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I heard her call my name: A memoir of transition
Par Lucy Sante. 2024
An iconic writer&’s lapidary memoir of a life spent pursuing a dream of artistic truth while evading the truth of…
her own gender identity, until, finally, she turned to face who she really was For a long time, Lucy Sante felt unsure of her place. Born in Belgium, the only child of conservative working-class Catholic parents who transplanted their little family to the United States, she felt at home only when she moved to New York City in the early 1970s and found her people among a band of fellow bohemians. Some would die young, to drugs and AIDS, and some would become jarringly famous. Sante flirted with both fates, on her way to building an estimable career as a writer. But she still felt like her life a performance. She was presenting a façade, even to herself. Sante&’s memoir braids together two threads of personal narrative: the arc of her life, and her recent step-by-step transition to a place of inner and outer alignment. Sante brings a loving irony to her account of her unsteady first steps; there was much she found she still needed to learn about being a woman after some sixty years cloaked in a man&’s identity, in a man&’s world. A marvel of grace and empathy, I Heard Her Call My Name parses with great sensitivity many issues that touch our lives deeply, of gender identity and far beyondWhen My Ghost Sings: A Memoir of Stroke, Recovery, and Transformation
Par Tara Sidhoo Fraser. 2023
A lucid exploration of amnesia, selfhood, and who is left behind when the past is obliterated Tara Sidhoo Fraser is…
thirty-two years old when a rare mutation in her brain causes a stroke. Awakening after surgery with no memory of her previous life, she attempts to piece it all back together through a haze of amnesia. Yet, as memories do begin to surface, they are seen through someone else's eyes - the person whose body she stole, whom she calls Ghost. Fighting to stabilize her existence, Tara struggles with the gulf between who she was and who she is now, while constantly battling and paying penance to Ghost. She meets Jude, who is also contending with their identity, the gap between who they are and who they present to the world. As Jude's transition progresses and they begin testosterone injections, Tara's conflict with Ghost heightens. Ghost's voice becomes stronger, and memories buried in the body they now share of hospital visits, old desires, and her ex threaten Tara's new relationship. She burrows deeper into the mystery of who she once was, recognizing the need to fuse herself and Ghost into one. When My Ghost Sings is a lyrical memoir of healing, a farewell letter, and a reclamation of selfhood.Dōgen’s texts: Manifesting Religion and/as Philosophy? (Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures #35)
Par Ralf Müller, George Wrisley. 2023
This book addresses the question of how to properly handle Dōgen’s texts, a core issue that became critical during the…
Meiji period in which the philosophical appropriation of Dōgen became apparent inside and outside of the monastery. In present day Dōgen studies, most scholarship is informed by a number of factions representing Dōgen. The chapters herein address: the Zennist (j. zenjōka) emphasising practice, the Genzōnians (j. genzōka) shifting the attention to the close reading of Dōgen’s texts, the laity movement opening up both the texts and the practice to people in modern society, and the Genzō researchers (j. genzō kenkyūka) searching for the authenticity and truth of Dōgen’s writings. The book aims to clarify the rightful place of Dōgen: in the monastery, in denominational studies, or in modern academic philosophy? It brings forth various viewpoints on Dōgen, and analyzes the relations of these viewpoints from the premodern to modern times. The collected volume appeals to students and researchers in the field while establishing hermeneutic standards of reading and proposing new, original, and critical interpretations of Dōgen’s texts.Chapter From Uji to Being-time (and Back): Translating Dōgen into Philosophy is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir
Par Lamya H. 2023
A queer hijabi Muslim immigrant survives her coming-of-age by drawing strength and hope from stories in the Quran in this &“raw…
