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 DT SUZUKI is the ZEN MASTER of ZEN!!!
Suzuki is the best source I've found for authentic Zen material. Homeboy definitely knows his stuff & puts it down as clearly as possibly, which ain't easy when dealing with Zen stuff. One page, paragraph, sentence could take days, weeks, months to understand; for me, a few quick seconds, but I'm a master, Grasshoppa. This book is a good start but frankly I haven't got much faith you're going to understand much of it at all, especially if you've never been to Asia & seen real poverty.
rizzob.com
This is not a book review.
For those from a western cultural background, Zen falls somewhere between extremely difficult to impossibly inaccessible. We have such a hard time about it, It's not uncommon to dismiss the whole thing as a bunch of nonsense. One hand clapping? Trees in the forest? What the hell are these guys talking about? And why are they talking this way? Why are they being so difficult about the whole thing? Why don't they just tell us what it's all about?
They did, but we couldn't tell. Due to conditioning, everything is placed in terms of logical dualism. Thanks to ego, it's hard to accept that our comprehension has limits.
Overcome.
Transcend.
The questions are rhetorical.
This first step has been a major hurdle, Intro to Zen has been incredibly helpful in getting started. It does exactly what it says it does. But is it Zen?
just what it says
I almost hesitated to give this 5 stars because the book itself is really an intellectual work - written largely to appeal to the intellect. This is somewhat contrary to Zen and to the very principles advocated in the book. But it is an excellent introduction and was among my first books on Buddhism and my first on Zen. As such, it served to inspire me to further investigation and to enter a spotty program (I wish I had the discipline to do better!) of meditation .
While reading this book, I suppressed the urge to "speed read" and took my time, reading as my last activity before bed. I would read until I got tired, or until something stopped me... something that demanded processing. Here's the best example: "Zen always seeks the ultimate truth that cannot be taken to the dissecting table of the intellect".
It took me three days to get past that one. This book puts forth the idea (this book is certainly not the only one) that not everything can be "figured out" by turning the gears of the brain. As a lifelong slave to my brain, I was challenged and fascinated by this idea.
In fact, I often had that sensation while reading this book. I recommend this wholeheartedly to intellectuals who suffer from their own minds. It cannot serve as an end, but very well as a beginning of the journey towards a more peaceful mind.
a great guide for modern living
Intro to Zen by Suzuki offers some common sense guides to living in our rushed, hectic world. It takes time to grasp the concepts but stay with it and you'll be glad you did.
Big Suzuki * * * ( * * )
D.T. Suzuki was NOT a Zen Master, though he was a Zen practitioner. So this book is a little dangerous for people interested in Zen. This is a great INTELLECTUAL discussion of Zen "philosophy," the "psychology" of Zen, the Zen "mentality," the "principles" of Zen, and the "point" (if there is one) of Zen. For all of that, it earns FIVE STARS.
This book was and is written for linear-minded Westerners who want to know "about" Zen, but for the person interested in Zen practice, reading this book is analogous to sitting down at the dinner table and eating the plates, not the food. You will not "experience" Zen by reading this book (unless you already understand that reading the book is Zen). People first coming to Zen through this book need to be warned that this book will not make them into Zen students. D.T. Suzuki makes a big deal about "Kensho" and "Satori," but trying to describe enlightenment is like trying to describe your own dying. Thus, we give back TWO STARS. But if you want to understand Zen as a "school of thought," this book is definitely for you.
D.T. Suzuki was considered the "dean" of Zen in the West when Zen was first breaking into the public consciousness. Along with Lafcadio Hearn, Reginald Blyth, Christmas Humphreys and Alan Watts, he was one of the midwives of that process.
Shogaku Shunryu Suzuki (not related), who WAS a Zen Master often referred to himself as "Little Suzuki" to distnguish himself from "Big Suzuki." For active Zen practitioners, however, the appellations need to be reversed. For the essence of "Little Suzuki"'s teisho (teachings) visit with Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library).
Zen is NOT an intellectual process, and it cannot be described. It is tasting the food. It is the reading of the book. It is sitting in meditation. It is counting the breath. It is all that, and it is none of that. It is---BANG---and that is all.
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