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WORK TITLE: The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation
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https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/event/james-william-coleman-buddhas-dream-liberation * https://socialsciences.calpoly.edu/faculty/james-coleman * https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-coleman-1a142723/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born November 23, 1947.
EDUCATION:California State University, Northridge, B.A., 1969; University of California, Santa Barbara, M.A., 1971, Ph.D., 1975.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, sociologist, researcher, lecturer, and educator. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, professor of sociology emeritus, 2017-. White Heron Sangha (a Buddhist center), San Luis Obispo, CA, cofounder and past president.
AVOCATIONS:Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism.
WRITINGS
Contributor to books, including Handbook of Criminology, 2nd edition, edited by Joseph Sheley, Wadsworth (Belmont, CA), 1995; White Collar Crime, 3rd edition, edited by Gilbert Geis, Robert Meir, and Lawrence Salinger, Free Press (New York, NY), 1994; and White-Collar Crime Research: Old Views and Future Potentials, edited by Sven-Ake Lindgren, National Council for Crime Prevention (Stockholm, Sweden), 2001.
Contributor to journals and periodicals, including Korea Fulbright Forum, American Journal of Sociology, and Contemporary Sociology.
SIDELIGHTS
James William Coleman is a writer, sociologist, and educator. He is a professor of sociology emeritus at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. During his lengthy academic career, Coleman specialized in research and writing about white-collar crime. He has also conducted research on the sociology of social problems and the sociology of drug use, noted a writer on the California Polytechnic State University Social Sciences Department website. Coleman holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California.
Coleman is the author of a textbook, Social Problems, that has evolved through multiple editions since its first publication in 1980. The book encourages students and readers to take a critical, analytical look at the most important social problems of the day. Coleman covers topics such as inequality, troubles in once-respected institutions, and issues related to politics, economic status, sexual identity, and other areas. He offers material from the perspective of diverse groups that are affected by these social problems, including persons from multiple economic classes, males and females, homosexuals and heterosexuals, and Caucasian people and people of color.
In The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White Collar Crime, Coleman “makes available to readers a wealth of up-to-date material on the illegalities committed by America’s respectable class,” commented Frank Pearce, writing in the Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology. Further, Coleman’s exploration “shows the devastating effects of their anti-social conduct on the lives of individuals” and how white-collar crime erodes trust, damages essential institutions, and makes it difficult if not impossible for society to function in a meaningful way. Coleman writes in depth on the criminality of corporations and how business interests too often take precedence over the health, safety, and financial well-being of employees. He looks into political crimes such as Watergate, corruption in corporate and political arenas, crimes committed by professionals such as doctors and lawyers, and the prevalent theme of personal enrichment at the expense of others that runs through much white-collar crime.
Coleman observes how much white-collar crime is committed because the perpetrator thinks he can get away with it, because no one really cares if the crime is committed or not, or because the penalties and repercussions are so minor that they will make little difference even if the criminal is caught and prosecuted. Corporations holding billions in cash reserves, for example, are not likely to be dissuaded or significantly harmed by fines or penalties that rise even into the millions of dollars. The author also provides suggestions for what to do to curb white-collar crime and make offenders pay penalties that are severe enough to make such criminal acts less attractive. David R. Simon, in a review in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, commented, “This is a complete introduction, and its scope alone will make it required reading for those with such interests. Moreover, Coleman is a gifted writer, and is careful to define terms that might otherwise perplex the novice.”
Outside his professional and academic interests, Coleman is also a practicing Buddhist. He frequently speaks on Buddha dharma and the practice of meditation. His work as a writer has reflected this interest in Buddhist meditation and philosophy. In The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition, Coleman combined his expertise as a sociologist with his interests as a Buddhism practitioner to produce a book that explores how Buddhism and Christianity have influenced each other over the years and how the nature of Buddhism in America has become significantly different from what existed in the religion’s roots in Asia. For example, Asian Buddhism stresses a hierarchical structure, while American Buddhism has become more democratic, offering equal opportunities for both men and women to attain positions of leadership. American Buddhism is also more of a “melting pot” of traditions, with practitioners choosing from several areas while also feeling free to add in components borrowed from Western religions. With this book, Coleman “successfully builds the case” that argues American Buddhism has evolved into a “syncretic and fresh religious tradition,” commented a Publishers Weekly contributor. Coleman’s deft handling of his material provides a feast of insightful information” on the ways Buddhism is being adopted by American practitioners, observed David Bourquin in a Library Journal review.
The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature contains a concise introduction to Buddhist thought and practice. In the book, Coleman “provides an overview of Buddhist sutras through an explanation of the three turnings of the wheel of dharma, and provides examples and context for what these ideas mean in the modern day,” commented Foreword reviewer Jeff Fleischer. The author outlines the religion’s sacred texts and what they mean, providing information on how to interpret those meanings in modern terms. Coleman notes that the seeming contradictions between some of the turnings are not contradictions at all but instead stand as individual lessons, since the turnings do not progress from one to the other. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented favorably on Coleman’s “clear writing and useful updating of some of the Buddha’s metaphors for our current age.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, August, 1991, Frank Pearce, review of The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White Collar Crime, p. 404.
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 1985, David R. Simon, review of The Criminal Elite.
Library Journal, January 1, 2001, David Bourquin, review of The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition, p. 114.
Publishers Weekly, November 20, 2000, Jana Reiss, review of The New Buddhism, p. S14; November 20, 2000, Marcia Z. Nelson, profile of James William Coleman. p. S15; April 10, 2017, review of The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation. p. 68.