and relatable memoir that challenges societal norms and expectations&” (Linah Mohammad, NPR).&“A masterful, must-read contribution to conversations on power, justice, healing, and devotion from a singular voice I now trust with my whole heart.&”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of UntamedAN AUDACIOUS BOOK CLUB PICK • WINNER: The Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize, the Stonewall Book Award, the Israel Fishman Nonfiction AwardA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Autostraddle, Book Riot, BookPage, Harper&’s Bazaar, Electric Lit, She ReadsWhen fourteen-year-old Lamya H realizes she has a crush on her teacher—her female teacher—she covers up her attraction, an attraction she can&’t yet name, by playing up her roles as overachiever and class clown. Born in South Asia, she moved to the Middle East at a young age and has spent years feeling out of place, like her own desires and dreams don&’t matter, and it&’s easier to hide in plain sight. To disappear. But one day in Quran class, she reads a passage about Maryam that changes everything: When Maryam learned that she was pregnant, she insisted no man had touched her. Could Maryam, uninterested in men, be . . . like Lamya? From that moment on, Lamya makes sense of her struggles and triumphs by comparing her experiences with some of the most famous stories in the Quran. She juxtaposes her coming out with Musa liberating his people from the pharoah; asks if Allah, who is neither male nor female, might instead be nonbinary; and, drawing on the faith and hope Nuh needed to construct his ark, begins to build a life of her own—ultimately finding that the answer to her lifelong quest for community and belonging lies in owning her identity as a queer, devout Muslim immigrant. This searingly intimate memoir in essays, spanning Lamya&’s childhood to her arrival in the United States for college through early-adult life in New York City, tells a universal story of courage, trust, and love, celebrating what it means to be a seeker and an architect of one&’s own life.Liberation: Diaries: 1970–1983
Par Christopher Isherwood. 2012
"A slip of a wild boy: with quick silver eyes," as Virginia Woolf saw him in the 1930s, Christopher Isherwood…
journeyed and changed with his century, until, by the 1980s, he was celebrated as the finest prose writer in English and the grand old man of gay liberation. In this final volume of his diaries, the capstone of a million-word masterwork, Isherwood greets advancing age with poignant humor and an unquenchable appetite for the new; even aches, illnesses, and diminishing powers are clues to a predicament still unfathomed. The mainstays of his mature contentment—his Hindu guru, Swami Prabhavananda, and his long-term companion, Don Bachardy—draw from him an unexpected high tide of joy and love.Around his private religious and domestic routines orbit gifted friends both anonymous and infamous. Bachardy's burgeoning career pulled Isherwood into the 1970s art scenes in Los Angeles, New York, and London, where we meet Rauschenberg, Ruscha, and Warhol (serving fetid meat for lunch), as well as Hockney (adored) and Kitaj. Collaborating with Bachardy on scripts for the prizewinning Frankenstein and the Broadway fiasco A Meeting by the River, Isherwood extended his ties in Hollywood and in the theater world. John Huston, Merchant and Ivory, John Travolta, David Bowie, John Voight, Armistead Maupin, Elton John, and Joan Didion each take a turn through Isherwood's densely populated human comedy, sketched with both ruthlessness and benevolence against the background of the Vietnam War, the energy crisis, and the Nixon, Carter, and Reagan White Houses.In Kathleen and Frank, his first book of this period, Isherwood unearthed the family demons that haunted his fugitive youth. When contemporaries began to die, he responded in Christopher and His Kind and My Guru and His Disciple with startling fresh truths about shared experiences. These are the most concrete and the most mysterious of his diaries, candidly revealing the fear of death that crowded in past Isherwood's fame, and showing how his lifelong immersion in the day-to-day lifted him, paradoxically, toward transcendence.The Little Guide to Freddie Mercury: The show must go on (The little Book Of... Ser.)
Par Orange Hippo. 2023
A charismatic performer and frontman to Queen, Freddie Mercury is regarded as one of the greatest rock singers in music…
history.Bursting with all the famed wit, wisdom and wisecracks that made the late, great showman's larger-than-life career so compelling, this tiny tome is home to all of Freddie's most famous, infamous, and funniest flights of spoken fancy. From controversial interview quotes to candid life philosophies, through his legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985 to his final days as a solo artist, everything he ever said (almost) is here."A lot of people slammed 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but who can you compare that to? Name one group that's done an operatic single." Freddie, on 'Bohemian Rhapsody', interview with Circus magazine, March 1977."I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film – after that, people can go away, and go back to their problems." Freddie, on the magic of his band's songs, interview with Melody Maker, May 1981.The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Buddhism: Explore Buddhism and Keep the Faith!
