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Rating: 
Summary: Self-awakening is my teacher
Review: The Zen Eye presents a delightful and fresh look at Zen from one of its most original voices. Sokei-an, who first made his way to these shores in 1906, was the first Zen Master to make his home in America. In good company, with the likes of Soyen Shaku, D.T. Suzuki and Nyogen Senzaki, Sokei-an, played a key role in the transmission of Zen to the West. Although a somewhat lesser known figure in contemporary Zen circles (due in part to his untimely death in 1945 after release from a Japanese internment camp), through Sokei-an's talks on Zen and a true-to-life rendering of his life in the introduction by Mary Farkas, we come to intimately know Soke-an's mind. In his own words: "I am of the Zen sect. My special profession is to train students of Buddhism by the Zen method. Nowadays, there are many types of Zen teachers. One type, for example, teaches Zen through philosophical discourse; another, through so-called meditation; and still another direct from soul to soul. My way of teaching is the direct transmission of Zen from soul to soul." This sets the tone of the entire book, and is one that distinguishes Sokei-an from so many other teachers. Sokei-an, and other early 20th century pioneers who helped plant the seeds of Zen in America were disillusioned with the rutted, monastic style of Zen practiced in Japan at that time, and were looking for ways to pump fresh blood into the practice. Throughout the book the reader is offered many glimpses of the mind-to-mind transmission and sudden awakening traditions that characterized so well the original spirit of Chan (Zen) in China, as expressed by Hui-neng (Eno), the 6th patriarch and his heirs. Sokei-an comes across being completely authentic, yet at the same time, unpretentious, without any airs. He seems utterly at home in America. His lectures were given in English, learned from his own efforts by working and traveling across America in supporting himself during his early years here. There's much more to The Zen Eye than at first meets the eye, (as well as the outstanding companion book "Zen Pivots," published later) and it is easy to casually gloss over things because of the simple and unadorned, down-to-earth style. For those just starting to inquire into Zen, as well as those who have already traveled it's pathless road, I would whole heartedly recommend the Zen Eye. My hat goes off to Mary Farkas and those members of the First Zen Institute of America for making Sokei-an's teachings available to a wider group of people. Like "Zen Mind, Beginners Mind" by Shunryo Suzuki, (still the most widely read book on Zen) this book deserves a place on every Zen minded person's bookshelf and zafu cushion! Best summed up by Mary Farkas from the introduction to The Zen Eye: "It is not necessary to know anything about Sokei-an's personal life to understand his wisdom as expressed in his own words. Nor is it necessary to know anything about Zen's theory or practice to receive his Dharma transmission. If you listen with your inner ear, your Zen Eye will open, and as your mind clears, your own wisdom will appear. For years people have been carrying pages of Sokei-an's words around in their pockets as well as their minds. It is time to put them in more permanent form."
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