Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library) | Shunryu Suzuki

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library) | Shunryu Suzuki | "Gone, gone, gone far beyond, enlightenment."

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Zen Mind, Beginner...

	Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library) Shunryu Suzuki Shambhala, 2006 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 140 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It Was Nothing Special

A great teacher of Christian prayer has described to me personally that "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" is a "classic". Shunryu Suzuki would best describe his book as "nothing special".
I never thought that this book would impact me as it has, but a combination of Jesus' own teaching on prayer("Metanoiesete, for the Kingdom of God is within you"[Lk.17:21]); Saint Thomas Aquinas' ultimate confession:"Because we are not capable of knowing WHAT GOD IS but only what God is not...this is the ultimate in human knowledge of God: TO KNOW THAT WE DO NOT KNOW HIM"[Questiones Disputate de Potentia Dei,7,5 ad 14]; and Suzuki's conclusion "I discovered that it is necessary, absolutely necessary, to believe in NO THING."(p.116) has brought me to the conclusion that EAST/WEST dialogue on contemplative prayer is the key to the future of Christianity and all other world religions in these desperate times.
This book teaches prayer with the understanding that the only time we have is "NOW", and the only directive is "Don't think about it, don't write about it, do it! Now!
Zazen/Christian prayer can be done 24/7/365 anywhere, in any situation, and when it is, it is "ordinary", "interior" and "nothing special".

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"Gone, gone, gone far beyond, enlightenment."

ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND is the most easily accessible guide to Zen practice, and is usually the first book that new practitioners and the Zen-curious approach after reading the more general "What's Zen Anyway?"-type books. Thus, it has developed an almost canonical reputation. Shunryu Suzuki (1905-1971) spent only a few years in America, was less than fluent in English, and taught in a way that was both simple and yet profound. With his easy intensity, Suzuki had a seminal role in establishing Zen as a viable spiritual practice in the United States and beyond.

Notable for its brevity, the thesis of the collected "informal talks" in ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND is that in order to know Zen we must know the self; that in order to know the self we must reattain the "beginner's mind," that unclouded, intuitive understanding of life that was ours in childhood; and that this sense of newness is the linchpin of enlightenment. Although ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND only spans a whopping 138 pages, the length of this book is no guide to the quality of what lies within. It invites many readings.

***

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Dramatic actor Peter Coyote has been a Zen practitioner for three decades, and here reads Suzuki-Roshi's classic in his well-modulated stentorian voice, without flourishes, but with a fine appreciation of Suzuki-Roshi's words. The print edition of ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND is a collection of transcribed spontaneous Zen teachings (teisho); Coyote returns those words to their original medium. A fine recording for teaching, meditation, or contemplation, the only drawback to this CD is that it abridges the book, though at three hours it is more than sufficient for most listeners.

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one of the best

There are so many good books of all different kinds to read, if you like to read. I have only found a handful worth reading over and over. This is one.

Great book for the advanced

When I first read this book years ago as a Christian I really did not understand it. It really seemed like foolishness to me and incomprehensible. But after coming back to it as a Buddhist having studied Buddhism for a year, I now understand. This is a truly ZEN book attempting to explain in English how to have a mind that exists by experiencing the current moment as it is without filtering reality first through past experiences and preconceived beliefs. A thing or a circumstance is simply as it is with judgement held back. That is the summarized teaching of this book. This is an excellent book if you are ready for it. If you are a beginner it may be better to look at the writings of Bhante Gunaratana or Bhikku Bodhi these authors prepared me to understand the more advanced Zen teachings of this book.

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Misleading title for a possibly great book

I do not want to detract from this book's worth or wisdom in any way. No doubt the glowing reviews reflect the book's significance to the lives of those who have read and UNDERSTOOD it.

My only caveat is that for complete novices--like myself--the title is misleading, and therefore the book's teachings were not very accessible to me. The term "beginner's mind," as used in this work, refers to the idea of maintaining an open, childlike mind, and never acting or feeling as though one has ACHIEVED enlightenment. Be always searching, always growing.

"Beginner's mind" should NOT be taken as an indication that this is a book for those like myself who are newcomers to the study of Zen (i.e. "beginners"). Maybe you're an "old soul," but new to Zen, in which case, you may get more out of this book than I currently do.

As someone who instinctively feels that Zen has something BIG to offer me if only I can understand what the hell the books on Zen are talking about, this is NOT a good introduction. Zen terminology is thrown around as though I already know what the terms mean. The description of poses (without benefit of pictures) is confusing, and I must admit that I [shallowly?] found myself ticked off: if I couldn't figure out a stinking pose (or even get BEYOND the fact that I couldn't figure it out), how on earth was I "deep enough" to get my foot on the path to enlightenment?

For anyone who, like myself, needs something a little more concrete to get me started, something I can sink my literal Western teeth into, this ain't the book! I believe I personally need something a little less esoteric to start with, a book that bridges the gap between my VERY literal-minded Western upbringing and the much LESS literal mindset required of adherents of eastern religion/philosophy.

I also believe that if I am able to bridge that gap (using other resources), THEN I will be able to appreciate this book's teachings and will certainly come back to it.

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