The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau

by Philip Kapleau

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 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.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Meditation

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

A teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, a blending of Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools.

Reviews

[William2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his essays on Synchronicity C.G. Jung writes of the “acausal connecting principal” or what we in the West refer to as chance. Jung believed in events not connected causally, and thus unprovable in an empirical sense, but connected by the meaning we derive from them. Buddhism is the only nontheistic discipline I know of which allows for such a possibility.

Earlier I was drawn to books by Pema Chödrön. Perhaps because the discipline for the form of meditation she espoused was rather loosely structured, or perhaps because I am lazy, I drifted away from it. By the way, her astonishing Start Where You Are, is well worth multiple rereadings. Now I’m looking into Zen, which I’ve always put off doing because I thought it would be prohibitively demanding.

There is a disparity in what is considered effective practice by the two main schools of Zen, Soto and Rinzai. This book is largely a Rinzai and Soto cocktail. Some Rinzai methods for achieving kensho, are considered by Sotoians and others as harsh, perhaps even traumatizing. The Soto school, by contrast—the Soto master best known to me is Shunryu Suzuki—believes that kensho is not something that has to be sought. The Soto school’s view is that from the moment you assume the zazen posture, which is physically demanding but doable, you are enlightened. There is no need to strive. Just ensure effective zazen is a lifelong practice.

This is what threw me at the start of this book. For much of the language used in Kapleau’s introduction seemed at loggerheads with principles of Soto Zen I’d learned from Suzuki-roshi’s books. (See his Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, considered a classic.) For example, there is language in the Introduction which connotes grasping, seeking attainment, and pride in one’s spiritual elevation, but it is never acknowledged as such in the text. It is a kind of cognitive dissonance that runs through the book.

Fortunately, this contradiction abates in the early section on practical advice from Yasutani-roshi, introducer Kapleau’s master, who relays in 12 short chapters much about the current practice of Zen. The stages are laid out for those starting zazen. I used them to start my practice. These early practical chapters I will undoubtedly have to re-read soon, so helpful are they, but dense with information.

The section “Encounter With Ten Westerners,” details the dokusan between Yasutani-roshi and a number of his students, mostly American beginners, held in Hokkaido c. 1960. Author Kapleau was the interpreter who subsequently gained permission to turn these one-on-one dharma tutorials into transcripts. I wrote in my review of Peter Matthiessen’s Nine-Headed Dragon River: Zen Journals that not before reading that wild book had I come across commentaries by Zen students in the midst of training. Well, I’ve just discovered many more, and like the Matthiessen journals they are enormously insightful.

Some of the passages, as when Yasutani-roshi is encouraging a despairing young woman, are deeply moving. Moreover, his patience in the face of some very frivolous questions is downright Job-ian. When he says: “In the profoundest sense, we can know nothing.” Well, that resounded with me; for I am one who reads and reads and constantly wishes to know. It’s how I’ve survived. But the Roshi’s statement, though almost ungraspable is at the same time liberating. It made my existential protoplasm go all aquiver.

In “Bassui’ Dharma Talk and Lectures” there is reference to hell, and the Three Evil Paths, presumably negotiated in the bardo, should one end up there having not achieved enlightenment in this life. This is something Pema Chödrön’s books never describe. In fact, all supernatural matters have been stripped from that particular school of Buddhism, Shambala, which is a secular practice for achieving enlightened society based on the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa. Neither are hells ever mentioned in the dharma talks of Suzuki-roshi, a Soto master.

I don’t understand sesshin as it’s described here with its atmosphere of striving, not to mention pummelings with the kyosaku. Everyone is sitting there huffing and puffing and straining their concentration. It seems to me like a self-imposed ordeal. I just don’t see how one can be willfully bent on kensho and at the same time be non-seeking with regard to attainment. As I’ve said, this is the paradox which runs through this entire book. Maybe it is its own koan.

I skipped the section “Enlightenment Letters” for now and moved on to the supplemental section, “Dogen on ‘Being Time’”, which is an except from that master’s Shobogenzo. The book closes with a handy Q&A on the principles and practice of zazen—re postures, pain, breathing, disposition of one’s gaze, etc.—and an afterword by the present abbot of Rochester New York’s Zen community on the development of Zen in the West. Though I have questions about some of the content here, overall I think it’s essential reading for those seeking to practice zazen, and may be especially helpful to those seeking an introduction to koan study.

