Zen and the Art of Well Being

Rating:
Summary: Misleading title, but still an interesting book
Review: /Zen and the Art of Well Being/ is more interested in well-being than lots of blathering about Zen. A lot of what is presented in this book is not really Zen or Buddhist at all, with the author preferring to cover a variety of subjects on wellness - both physical and spiritual. Most of the material *is* inspired by Eastern technique and philosophy though.

A diverse range of topics are covered, in 'lite' detail: tai chi, physical and emotional self-tests, qi gong (chi kung), meditation, the "Alexander Technique" for back pain problems, and so forth. Each of these topics is interspersed amongst the eightfold path of Buddhism, but in a lot of cases the exercises and techniques detailed have little or nothing to do with the part of the path being highlighted.

If you are looking for a general handbook on how to improve various aspects of your life, /Zen and the Art of Well Being/ is indeed a good starting point. It offers a gentle introduction to discovering where you are and where you can go, in terms of body, mind, and spirit. You won't become a Zen master from reading this book, but you will learn how to relax and get more out of your life. In the end, that's probably a lot more useful than becoming a Zen master anyway.

Rating:
Summary: A Breath of Fresh Zen
Review: I was thoroughly pleased to find Zen and the art of well-being surprisingly fresh. How many times does one purchase a book on the topic and find the pages littered with useless information or worse yet, filled with to-do's and not to-do's. Eric Chaline's brevity and insight into his own experiences, I believe, are easy to understand and relate to. I felt this book allowed me to ponder the ideas instead of studying the text,and I highly reccomend this to anyone begining their research into Zen.

Rating:
Summary: A Breath of Fresh Zen
Review: I was thoroughly pleased to find Zen and the art of well-being surprisingly fresh. How many times does one purchase a book on the topic and find the pages littered with useless information or worse yet, filled with to-do's and not to-do's. Eric Chaline's brevity and insight into his own experiences, I believe, are easy to understand and relate to. I felt this book allowed me to ponder the ideas instead of studying the text,and I highly reccomend this to anyone begining their research into Zen.

Rating:
Summary: Common sense wrapped in flowery language
Review: The author's flowery prose really came down to three things you need to do to achieve "well being".

1. Eat right
2. Exercise regularly
3. Get enough sleep

I was really hoping the author had some truly fresh ideas on achieving that inner peace we are all striving for in our too-fast paced lives. Unfortunately, all I got was something I learned from my parents and Sesame Street.