Sweet Zen: Dharma Talks from Cheri Huber

Rating:
Summary: Savoring Sweet Zen.
Review: "To me," Cheri Huber says, "Zen practice means going up against every way in which you are stuck in an identity as a separate self" (p. 177). Her SWEET ZEN is a 200-page collection of "dharma talks" delivered at retreats between 1996-1998. Only by interrupting our "inner drama" (p. 145) and "untying the knots" (p. 108) in our lives, Huber says, and "only through seeing life as it is, accepting and embracing it in compassion, are we freed from suffering" (p. 117).

Huber teaches from the cushion with wisdom and clarity, encouraging us to see life as a "series of learning opportunities perfectly matched to what we need to find out" (p. 126). "We are one another's best spiritual opportunities" (p. 42). "Living from the heart," Huber observes, "there are no guarantees, no certainty--only moment-to-moment freedom" (p. 144).

Huber's teachings will move you with compassion to turn inward. "When life gets rough enough," she says, "and you turn to your book and your cup of coffee and your phone calls and find they do not sustain you, then you realize that you have nothing to turn to. As in any relationship, if you have not put time and energy and effort into your spiritual practice, you cannot expect it to support you when you need it. You must work on that relationship when you do not need it . . . What will sustain you is your spiritual practice" (p. 184). Turning inward to find compassion, and "making that turn again and again develops a faith that is based on experience . . . a deep knowing from our life experience that everything that happens is our best opportunity to awaken and to end suffering" (p. 17).

Huber's collection of trusted teachings will appeal to anyone interested in Zen meditation practice. Although I read it in a single sitting, I recommend savoring SWEET ZEN slowly.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: Savoring Sweet Zen.
Review: "To me," Cheri Huber says, "Zen practice means going up against every way in which you are stuck in an identity as a separate self" (p. 177). Her SWEET ZEN is a 200-page collection of "dharma talks" delivered at retreats between 1996-1998. Only by interrupting our "inner drama" (p. 145) and "untying the knots" (p. 108) in our lives, Huber says, and "only through seeing life as it is, accepting and embracing it in compassion, are we freed from suffering" (p. 117).

Huber teaches from the cushion with wisdom and clarity, encouraging us to see life as a "series of learning opportunities perfectly matched to what we need to find out" (p. 126). "We are one another's best spiritual opportunities" (p. 42). "Living from the heart," Huber observes, "there are no guarantees, no certainty--only moment-to-moment freedom" (p. 144).

Huber's teachings will move you with compassion to turn inward. "When life gets rough enough," she says, "and you turn to your book and your cup of coffee and your phone calls and find they do not sustain you, then you realize that you have nothing to turn to. As in any relationship, if you have not put time and energy and effort into your spiritual practice, you cannot expect it to support you when you need it. You must work on that relationship when you do not need it . . . What will sustain you is your spiritual practice" (p. 184). Turning inward to find compassion, and "making that turn again and again develops a faith that is based on experience . . . a deep knowing from our life experience that everything that happens is our best opportunity to awaken and to end suffering" (p. 17).

Huber's collection of trusted teachings will appeal to anyone interested in Zen meditation practice. Although I read it in a single sitting, I recommend savoring SWEET ZEN slowly.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: Enlightened and Enlightening
Review: Sweet Zen is an impressive compendium of clear and inspiring teachings showcasing Zen Buddhist approaches to spiritual practice. Trained in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism, Cheri Huber has taught meditation for more than 20 years. An articulate and inspiring rebuttal to the notion that deprivation is good for the soul or that to be spiritual one must give up the things of the world for the sake of some imagined ideal of purity, Sweet Zen is a truly enlightened and enlightening invitation to participate fully and joyfully in life.

Rating:
Summary: Clear and inspiring teachings
Review: Sweet Zen: Dharma Talks From Cheri Huber is an impressive compendium of clear and inspiring teachings showcasing Zen Buddhist approaches to spiritual practices. Trained in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism, Cheri Huber has taught meditation for more than twenty years, leading retreats around the country and authoring a number of books on Buddhism. An articulate and inspiring rebuttal to the notion that deprivation is good for the soul or that to be spiritual one must give up the things of the world for the sake of some imagined ideal of purity, Sweet Zen is a truly enlightened and enlightening invitation to participate fully and joyfully in life. Also highly recommended are Cheri Huber's early works: Suffering Is Optional: Three Keys To Joy and Freedom, and How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be.