I also highly recommend The art of just sitting: essential writings on the Zen practice of shikantaza by John Daidi Loori, which is more Soto school oriented.

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book around the autumn of 1969 in downtown Kingston. Reading it thoroughly at uni March Break, I was mesmerized. Like Aldous Huxley, I knew it pointed to the Way for me.

But the Way is arduous, to put it mildly.

While rarely engaging in formal meditation, the Way would split, and open wide for me in the form of an incipient and vigorous counterattack by the Wary World.

The wary world was my subtle social self on steroids.

The wary world is like John Bunyan's Worldly Wiseman. A hawker of cheap goods.

Personally, I think the wary world is, politically speaking, now way too unwary. It's become schizophrenically split on political issues. It's now lost Control!

The wary world, like I was in 1969, is now dualistic, whereas I now know God's healing power. And My Faith and my good meds have broken their code.

Here in Canada during the lifespan of us Boomers, we've run hot and cold, politically:

Cold with parsimoniously populist conservative bean-counters, and hot with worldly wise spendthrift renegades.

We've seen it all. One side "cleans up our acts" when the other is trounced: the other side runs roughshod over common sense when it wins.

The Zen Way navigates the Middle.

And Here's where little Saint Therese can help us Christians:

She promoted her own Little Middle Way - a life that is in the world but not of it. As Somerset Maugham has Larry navigate The Razor's Edge. "Neither from Nor towards."

Chogyam Trungpa used to say that if you choose the razor's edge you risk being sliced in two.

But Maugham's Larry is a young man of ebullient goodness, who already knows - like Saint Therese - that the dense Wary World is everywhere, and we must become an Island Unto Ourselves in Christ.

Our life is Whole - And it's can't be sliced in two due to its naively amorphous ways. It is like our childhood: fresh in every moment.

Well, Maugham's Larry has studied a form of The Three Zen Pillars in an Indian Ashram. He knows love is Meredith's hidden answer to becoming a Millionaire of the Spirit.

So Larry's not worried by the Worldly attitude of Maugham's little social clique.

If Larry had been a Christian he would have read in 1 Corinthians that the wisdom of the wary world is stupidity. It's stupid because it takes pleasure in the weeds of the world.

And such weeds are toxic.

But Larry prizes charitable love, at which point the worldly world merely winks.

Let them eat their cake and swap their cynical apercus...

Larry has his Little Way.

And what Kapleau offers us in this amazing book is the same kinda humble reverence as Larry has found.

It's not really such a big deal for the Wary World in the end -

For it will all come out in the wash (theirs and ours).

For us afterward, there is

Only the Perpetually Tolerant and Simple Peace of our Little, Ordinary Lives.

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching For Mu

There is a famous Zen koan (a Zen paradox which the student of Zen must resolve on the path to enlightenment) known as Mu. As recounted in this book (page 82) it goes like this: "A monk in all seriousness asked Joshu "has a dog Buddha-nature or not?" Joshu retorted "Mu!"
A great deal in Philip Kapleau's book discusses the Koan Mu and its role in Zen -- or some forms of Zen. Kapleau was trained as a court reporter and served as a court reporter after WW II for the war crimes trials in Nuremberg and Tokyo. While in Japan, he became interested in Buddhism.

In 1953 at the age of 46 Kapleau gave up his business and his possessions in New York City to travel to Japan to study Zen. He remained in Japan for 16 years. Upon returning to the United States he founded the Rochester Zen Center and published "The Three Pillars of Zen". Over the years, the book has been instrumental in introducing Americans to Zen. The book has appeared in a 25th anniversary edition and in this 35th anniversary edition.

And why Zen? Why the Koan Mu? The most valuable part of this book is the freshness, enthusiasm, and zeal which Kapleau brought to his subject 35 years ago and which strikes the reader today. In describing his own experiences and the experiences of other students set out in the book, Kapleau gives a good picture of the discontent and the suffering -- arising from an experience of death, illness, restlessness, or disillusion -- that lead him to leave his established life in 1953 and search for meaning in Zen. The discussion in the book (never stated explicitly) of why people look to Zen and how Zen responds to the needs of its seekers is what gives meaning to the book.

