Rating: 
Summary: My favourite book.
Review: Please refer to the criticism of this book as well as this review. You will notice that all of the negative reviews dwell on classical Buddhist doctrine, are replete with Buddhist jargon, and display an aspect of bitterness and destruction towards Suzuki's words. All of these points of contention are irrelevant to the nature of Zen and they are made in a way which is anathema to the fruition of Zen. All show ignorance of the presence of the aspect truth in all things. Including doctrines. And all are from encapsulations of truth themselves.Zen is not discovered through doctrine and is certainly never found in choosing between contradictory arguments. It is found in the realisation of the uniformity of all aspects of experience. The unity of experience found in the pluralism of experience. The contradictions exist because of how oneness implies otherness, so the concept of unity itself is a paradox. Making meaning, in the conventional sense, is a process of encapsulation. This is grammatical understanding. It cannot convey Zen understanding, Zen understanding removes the capsule. Negative reviews of this book exhibit the reinforcement of conceptual borders between concepts which do not exist in Zen understanding, but are always present in the discussion of concepts. Hence good Zen may dissuade you from love of all doctrine. Good Zen will even dissuade you from following Zen. Good Zen will not dispute. Good Zen doctrine will not be persuasive. When there is no persuasion, there is no doctrine, then there is Zen. Zen cannot be understood until after interest in good and bad ideas have dissolved. Good Zen will never tell you in which direction to look. Any particular direction is "nonzense"! Forget Zen! Just celebrate all things occuring and then walk freely. You have no need to chase truth. The enigma of truth exists in all places. You can experience Zen just by being where you are without complaint (hence meditation!). You cannot ever experience Zen understanding with dispute. Zen is non-dispute. Dispute with circumstances, whether here or there, obliterates understanding of Zen. Only the experience of the absolute truth which all things address is the true understanding of Zen. So bow down gratefully to ALL things. Discussing Zen with words is like offering a drink of water served in a seive! All your sensibilities have passed through you as clouds pass through sky. When you realise the sky is always air and water is never poison you may begin to understand Zen. You are changed in life and death in the same way that air changes in light and dark, as life in changed in wakefulness and sleep. You are changed by death in the same manner that writing changes when you stop reading. In the same way that meaning changes when you stop writing. If you know the original nature of things, then you will know you can recieve Zen by watching American Gladiators, or by being mugged in the street just as well as you can by reading Suzuki's book or this review. Probably much better! : ) Trying to convey Zen in a book review is as practical an exercise as carrying water in a seive. Maybe instead of buying a book, buy a Simpsons video and experience Zen through that! If you read Suzuki's book, forget the doctrine and the Buddhist jargon, the meaning of Zen is not conveyed this way. It's much more effectively discussed in metaphor. I have never read a book that made a better job of conveying Zen metaphor than this one. A better book does not exist. To contradict the truth of this is to know nothing of Zen. To resist the contradiction is to know nothing of Zen. In Zen there is no dispute; in Zen the aspect of truth present in all things is known. Unfortunately, words are as apt a vessel for conveying reality in the mind as a crate of bottles are apt for transporting your reflection. Reality cannot be encapsulated in any way. Reality doesn't come in capsule form! How exactly is the notion of reality conveyed with the word "reality"? It really doesn't mean a thing! Writings carry meaning like little trays of broken glass. Zen is a mindstate that sees reality by looking directly at it, by dissolving ones particular notice of these fragments of glass and becoming aware of only the ether. Suzuki's book therefore is just a flicker in the ether. So is this review. So is the space you are sat in. So are the walls. It's all just breeze in the vapour. Pain and death. Gusts of air. Metaphor for mind and body: When the vapours that perturb the candle flame are removed, what happens to the candle flame?... The vapours that perturb the candle also provide fuel for the flame. Remove the cause of the buffeting and the burning ceases!
Rating:
Summary: Heresy! Heresy! (heheheheh)
Review: "in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few." indeed! I find that the negative reviews listed here are quite instructive and worth reading. It is worth realizing, for us westerners, that Buddhism has its sectarian squabbles over heresy and scripture just like any other religion. As well as its own organizational byzantine structure and inertia just like any other church. I can imagine that not a few devotees of Zen Mind Beginner's Mind have been dismayed at the disgust they were greeted with when naively and optimistically discussing Buddhism with some transplanted asian Theravadan monk. (ahem, or was that just me? :) That said, the book clearly comes from a deep place of understanding 'beyond the scriptures'. Though, to my mind, I find it complements them quite well, assuming one understands that Suzuki's concept of 'Big Mind' is quite literally heretical in the Theravadan sect. Personally, the biggest heresy in the book I find is in the 'God Giving' chapter - 'How can He [God] help their activity when He does not know who He is?'. Phew! Christians of all sects will vituperate over this heresy even more than Theravadans over 'Big Mind'. Yet, the need for the mutual awakening of God *and* us, in order for God to awaken *to* us, is an old Gnostic tradition, it seems. e.g. Read Kazantzakis' 'The Saviors of God' for more of this heresy. Or, Matthew Fox's translation of Eckhart in 'Breakthrough'. Meanwhile, it surely cant hurt to bone up on the suttas at, for example, accesstoinsight.org, even though Suzuki said 'it is not that important'. Since surely he *wasnt* saying *never* read the suttas! As always, take the Middle Way between the extremes!
