Review: [untitled]

Author(s): Carolyn Kraemer Cooper

Source: Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 38, No. 3 (Fall, 1999), pp. 271-272
Published by: Springer
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27511388 .
Accessed: 12/03/2011 17:52

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Reviews: Books 271

able to humanize these giants, warts and all, and yet stay focused on his
narrative as a narrative of a field rather than of personalities.
The early days of bioethics were days of theologians, philosophers, medical
practitioners, and conferences, conferences, conferences. These men liked to
read papers to each other. One wonders, reading Jonsen's account, how they
had the stomach for it. Yet this is what built the foundation for the burgeon
ing field we have today.
This is Jonsen's accountand certainly reflects his own biases. Jonsen is a
theologian and humanist
and his account will be faulted by some for its rela
tive skimpiness when it comes to the role which emerging law and medical
technology played in shaping the field during this early period. Having read
shorter accounts, which mention nothing other than the key law cases as the
defining characterof these early days, I was initially startled to see how little
attention Jonsengives to these cases. He presents them on the edges of the
field rather than in the defining center.
Even if it can be faulted for its blind spots, Jonsen's work takes its deserved
place now, as the definitive history. All subsequent histories of this field for
the next generation will be conceived as supporting or criticizing the Jonsen
work. For that reason alone, this book is absolutely must reading for anyone
interested in the field.

Daniel Liechty, Ph.D.

School of Social Work
Illinois State University, Normal, IL

STOPPING AND SEEING: A COMPREHENSIVECOURSE IN BUDDHIST MEDI

TATION. By Thomas Cleary. 209 pp. Boston: Shambhala, 1997, $14.

Stopping and Seeing is a clearly written, if dogmatic, translation of the "Great

Stopping and Seeing" of the sixth-century Chinese Master Chih-i. Understand
able even to a novice in the field of Buddhist meditation, this traditional trea
tise of Pure Land Buddhism clarifies the processes whereby a practitioner can
cease action, contemplate, and move toward meditation in all action.
Part I defines the ten types of mind, four accords, four aims, and four con
centrations in a formulaic method not unlike a recipe produced by an unin
spired chef. Master Chih-i claims that "determination for enlightenment is
the root of all practice," a remarkably materialistic approach to the spiritual
realm.

Part II veers precariously toward white magic and the protection of the
individual from evil. Chih-i states, "if you chant a Buddha name seeking pro
tection, bad conditions cannot harm you," a method reminiscent of the more
modern Nicherin Buddhist sect. However, during walking practice, which can
last an interminable 60 days, the author suggests we can "avoid bad associ
ates, ignoramuses, relatives, and acquaintances." Not a bad suggestion, yet a
272 Journal of Religion and Health

challenging dualistic one, even for those not on a spiritual path in today's
world.
Stopping and Seeing is quite unlike the writings of Christian Mystics of the
early medieval period, lacking the passion and mystical awe of a soul on a
true spiritual quest. While a traditional, historical document of great value,
this book is clearly more applicable and relevant to a sixth-century Chinese
audience than to contemporary Western practitioners of Eastern thought.
Still, it must be said that Thomas Cleary has made Pure Land Buddhism
comprehensible and accessible to modern seekers while maintaining its his
toric form.

Carolyn Kraemer Cooper, Ph.D.

Professor, Communication Skills
City University of New York

NURTURING GOOD CHILDREN NOW: 10 BASIC SKILLS TO PROTECT AND

STRENGTHENYOUR CHILD'SCORE SELF. By Ron Taffel with Melinda Blau. 289
pp. New York: Golden Books, 1999, $23.

The proliferation of parenting how-to books currently in print is sometimes

staggering, and must certainly be overwhelming to parents who are not sure
of what to look for in a child "expert" and simply do not know what might be a
good approach to parenting. The much discussed lack of extended family and
community supports these days leads many parents, sometimes in despera
tion, to turn to what these books have to offer. As a professional, one often
cringes at the kinds of suggested approach that may be "swallowed whole" by
an unsophisticated public. Within this climate, Ron Taffel's book is a gift to
both parents and professionals, a book born of much clinical experience and
research with children and families, of sound judgment, and a refreshingly
realistic look at the challenges that children and parents face today. The chap
ter topics offer a concise list of the essential areas of emotional development for
children: mood
mastery, respect, expressiveness, passion, peer smarts, focus,
body comfort, caution, team intelligence, and gratitude. The Now in the title is
apt?Dr. Taffel takes on the "second family" of pop culture currently omnipre
sent and so influential in the lives of children of all ethnicities in all areas of
our country. The ways in which children's true passions and natures are co
opted by what is fed to them by pop culture?from which they develop "derived
passions"?is a central issuefor our time, and Taffel takes it on honestly and
with realistic suggestions for change. His chapter on "Peer Smarts" is espe
cially timely, given mounting evidence we have through recent school shootings
that feeling like an outsider in one's peer group may have dangerous conse
quences.
Taffel never lets parents off the hook, not from looking at the
shrinking
ways in which parents subtly or unsubtly contribute to their children's sense