The book describes long hours, months and years of sitting in monasteries. Another excellent feature of the book is Kapleau's realistic picture of the rigors of Zen life. This is something that, with the spread of Zen in the United States, might be too easily forgotten. Kapleau emphasizes the long hours of painful sitting, the use of the rod to strike students during the sitting to keep them awake, the sometimes stormy and discouraging interviews with the master teacher -- or roshi, and the frustrations and difficulties in wrestling with the Koan Mu and other Zen teaching techniques. He describes how some people, after deep effort attain to a degree of realization. He does not stint the difficulty and endlessness of the process, which ultimately returns the seeker to himself and to living in the everyday.

The book itself includes materials from a variety of sources including introductory lectures on Zen by one of Kapleau's teachers, Yasutani Roshi, a commentary on Mu, a discussion of the famous Zen "oxherding" pictures, and much more. For me, the most revealing section of the book was the discussion in Part II of "Eight Contemporary Enlightenment Experiences of Japanese and Westerners". These discussions gave me some insight, I think, into what the Zen path was about. I particularly learned from Kapleau's own account of his experience and from the account of the woman who became his wife.

Another excellent part of the book is the enlightenment letters written by a young woman named Yaekeo Iwasaki on her deathbed to her teacher, Harada-Roshi. The letters are poignant and Harada-Roshi's comments are revealing.

In reading this book, I saw that the Zen path was difficult and not for everyone. I learned something of it and about why people are attracted to it. Zen and other forms of Buddhism have made great strides in the United States since Kapleau wrote his book. The Three Pillars of Zen survives due to its sincerity and freshness. It can't be institutionalized. Every seeker must find his own path -- find Mu -- for him or herself.

Robin Friedman

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a different kind of book when I picked up “The Three Pillars of Zen”; I think I was expecting a teaching book, with a clear plan (sort of like “On Zen Practice” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), for lack of a better word, as where it is more a collection of interesting testimonials. It is really inspiring, and it helps me stay very motivated and focused to read these students’ dokusan records and about their satori experiences. But I am not sure I’d call it a manual for lay students per se…

Kapleau does an amazing job of breaking down the mechanics of Zen practice (zazen, koan zazen, etc.) to give the reader a clear understanding of what the purpose of each practice is, and how it works. I’m the kind of person who always wants to know why things are done a certain way, and I find the clear explanations and instructions in the first part of this book to be thorough and valuable. The tone is quite formal and serious, but not ponderous and it remains easy and straightforward to read.

The middle part of the book is a collection of transcripts from a teacher’s encounters with his Western students (dokusan), of Dharma talks given by a few teachers, some of their correspondences, as well as the testimonies of several lay students who achieved enlightenment. This is followed by an appendix containing some common zazen postures, Q&A as well as the Oxherding Pictures, with accompanying commentary and verses. I thought the afterword was also very interesting, highlighting a lot of differences between Japanese Zen and Western Zen, and the way they overlap.

This book was written from the Rinzai Zen perspective, so it is very intense about the rigidity of practice and it puts a lot of emphasis on attaining enlightenment. I lean more towards the Soto Zen school, so I can appreciate the style, but it’s a bit too intense for me. Don’t get me wrong: discipline, determination and hard work are quite important to both schools of thought, but Rinzai has a more militaristic style that quite simply doesn’t suit every student (or mind). For example, the use of the kyosaku during zazen is something that I can’t help but feel uncomfortable about. I understand why it is used, the explanation in the book is quite clear, but (and perhaps this is a unconscious cultural blockage) I can’t agree with the idea of hitting students, even if it’s a light tap.

This is nevertheless a very interesting and often greatly inspiring text, that I’d recommend any serious Zen student to check out. 3 and a half rounded up.

[Viet Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for meditation practitioners. The book clearly explains in details all things about Japanese Zen. It is very useful, helpful for people who are learning and practicing Zen / Buddhism meditation.
I will have to re-read it. As I can't consume everything in the first read. It's great though.
PDF for Vietnamese edition is here:
http://thuvienhoasen.org/a15561/ba-tr...

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, language is conceptual, dividing the world up into categorical separations. The most basic instructions given for Zen practice should be sufficient to experience this simple, delicate, easy task. Yet we as westerners have been trained to reason, deduct, and to ask 'why?', at least that seems to be the common obstacle for western practitioners.