Theological Studies, September, 2002, Fenton Johnson, review of The New Buddhism, p. 655.
ONLINE
California Polytechnic State University Social Sciences Department Website, http://socialsciences.calpoly.edu/ (January 9, 2018), biography of James Coleman.
Foreword Reviews Online, https://www.forewordreviews.com (January 9, 2018), Jeff Fleischer, review of The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation.
James Coleman LinkedIn Page, https://www.linkedin.com/ (January 9, 2018).
Tattooed Buddha, http://www.thetattooedbuddha.com/ (October 14, 2017), review of The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation.
Third Place Books Website, http://www.thirdplacebooks.com/ (January 9, 2018), description of The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation.
James Coleman
3rd degree connection3rd
Professor of Sociology Emeritus, Buddhist Practitioner and Teacher
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo University of California, Santa Barbara
San Luis Obispo, California Area 500+ 500+ connections
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After getting my PhD in Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I worked at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a Professor of Sociology, teacher & researcher. My original focus of interest was white-collar crime, and my book, The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White-Collar Crime, has gone through six editions and my textbook, Social Problems, through ten editions. In recent years, my attention has turned increasingly to Buddhist meditation and philosophy. In 2001, I published The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition with the Oxford University Press, and the book I edited based on Reb Anderson Roshi’s talks on the Samdhinirmocana Sutra was published in 2012 as The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra. I am currently working of a new book entitled The Buddha’s Dream: Awakening to the Wisdom of the Great Sutras that tries to lay out the deep and mysterious wisdom of the great Buddhist sutras in a way that is both engaging and useful for meditation practice.
I am one of the founding members and past president of the White Heron Sangha in San Luis Obispo, CA, where I often give talks on Buddha Dharma and meditation classes. I just completed the Community Dharma Leader training program at the Sukhasiddhi Foundation under the guidance of Lama Pladen Drolma and Chikudo Lew Richmond, and am a long time meditator and practitioner in the Vajrayana and Zen traditions. In addition to Lama Palden, my two other root teachers are Reb Anderson Roshi and Toni Packer. See less See less of James’ summary
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Experience
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Professor Of Sociology, Emeritus
Company NameCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Dates EmployedJan 2017 – Present Employment Duration1 yr
LocationSan Luis Obispo, California Area
Cal Poly State University
Professor of Sociology
Company NameCal Poly State University
Education
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
Degree NameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Field Of StudySociology
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James has 15 publications15
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Publications
"Buddhism, Science, and Secularism" "Introduction" in The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra "Who is a Buddhist?" “The Emerging Face of Western Buddhism” Review of Hamond and Machacey, Sokkai Gakkai in America Review of The Triratna Story: Behind the Scenes of a New Buddhist Movement “Toward a Non-Eurocentric Social Psychology: The Contribution of the Yogacara” Social Problems, 10th Edition The Sociology of Religion The Criminal Elite: Understanding White-Collar Crime, 6th edition
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The Buddha's Dream
James Coleman
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Political Inquiry
International Relations
Critical Issues in American Politics
Peace and War
Politics of the Global Economy
Research Design
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E-mail: jcoleman@calpoly.edu
About James Coleman
Dr. Coleman is currently working on several research projects. They include the Social Foundations of Western Buddhism, the Sociology of White Collar Crime, and the Political Economy of the World System.
Some of his past research consists of the Sociology of White Collar Crime, the Sociology of Social Problems, and the Sociology of Drug Use. Coleman has published several sociology texts which are currently being widely used.
Currently, Dr. Coleman oversees various internships within the Social Sciences Department and is available to assist students in their chosen careers.
Education
B.A., California State University, Northridge (1969)
M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara (1971)
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara (1975)
Courses Taught
SOC 105: Introduction to Sociology
SOC 309: World System
SOC 310: Self & Society
SOC 355: Research Methods
SOC 402: Crime & Delinquency
Recent Publications
Books
"The New Buddhism: Some Empirical Findings" in American Buddhism Transformed (forthcoming University of Hawaii Press).
Social Problems [7th ed.], New York: Harper Collins, 1999.
The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White Collar Crime [4th edition], New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.
"Subculture and Deviant Behavior in the Organization Context" research in the sociology of organizations (1998) pp. 3-33 (with Linda L. Ramos).
Articles and Reviews
"The New Buddhism," Buddhism in America Conference, Harvard University, 1997.
"Buddhism and Economic Development: The Case of Korea" Korea Fulbright Forum: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Korea 12, May 1996. pp. 41-52
Respectable Crime, in Joseph Sheley (ed.) Handbook of Criminology, Second Edition (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1995) pp. 249 to 270.
Review of Joachin J. Salvelsberg, Constructing White Collar Crime: Rationalities, Commonalities and Power American Journal of Sociology, January 1995 pg. 1094-1096.
"Motivation and Opportunity: Understanding the Causes of White-Collar Crime," in White Collar Crime [3rd edition], edited by Gilbert Geis, Robert Meir, and Lawrence Salinger, New York: The Free Press, 1994.
"The Theory of White Collar Crime," in White Collar Crime Reconsidered, edited by Kip Schlegel and David Weisburd, Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1992.
Crime and Money: Motivation and Opportunity in a Monetarized Economy," American Behavioral Scientists 6, July 1992 pg 827-836.
Review of "Occupational Crime" in Contemporary Sociology 20 March, 1991 pg 273-274.
