia as the cradle of Western civilization, the book unpacks the major points of an avalanche of world history. Its analysis is detailed, rigorous, and authoritative. The book itself could almost be used as an introduction to Western civilization, but it eschews any claim that it is an academic monograph. Its proclaimed objective remains showing how Soka Buddhism is a practical way of being a Buddhist in the contemporary world. ... The book is written in a patient, plain style that effectively conveys much information with neither confusion nor pretentiousness. Its tone is importantly focused on communication rather than dazzling the audience."Walsh cites religious texts and published scholarship, integrating and drawing from such sources and his own insights. He applies a rare blend of reason and wisdom. There are few blanket assertions. Readers are encouraged to draw their own conclusions. Although the subject matter is dealt with thoroughly, the prose isn't the desiccated discourse of academia.After a discussion of the dial metaphor, the book's successive chapters focus on the early environments from which the eight faiths arose. The author then pauses to address the conceptual difficulties that Buddhism poses for those conditioned by Western dualistic thinking. Buddhist notions of emptiness, the middle path, the oneness of all phenomena, and so on, often strike non-Buddhists as counterintuitive. The book makes them much more accessible by way of its meaningful examples and analogies.From there, it introduces the eight faiths from an evolutionary perspective. Their interconnections are often surprising. By the year 1200 all of them were well established. Nichiren shared his message of Buddhist reform during Japan's troubled thirteenth century. The broader trends that shaped religions from that time until the present are much in evidence within Soka Gakkai Nichiren Buddhism, which is described in the concluding chapters.The book delivers a greater appreciation for the rich vein of spirituality contained in our common religious heritage. Walsh closes with a message of hope and unity-grounded in the tradition he embraces-which is so needed in our challenging times.