Sadly you can go into all of the logical explanations, but never touch the very simple experience that is Zen, and become lost in the discussion of "it". It is for this reason that most teachers do not get into the conceptual teaching of Zen, but rather focus on the orthorpraxy, or the practice. This is very disappointing for people who are, looking for something. Strangely by looking for it, you never find it, yet it is discover-able, if you simply sit for a bit.

After I read a book called Zen Mind Beginner's Mind, and through learning fine arts I "discovered", "something". When I went to a Zen Center it was initially frustrating because there were no direct answers. I attended some classes, and read this book and suddenly it was clarified to my conceptual mind, what it was I was 'doing'.

We westerners look at things as parts of a whole, as if they are solid, unchangeable things. Yet everything is in process and not static at all.

This book helped me tremendously, it spoke to my conceptual mind and answered many of its questions so that I could continue to practice without over thinking, if this makes any sense at all. It will not lead to the direct experience, yet it will address the questions that arise for a western mind, at least, it did for me. I know at one point this book did not "do it" for me, and that was precisely the problem, I had to, "do it". It is rather a dry book, until you start practicing a bit, and attending a zen center or have a teacher of some sort. I think by itself the book could introduce even more questions, actually initiating "counter productivity", I simply mean to say that one "should" take this as a static representation of what is fluid. Like a photograph, it is a clear representation, but not a full one. And yet, I would name it pivotal in allowing me to relax into my practice.

[Michael Cabus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritual books often rely on a variety of literary devices; biography, testimony, instruction and problem statements for contemplation. Nearly all have a fair bit of repetition usually because the ideas presented are not our default way of thinking.

Reading this one wonders if a spiritual doctrine like this formed the basis of the western world. It's devoid of the political, often war like passages in the bible; it focuses on internal development; and it emphasises peacefulness. It's hard to imagine capitalism thriving in such a cultural basis but the cost of the idea of righteousness through political force may have been avoided.

As a book to enter a practice of zen it's perfect. It has the intellectual inspiration as well as detailed instructions on meditation. The book itself emphasises finding a teacher or community but lacking that one could begin a practice with determination.

This of course is the real determinant of spiritual growth; a willingness to go beyond a fear of exploring ones true nature. Of all the things we can spend our time doing this is the most worthwhile.

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried with this book. I stopped and started with this text a few times. I am into studying about Buddhism and this book would have been a good starting point 20+ years ago. There are better less cluttered and more direct options today. Try the Buddha in you. I just reviewed it a few days ago. It’s a much better option

[Levas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had my reservations regarding this book. And though I still have them, this is one powerful read regarding Japanese Zen. Varying human perspective (letters to students, all kinds of experiences etc.) plus commentaries, insights and some facts. I am not sure how I feel reading about enlightenment experiences for I don't know what's that and I am not sure how to relate to that. But it is an amazing text overall and I am glad I've got myself to read it.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down, one of my favourite books on Zen Buddhism. You won't find any flowery poetry, philosophy or mind games in this book. Instead, you are given the basics of meditation, Zen life on retreats, and a feel for the Japanese flavour of Zen Buddhism. The lectures from YR are invaluable. The author has done a great job here. I'm also glad he pointed out the shallow nature of some other schools/authors that is passed off as "Zen", and which normally involves zero practical work. This idea is corrected here- both before and after 'enlightenment'. The only criticism I have on this book is that the "Buddhism" spoken about here is a particularly Japanese/Mahayana style that does not necessarily reflect the true history of Buddhism, or what is practiced and given as 'true' in other authentic Buddhist schools of thought (such as in Theravada Buddhism). An example would be the emphasis on vegetarianism (and monastic practices found in this book), which was an insertion into Buddhism via Chinese monastic developments, rather than related to any real historical evidence as practiced in early Buddhism in India. My other comment would be that this book (or style of Buddhism) downplays the importance of Metta (Loving-Kindness) practices and other essential Buddhist practices (such as analytic dialogue) as something not as essential as meditation. Yes, these practices, such as Metta, are 'contrived', but may also be of great benefit in assisting one's meditation and meditative insight experiences. Nonetheless, IMO this is one of the top Zen Buddhism books compiled, and has stood the test of time.