Recent Public Presentations
"The Social Foundations of American Zen," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, St. Louis, MO., October 29, 1995
"Money and Criminality: Motivation, Opportunity and the Computer Revolution," Society for the Study of Social Problems, Pittsburgh, PA, August 20, 1992.
"Theories of White Collar Crime: From Sutherland to the 1990s," presented at the Sutherland Conference on White Collar Crime, Indiana University, Spring 1990.
James William Coleman - The Buddha's Dream of Liberation
James William Coleman
The Buddha's Dream of Liberation by James William Coleman
Thursday, August 24, 2017 - 7:00pm
Lake Forest Park
Explore the three great teachings of the Buddha:
The First Turning of the Wheel - Insight into the nature of suffering—and the way out of it—from the four noble truths and the eightfold path
The Second Turning of the Wheel - Teachings on emptiness from the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra
The Third Turning of the Wheel - Guidance for practitioners and teachings on awakened Buddha nature
In clear language, James William Coleman, professor of sociology at the California Polytechnic State University, guides us through the ancient sutras that preserve the Buddha's message, illuminating their meaning for today's world and tying the Buddha's wisdom together for us. The book concludes with chapters from two great teachers, Reb Anderson from the Zen tradition and Lama Palden from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, on how to use meditation to bring the Buddha's wisdom into our daily lives.
"There are many books on Buddhist philosophy, but James Coleman's book, The Buddha's Dream of Liberation, accomplishes the rare feat of inspiring the reader to explore the mind in meditation with fresh and clear ideas. So often meditation practice is muddied by rules and dogma, and here is a book that gets at the living intersection of philosophy and meditation. People wishing to explore Buddhism within their meditation practice will find new depths of appreciation for how well the Buddha, and those adept meditators in the history of Buddhism, have understood the human mind." —Jason Siff, author of Unlearning Meditation
"I am delighted with this marvelous guidebook on the profound topic of the three turnings. The book skillfully conveys this area of vast knowledge in a manner that is succinct, comprehensive, and engaging. Coleman's voice has the authority and depth of a scholar and the accessibility and friendliness of a fellow traveler on the path of Buddhist practice. This work provides a wonderful introduction to Buddhism." —Rose Taylor Goldfield, author of Training the Wisdom Body
"In The Buddha's Dream of Liberation, James William Coleman, author of The New Buddhism, writes with power and precision on a subject of great contemporary importance: the three turnings of the Dharma wheel. This beautifully written meditation on the great sutras is both a succinct explanation of the founding tenets of Buddhism and a profound reflection upon the evolution of those ideas through time. Novices and religious scholars alike will be both taught and inspired by this wonderful book. Buddhism brought up-to-date and returned to its sources!" —Robert Inchausti author of Thomas Merton's American Prophecy and Subversive Orthodoxy
"James Coleman has written a lucid, concise and insightful exploration of the three primary waves of Buddhism. If you wish to get a sense of some of the key tenets and distinctions of each lineage, this brilliantly written book, draws on key texts that beautifully express both the distinctions and coherence found within all Buddhist traditions. A must read for anyone wishing to understand Buddhist teachings more fully." —Mark Coleman, author of Awake in the Wild
"This marvelous book offers a pith, cogent description of the arc of the Buddha's teachings. James William Coleman provides clear, simple language to describe some of the most complex ideas within the Buddhist cannon and offers practical interaction for how to bring those teachings alive in practice and daily life. Chapters by Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi and Lama Palden Drolma provide a rich invitation into the paths of Zen and Vajrayana. The book is a gem for both beginning and seasoned practitioners." —Pamela Weiss founder of Appropriate Response
"A clear presentation of the three turnings of the wheel of the Buddha's teachings. James William Coleman draws on textual references in the sutras, his experience in both the Zen and Vajrayana traditions, and his western academic training to lay out in modern language and with sensitivity to a modern audience this easy to read and approachable overview of the Buddhist path and practice." —Lama Drupgyu Tenzin, Vice President of the Tsadra Foundation
James Coleman has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is currently a professor of sociology at the California Polytechnic State University. He is one of the founders of the White Heron Sangha in San Luis Obispo, California.
Reb Anderson Roshi is a lineage-holder in the Soto Zen tradition and a senior Dharma teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center. Born in Mississippi, he grew up in Minnesota and left advanced study in mathematics and Western psychology to come to Zen Center in 1967. He practiced with Suzuki Roshi, who ordained him as a priest in 1970 and gave him the name Tenshin Zenki ("Naturally Real, The Whole Works"). He received Dharma transmission in 1983 and served as abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center's three training centers (City Center, Green Gulch Farm, and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center) from 1986 to 1995. Tenshin Roshi continues to teach at Zen Center, living with his friends and family at Green Gulch Farm. He is author of Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains: Dharma Talks on Zen Meditation, Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts, and The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra.
Lama Palden Drolma is the founder and spiritual director of Sukhasiddhi Foundation and a cofounder of the Feminine Wisdom School. She completed the traditional Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat in the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages under the previous Kalu Rinpoche's guidance in 1985. In 1986 she became one of the first Western women to be authorized as a lama in the Vajrayana tradition. In addition to Kalu Rinpoche, she has studied with many of the great Tibetan masters from all lineages, including the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Tai Situ Rinpoche, Bokar Rinpoche, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Dezhung Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and the Dalai Lama. Lama Palden was profiled in Shambhala Sun magazine as one of the women "changing the face of Buddhism."
The Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature Cover Image
The Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature (Paperback)
By James William Coleman, Reb Anderson (With), Palden (With)
$16.95
ISBN: 9781614293583
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Wisdom Publications - June 27th, 2017
JAMES WILLIAM COLEMAN
Marcia Z. Nelson
Publishers Weekly.
