JONES, Ken (H.)

PERSONAL:

Married; wife's name Noragh. Religion: Buddhist.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Ceredigion, Wales, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, 5 Marden Terrace, North Shields, Northumberland, NE30 4PD, United Kingdom.

CAREER:

Freelance writer.

MEMBER:

Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Network of Engaged Buddhists, United Kingdom.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Sasakawa Prize for original work in Haiku.

WRITINGS:

The Social Face of Buddhism: An Approach to Social Activism, Wisdom Publications (Boston, MA), 1989, revised edition published as The New Social Face of Buddhism: A Call to Action, Wisdom Publications (Boston, MA), 2003.

Beyond Optimism, Jon Carpenter Publishing (Oxford, England), 1993.

Stallion's Crag: Haiku Prose Poems of Wales, Iron Press (Tyne and Wear, England), 2004.

Coeditor of Contemporary Haibun; regular contributor to Haiku Magazine.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ken Jones has been a Zen practioner for over thirty years. He is also a leading exponent of the Western revival of Haiku. In his first book, The Social Face of Buddhism: An Approach to Social Activism, Jones explores theories and philosophies of spirtiualized activism that includes thoughts from groups such as Quakers and Marxists. The book is divided into two sections, "understanding" and "action." In a review for Religious Studies Review, Kidder Smith noted that throughout the book Jones "never hesitates to draw the toughest lessons from his material, exposing religious hypocrisy, addressing the harsh realities of life in this world, and rejecting utopias." Jones includes this note in the book's introduction, "I have written it mainly with social activists in mind, attempting to asses the social significance of the Buddhist diagnosis of the human condition and to outline a radical Buddhist activistm." In a review for the Journal of Asian Studies, Frank E. Reynolds states "given Jones's clearly stated purpose and his intended audience, the book is perhaps the best of its genre."

In 2003 Jones substantially revised The Social Face of Buddhism, calling it The New Social Face of Buddhism: A Call to Action. In a review for Library Journal Graham Christian wrote, "If heeded, Jones's book could be revolutionary for the practice and reputation of Buddhists today."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Journal of Asian Studies, November 1990, Frank E. Reynolds, review of The Social Face of Buddhism: An Approach to Social Activism, p. 882.

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Graham Christian, review of The New Social Face of Buddhism: A Call to Action, p. 122.

Publishers Weekly, June 1, 2003, review of The New Social Face of Buddhism.

Religious Studies Review, April 1991, Kidder Smith, review of The Social Face of Buddhism, p. 188.

Tricyle: The Buddhist Review, winter, 1994, Alan Hunt Badiner, review of Beyond Optimism, p. 101.

Utne Reader, March, 1990, Helen Cordes, review of The Social Face of Buddhism, p. 100.

ONLINE

Buddhist Peace Fellowship,http://www.bpf.org/ (November 8, 2003).*