[IAO131 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good book on Zen, especially as it focuses so much on the practice of zazen. Nonetheless, it is a bit long and repetitive for how much it emphasizes the uselessness of discursive intellect.

[Stewart Dorward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The practical nature of the first part is inspiring. Up to page 161 covers a small group of short talks on very useful points such as delusions that can be experienced in sitting, types of sitting, motivation in sitting and so on. This is followed by a series of transcripts of interviews between teacher and student during a sesshin - it functions like FAQs of zazen. However, the struggles of these students are quite inspiring - real questions, issues and problems and how they are faced or not by the individual. This is followed by a selection of letters that show how the experiences described today are very similar to those of earlier 'sitters'. This pattern is repeated with experiences of those who have gained some degree of enlightenment. My only real criticism is that the focus is almost entirely on those who have been enlightened using koans, especially 'Mu'. This makes the reader feel that the type of full on spiritual warfare described by these sitters is the only way to move forward. Some interviews with those who practice shikantaza would have balanced things a little. Indeed - at the start of the book several types of zazen are mentioned but only the kensho seekers get highlighted.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting survey of Japanese Zen habits and translations of documents from 1950's Japan (mostly.) Includes notes from dokusan (meditation interviews) and reports from people who experienced kensho (enlightenment) experiences. Very interesting assortment of items.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Singer, who wrote The Untethered Soul, described in another of his books, The Surrender Experiment, how he read The Three Pillars of Zen in his youth was was motivated to leave grad school for the woods to meditate and to wander. Naturally, I had to see what it was all about.

So sorry for the long review/notes. If you want to skip all that, just read this and you will know all: “Mu.”


Big Ideas:

+ The three pillars of Zen are: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment.

+ The purpose of enlightenment is to help others. This is a process and takes time.
- “Shojo… literally mean[s] “small vehicle.” This is the vehicle or teaching that is to take you from one state of mind [delusion] to another [enlightenment]. This small vehicle is so named because it is designed to accommodate only one’s self. You can perhaps compare it to a bicycle. The large vehicle [Mahayana], on the other hand, is more like a car or bus: it takes on others as well. Hence shojo is a Zen which looks only to one’s own peace of mind.”
- “We cannot attain genuine peace of mind merely by seeking our own salvation while remaining indifferent to the welfare of others.”
- “The aims of zazen are three: (1) development of the power of concentration (joriki), (2) satori-awakening (kensho-godo), and (3) actualization of the Supreme Way in our daily lives (mujodo no taigen).”
- “The experience of awakening is sudden, but the integration of the experience into your life is gradual.”
- “I feel a love which, without object, is best called lovingness. But my old emotional reactions still coarsely interfere with the expressions of this supremely gentle and effortless lovingness.”
- “Love without force is weakness, force without love brutality.”
- “I live my life minute by minute, but only now does a warm love pervade my whole being, because I know that I am not just my little self but a great big miraculous Self.”

+ Much like Taoism, Zen endorses the experiential knowing of the unity in all things despite the fact that we live in a world of differentiation. This is like the wave-particle duality in physics and also like the Christian teaching that although we must live in this world we are not of this world.
- “Zen tells us that the is is holy and the Void is home, but such affirmations are not Zen. Rather, Zen is a method for attaining to the direct experience of the truth of these affirmations.”
- “The import of every koan is the same: that the world is one interdependent Whole and that each separate one of us is that Whole.”
- “With enlightenment you see the world as Buddha-nature, but this does not mean that all becomes as radiant as a halo. Rather, each thing just as it is takes on an entirely new significance or worth. Miraculously, everything is radically transformed though remaining as it is.”
- “Take a circle with a nucleus. Without the nucleus there is no circle, without the circle, no nucleus. You are the nucleus, the circle is the universe. If you exist, the universe exists, and if you disappear, the universe likewise disappears.”
- “Enlightenment is no more than the realization that the world of discrimination and the world of undifferentiation are not two.”
- “After you have seen into your True-nature—that is, become enlightened—you see all objects as temporary phenomena undergoing endless change, but you see them in and through the aspect of sameness. You then understand that without the undifferentiated there can be no individual existences.”
- “They are two aspects of the One. But while the discriminated aspect is subject to ceaseless transformation, that which is undifferentiated is changeless.”
- “Beneath this variety they intermingle in one inexpressibly vast unity.”