247.47 (Nov. 20, 2000): pS15.
COPYRIGHT 2000 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Exploring the New Buddhism
It was while they were digging potatoes on Green Gulch Farm that sociologist James William Coleman
found himself rubbing shoulders, or perhaps trowels, with Zen Buddhist teacher Norman Fischer. Coleman
passed a casual remark to his digging-mate, whom he didn't know, about being unaccustomed to the
stooping labor involved in harvesting potatoes. Fischer, then head of the agrarian outpost of the San
Francisco Zen Center and, later, the center's abbot, suggested that silence would enhance concentration on
the task. So began Coleman's interest in Buddhism and its practice in the West. The New Buddhism
(Oxford, Jan. 2001) is a result of his digging into the 2,500-year-old wisdom tradition that has spanned
centuries and crossed countless cultural boundaries.
Both a sociologist (at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) and a practicing Buddhist,
Coleman is interested in the sociology of the tradition's adaptation in the past century in the U.S., and
especially interested in how Buddhism fits into today's postmodern American society, with its concerns
about identity, community, gender roles and power. Buddhism has always been shaped by the cultures of the
many countries in which it has taken root, and the "new Buddhism" as it is evolving here and elsewhere in
the West reflects contemporary preoccupations and practices, he says.
Among the changes Coleman's book explores are the roles played by women as teachers and leaders; issues
of sexuality and authority and how their application in a Western context led to confusion and public
scandal in the '8os; and the demographics of the new Buddhists. Surveys of and interviews with
practitioners show a high level of education, usually some postgraduate work. "They're highly educated, if
not overeducated," says Coleman. "The majority said their first exposure to Buddhism was through books."
Thus the term "bookstore Buddhists" is one unique manifestation of this religion as it grows in America.
Oxford will promote The New Buddhism at the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting in
Nashville, with galleys available at its booth. Senior publicist Alexandra Beatty says an advertising and
direct-mail campaign will target college campuses, with additional print ads in selected general and religion
publications.
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Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Nelson, Marcia Z. "JAMES WILLIAM COLEMAN." Publishers Weekly, 20 Nov. 2000, p. S15. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A67503234/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ed3fde5f.
Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
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The Buddha's Dream of Liberation
Publishers Weekly.
264.15 (Apr. 10, 2017): p68.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Buddha's Dream of Liberation
James William Coleman. Wisdom, $16.95
trade paper (176p) ISBN 978-1-61429-358-3
Coleman (The New Buddhism) dashes through the sacred texts of Buddhism in this theological guide.
Writing for readers with some rudimentary understanding of the tradition, he articulates the three turnings
of the Dharma Wheel that form different schools of thought and routes to practice. The first and most
familiar turning features the four noble truths, the eightfold path, and nonattachment as the route to escape
suffering. The second shockingly undoes the first, focusing on the emptiness of all things. In the third, a
more mystical turn leads practitioners to dwell in unspeakable realities and realize their non-egotistical true
natures. Coleman ties together history and explication of text to provide brief overviews and reconciliation
of these turnings as being directed at different audiences by the Buddha, observing that each contains value
without there being a progression from one to the next. However, he offers few practical applications and
moves rather quickly through key points. The additional chapters by well-known teachers Reb Anderson
Roshi and Lama Palden Drolma contain more concrete trajectories. Despite the clear writing and useful
updating of some of the Buddha's metaphors for our current age, the work awkwardly falls between
introductory and intermediate without meeting the needs of either. June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Buddha's Dream of Liberation." Publishers Weekly, 10 Apr. 2017, p. 68. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490319315/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b3549cd3.
Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
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The New Buddhism: The Western
Transformation of an Ancient Tradition
David Bourquin
Library Journal.
126.1 (Jan. 1, 2001): p114.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Coleman, James William. The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition.
Oxford Univ. Jan. 2001. c.256p. permanent Paper. index. ISBN 0-19-513162-2. $25. REL
Coleman (sociology, California Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo) presents an insightful,
informative, and contemporary survey of Buddhism in the West (meaning the United States and England).
A practicing Buddhist for 15 years, he prepared for this work by reading numerous books on Buddhism,
conducting structured interviews with Buddhist teachers and students, and surveying seven Buddhist centers
in North America, which together represent the three major traditions, namely, Zen, Vipassana, and Tibetan.
In each chapter, he deals with the similarities and differences of these three traditions as they find
expression in the West. Chapters cover the Asian roots of the traditions, how Buddhism spread in the West,
core beliefs and practices, gender issues, why Americans from other religious traditions are taking up
Buddhist practice, and the future of Buddhism in the West. Coleman's deft handling of his material provides
a feast of insightful information on how Buddhism is affecting many Americans and being adapted in the
West. Two appendixes offer a list of Buddhist centers in the West and the survey used by Coleman to gather
data. Highly recommended.
--David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernardino
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Bourquin, David. "The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition." Library
Journal, 1 Jan. 2001, p. 114. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A70979531/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=382bfc3f. Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
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THE NEW BUDDHISM: The Western
Transformation of an Ancient Tradition
Jana Riess
Publishers Weekly.
247.47 (Nov. 20, 2000): pS14.