Par Bradley Hawkins, Nancy Lewis. 2003
You&’re no idiot, of course. You know many people have turned to Buddhism as an alternative to organized religion—but you&’re…
mistaken if you believe that all Buddhists live a monklike existence. Don&’t wait until your next life to experience Zen! The Pocket Idiot&’s Guide® to Buddhism reveals the essence of Buddhist thought from its inception in the Far East to its growing devotees in the West. In this Pocket Idiot&’s Guide®, you get:• The life of Siddhartha—better known as the Buddha—the founder of Buddhism. • The basic Buddhist belief system, including the Three Marks of Existence, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path. • Fully explained concepts, such as Zen, karma, dharma, and sutras. • The history of the various Buddhist sects and their important influence.Safe & Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair
Par Mercury Stardust. 2023
#1 New York Times BestsellerDon&’t panic—Mercury Stardust, AKA The Trans Handy Ma&’am is here to help!For too many people, the…
simple act of contacting a plumber or repair person can feel like a game of chance. As a transwoman and a professional maintenance technician, Mercury Stardust has discovered (the hard way) that we live in a world with much to fear. If you've ever felt panicked about opening your home to strangers in order to fix a maintenance issue, this book is for you.Renting a home can be a complex process—from finding a safe and affordable space, to hiring help for moving in and out, and of course, managing any repairs that come up during your stay. You deserve to feel empowered to take matters into your own hands—and it&’s not as hard as you might think. In this book, Mercury will show you how to tackle the projects that need improvement in your home—from how to properly fix a clog in your bathroom sink and safely hang things on your walls to patching small and medium drywall holes.Safe and Sound includes:Guidance for over 50 simple home maintenance projects, such as replacing your showerhead and troubleshooting a faulty garbage disposal.Chapters covering basic and handy repairs for your plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and safety needs. Advice tailored to renters to minimize permanent changes.Helpful illustrations and QR code links to videos to help you on your journey.Remember—a little bit of knowledge can go a long way toward making you feel more safe and in control of your own life.“A heartrending memoir meets an empowering self-help guide” in this account of coming to terms with food, body image, and…
sexuality (Joshua Rosenthal, founder and director of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition).In this riveting, intimate book, Marissa LaRocca relates her own struggle living, for a time, in two closets: one to hide her eating disorder and one to hide her sexuality and very identity. As she unravels the emotional layers of her battle, she reveals the skills she learned that led her to find herself—and to eventually emerge as an outspoken advocate for gay rights and women’s health issues. She shares the hard-won wisdom she gained during her journey, to help you:Identify the root causes, symptoms, and triggers associated with an eating disorderAcknowledge the “life issues” that are being masked by “food issues” or other addictionsDisempower compulsive behaviors like binging, purging, and obsessing about calories and exerciseHeal your relationship with food through healing your relationship with yourselfEscape the victim role, become empowered, and take responsibility for your own happinessConnect with your life’s purpose and authentic self, transforming your weaknesses into strengthsFree your mind through tuning in to the body and witnessing emotionsImprove your body image and self-esteem by aligning your lifestyle with your true values and desires, and with what is realisticEffectively communicate your needs with confidenceEstablish guilt-free lifestyle boundaries to reduce anxiety and maximize vitalityEnhance peace of mind by developing a reliable support systemEliminate the need to be perfect by practicing forgiveness and compassion toward yourselfWe Make It Better: The LGBTQ Community and Their Positive Contributions to Society
Par Eric Rosswood, Kathleen Archambeau. 2018
&“For all LGBTQ teens and young adults, this book will help inspire and empower you to become your best selves.&”…
—Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Milk LGBT history is as old as history itself. We Make It Better profiles people, places, and events that show just how awesome and inspiring the LGBT community is. They have served their country, served in office, pushed for the protection of human rights, and impacted all fields of study, sport, art and industry. We Make It Better offers biographies of some of the most famous thinkers and changers in history from Bayard Rustin, Alan Turing, Dr. Sally Ride, and Oscar Wilde to present-day innovators and world-changers such as Billie Jean King, Jason Collins, Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Cook, the Wachowski sisters, Sir Ian McKellen and more. But more than a &“who&’s who&” of LGBT history, We Make It Better is also a vibrant chronicle of the events in history in which the LGBT community came together to fight for equality and to save lives. Learn how they united during the HIV/AIDs crisis, fought for marriage equality, protested discrimination, and pushed for progressive change throughout the years. Places and cultures important to the LGBT community are also proudly profiled in this enlightening mix of biographies, history, and memorable quotes.Includes photosZen 24/7: All Zen, All the Time
Par Philip Toshio Sudo. 2001
Enlightenment is within reach -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.If you're searching for revelation and contentment, look…
no further than a handshake, a cup of coffee -- even your laundry pile. The most mundane details of life contain zen's profound truths, if you're of the mind to look for them.By awakening to and embracing the zen in your life, you'll listen, watch, eat, work, laugh, sleep, and breathe your way to truth -- every moment of every day.Hakuin's Song of Zazen: Yamada Mumon Roshi on Zen Practice
Par Yamada Mumon Roshi. 2024
Renowned modern Zen master Yamada Mumon Rōshi uses Hakuin&’s famous poem of spiritual realization, Song of Zazen, as a starting point…
to embark on a lively commentary on Zen practice in contemporary life.First published in Japan in 1962, Hakuin&’s Song of Zazen is a celebrated collection of short essays by Zen master Yamada Mumon Rōshi. Translated into English for the first time, it introduces the story of Hakuin&’s early life and training, then uses his classic Zen chanting poem, Song of Zazen, to make wide-ranging considerations of the Zen tradition and its applications in modern Japanese life. As Daisetz Suzuki remarks in his foreword, what gives Mumon&’s book its unique flavor and makes it different from previous works by Zen teachers are his forays into matters of ordinary, everyday life, expanding his Zen teaching to encompass interests that are closely linked with his lay audience. He responds to a news article that catches his eye in the morning paper, delivers criticism on contemporary political and social trends, explores matters as diversified as the uses of atomic energy, the court culture of seventeenth-century France, a leper hospital on an island in the Inland Sea, Albert Schweitzer and other noted Western figures—and more. In doing this Mumon gives readers open access to the opinions, judgements, and practical thinking of a leading Zen master—a map of his planet, so to speak. Each brief chapter of Mumon&’s book is an invitation to follow Hakuin and himself down the path of true Zen realization.The Little Book of Buddhism: An Introduction to the Key Figures, Beliefs and Practices You Need to Know
Par Georgina-Kate Adams. 2023
Discover the history, teachings and practices of one of the world's oldest religions with this pocket-sized introduction to BuddhismWho was…
the Buddha? What's the difference between enlightenment and awakening? Do Buddhists believe in God? Discover all this and more with this beginner's guide to one of the world's oldest and most widely practiced philosophies.The Little Book of Buddhism provides an accessible and engaging overview of the religion, including its origins, worldview and key figures. This book is the perfect guide for anyone with an interest in the subject, wanting to brush up their knowledge, or looking to apply Buddhist practices to their daily life.This pocket-sized introduction will help you understand: Who Gautama Buddha was, and how Buddhism developed into the fourth-biggest religion in the world The difference between the two major branches of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana The most important Buddhists beliefs and practices, from the Four Noble Truths and the cycle of rebirth (Samsara) to mindfulness and meditation The prevalence of Buddhism around the world today, and how its teachings can apply to modern-day life And much more!Innumerable studies have appeared in recent decades about practically every aspect of women's lives in Western societies. The few such…
works on Buddhism have been quite limited in scope. In The Power of Denial, Bernard Faure takes an important step toward redressing this situation by boldly asking: does Buddhism offer women liberation or limitation? Continuing the innovative exploration of sexuality in Buddhism he began in The Red Thread, here he moves from his earlier focus on male monastic sexuality to Buddhist conceptions of women and constructions of gender. Faure argues that Buddhism is neither as sexist nor as egalitarian as is usually thought. Above all, he asserts, the study of Buddhism through the gender lens leads us to question what we uncritically call Buddhism, in the singular. Faure challenges the conventional view that the history of women in Buddhism is a linear narrative of progress from oppression to liberation. Examining