+ This experiential knowing usually only comes after years of dedicated meditation practice. It takes much effort to put the mind in its proper place and to get in touch with direct experience.
- “To be sure, abstract thinking is useful when wisely employed—which is to say, when its nature and limitations are properly understood—but as long as human beings remain slaves to their intellect, fettered and controlled by it, they can well be called sick.”
- “To come to Self-realization you must directly experience yourself and the universe as one. Of course you understand this theoretically, but theoretical understanding is like a picture: it is not the thing itself but only a representation of it. You must let go of logical reasoning and grasp the real thing!”
- “In single-minded concentration on Mu you are not aware of ‘I’ standing against what is ‘not-I.’ If the absorption in Mu continues without interruption, the ‘I-ness’ dies out in the subconscious mind. Suddenly ‘Plap!’—there is no more duality. To experience this directly is kensho.

+ Identity is mysterious. Who is it that notices your experience? What is consciousness?
- “What was my Face before my parents were born?”
- “Our True-nature is beyond all categories. Whatever you can conceive or imagine is but a fragment of yourself, hence the real You cannot be found through logical deduction or intellectual analysis or endless imagining.”
- “Your enemy is your own personal ego. When you have stopped thinking of yourself as a separated individuality and have realized the Oneness of all existence, you have dealt your ego a mortal blow.”

+ Meditation can happen at any time.
- “Sitting zazen and mobile zazen are two functions equally dynamic and mutually reinforcing. Those who sit devotedly in zazen every day, their minds free of discriminating thoughts, find it easier to relate themselves wholeheartedly to their daily tasks, and those who perform every act with total attention and clear awareness find it less difficult to achieve emptiness of mind during sitting periods.”

+ Zen monks are pretty particular about how to meditate (sit zazen), but not in an absolute way.
- “Settling the body’s center of gravity below the navel, that is, establishing a center of consciousness in the tanden, automatically relaxes tensions arising from the habitual hunching of the shoulders, straining of the neck, and squeezing in of the stomach. As this rigidity disappears, an enhanced vitality and new sense of freedom are experienced throughout the body and mind, which are felt more and more to be a unity.”
- “A bent back deprives the mind of its tension so that it is quickly invaded by random thoughts and images, but that a straight back, by strengthening concentration, lessens the incidence of wandering thoughts… This all-important erectness of the spine and parallel tautness of mind are easier to maintain over a long period if the legs are in the full- or half-lotus posture and the attention concentrated in the region just below the navel.”
- “In the last resort what ensures success in the quest for enlightenment is not a particular posture but an intense longing for truth for its own sake, which alone leads one to sit regularly in any fashion and to perform all the affairs of daily life with devotion and clear awareness.”

+ The benefits of meditation are many.
- “Eventually zazen leads to a transformation of personality and character. Dryness, rigidity, and self-centeredness give way to flowing warmth, resiliency, and compassion, while self-indulgence and fear are transmuted into self-mastery and courage.”
- “Zazen makes equally plain that what we term “suffering” is our evaluation of pain from which we stand apart, that pain when courageously accepted is a means to liberation in that it frees our natural sympathies and compassion even as it enables us to experience pleasure and joy in a new depth and purity.”

+ Zen holds that human nature is inherently pure but becomes defiled, like cement being laid on top of grass. Meditation doesn’t make us good, it uncovers the good that’s already there, like grass sprouting up through cracks in a sidewalk (thank you, Pema Chodron, for sharing that image).
- “Zazen does not bestow Buddhahood; it uncovers a Buddha-nature which has always existed.”
- “At the moment of enlightenment he spontaneously cried out: ‘Wonder of wonders! Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, endowed with wisdom and virtue, but because people’s minds have become inverted through delusive thinking they fail to perceive this.’”
- “All human beings, whether clever or stupid, male or female, ugly or beautiful, are whole and complete just as they are.”
- “The mind of a Buddha is like water that is calm, deep and crystal clear, and upon which the ‘moon of truth’ reflects fully and perfectly. The mind of the ordinary person, on the other hand, is like murky water, constantly being churned by the gales of delusive thought and no longer able to reflect the moon of truth. The moon nonetheless shines steadily upon the waves, but as the waters are roiled we are unable to see its reflection. Thus we lead lives that are frustrating and meaningless.”
- “Buddha-nature has the quality of infinite adaptability.”
- “The purpose of zazen is to wipe away from the mind these shadows or defilements so that we can intimately experience our solidarity with all life. Love and compassion then naturally and spontaneously flow forth.”