COPYRIGHT 2000 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
JAMES WILLIAM COLEMAN. Oxford, $25 (256p) ISBN 0-19-513162-2
Sociologist Coleman argues that American Buddhism has developed into a unique tradition, quite different
from its Asian roots. Whereas traditional Buddhism has been concerned with hierarchical authority,
American Buddhism (the "new Buddhism" of the title) is egalitarian and democratic, offering equal
opportunities for women leaders and eliding distinctions between monks and laity. The Buddhism of the
American melting pot also features a broad eclecticism, as mostly white American practitioners choose
beliefs and practices from a smorgasbord of Zen, Tibetan and Vipassana traditions--then mix them with
Western religions such as Judaism and Christianity. Despite occasional repetitions of example and
argument, Coleman successfully builds the case for American Buddhism as a syncretic and fresh religious
tradition. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Riess, Jana. "THE NEW BUDDHISM: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition." Publishers
Weekly, 20 Nov. 2000, p. S14. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A67503229/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f7541d51.
Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
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The New Buddhism: The Western
Transformation of an Ancient Tradition
Fenton Johnson
Theological Studies.
63.3 (Sept. 2002): p655+.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Sage Publications, Inc.
http://www.ts.mu.edu/
Full Text:
By James William Coleman. New York: Oxford University, 2001. Pp. 265. $25.
William James names Buddhism and Christianity as probably the best of the world's religious systems.
Whether such a ranking is advisable, throughout America Buddhism and Christianity are engaged in a
syncretism with implications for religious history as profound as the encounter between Judaism and
Zoroastrianism in Babylon or between
Buddhism and Taoism in China. Coleman's work is among the most notable contemporary efforts to profile
the background and implications of that encounter. Working with extensive interviews, C. creates a smooth
narrative from what might have become a disjointed collage of research and quotations. His observations of
the American Buddhist scene form some of the book's truest and most profound passages. His command of
the subject and fifteen years' experience in Buddhist practice enable him to write with confidence and
subdued passion.
C. advises those familiar with the "sweeping panorama of Buddhist history ... to skip" his chapter
summarizing it, but he excels at condensation, and though informed readers might know much of this
history, no other study has so broadly and cogently summed it up. C. missteps, however, in downplaying the
influence of Asian texts and philosophies on Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau and giving place of
prominence to World War II's exposure of thousands of servicemen to Asian ways of being. Those writers
were enormously influential in preparing 20th-century Americans to receive Buddhist teachings, whether
encountered in the Pacific wars or in a Manhattan zendo.
In the book's closing chapter C. presents convincingly his theory that better-educated, more prosperous
Americans are drawn to Buddhism's denial of self because we are searching for liberation from the national
myth that
we single-handedly construct and maintain our identities. "The more difficult society makes it to establish a
strong sense of self ... the more attractive the teachings of no-self" (214) he argues. His thought-provoking
analysis reveals crucial differences between Asian and Western perceptions of the relationship between
individuals and their communities, but too often analysis takes a back seat to reporting--even though (as he
acknowledges) his results are anecdotal and not statistically significant.
What this sociologist's book most lacks is sociology. I had hoped for a deep analysis along the lines of
Harold Bloom's The American Religion (1992), a delving into the symbiotic relationship between the
American character, our geography and history, and our fascination with Asian religions. C.'s study is an
eminently worthy foundation for that more penetrating and comprehensive undertaking.
FENTON JOHNSON
University of Arizona, Tucson
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Johnson, Fenton
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Johnson, Fenton. "The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition." Theological
Studies, vol. 63, no. 3, 2002, p. 655+. General OneFile,
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Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
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The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White
Collar Crime
Frank Pearce
The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology.
28.3 (Aug. 1991): p404+.
COPYRIGHT 1991 Canadian Sociological Association
http://www.csa-scs.ca/crs-home/
Full Text:
JAMES WILLIAM COLEMAN, The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White Collar Crime. New York: St.
Martin's Press, 1988, pp. 273, $27.13
This second edition of Coleman's book makes available to readers a wealth of up-to-date material on the
illegalities committed by America's respectable classes. It shows the devastating effects of their anti-social
conduct on the lives of individuals and, contra James Q. Wilson, it too 'makes difficult or impossible the
maintenance of meaningful human communities'. Because the book's coverage is so wide-ranging it is an
invaluable resource for students of the topic, whatever their level of sophistication. One discovers, for
example, that, three years before the Bhopal disaster, Union Carbide - whose proud slogan was 'Production
At A Cost, Safety At Any Cost' - was prosecuted by OSHA for falsifying its accident records in order to
'avoid wall-to-wall inspection'. During the same period of time another company, Film Recovery Systems,
was also exempted from such inspection because according to its own records it had a better than average
safety record and Coleman documents how this company used sodium cyanide to extract silver from old
film in a poorly ventilated factory in a way that violated numerous health and safety codes and which led t o
the death of an employee, a Polish immigrant. In a precedent setting case three of its executives were
convicted of corporate homicide, each sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The conviction
has withstood a series of appeals and one can only hope that there will be a similar outcome to the current
British trial of (some of7 those responsible for the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster.
Coleman has produced an excellent undergraduate text book. After ten years of anti-statist rhetoric, of
deregulation and ever more scandals, when students rarely have much sense of the political meaning of such
events as Watergate it is important to have a clearly-written and well-organized book and particularly one,
like this, that introduces students to the long history of the abuse of society by 'commercial criminals'. It
contains an interesting discussion of the social forces that have pushed for anti-trust legislation but also of
the social forces and institutional arrangements that have so successfully limited their impact. After all, the
American economy has become increasingly dominated by its major corporations. '[L]ess than 1percent of
US manufacturers now hold 88 percent of all industrial assets ... A fraction of 1 percent of all banks hold 70
percent of all deposits and a mere 19 banks control the majority of the bank trust business, which comprises
the single largest pool of financial resources in the world today' (p. 14).