Buddhist discourse on gender in traditions such as that of Japan, he shows that patriarchy--indeed, misogyny--has long been central to Buddhism. But women were not always silent, passive victims. Faure points to the central role not only of nuns and mothers (and wives) of monks but of female mediums and courtesans, whose colorful relations with Buddhist monks he considers in particular. Ultimately, Faure concludes that while Buddhism is, in practice, relentlessly misogynist, as far as misogynist discourses go it is one of the most flexible and open to contradiction. And, he suggests, unyielding in-depth examination can help revitalize Buddhism's deeper, more ancient egalitarianism and thus subvert its existing gender hierarchy. This groundbreaking book offers a fresh, comprehensive understanding of what Buddhism has to say about gender, and of what this really says about Buddhism, singular or plural.The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Biography (Lives of Great Religious Books #8)
Par Donald S. Lopez. 2011
How an eccentric spiritualist from Trenton, New Jersey, helped create the most famous text of Tibetan BuddhismThe Tibetan Book of…
the Dead is the most famous Buddhist text in the West, having sold more than a million copies since it was first published in English in 1927. Carl Jung wrote a commentary on it, Timothy Leary redesigned it as a guidebook for an acid trip, and the Beatles quoted Leary's version in their song "Tomorrow Never Knows." More recently, the book has been adopted by the hospice movement, enshrined by Penguin Classics, and made into an audiobook read by Richard Gere. Yet, as acclaimed writer and scholar of Buddhism Donald Lopez writes, "The Tibetan Book of the Dead is not really Tibetan, it is not really a book, and it is not really about death." In this compelling introduction and short history, Lopez tells the strange story of how a relatively obscure and malleable collection of Buddhist texts of uncertain origin came to be so revered—and so misunderstood—in the West.The central character in this story is Walter Evans-Wentz (1878-1965), an eccentric scholar and spiritual seeker from Trenton, New Jersey, who, despite not knowing the Tibetan language and never visiting the country, crafted and named The Tibetan Book of the Dead. In fact, Lopez argues, Evans-Wentz's book is much more American than Tibetan, owing a greater debt to Theosophy and Madame Blavatsky than to the lamas of the Land of Snows. Indeed, Lopez suggests that the book's perennial appeal stems not only from its origins in magical and mysterious Tibet, but also from the way Evans-Wentz translated the text into the language of a very American spirituality.Getting Saved in America: Taiwanese Immigration and Religious Experience
Par Carolyn Chen. 2008
What does becoming American have to do with becoming religious? Many immigrants become more religious after coming to the United…
States. Taiwanese are no different. Like many Asian immigrants to the United States, Taiwanese frequently convert to Christianity after immigrating. But Americanization is more than simply a process of Christianization. Most Taiwanese American Buddhists also say they converted only after arriving in the United States even though Buddhism is a part of Taiwan's dominant religion. By examining the experiences of Christian and Buddhist Taiwanese Americans, Getting Saved in America tells "a story of how people become religious by becoming American, and how people become American by becoming religious." Carolyn Chen argues that many Taiwanese immigrants deal with the challenges of becoming American by becoming religious. Based on in-depth interviews with Taiwanese American Christians and Buddhists, and extensive ethnographic fieldwork at a Taiwanese Buddhist temple and a Taiwanese Christian church in Southern California, Getting Saved in America is the first book to compare how two religions influence the experiences of one immigrant group. By showing how religion transforms many immigrants into Americans, it sheds new light on the question of how immigrants become American.Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir
Par Curtis Chin. 2023
An American Library Association Stonewall Honor BookMost Anticipated This Fall in TIME, San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, Goodreads, Lamba…
