Edward Conze
Edward Conze was an eminent Buddhist scholar who focused on Prajna Paramita scholarship and translation. We were most fortunate to have his occasional presence at the City Center and to be able to audit his courses at UC Berkeley. At the first practice period of Tassjara we studied Dr. Conze's translation of the Heart and Diamond sutras. Deep apologies to him and his publisher for having made photocopies to hand out to all 80 students. - dc
from Conze's memoir on Suzuki, ZC
Recordings of Conze's talk at the SFZC City Center c.1972
Rick Levine page - Conze's close student - see praise of Rick at Conze's memoir
Edward Conze’s The Psychology of Mass Propaganda presents a commentary on the psychology of propaganda during the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s. It discusses the conditions which generate vulnerability to misinformation in human societies, and thus offers insight into how propaganda may be "withstood." Completed in 1939, during the period of Conze’s own inflection from Marxist philosophy to Buddhist studies, the original manuscript was never published and is now in print for the first time. Edited and with a new introduction by Richard N. Levine and Nathan H. Levine. Published by Routledge (on sale April 2023). Amazon link.
From the 1972 Wind Bell
From the 1972 Wind Bell
DC
from Thank You and OK - Edward Conze, a cranky and eccentric Buddhist scholar, said once in a class I was in, "If there's no magic, there's no religion."
***
The Prajna Paramita is "the crowning achievement of the human cortex" Edward Conze said in a class I was in with him
Buddha's Law Among the Birds by Conze I read in San Miguel de Allende in 1965,
***
from DC Interview with Silas Hoadley
DC: Suzuki did talk to some people about who to make abbot - he talked to Edward Conze who said Dick had the wrong chart for it and would squander the resources of Zen Center.
SH: Conze was great - I liked him so much - he was so biting.
DC: He could be vicious.
SH: But his viciousness was great and brilliant and entertaining and it was directed at pompousness and arrogance even though he had his own share of that stuff.
from DC interview with Paul Shippee
I remember reading some publication while I was in New York City --- oh, here’s another thing that’s interesting to me which was kind of a leap of faith or confirmed that meditation was something that I wanted to do. I had spoken to Gary Snyder earlier before I left for New York. He had just come back from Japan. And I asked him, what about sitting, and what not? And he said, well have you read any books? I said no. He said, well I think you should read some books. You need to learn about Buddhism as well as sit. So he introduced me to --- what’s that guy who wrote "The Essence of Buddhism"? The British guy?
DC: Conze.
PS: Edward Conze. He told me to read that book. So I read that book and then some others.
in the fall 968 Wind Bell, comes this line: Buddhist scholar Edward Conze spoke at Zen Center on the impossibility of practicing Buddhism, but had to cancel his planned trip to Tassajara.
In DC interview with Peter Schneider he said he
From interview with Lewis Lancaster
DC: He would only go to speak if there was some tie, some reason, if it was appropriate. Do you remember when Conze came?
LL: I arranged it. I have lots of Conze stories. In many ways Conze was my teacher. I studied with him at Wisconsin and Washington. I used to go -- 2 summers I went to England and worked with him.
1958
Book all students studied at first Tassajara practice period
As an Amazon Associate Cuke Archives earns from qualifying purchases.