The text is, however, relatively atheoretical and here, if anywhere, lies its major weakness. Coleman, for
example, makes good use of the distinction between occupational and organizational crime, but then fails to
explore their interrelationship. Embezzlement may be rendered easier by the desire of the wealthy to be able
to conceal their ownership of such assets as company stock. Employee pilferage may be tolerated as a
relatively small cost for being able to pay low wages - it can often be written off against tax and does not
require any contribution by employers for social insurance etc.
In part, because he does not adequately confront alternative theoretical positions and in part because his
own remains too implicit, Coleman underestimates the complexity of the phenomena that he is addressing.
This can be seen in the use that he makes of market relations and the ideology of competitive individualism
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to explain both the criminogenic nature of corporate capitalism and the forms of resistance that it has
provoked. He cites approvingly Bonger's argument that the development of a surplus - when individuals can
produce more than they need for subsistence - means that the individual may no longer be concerned with
'giving to his comrades what they need, but of keeping for himself the surplus of what his labor produces,
and exchanging it' (p. 298). He then generalizes this to industrial society where there is the 'calculated selfinterest
of market exchange' and com-petition for the 'enormous wealth generated through industrial
production'. His focus, then, is on market relations and not on class relations, on relations of production. But
Bonger was a Marxist. He was concerned with the production and reproduction of capitalism as a system
which exploited the working class as wage-labour in the realm of production, not in the realm of circulation.
Trade unions, for him, then, were not as they are for Coleman simply one pressure group amongst others
nor would he, as did Coleman, have described 19th century farmers as 'capitalists' but rather as petty
commodity producers - they rarely employed wage labourers but instead engaged in their own (familial)
labour.
Further, although Bonger was critical of a society which enjoins morality of such narrow self-interested
bases as 'Honesty is the best policy' and which upholds the principle of 'Each man for himself,' he views this
as particularly problematic when the economic system was one which normally experienced dramatic
economic fluctuations. The combination of this particular morality and this particular economic system
meant both that the threat of bankruptcy, was far from uncommon, and that swindling and fraud were
typical means of avoiding it. Although the wealthy ignore the social costs of accumulation and such illegal
methods of profit maximization as adulterating food, they do not show the same indifference to the practice
of manipulating stock prices and issuing worthless shares. For Bonger, whereas the 'punishment of the
adulteration of food stuffs' depended only on pressure from the 'opposition of the consumers to one of the
harmful effects of the system' since the latter were 'harmful to the regular progress of capitalism' they were
routinely 'threatened with penalties'.
Bonger then attended to the kind of systemic issues that Coleman's conflict theory hardly begins to address.
These are not merely scholastic quibbles since one's understanding of the nature of the economy and hence
of its relationship to the state has implications for the kind of control strategies that one advocates and the
kinds of social forces that one believes can be harnessed to achieve these goals.
These remarks should not be interpreted to mean that Coleman's analysis and policy recommendations are
of no value. Increased criminal and civil penalties, tougher enforcement, selective nationalization, the
control of political campaign contributions and an expansion of freedom of information policies are all
necessary reforms. But, unless one also addresses class relations and the inherent inequalities of power
endemic in corporate capitalism, unless one analyses the overall politico-economic context, such reforms
will be either cosmetic or simply unrealizable.
FRANK PEARCE Queen's University
Pearce, Frank
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Pearce, Frank. "The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White Collar Crime." The Canadian Review of
Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 28, no. 3, 1991, p. 404+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A363687800/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=65e6479c.
Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A363687800
The Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened NatureJames William ColemanReb Anderson, ContributorLama Palden, ContributorWisdom Publications (Jun 27, 2017)Softcover $16.95 (176pp)978-1-61429-358-3This book is an effective introduction to many aspects of Buddhist thought and practice.In The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature, James William Coleman provides an overview of Buddhist sutras through an explanation of the three turnings of the wheel of dharma, and provides examples and context for what these ideas mean in the modern day. This slim volume is a useful primer for readers looking for an introduction to Buddhist thought, as Coleman explains differences between some traditions and writes in language accessible to nonpractitioners.Coleman does a nice job explaining common Buddhist concepts such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the Middle Way. He explains how these concepts differ from more doctrinaire Western concepts such as the Ten Commandments, and he breaks down some of the debates Buddhist scholars have had over hundreds of years about what concepts like “right speech” and “right action” mean in practice. He uses modern examples as well, so that those interested in Buddhism can think about the centuries-old First Turning in terms of their daily lives.After going through all of these First Turning of the Wheel concepts, Coleman proceeds to explain the Second Turning and its radical departure from the first teachings—a change so dramatic that some of those who first heard it allegedly died of shock. Coleman explains how this turning’s focus on emptiness influenced future Buddhist thought and changed meditation practices along with a shifting worldview. The Third Turning’s focus on the mind and its notion that reality is unknowable and ungraspable receives an explanation as well. All these concepts are methodically introduced; the book briefly discusses the history of when they entered practice, how they diverge from previous teachings, and how they help inform Buddhists today.Along with Coleman’s overview, The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation also includes a chapter by Lama Palden Drolma about the Vajrayana practice of meditating on the goddess Tara, another by Reb Anderson Roshi about Zen practices on concentration and clarity, and several pages of notes for further reading. All these additional resources help the book serve as an effective introduction to many aspects of Buddhist thought and practice.JEFF FLEISCHER (Religion 2017)Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The author of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the author for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.Source: https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/the-buddhas-dream-of-liberation/
The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation {Book Review}
Coleman doesn’t just write off-the-cuff in this piece; he provides excerpts and reflections on Suttas and Sutras as well. It’s refreshing to read a beginner-intermediate Buddhist book that references the Tripitaka.