Literary Review, Kirkus Reviews, and PinkNewsThis &“vivid, moving, funny, and heartfelt&” memoir tells the story of Curtis Chin&’s time growing up as a gay Chinese American kid in 1980&’s Detroit (Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers). Nineteen eighties Detroit was a volatile place to live, but above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung&’s Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone—from the city&’s first Black mayor to the local drag queens, from a big-time Hollywood star to elderly Jewish couples—could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal. Here was where, beneath a bright-red awning and surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin came of age; where he learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese; where he navigated the divided city&’s spiraling misfortunes; and where—between helpings of almond boneless chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, and some of his own, less-savory culinary concoctions—he realized just how much he had to offer to the world, to his beloved family, and to himself. Served up by the cofounder of the Asian American Writers&’ Workshop and structured around the very menu that graced the tables of Chung&’s, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant is both a memoir and an invitation: to step inside one boy&’s childhood oasis, scoot into a vinyl booth, and grow up with him—and perhaps even share something off the secret menu.Lifting as They Climb: Black Women Buddhists and Collective Liberation
Par Toni Pressley-Sanon. 2024
The lives and writings of six leading Black Buddhist women—Jan Willis, bell hooks, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, angel Kyodo williams, Spring…
Washam, and Faith Adiele—reveal new expressions of Buddhism rooted in ancestry, love, and collective liberation.Lifting as They Climb is a love letter of freedom and self-expression from six Black women Buddhist teachers, conveyed through the voice of author Toni Pressley-Sanon, one of the innumerable people who have benefitted from their wisdom. She explores their remarkable lives and undertakes deep readings of their work, weaving them into the broader tapestry of the African diaspora and the historical struggle for Black liberation. Black women in the U.S. have adapted Buddhist practice to meet challenges ranging from the injustices of the Jim Crow South to sexual violence, social discrimination, and bias within their Buddhist communities. Using their voices through the practice of memoir and other forms of writing, they have not only realized their own liberation but carried forward the Black tradition of leading others on the path toward collective awakening.The Red Widow: The Scandal that Shook Paris and the Woman Behind it All
Par Sarah Horowitz. 2022
"An unforgettable portrait of a woman who became one of the most notorious figures of her day and whose scandalous…
story sheds fascinating light not only on her own tumultuous time but ours as well." — Harold Schechter, author of Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Guinness, Butcher of MenSex, corruption, and power: the rise and fall of the Red Widow of ParisParis, 1889: Margeurite Steinheil is a woman with ambition. But having been born into a middle-class family and trapped in a marriage to a failed artist twenty years her senior, she knows her options are limited.Determined to fashion herself into a new woman, Meg orchestrates a scandalous plan with her most powerful resource: her body. Amid the dazzling glamor, art, and romance of bourgeois Paris, she takes elite men as her lovers, charming her way into the good graces of the rich and powerful. Her ambitions, though, go far beyond becoming the most desirable woman in Paris; at her core, she is a woman determined to conquer French high society. But the game she plays is a perilous one: navigating misogynistic double-standards, public scrutiny, and political intrigue, she is soon vaulted into infamy in the most dangerous way possible.A real-life femme fatale, Meg influences government positions and resorts to blackmail—and maybe even poisoning—to get her way. Leaving a trail of death and disaster in her wake, she earns the name the "Red Widow" for mysteriously surviving a home invasion that leaves both her husband and mother dead. With the police baffled and the public enraged, Meg breaks every rule in the bourgeois handbook and becomes the most notorious woman in Paris.An unforgettable true account of sex, scandal, and murder, The Red Widow is the story of a woman determined to rise—at any cost.Poet-Monks: The Invention of Buddhist Poetry in Late Medieval China
Par Thomas J. Mazanec. 2024
Poet-Monks focuses on the literary and religious practices of Buddhist poet-monks in Tang-dynasty China to propose an alternative historical arc…
of medieval Chinese poetry. Combining large-scale quantitative analysis with close readings of important literary texts, Thomas J. Mazanec describes how Buddhist poet-monks, who first appeared in the latter half of Tang-dynasty China, asserted a bold new vision of poetry that proclaimed the union of classical verse with Buddhist practices of repetition, incantation, and meditation.Mazanec traces the historical development of the poet-monk as a distinct actor in the Chinese literary world, arguing for the importance of religious practice in medieval literature. As they witnessed the collapse of the world around them, these monks wove together the frayed threads of their traditions to establish an elite-style Chinese Buddhist poetry. Poet-Monks shows that during the transformative period of the Tang-Song transition, Buddhist monks were at the forefront of poetic innovation.