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So begins this most beloved of all American Zen books. Seldom has such a small handful of words provided a teaching as rich as has this famous opening line of Shunryu Suzuki's classic. In a single stroke, the simple sentence cuts through the pervasive tendency students have of getting so close to Zen as to completely miss what it's all about. An instant teaching on the first page. And that's just the beginning. In the thirty years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind has become one of the great modern Zen classics, much beloved, much re-read, and much recommended as the best first book to read on Zen. Suzuki Roshi presents the basics-from the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nonduality-in a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the last page. It's a book to come back to time and time again as an inspiration to practice.… (more)
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Page 42: "When you sit, you should just sit without being disturbed by your painful legs or sleepiness. That is zazen. But at first it is difficult to accept things as they are. You will be annoyed by the feeling you
Page 43: "For the beginner, the practice needs great effort. ... You must be true to your own way until at last you actually come to the point where you see it is necessary to forget all about yourself. Until you come to this point, it is completely mistaken to think that whatever you do is Zen or that it does not matter whether you practice or not. But if you make your best effort just to continue your practice with your whole mind and body, without gaining ideas, then whatever you do will be true practice."
Page 107: "Because you think you have body or mind, you have lonely feelings, but when you realize that everything is just flashing into the vast universe, you become very strong and your existence becomes very meaningful."
Page 109: "To have nothing in your mind is naturalness. ... When you do something, you should be completely involved in it. You should devote yourself to it completely. Then you have nothing. So if there is no true emptiness in your activity, it is not natural."
The book is broken up into themes. In each theme, e.g. Constancy, Study Yourself, Zen and Excitement, there is some talk of daily life and how we suffer or float through daily events. Invariably, more time is spent in how the theme relates to sitting/meditation practice. Some of the quotes are quaint and memorable, and perhaps inspiring. For example, "For a frog, his sitting position is zazen. When a frog is hopping, that is not zazen."
Overall, I'd say this should not be read by a beginner, regardless of the title. It is very good for readers focused on either the concept or practice of discipline, or focused on meditation. I wouldn't say it compares as much to contemporary Buddhist writings. It is unique and probably a good solid read, but unlikely that one would return to it as a daily inspirational.
Before we were born we had no feeling; we were one with the universe. This is called "mind-only," or "essence of mind," or "big mind," After we are separated by birth from this oneness, as the water falling from the waterfall is separated by the wind and rocks, then we have feeling. You have
If you are a beginner, I would direct you to read the "Three Pillars of Zen" first. It was my first book (See my review), and it teaches Zen in a historical and traditional light.
"Those who are practicing actually do not feel anything... When we hear the sound of the pine trees on a windy day, perhaps the wind is just blowing, and the pine tree is just standing in the wind. This is all that they are doing. But the people who listen to the wind in the tree
I'm not Buddhist, and I don't think I'll ever become Buddhist, but this passage really spoke to me about the meaning of Zen. Shunryu Suzuki gave a lot of (frankly confusing) information about what it is to be Zen (or be in zazen), but really shied away from the why, which he justified quite eloquently as distracting. However, those of us who don't subscribe to the Buddhist religion need something.
For me, this means that zazen will help me even when I can't observe that it's helping beyond calming my mind, and for me this is enough to give it a shot. I want to better myself, and making a conscious effort doesn't seem to always work, so perhaps I need to calm my inner nature to make changes that I cannot see from my perspective.
What do you need from me? It's a classic. Suzuki is classic. Coyote is perfect. Read it, listen to it, be it.
Or something like that.