By John Pendall
James William Coleman has done something that I once dreamed of doing, which is great because it means less work for me.
The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature is part sight-seeing guide for Buddhist time travelers, and part apologetic essay on Western Buddhism. Coleman takes us through the, “Three Turnings of the Wheel,” which are three major paradigm shifts in Buddhism. He also paints Secular Buddhism as a kind of Fourth Turning—laying out some of the risks and benefits of modernizing Buddhism.
Coleman doesn’t just write off-the-cuff in this piece; he provides excerpts and reflections on Suttas and Sutras as well. It’s refreshing to read a beginner-intermediate Buddhist book that references the Tripitaka. You rarely see Sutra-heavy texts outside of super-expensive tomes written by Buddhologists. Coleman’s approach to the Sutras isn’t just intellectual; he muses that, “We have to do more than just translate these great teachings into our language; we have to bring them to life in our own cultural terms.”
The book follows a logical progression. It starts with an exposition on early Buddhism by frequently referencing sources in the Pali Canon. He even gives mindfulness a proper treatment by translating sati as, “Memory,” which is what mindfulness is all about. Being aware of the present moment isn’t mindfulness; being aware of the present moment in reference to the teachings is mindfulness. Coleman gives a great treatment to the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Five Precepts.
The Second Turning covers teachings on emptiness, including excerpts from the Heart and Diamond Sutras. There’s nothing on the Clubs and Spades Sutras though. I apologize, that was a terrible joke. Coleman does a decent job untangling the messy Madhyamaka teachings, including the Two Truths (conventional vs. absolute). Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita teachings usually go from one extreme to another: overcomplicated or oversimplified. Coleman makes a heroic effort at treading a Middle Way between the two.
The only thing that really irks me is that he frequently calls Reb Anderson a “Zen Master” which is kind of an outdated term that’s used more by the media than everyday practitioners. Except for Dogen—almost everyone says, “Zen Master Dogen,” because, well, just because everyone says that I guess.
In the chapter on the Third Turning, Coleman introduces the Sutra of the Explanation of Profound Secrets, which isn’t a widely read Sutra in the West, so I’m glad he covers it here. You can tell that he really digs this Sutra, so he gives it a thorough treatment. The Profound Secrets Sutra sets the scene for the Buddha-nature and Yogacara schools. It also introduces skillful means and Suchness. Third Turning teachings were aimed at building a bridge between the First and Second Turnings. The Third Turning was basically a response to how unwieldy the Prajnaparamita teachings were.
Coleman shifts gears in Part II of the book. While Part I gives an in-depth but digestible rundown of the Three Turnings, Part II switches to his personal variety of modern Buddhism which is, for the most part, an apologetic interpretation of the first Three Turnings—especially the Third. Really, though, Secular/Postmodern/Western Buddhism could be repackaged as “Buddhist Apologetics,” so he does paint an accurate picture of the most popular modern Buddhist views. My only complaint is that he didn’t really go into the history of Secular Buddhism, which I think would’ve been an interesting compliment to how he portrayed the first three.
Western Buddhism has already gone through several turnings of its own, and it’ll go through more. It started with comparative religion theologians and Asian immigrants. From there, Buddhism slowly diverged into two separate arms: Secular and Traditional. Secular Buddhism first found its voice as the “Beat Zen,” of Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg. From there, the mantle was handed to Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein who kicked off the Vipassana Movement.
From the 80’s on, Secular Buddhism became more and more focused on apologetics and pragmatism as it adapted to skeptical postmodernism. Modern champions of this movement include Stephen Batchelor and, on the Zen side, Brad Warner. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s the humanistic Engaged Buddhism of Thich Nhat Hanh, which is quickly becoming the dominant paradigm in modern Buddhism especially among Generation Y and the Millennials.
There’s a lot Coleman could’ve said on those subjects, but maybe he felt that that was beyond the scope of this book. He ends The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation with essays by Reb Anderson and Palden Drolma. They’re both fantastic introductory essays for anyone interested in Zen and Vajrayana respectively, but they seem to be kind of an afterthought in the book.
Overall, I give The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation 3.5 out of 5 stars. I’d call it a “must read” for practitioners traveling that interesting path between “beginner” and “intermediate.” Coleman offers a great variety of Sutras to choose from for further study, so this book acts as kind of a spring board into more in-depth practice.
