Rating: 
Summary: Ooooops, slipped on that title...
Review: I picked up this book because of the title...bad move. I thought it would be a good for someone, a beginner, who is trying to learn Zen Buddhism. There really isn't much here for beginners. Caveat emptor! It really is a book for seasoned practicioners of zazen, who want to comprehend "beginner's mind". But even then, you find words on beginner's mind only in the prologue and the epilogue, for the most part. A lot of it is incomprehensible to neo-phytes. However, there are pieces of insight which a simpleton like me could understand. Parts of the book which called for straightforward practice, without being misled by distractions, were great. When you cook, cook! When you fish, fish! Don't try to be multifacted! Just tend to one task, just do it! Good stuff. There were words about the need for awareness which were helpful. Shunryu Suzuki wants his reader to always be practicing zazen. He emphasizes this. There is no way I can get myself into a lotus position and then undo it on the same day, but I could appreciate the words about breathing. And how breath is the gateway between the inner world and the outer world. Great stuff! Most of the book, however, did not make sense to me. A better title would have been "Thoughts on Zen Practice".
Rating: 
Summary: Not So Bad
Review: Yes, if you spend yer time studying Sutras & whatnot you'll find alot of contradictions between this book and those same sutras. But, I don't think that's so bad. Why should it be? The Sutras have alot of useful information, but alot of [stuff] too. For example, the Surangama Sutra would have you believe that drinking milk or eating meat or wearing leather would prevent you from enlightenment. "Well, that's just put in there by a copyist!" you might say, but still, it's obvious you cannot take a 100 percept literal interpretation of the sutras and still call it "Zen". If you read the Sermons of Bodhidharma translated by Red Pine, they will tell you that even being a butcher does not hinder you so long as you realize the Mind. So, Bodhidharma, the supposed founder of Ch'an (Zen) in China contradicted the Sutras. You'd also have to deny all Tibetan Buddhism too, because if you want to stay alive up there in the cold mountains, you better eat some Yak. That having been said, this book is about Soto Zen Buddhism. The methods taught in this book are used by Soto Zennists. If you want another school of Zen, then buy another book. This book is not about Buddhist Metaphysics or Esotericism. It is about daily practice, attitude and understanding. It's not a meditation manual, or a daily devotional or liturgy or anything like that. It is a bunch of talks. And what extraordinary talks they are! You really get a feel of what it's about while reading this. Sure, the practices may contradict other forms of Zen, but you have to understand who he (Suzuki) was talking to and that time period. There is a bit of compromise there. That's Upaya, skillful means. He still teaches to obey the precepts, and that Zen is not just sitting [around]. He teaches you should have a Zen mind even when you are laying in bed. And he doesn't condemn studying Buddhism, he simply points out that practice is better than just studying. In fact, Bodhidharma himself taught this. So, despite the frothing-mouthed railings against this book by a confessed "Theravadan" (meaning Hinayanist, meaning one of the lesser vehicle), you ought to by this book if you want to learn about Soto Zen. It would do you good though to not just restrict yourself to this book and look into Chinese, Tibetan, Korean, and Vietnamese forms as well. I especially recommend Sheng Yen's "Subtle Wisdom". This book does neglect such practices as Koans & Huatous, but they are not the main practices of the schools. Soto school came from Cao Dong, and they emphasized Silent Illumination, which is pure awareness. Go buy it! It's cheap, and worth more than the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Kind of too Japanese
Review: Although I know this is a classic, I'm not sure it works for the truly beginning practitioner, as you probably won't get most of it. Another book I read recently, Open Mind Zen, was much better for a Western beginner than this one was. I still enjoyed reading it, though.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I was looking for a simple introduction-to-Buddhism-practice type book. This book comprises several essays that express the author's thoughts regarding concepts such as dualism, control, nothingness. However, he does not explain defintions for these topics. There is very little information about actually practicing Buddhism, which is too bad for me because there are no teachers near where I live. I suppose the essays could be good guidance for mediatiaon, but I'm not sure if all Buddhism or just Suzuki's approach adovates using no thoughts for meditation. I just finished the book and I'm not even positive about that elementary aspect of Buddhism - how to sit; is he way the onyl way or recommendation. The lack of a train of thought made it difficult for me to retain his advice. Personally, I recieved more guidance from articles in the magzine Shambhala Sun, but was hoping for a basic source of knowledge to feel in the gaps about practicing. He introduced a sitting style, but that was about all the help I recieved form this book. Maybe some one with more knowledge of Buddhism would benefit more from this book.
Rating:
Summary: A beloved classic of American Zen
Review: This is a collection of talks by one of the first Zen teachers in the U.S. If you're already practicing Zen, I highly recommend this book. If you're new to Zen, you might love this book or you might find it largely incomprehensible, or maybe both. Suzuki makes liberal use of the paradoxical language that is typical of Zen--e.g., "For us, complete perfection is not different from imperfection. The eternal exists because of non-eternal existence." If you'd prefer a more ordinary, explanatory style, I recommend Charlotte Joko Beck's "Everyday Zen." If you're looking for practical instruction in meditation, you'll find it in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," but you might prefer Philip Kapleau's "The Three Pillars of Zen," which includes more detailed instructions, with illustrations of sitting postures. When I first read "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," for a college class on Buddhism, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but I did end up practicing Zen, and maybe this book had something to do with that. For many years, even while living at a Zen monastery, I suspected that a lot of the enthusiasm for this book was an "emperor's new clothes" phenomenon: a few respected people said it was wonderful, so then everybody said it was wonderful. I figured its aura of profundity was due in large part to Suzuki's congruence with our archetype of mountaintop gurus--the short sentences and limited English vocabulary, and the paradoxical language that sounds deep even though nobody actually knows what the heck it means. More recently, I've come to think that the emperor really does have clothes and that the big issues of human life are hard to talk about without paradox, and this is now one of my favorite Zen books.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST IN ZEN LITERATURE
Review: filled with enlightening points and ideas to provoke thought and inspire meditation practice, Zen Mind, Beginners' Mind is the most effective book on zen I've ever read, and I've read plenty of books on the subject. Also, be sure to check out Kaplau's "The Three Pillars of Zen," which takes a more direct approach to expaining the practice of zen and does so magnificently. Five Stars for both!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: After having read this book, I can say that I throughly enjoyed it. The style of writing is easy to follow, and often I would just sit and read loseing all track of time. I would like to point out that this isn't "pop-buddhism." Zen is not understood in the exact same way. Hunt around through yoru fav. search engine, and you'll find quickly how they differ. In closing I would also like to say that while I did throughly enjoy this book, I will probably be re-reading it at some point to pick up on things I may have missed.
Rating:
Summary: An essential book for a zen-minded reader's bookshelf
Review: Every time I pick up this small book to read a short chapter or two, Shunryu Suzuki's words are as fresh and new as if I've read them the first time. And I come away thinking of life, not in our society's terms of goal-oriented productivity, but in terms of the quality of my self-expression, the sincerity of my behavior in the present moment. In that respect, the author's view of zen practice is not of a process whereby one can arrive at enlightenment, but as a way of being deeply in touch with what is going on right now. And through-out he reveals how precious and sacred the present moment really is. I highly recommend this book; it is a tribute to life itself.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for "Nothing Special?" You Bet.
Review: So much of religion is tedious and unnecessary theological exposition, clergymen and laypeople arguing over historical accounts or trying to decide whether adherents should be allowed to worship this or that. This kind of prosaic religion is not really religion at all because it is not directed toward that which is ultimately true and real. But Shunryu Suzuki, in an attempt to show us what it truly means to see and experience the world to our fullest potential, deftly side-steps almost everything that we normally associate with religion, including worship, philosophy, and moralizing. This is, of course, in the spirit of Buddhism and, in particular, Zen with its rigorous and practical emphasis on pure and simple meditation. This book is a compilation of talks given by Suzuki to his American Zen students. While reading, I can just imagine the Zen master sitting there baffling every possible expectation that they had of their own practice. After all, you never know what a Zen master will say or do next and Suzuki is no exception. Most ironic is his ability to illogically defy logic and somehow come out on top every time. When confronted with the skeptic's hammer of reason, Suzuki counters with his Zen sledge-hammer, crushing the comparatively puny weapon of duality with his sweeping monistic blow. Actually, his is more of an empty blow--not really a blow at all. This naturalness is what makes Zen so appealing. After finishing the book, I tried to sit and think of what I'd learned. What I found was that I couldn't really say anything. For anything that I could say about Zen is bound to be wrong. Suzuki does not offer philosophy or theology...he offers a way of life. I think, if I had to sum up his entire attitude, I would say "just sit." That is, just meditate. It is rather odd when you think about it, all this talk over "nothing special." On more than one occasion I've turned the book over to look at his photograph on the back cover. It is almost as if everything you'd ever need to know is in that face. He seems to be saying, like a long-lost acquaintance: "What? You know me."
Rating:
Summary: One of Two Suzuki Zen Masters
Review: This book is, in fact, probably the very best introduction to Zen Buddhism for Americans. It is short, informal, yet well written. Shunryu Suzuki, the author of this book, is not of the same school of Zen as D.T. Suzuki, who wrote many more books and is probably better known. Shunryu was of the Soto school of Zen, while D.T. belonged to the Rinzai school. To the beginner, the differences might seem small. Both schools practice sitting meditation, called zazen. But Rinzai puts more emphasis on the experience of Satori, which I will not explain here (and is hardly explainable, anyhow). Soto Zen, and Shunryu in this book, emphasizes just sitting and practicing zazen. He does not dwell on Satori, in fact, I don't even think he mentions it. In any event, I highly recommend this book as an introduction to Zen. Shunryu tells you about real Soto Zen practice -- not history, or theoretical concepts. It can be read in an evening, and can be re-read for years. You can later proceed to other books on Zen; by D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts, Christmas Humphreys, or others, including John C. H. Wu. Thich Nhat Hanh is very popular too, and has written many books. He is Vietnamese, while both of the Suzukis were Japanese. I believe that Nhat Hanh is of the Soto school, but I could be wrong. Most other authors should be avoided until you are more familiar with Zen. (Beware especially of the shallow, even flippant, Zen books, which usually begin with the words "Zen and the ..." They have little value.) Just remember that Zen Buddism has two main schools: Soto and Rinzai. Also, Zen is a special form of Buddhism -- kind of like Quakers being a special form of Christianity -- and is not necessarily representative of Buddishm as a whole. Zen was heavily influenced by Taoism. So if you really want to go deeper, consider getting a translation of the Tao Te Ching -- I highly recommend the version by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo, but the translation by John C. H. Wu is good and very popular, plus he is Chinese by birth. Finally, both Shunryu Suzuki and D.T. Suzuki definitely agree on one thing; Zen is about practice, not about books or even about ideas. Zen is not a philosophy. If you really want to understand Zen, then you will need to find a Zendo (meditation center or temple) and a teacher. And sit!
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