Journeys of Transformation: Searching for No-Self in Western Buddhist Travel Narratives

By John D Barbour and John D. Barbour

Western Buddhist travel narratives are autobiographical accounts of a journey to a Buddhist culture. Dozens of such narratives have since the 1970s describe treks in Tibet, periods of residence in a Zen monastery, pilgrimages to Buddhist sites and teachers, and other Asian odysseys. The best known of these works is Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard; further reflections emerge from thirty writers including John Blofeld, Jan Van de Wetering, Thomas Merton, Oliver Statler, Robert Thurman, Gretel Ehrlich, and Bill Porter. The Buddhist concept of 'no-self' helps these authors interpret certain pivotal experiences of 'unselfing' and is also a catalyst that provokes and enables such events. The writers' spiritual memoirs describe how their journeys brought about a new understanding of Buddhist enlightenment and so transformed their lives. Showing how travel can elicit self-transformation, this book is a compelling exploration of the journeys and religious changes of both individuals and Buddhism itself.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1009098837
• ISBN13: 9781009098830
• Release Date: June 2022
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"