Only Approved Indians: Stories, Vol. 12 Book

Based on the title of this book, and the cover art (my copy depicts the Bodhisattva and a pilgrim climbing an enormous mountain made of human skulls), I was expecting a collection of ghost stories and weird fiction. Instead, this is primarily a collection of essays, parables, and fables of Buddhist life in old Japan (the book was first published in 1899). There is also an interesting essay about incense, and a lovely essay about poetry. The "ghostly" tales in this volume are gently spooky, with strong Buddhist overtones. There is one exception, however: 'Ingwa-banashi' is a wonderfully eerie story that would be perfectly at home in any collection of weird fiction. The final piece,'At Yaidzu', starts out sounding as if it might be a ghost story, but it morphs into a beautiful meditation on the sea, life, death, and the eternal Self. I enjoyed this book even more because it was a total surprise, completely different than what I was expecting.