This unique book will appeal to students of Buddhism, art lovers, & dog fanciers alike. The lavishly illustrated text traces the origins of one of the most powerful icons of Buddhism, the lion of Buddha; the exquisite evocations of this mythical beast in the arts of three great Buddhist cultures of Asia; & the fascinating history of flesh-&-fur "lion-dogs" bred to resemble their celestial prototype: chiefly the Shih Tzu, but also such breeds as the Pekingese & the Lhasa Apso. Separate chapters elucidate the place of the "dog of Buddha" in the life, lore, & art of China, Tibet, & Japan. The Buddhist attitude toward dogs & other non-human beings is also compared with that of other religions. "A stunningly beautiful book, don't miss it."--Cleveland Amory. Distributed by Charles E. Tuttle, Vermont.

This unique book will appeal to students of Buddhism, art lovers, & dog fanciers alike. The lavishly illustrated text traces the origins of one of the most powerful icons of Buddhism, the lion of Buddha; the exquisite evocations of this mythical beast in the arts of three great Buddhist cultures of Asia; & the fascinating history of flesh-&-fur "lion-dogs" bred to resemble their celestial prototype: chiefly the Shih Tzu, but also such breeds as the Pekingese & the Lhasa Apso. Separate chapters elucidate the place of the "dog of Buddha" in the life, lore, & art of China, Tibet, & Japan. The Buddhist attitude toward dogs & other non-human beings is also compared with that of other religions. "A stunningly beautiful book, don't miss it."--Cleveland Amory. Distributed by Charles E. Tuttle, Vermont.

The wooftasticsecond edition. “This attractive, copiously illustrated easy-to-understand volume covers every aspect of responsible dog ownership.” —Library Journal The revised and expanded second edition of the bestselling The Original Dog Bible remains the most comprehensive dog lover’s resource on the market! The book is divided into eight parts—each fully illustrated and designed for easy reference—plus helpful, entertaining sidebars covering hundreds of related topics. With detailed chapters on the requirements of caring for a dog, health, training, and so much more, this book will prepare you for a wonderful life with a dog. Also included is a catalog of over 250 purebred dog breeds with insightful articles for each! “Being a veteran veterinarian of twenty five years and a lifetime pet lover, I can enthusiastically say ‘this old doc learned new tricks’ upon reading the consummate book on all things dogs . . . I highly recommend it!” —Dr. Marty Becker, former resident veterinarian on ABC’s Good Morning America and coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul “This comprehensive book certainly lives up to its subtitle . . . The best part of the book, however, covers ‘life with a dog,’ with sections on pet care partners like sitters and walkers, emergencies, lost dogs, biting, traveling with a dog, and a fantastic chapter on activities one can do with one’s dog.” —Publishers Weekly

Explores the origins and evolution of eleven visual iconic images still found in today's culture, including Jesus, the Coke bottle, and Einstein's famous equation, e equals mc squared.

The first broad study of Japanese mandalas to appear in a Western language, this volume interprets mandalas as sanctified realms where identification between the human and the sacred occurs. The author investigates eighth- to seventeenth-century paintings from three traditions: Esoteric Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and the kami-worshipping (Shinto) tradition. It is generally recognized that many of these mandalas are connected with texts and images from India and the Himalayas. A pioneering theme of this study is that, in addition to the South Asian connections, certain paradigmatic Japanese mandalas reflect pre-Buddhist Chinese concepts, including geographical concepts. In convincing and lucid prose, ten Grotenhuis chronicles an intermingling of visual, doctrinal, ritual, and literary elements in these mandalas that has come to be seen as characteristic of the Japanese religious tradition as a whole. This beautifully illustrated work begins in the first millennium B.C.E. in China with an introduction to the Book of Documents and ends in present-day Japan at the sacred site of Kumano. Ten Grotenhuis focuses on the Diamond and Womb World mandalas of Esoteric Buddhist tradition, on the Taima mandala and other related mandalas from the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, and on mandalas associated with the kami-worshipping sites of Kasuga and Kumano. She identifies specific sacred places in Japan with sacred places in India and with Buddhist cosmic diagrams. Through these identifications, the realm of the buddhas is identified with the realms of the kami and of human beings, and Japanese geographical areas are identified with Buddhist sacred geography. Explaining why certain fundamental Japanese mandalas look the way they do and how certain visual forms came to embody the sacred, ten Grotenhuis presents works that show a complex mixture of Indian Buddhist elements, pre-Buddhist Chinese elements, Chinese Buddhist elements, and indigenous Japanese elements.

The story of the canine has been fundamentally entwined with that of humanity since the earliest times, and this ancient and fascinating story is told in Susan McHugh’s Dog.

A must-read for modern sanghas--Asian American Buddhists in their own words, on their own terms. Despite the fact that two thirds of U.S. Buddhists identify as Asian American, mainstream perceptions about what it means to be Buddhist in America often whitewash and invisibilize the diverse, inclusive, and intersectional communities that lie at the heart of American Buddhism. Be the Refuge is both critique and celebration, calling out the erasure of Asian American Buddhists while uplifting the complexity and nuance of their authentic stories and vital, thriving communities. Drawn from in-depth interviews with a pan-ethnic, pan-Buddhist group, Be the Refuge is the first book to center young Asian American Buddhists' own voices. With insights from multi-generational, second-generation, convert, and socially engaged Asian American Buddhists, Be the Refuge includes the stories of trailblazers, bridge-builders, integrators, and refuge-makers who hail from a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds. Championing nuanced representation over stale stereotypes, Han and the 89 interviewees in Be the Refuge push back against false narratives like the Oriental monk, the superstitious immigrant, and the banana Buddhist--typecasting that collapses the multivocality of Asian American Buddhists into tired, essentialized tropes. Encouraging frank conversations about race, representation, and inclusivity among Buddhists of all backgrounds, Be the Refuge embodies the spirit of interconnection that glows at the heart of American Buddhism.

This guide to the Asian zodiac gives a complete history and explanation of the zodiac as well as detailed instructions on how to read one's own animal signs. In much the same way that Westerners analyze their personalities and predict their futures by studying the positions of the stars under which they were born, Asians use the ancient animal zodiac to explain individual personalities and predict their futures. Originally the Chinese zodiac, this custom spread to all corners of East Asia. According to legend, the twelve years in the Asian animal cycles were named for the twelve animals who visited Buddha on his deathbed: the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, cock, dog, and boar. This informative and delightful book examines each animal of the zodiacal cycle and describes its history, its virtues and flaws, its "all-too-human characteristics." Traditional tales from China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam illustrate each animal's personality as the people of those nations see it. With carts, descriptions, and stories in this zodiac book, the Western reader too may find useful wisdom in the Asian animal zodiac.