The Albert W. Sadler Papers: An Archive of Correspondence and Documents relating to Buddhism and Japanese Culture

[New York, 1993. Near Fine. An important collection of correspondence, including annotated scholarly articles, typescripts, and related documents, from the library of Albert Sadler, an influential author and scholar of Buddhism, Japanese culture, and comparative religion. The collection features letters from several leading literary figures: Joseph Campbell, Gary Snyder, Alan Watts, the English poet James Kirkup, and New York State Poet Laureate Jean Valentine. Also included are letters and related material from several prominent Buddhist scholars and cultural figures, including Shojun Bando (Shin Buddhist priest and scholar at Otani University, Kyoto), Beate Gordon (former Asia Society Director of Performing Arts), Matthias Eder (founder and editor of *Asian Folklore Studies*), and graphic artist Mayumi Oda (famous for her silk screen prints of Japanese women and goddesses).

The collection contains over 50 letters, about 25 books and periodicals, and several dozen articles, typescripts, and related documents (including photographs) and research notes. Much of the material has annotations and notes by Sadler, and dates from the late 1950s through mid-1980s, when he was rofessor of philosophy and religion at the University of Vermont (1960s), and Sarah Lawrence College in New York (1970s-1980s). Sadler was a prolific writer and lecturer, and "old-fashioned" teacher and scholar, who did not hesitate to criticize friends like Alan Watts, associating him with "the Zen freaks and the Beat Generation and Allen Ginsberg and the Krishna people," while at the same time acknowledging that it was they who "built the market" of contemporary student interest in comparative religion and philosophy: "it is possible that American youth are ready for something new, and something subtler now. Not to replace, but to enrich."

There are three letters from Watts dating from 1958-59, in which he discusses Sadler's questions regarding an upcoming address he agreed to deliver, and in which he describes "having experimented with both mescaline and lysergic acid," and concludes: "They may have some therapeutic value, but, for me, they are simply nothing like a *satori*." Joseph Campbell in a 1972 letter discusses his relationship with Alan Watts when he was living in Millbrook, California, and Gary Snyder in a letter from 1974, admits to sharing with Sadler: "the same complex of feelings about that complex man, Alan Watts." Both Campbell and Snyder praise Sadler's writings on Japanese culture.

Beate Gordon at the Asia Society in New York, also praises Sadler's writings: "I've just read your essay on Sufism, and Music from Iran, and I think it's just marvelous, beautifully written, and very interesting." She and Sadler collaborated on an Edo Festival of Music and Pantomime presented at Lincoln Center in December 1971. Shojun Bando, a revered Shin Buddhist priest and Japanese scholar, in seven long letters from 1965-1978, writes at length about current scholarly debates, his work on Shin Buddhism, and his work on the English translation of Shinran's magnum opus, the *Ky?gy?shinsh?*. He also shares with Sadler the news of his marriage, and of the student movement: "Our council room is now being occupied by radical students with a red flag at the window ..."

An historically important and compelling archive, containing a wide choice of correspondence and documents from several important Buddhist scholars and Buddhist inspired artists, from the library of a leading scholar in the field. A detailed list is available.