Three Pillars of Zen, The

by Roshi P. Kapleau

Paperback, 1993

Call number

299 B7

Collection

Publication

Beacon Press (1955) (1993), Edition: UNABRIDGED VERSION, 363 pages

Description

In this classic work of spiritual guidance, the founder of the Rochester Zen Center presents a comprehensive overview of Zen Buddhism. Exploring the three pillars of Zen-teaching, practice, and enlightenment-Roshi Philip Kapleau, the man who founded one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States, presents a personal account of his own experiences as a student and teacher, and in so doing gives listeners invaluable advice on how to develop their own practices. Revised and updated, this edition features a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who succeeded Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center. A moving, eye-opening work, The Three Pillars of Zen is the definitive introduction to the history and discipline of Zen.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Arctic-Stranger
This is a tad dated. It was written on the front end of the buddhist emergence in America, and Kapleau seems scared to try to place it in an American or Western context. But still a good book.
LibraryThing member katefear
Moved to the Rochester area & first learned about roshi Kapleau when I read his obit in the local paper. My brother picked up this older edition for me before it was reprinted, and also signed us up for a day-long meditation session at the Rochester Zen Center.
This is by far the most useful book
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I've yet read about zen.
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LibraryThing member iayork
Among the very best on Zen and meditation: This unarguably authoritative book is absolutely
convincing in its easily readable exposition of Zen BR> Buddhism, it's methods and goals. Practices of Japanese
Zen masters, both modern and historic,
are set forth as they were actually spoken to Zen
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classes
in Japanese temples. It is easily the best book I have read on meditation generally or Zen specifically
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LibraryThing member MarkBeronte
Through explorations of the three pillars of Zen--teaching, practice, and enlightenment--Roshi Philip Kapleau presents a comprehensive overview of the history and discipline of Zen Buddhism. An established classic, this 35th anniversary edition features new illustrations and photographs, as well as
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a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who has succeeded Philip Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center, one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States.
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LibraryThing member IonaS
This book is filled with valuable information penned by erudite scholars and Zen masters.

It is most suitable as a work of reference and is not to be read cover to cover. It needs to be owned and I don’t own it so I didn’t get far with it, having to return it quickly to the library, since there
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were apparently others waiting in line for it.

It’s a book for the serious student of Zen, and can in no way be called an easy read.

We are told in detail how to practice zazen, a form of Zen meditation.

Part two deals with enlightenment and contains “eight contemporary enlightenment experiences of Japanese and Westerners”. In one experience a Japanese executive realized clearly “that Mind is no other than mountains and rivers and the great wide earth, the sun and the moon and the stars”. Later he seemed to be struck by lightning and the next instant heaven and earth crumbled and disappeared”.

The various enlightenment experiences are described in detail, including the events leading up to them, Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to read much of any of them.

I’m pretty much an ignoramus as regards Zen, but it seems to me that for the serious student this book is an absolute must and contains about everything you could need to know.

The book contains valuable illustrations of zazen postures.
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Pages

363

ISBN

0807059757 / 9780807059753
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