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Summary: A life of travel in pursuit of Zen.
Review: Brooks spent his early years in pubs and nightclubs, leading an empty life and questioning its meaning until he embarked on a world journey in search of self. Blowing Zen reveals his travels and his pursuit of the art of Zen, telling of those he encounters along the way.
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Summary: Delightful insightful journey with Mr. Brooks
Review: Each chapter of Blowing Zen was written with such sensitivity and joy. What a refreshing read, and what a pleasure it was to experience Ray Brooks time spent in Japan and India. It has inspired me to look at what is inauthentic in my own life. Thank you for the pure zen that occured in each of your encounters.
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Summary: Blowing Zen is worth buying for two reasons:
Review: First, it delivers as a "spiritual" book - insightful, thought-provoking, etc. Like the old Zen poets, Brooks practices outside the monastary, in backstreets, bars, mountain-shrines. He gives you a sense of Zen as an expanding experience of freedom. The book also seems to be a kind of parable about the courage it takes to live in a meaningful way. Brooks had the guts to bow out of Japan's cult of productivity to play music in the mountains. And he had the courage to let go of his old lifestyle and identity to build an "authentic" life - this from insights won inquiring into habits of mind. So it gets you thinking, maybe walking your "path" with a shift in attitude. Secondly, the book is pretty entertaining. Brooks manages to meet a lot of intriguing characters and has a lot extraordinary experiences. It's a good book packed with a lot of good stories, and well written with a lot of humour and style.
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Summary: Zen in Daily life
Review: For me, this book didn't hit me with the usual stark and formal veiw of zen, yet ever chapter carried a sense of zen in the writers daily life. I found there was a simple, yet profound, connectedness to everything and everyone brooks' met. A most enjoyable read.
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Summary: Timely Message
Review: How do I describe "Blowing Zen"? Refreshing, evocative, profound and yet simple. It is a fresh breeze, a blade of grass, a grain of sand and a very entertaining read. It is about finding an authentic life amid the rush and alienation of modern life. In his search for authenticity Brooks leaves the party circuit of London, England to travel to the Orient. In Japan the author discovers temples, Buddhist monks, the Japanese Mafia and perhaps, most importantly, the shakuhachi - a Zen flute. What makes "Blowing Zen" so thoroughly exceptional is, not only is it entertaining (I couldn't put it down) but, it is also inherently satisfying and hopeful. The books' biggest strength lies in its timely message: one does not have to travel the world and play the shakuhachi to find an authentic life, it is simply necessary to look within.
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Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable
Review: How do I describe "Blowing Zen"? Refreshing, evocative, profound and yet simple. It is about finding a truthful life amid the rush and alienation of modern life. In his search for authenticity, the author leaves the party circuit of London and travels to the Orient. While living in Japan,Brooks discovers temples, Buddhist monks, the Japanese mafia, and, perhaps most importantly, the shakahachi - a bamboo flute.. What makes "Blowing Zen" so thouroughly enjoyable is, not only is the book entertaining (I couldn't put it down) but it is also inherently satisfying and hopeful. Part travel account, part autobiography and part spiritual journey,"Blowing Zen"'s biggest strength lives in its timely message: one does not have to travel the world and play the shakuhachi to find an authentic life, it is simply necessary to look within.
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Summary: Timely Message
Review: How do I describe "Blowing Zen"? Refreshing, evocative, profound and yet simple. It is a fresh breeze, a blade of grass, a grain of sand and a very entertaining read. It is about finding an authentic life amid the rush and alienation of modern life. In his search for authenticity Brooks leaves the party circuit of London, England to travel to the Orient. In Japan the author discovers temples, Buddhist monks, the Japanese Mafia and perhaps, most importantly, the shakuhachi - a Zen flute. What makes "Blowing Zen" so thoroughly exceptional is, not only is it entertaining (I couldn't put it down) but, it is also inherently satisfying and hopeful. The books' biggest strength lies in its timely message: one does not have to travel the world and play the shakuhachi to find an authentic life, it is simply necessary to look within.
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Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable
Review: How do I describe "Blowing Zen"? Refreshing, evocative, profound and yet simple. It is about finding a truthful life amid the rush and alienation of modern life. In his search for authenticity, the author leaves the party circuit of London and travels to the Orient. While living in Japan,Brooks discovers temples, Buddhist monks, the Japanese mafia, and, perhaps most importantly, the shakahachi - a bamboo flute.. What makes "Blowing Zen" so thouroughly enjoyable is, not only is the book entertaining (I couldn't put it down) but it is also inherently satisfying and hopeful. Part travel account, part autobiography and part spiritual journey,"Blowing Zen"'s biggest strength lives in its timely message: one does not have to travel the world and play the shakuhachi to find an authentic life, it is simply necessary to look within.
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Summary: enough already
Review: I completed this book some days ago, my initial thoughts of a less than original story remain to this day. Yes the book is an okay read, but 1 star out of 5 it also remains. Not an original idea within the entire book, more like a movie of the week. You will find this copy in the nearest used book store this afternoon.
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Summary: Enlightening and humorous read!
Review: I found author Ray Brooks book "Blowing Zen- Finding an Authentic Life" a fascinating read about a man going nowhere in London and having the courage to get out into the world and trying to find out "what's it all about." Ending up in Japan teaching English he discovers the bamboo flute and his life is forever changed. Each chapter tells engaging and sometimes humorous tales of his experiences while learning the shakuhachi. Also I found that Ray Brooks has a cd called "Hollow Bell" which is a great complimemt to the book. I highly recommend this interesting and enlightening read.
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