The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality, by Faure, Bernard

Reviewed by D.E. Perushek

Library Journal
Vol.123 No.20
Dec 1998
p.113

COPYRIGHT 1998 Reed Publishing USA 

            The author of major works on Zen, Faure (religion, Stanford) here 
            turns his gaze to sexuality in Buddhism, which binds its 
            practitioners to human existence as if by a red thread. His focus is 
            on Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, with lesser emphasis on India, 
            Tibet, and Korea. Progressing through an examination of passion and 
            discipline, transgression and vice, the book culminates in two 
            chapters dealing largely with the tradition in Japan of "male love" 
            (nanshoku) and its manifestations both in and beyond the monastic 
            life. The principles that passions are no different from awakening 
            and that ultimate truth is beyond good and evil receive a thoroughly 
            documented, cross-cultural explanation. Faure's examination also 
            touches on other transgressions, such as drinking or eating meat. 
            The relative silence on transgressions by females emanates from 
            their irrelevance in the system. Faure plans a companion volume in 
            which women will play a more prominent role. Recommended for 
            academic collections.--D.E. Perushek, Northwestern Univ. Lib., 
            Evanston, IL