Rating:
Summary: Attending to the moment
Review: I have owned this book for a number of years and read it a couple of times. It is very helpful in acquiring a Zen state of mind in daily life. I also recommend "The Mind of Clover" by Robert Aiken. If you are looking for a way to simplify your inner self, these books are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: It's good
Review: I practiced Zen Buddhism for many years and over that time accumulated a small library of books on the subject. I found ZMBM by accident in a bookstore in the 70s' and bought it. After reading it I literally threw all of my other books on Buddhism away. There was no longer any reason for me to own them unless I wanted some encyclopedic information and that is not what Buddhism is all about. The information in this book can change your life. I mean profoundly. Relax. Read it. Enjoy it. It's simple to understand and will prove itself a lifetime companion. If you lost a loved one - get it. If you know someone in prison - get it for them. If you want to live a better life - get it. Don't worry. It won't make you quit your job or join a cult. On the contrary. You will do a better job wherever you find yourself.
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: Zen without archaic dogmas...
Review: As a student of comparative mysticism and practitioner of meditation for more than 20 years, I can say this book captures Zen for the modern reader much better than ancient scriptures. It is pure and unburdened by confusing and unecessary dogmas, and the knowledge is from Suzuki's direct Realization of That which is always-already present. It needs no further validation and will provide a useful tool for those seeking ultimate Truth.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not for beginners
Review: This is an excellent book for experienced students of Zen and Buddhism. Beginners may find it redundant and over instructive. But then again, I'm not a beginner. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Psuedo Sectarian false Buddhism.Conflicts with Scriptures
Review: among 629 books on Buddhism and zen this books holds its place as one of the 10 ten most Horrific books ever given birth to. Like some form of Anti-Buddhism the late Authors lack of any understanding of Fundamental Buddhism as put forth in Buddhist Scripture, this books is the anti-matter of Buddhism laid down by the first Buddhist council regarding essence and nature of the Anagamin path laid out to the Aryan Disciplehood who laid down the path of self-deliverance in the Scriptures. In no way shape or form can this book be regarded as anything other than Trite Soto Sectarian formalism under the guise of Buddhism. not only is nothing within the covers dirrectly AFFIRMABLE through Scripture but there are countless spots upon which it contradicts the Buddhist Suttas completely. This is Modern Zen. it is not Buddhism in even the most loose sense of the definition. The state of American Buddhism is in direct correlation to the popularity of this horendeous book which has nothing to do with the Ancient Buddhist Dhamma laid out in the Nikayas or the Agamas (Buddhist Scriptures). More Ironic than can be imagined is that this book is defended so highly by the same people that ALSO hold the Scriptures to be correct on the teachings of Buddhism, but when pointed out that the Scriptures in no way shape or form agree with the esoteric ranting of the Author, its supporters are dumbfounded and remain silent and or change the subject. More pure Irony than this is impossible to find in Buddhism.
Rating:
Summary: The Best and Most Practical Book on Zen
Review: Zen Master Suzuki gives the most lucid exposition on practicing zen ever put on paper. The teachings are not watered down, sugar coated, or given false pretenses as the absolute truth. The chapter on meditation exemplifies all these qualities. To Suzuki, just the act of sitting zazen is meditation itself and as a consequence, enlightenment. No mention of mystical visions, long processes of clearing the mind and becoming "one with the universe" - his only instruction is to perceive simple reality. As a long time meditator, I have found Zen Master Suzuki's approach much more honest and fruitful than any of the methods that use various mediums(i.e. imagery, sounds) to facilitate meditation. The rest of the book constantly reaffirms this simple yet profound concept. Anyone interested in Zen Buddhism, out of spiritual or intellectual curiosity, should start here.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, Answers Found
Review: I luckily stumbled onto this little treasure while reading basketball coach phil jackson's "sacred hoops." in that book, jackson repeatedly referred to the teachings of zen master suzuki's teachings in this book. never could i have imagined that a book on sports could lead to such a dramatic, profound and truly life changing experience as i found when reading "zen mind, beginner's mind." whereas faith based religions are a complete assualt on the intellect when providing answers to the secrets of the universe that are not known to us, suzuki instructs us to respect such things as both "mysterious and beautiful." important and fundamental concepts such as "non-attachment" that can be difficult to grasp are succinctly communicated in reminders such as "a weed grows even though we hate it, and a flower falls even though we love it." zen mind will place your focus squarely in the present and allow to rid yourself of state depriving emotions once you learn to let go of any "gaining" notions. you'll find focus and calm in all situations. (just like michael jordan and the chicago bulls whom coach jackson required zen-like meditation at the end of each practise!) this book is so complete it's all you'll really ever need. and as the author implies "once you've got it, you've got it. no need to keep searching."
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