THE CRIMINAL ELITE: SOCIOLOGY OF WHITE COLLAR CRIME. ByJames William Coleman. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985, Pp.260. $14.95.Coleman has written a lively, thoroughly researched and com-prehensive text. It is a volume sell-suited for use in undergraduateclasses in white-collar crime and criminology, and the book's bibli-ography is of service to the field's graduate students and profession-als. The Criminal Elite begins with a standard introduction of thecosts of white-collar crime in both human and financial terms. Itthen proceeds to treatments of so-called organizational crimes bycorporations and governments, occupational crimes by individualsin positions of power within organizations, and professions (e.g.,doctors, lawyers). Coleman concludes with discussions of lawsagainst both organizational and individual white-collar crimes, theirenforcement, and, in a final chapter, there are suggestions for legal776[Vol. 76
BOOK REVIEWSreforms. In short, this is a complete introduction, and its scopealone will make it required reading for those with such interests.Moreover, Coleman is a gifted writer, and is careful to define termsthat might otherwise perplex the novice.Having noted these strong points, one must point out that thebook is not without its problems. Indeed, I have some serious con-cerns about the way in which Coleman has classified this topic, and Ibelieve his proposed remedies to the problem of white-collar crimi-nality are illogical in that they do not follow from what he attributesas the overall cause of such criminality. Moreover, he is confusingwhen it comes to the distinction between white-collar crime andwhat D. Stanley Eitzen and I have termed "elite deviance." Finally,Coleman makes an important (to him) distinction between acts com-mitted by organizations versus acts committed by individuals fortheir personal gain, but then mixes up the two when discussing actsby individuals. As a result, the book ends up being definitionallyand ideologically confusing in an attempt at conceptual clarity andideological consistency.The treatment of white-collar crime rests on the physical andfinancial harm wrought by such criminality. What he does not in-clude as harmful is the so-called "role model" (imitation effect) ofelite crime, so much insisted upon by students of the subject fromTarde to Thio2 and others. To overlook the links between elitecrime and non-elite illegality sadly contributes to the very over-specialization that keeps most criminologists, whose interest revolvearound "street crime" and its treatment within the criminal justicesystem, from taking elite crime and its implications more seriously.Second, Coleman is critical of the position held by Eitzen and I,among others, who insist that the study of elite wrongdoing bebroadened to include acts that raise questions of ethics and moral-ity. He claims that white-collar crime ought to be restricted to thatwhich is illegal. One problem with his reasoning is that he does notadhere to it. There are numerous discussions of items like tax loop-holes for corporations and the rich that, while unfair in the public'smind, are nevertheless, legal. My feeling is that he would have beenbetter off including unethical acts (deviance) within the scope of hisinitial definition. This would have allowed him not only to avoidmixing illegal apples with unethical oranges, but to make a nutri-tious fruit salad from which all students of the subject could benefit.Moreover, I believe that such practices as tax breaks for the cor-I D. SIMON & D. EITZEN, ELITE DEVIANCE (2d ed. 1986).2 A. THIo, DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, (2d ed. 1983).19851777
BOOK REVIEWSporations and the rich contribute to the cynicism and distrust ofelites among the public. But moral harm resulting from elite actsthat are legal is simply overlooked by Coleman.Sadly, such confusion is also evident in the discussion of so-called occupational crime. I feel that dichotomies in general, aredangerous, but that the distinction made between acts for personalgain versus crimes committed on an organization's behalf is bothoversimplified and confusing. The Criminal Elite mentions the fa-mous Vesco case as an example of crimes of personal gain, butVesco was the head of an organization, which makes the distinctiondifficult to maintain. Moreover, the ITT case, involving a lobby,Ditta Beard and the Nixon reelection committee (CREEP) is cited asan example of such an act of individual enrichment. But Ms. Beardwas working on ITT's behalf and CREEP was a political organiza-tion. How personal enrichment of people on either side was directlyinvolved here both mystifies and confuses. One also wonders whysalespeople who engage in bribing customers are involved only inan act of personal gain? Do not the companies for which they laborbenefit from the increased sales?Finally, as I pointed out elsewhere,3 people employed by orga-nizations can and have been fired (or sanctioned in other ways) ifthey refuse to go along with organizational deviance, thus furtherblurring the distinction between acts of personal versus organiza-tional gain. Moreover, acts of strictly personal gain may be at timescommitted because of the resentment over having been coerced intoparticipating in acts of organizational deviance. And, as Colemanhimself points out, some acts of individual enrichment often occurin organizational environments in which such acts (e.g., police cor-ruption) are perceived as either commonplace or "required." Onerushes to add that acts of individual enrichment also take placewithin organizations where elites are perceived as corrupt, uncaring,and/or inept. Thus, the distinction between individual versus orga-nizational elite crime is often oversimplified to the point of confu-sion, as is unfortunately the case here.Finally, Coleman's discussion of elite crime laws and their en-forcement, while qualified by many other variables, is attributed toAmerica's political economy (class conflict) and its "culture of com-petition," both being variable of social structure. Yet, instead of ad-vocating the logical (basic social structural) changes in the form ofredistribution of wealth and power (Simon and Eitzen, 1986)), Cole-3 Simon, Organizational Deviance: A Humanist View, 12J. Soc'Y & Soc. WELFARE 521(1985).778[Vol. 76
BOOK REVIEWSman ends up providing us with a Sears-Roebuck shopping list ofrelatively modest reforms (e.g., ethical codes (again ethics versuscrime), more resources for white-collar crime enforcement, more se-vere penalties, corporate licensing, legal precedents such as corpo-rate manslaughter, public and worker representatives on corporateboards, and so on).Unfortunately, what Coleman omits and that others havegrasped4 is that non-enforcement of already weak laws governingcrimes by both individuals and organizations means that our eco-nomic and political systems would not function like they do were itnot for such leniencies. They are, in other words, crimeogenic byvirtue of their own amorality and laxities of law and its enforcement.Attempts aimed at strengthening such laws are doomed unless ac-companied by more basic changes in inequalities of wealth andpower. Otherwise, elites will merely invent new forms of corruptionand influence that allow them to evade such laws. Finally, elite devi-ance is also implicated in other serious social problems, such as or-ganized crime, economic decline, alienation and the decline ofcommunity, poverty and the arms race, to mention but a few.Despite such problems, The Criminal Elite constitutes a goodstarting point for discussing issues within the area of elite crime.DAVID R. SIMONDEP'T OF SOCIOLOGYAND POLITICAL SCIENCEUNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA