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Rating: Summary: A valuble tool for beginners Review: Have you ever been sitting in meditation, and suddenly realized that you don't really know why you're putting yourself through this kind of torture, or at least can't explain why in a way that really makes rational sense? If you have (as I have), you will understand just how valuable a book like this can be to anyone who is just learning how (and why) to be a Zen practitioner.First, a little personal background: I grew up in a generically Protestant, nearly-agnostic, nominally Christian setting. I never really had faith in what I was taught, and as I grew older, I evolved from nearly-agnostic to nearly-atheist. I didn't like the idea of completely denying the spirituality that was undeniably a part of so many people's lives, but I couldn't accept the dogma I grew up with, and nobody else's dogma appealed much to me, either. I started investigating Buddhism for the shallow reasons common to most Western practitioners: I thought the Dalai Lama was cool, Buddha statues were neat, and I liked the artwork I saw. I started reading about the life of the Buddha, and about various schools of Buddhism. It was still a very uncomfortable search for me, though, because despite the fact that it looked like there really was something deeper there, all the talk of "emptiness" and "illusion" seemed more silly than the beliefs I had already rejected. Then, about 7 years ago, I stumbled across "Understanding Zen". The book was very easy to read, and presented its philosophical arguments in a style far lighter than most serious Western philosophical texts, but also far more direct and reasoned than most Eastern philosophical texts. It explained what Zen was about in a way that my rational mind could accept, and it allowed me to say "I am a Buddhist" without feeling like I was claiming to believe things I don't believe. It helped me to grasp on a rational level the idea that thoughts and concepts, even the concept of self, are all simply tools for the conduct of life. That, in turn, helped me release some of my attachment to these concepts, though obviously it is impossible to achieve true enlightened detachment simply by grasping a new concept. As a result of reading this book, I suddenly had a rational basis I could use to goad myself into sitting and meditating when I didn't want to. I was suddenly able to actually justify to myself, in words, the things I'd been feeling I needed to do. I know that the philosophical arguments in this book are incomplete and doubtless have many epistemological flaws, but I think it's far better to talk in concrete terms about the difference between the concept of a thing and the thing itself (and the fact that even the concept that it is a thing is arbitrary) than to prattle on about the reflection of the moon on a still pond and tell people to stop looking at your finger. Either approach may eventually help someone on the path to clearer understanding and even enlightenment, but the advantage of a more rational approach is that people are less likely to go off worshipping the moon and cutting off your fingers when they miss the point. I found that after reading this book, I was able to approach Koans and more traditional methods of Zen teaching with a clearer mind, and to sit with one fewer concern to disturb my meditation. You probably won't have a moment of Satori while reading this book, but if you're having difficulty reconciling rationalism with Zen, "Understanding Zen" may be a big help.
Rating: Summary: An Excellent Introduction to Zen Review: This is perhaps the best "first book" for someone interested in Zen (or Eastern philosophy in general) presently available. I first read it two years ago, along with several other introductory texts. It was by far the best. While I would quibble with some things (see below), on whole it is a remarkable book. Strengths: It presents a difficult subject in an agreeable way. Zen is hardly a straightforward subject, but the book does a commendable job. It works through the strategy of not so much "explaining" what Zen is as leading the reader to untangle the subject for themselves. The tone is a good middle ground between a dialogue with the reader and a conventional academic treatment. The writing is always pleasing--and sometimes beautiful. Weaknesses: I wish the discussion of mediation had been as inspired as the more intellectual material. The authors discuss the centrality of mediation in Buddhism, and provide some useful suggestions for practicing it, but in general their approach is a bit too cerebral (on this one point). The authors are at pains to draw connections between Zen and mainstream Western philosophy, but they keep this fairly muted--I wish there had been more of this in the text, instead of burying it footnotes. Then again, if you don't much care about, say, Existentialism, you may find this all for the best. Overall, my sense is that the book will appeal to those who are looking for a (relatively) easy to understand book on Zen and the implications of Zen for ordinary life. I think of it as a more abstract, intellectual background to the ideas that inspire (the Buddhist but of course not Zen) books by the Dalai Lama (such as the Art of Happiness, which I just finished).
Rating: Summary: Why . . . Review: Why remove Buddhism from Zen? Why take zazen out of Zen? I think someone is just fond of the term, "zen".
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