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Summary: The Original, and Still the Best
Review: "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" was the first book to bring Zen Buddhist koans to America. It is also the best. The translators have left these wonderful stories and teachings speak for themselves. If you have never read koans, they are bewildering stories that defy logic and shock the reader into a higher state of consciousness. They are especially wonderful to read after meditation or church. They are ancient stories, often describing the strange interactions between monks who challenge each other's claims to enlightenment. They seem as playful sparring of the mind, heart, and soul.
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Summary: The best intro to Zen
Review: A great book for those who wish to become familliar with Zen in a closer way than its current overhyped and false pop-culture portrayal. This book contains many important texts that are at the same time not too heavy and generally fun to read (true of many Zen texts)The first part is 101 Zen stories, some of which are taken from koans. Of these, most either contain some insight into the Zen thought (though that is an oxymoron!) while others give a view of classical Zen life as it happened in the monasteries and countryside. The next part is the Gateless Gate - a classic collection of 48 koans. This is enough to get the essence of what a koan is but don't expect to even scratch the surface with a simple reading! A thing of particular surprise to those who've heard of Zen only from the media is the use of violence in the koans. This is what I find most disagreeable with them, even conceding that this is not meant to be literal. whatever your opinion, these aren't for the faint-of-mind Next comes the classic of 10 bulls - ten pictures which tell a symbollic story of an oxherder catching and taming the bull. The version of the images used here is my favourite because of it's utter simplicity, akin to minimalism. Of the texts in the book this one approaches the Zen ideal of essence without words closest (as the main part is the images themselves). The poetry accompanying the images divine and well worth the price of the whole book. The last part is a Hindu scripture which is said to speak of similar things to the Zen masters but honestly didn't do anything for me. As you can see, a great book containing so much in so few words. Whether you're after something to exercise an often neglected part of the brain or wanting to learn about Zen or wanting to become an actual practitioner, it's a perfect start!
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Summary: Never leave home without it
Review: As essential to the student of Zen/lateral thought/applied non-thought/etc. as John Cage's margin stories in "Silence" and on "Indeterminacy." Beneath the gruff humor sleeps an enagagement with the bloodflow of the universe, a finger easily reading the heartbeats, of such profundity I was humbled off my high horse.
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Summary: Outstanding compilation
Review: Having lost this book twice, I am now on my third copy. Unintentionally (or intentionally) hilarious at times, it substitutes anectedotes for cautionary tales. Some of the stories can be told as a joke (to your more enlightened friends). Definitely an insight into the mindset of Zen Buddhism. A must have for anyone interested in the way of the Buddha.
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Summary: Better than a whack on the head?
Review: I am sure the Zen masters of this book, would give me a whack on the side of my head, for writing a review, but here goes. The book brings together 4 original Zen sources. The first, 101 Zen stories, presents koans and parables. These can be confusing and amusing, such as the Sound of One Hand Clapping, and One-finger Zen. The Gateless Gate, by Mumonkan, further adds to the syncopation, by offering seemingly random arguments about some of the koans, and then concludes with a Zen students criticism of the rascal Mumonkan. So, the first two sections may be a multiple layered koan ... and one is left mildly uneasy about the use of words for teaching Zen. The 10 Bulls section and the Woodblock illustrations are beautiful poetry, more accessible, and metaphors for the stages of enlightenment. Finally, Centering, is a transcript of a pre-Zen document, 4000 years old from Kashmir. It is surprising Zen like, for example a favorite: "When in worldly activity, keep attentive between the two breaths, and so practicing, in a few days be born anew" . A great source book, without interpretation.
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Summary: A book I have read and re-read for 13+ years
Review: I first read "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" 13 years ago, and the stories within the "101 Zen Stories" section have been with me throughout the years! No matter what religion you are, no matter what age, these stories WILL change your life, and the way you respond to and see the world around you. You'll chuckle, you'll frown, and you'll wish there were 1001 Zen Stories to read instead of only 101... I hope you'll read this book and enjoy it as much as I do! I'm willing to bet you'll keep it on the nearest bookshelf, and open it often :}
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Summary: one of the first to open the door
Review: i first read zen flesh, zen bones in 1965. enlightening. the wisdom, the exercises and the stories. it is easy reading and hard to put down. this simplicity, this way. what is zen? another answer. you'll enjoy it. it helps....review by a preacher's kid
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Summary: Had it for 35 years, still enjoyable
Review: I picked up my first copy of Zen Flesh Zen Bones in 1968. After all these years, all those miles, all those lives, jobs, travels... it's still on my bookshelf. I've had other editions, given away quite a few, but the original paperback is still in my possession, a little worse for the journey perhaps. I pick it up to read it frequently, usually just a story or two, maybe a koan to puzzle over (still baffle me, these many years later). I can't think of a better book that encapsulates all of Zen so well, that gives the reader something to think about, something to laugh about, something to ponder, so much in so few pages.
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Summary: *A Weightless Gift for the Soul*
Review: I received this book as a birthday gift from a friend. I had no idea what Zen was until I read the interesting preface by Paul Reps (the co-compiler of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones), and later when I read the anecdotes and enlightenment stories of the book. Paul Reps (America's first haiku poet) and Nyogen Senzaki (a Zen teacher) have collected popular ancient teachings of Zen and Pre-Zen writings. Their collaborated effort has made this unabridged edition to be a great introduction to Zen literature. The enlightenment stories, anecdotes, and koans of Zen are all wonderful to read and all serve as delightful forms of meditation. I'm no master on Zen, but the question of what Zen is lies entirely upon one's own interpretation of it. There is no fixed meaning and logic is highly irrelevant. Zen is just an experience to enlighten one's true nature -- and to free the mind. It's the self-discovery and spiritual release that makes Zen Flesh, Zen Bones an ideal gift for anyone.
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Summary: Catchy
Review: I remember reading Alan Watts write about giving this book to a friend in the hospital. When he asked if the man enjoyed it he said: "Didn't undertand a word of it, but it cheered me up immensely!" Few of us could make much sense of this collection of Zen Sayings and Mondos when we first read it, but something was stirred in many of us. What was unique? It wasn't that we didn't know the answers, it was clear for me, I didn't even know the questions, and feeling that maybe if I could find the question the answer would be obvious. To sum it up, a Zen Master once wrote: "The moon is not pleasing unless partly clouded."
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