+ Zen has been largely misunderstood in the West.
- “For no insignificant number of Westerners, misdirected by this academic spearhead toward a hypothetical Zen which is the product of theory and speculation and not personal experience, have been repelled by the enigmatic and seemingly nonsensical formulations of the koans and by the apparently cruel or senseless behavior of the ancient Zen masters, with the result that they have rejected Zen as a weird and alien discipline uncongenial to the Western mind.”



Potent Quotables:

*“Eight parts of a full stomach sustain the man; the other two sustain the doctor.” Japanese proverb

So long as you remain in a state of delusion you are like ice. Upon realization you become as exquisitely free as water.

To become attached to one’s own enlightenment is as much a sickness as to exhibit a maddeningly active ego. Indeed, the profounder the enlightenment, the worse the illness.

The essence of Buddhism is no more than living in harmony with the changing circumstances of one’s life, without strain or compulsion.

*With full enlightenment we realize we possess the universe, so why grasp for what is inherently ours?

Faced with a situation involving life or death, one can act instantly, intuitively, free from illusion or discrimination, and yet not be in a trance. It is a matter of training oneself.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today it seems the west is in a big backwash of Zen related themes. The Zen of Gardening, the Zen of Grooming your Pet, the Zen of brushing your teeth etc. Most of these accounts are by people who wouldn't know Realization if it jumped up and bit them in the rumps. It's due to these circumstances that Philip Kapleau's account of Zen is truly refreshing.

Roshi Kapleau traveled back to Japan after having been stationed there post World War II to study Zen and stayed for 13 years. When he came back to the west (before the big Zen fad had hit) he longed to share his experiences so that others could come to self-awakening and experience peace of mind. Thus we end up with this wonderful book that contains an abundant wealth of information. You'll find in this book translated talks of Kapleau's own teacher Yasutani Roshi, and also Yasutani's personal teachings with ten different westerners. Later in this book you'll find a section on the enlightenment experience. This section gives 8 different accounts of people from varying ages and occupations and their first person accounts of enlightenment. Also, you'll find illustrations and important instructions on cultivating a meditation practice. Lastly, this book serves as an important reference work. There's a nice glossary and many notes contained in the back, which help to clear up any confusion over terminology, contained in the book.

I found that something new can be found every time you read this book. That's why it really makes a great one to have in your personal collection. As your personal insights grow deeper and your understanding widens certain passages in this book will seem more vivid and real. The last thing I would like to say is that ultimately no book can convey the true nature of Zen or teach you how to attain it. You have to practice for yourself and learn for yourself much like learning how to ride a bike. But while no book can do these things for you this book certainly serves as a nice map to give you instructions to start on the path and then hopefully...ultimately burn the book itself.
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[darío hereñú · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there"
(Robert Pirsig)


Aquella frase leída en la solapa de una librería de viejo en la cansina ciudad de Montevideo fue el puntapié para leer este libro.
Lo tomé a pie juntillas.
Así, lo llevé en mi mochila y lo fui leyendo entre los descansos (exiguos) y las nocturnas noches.
El libro -han pasado años de aquella experiencia- lo recuerdo modoso, vitalista, con varios pasajes de sabiduría oriental (usualmente conocida por prajña). Son remotas las posibilidades que encuentres superficialidades: habla del amor al prójimo, del camino personal (todo es un proceso al que nada escapa: vida-muerte, enfermedades, sentimientos, olvidos), de las "detours" humanos, del desarraigo, de desaprender lo aprendido, de olvidar lo olvidable, de nuestra trascendencia.
Lo terminé de leer, efectivamente arriba de un inamovible cerro salteño.
Ese momento lo recuerdo humilde, en un acto insignificante: mi linterna minera apuntando uno de los últimos capítulos, con guantes en las manos, envuelto la mitad de mi cuerpo en una bolsa de dormir y rodeado en nubes y de un frío glacial: cuando lo terminé tuve una confirmación: lo insignificante que somos nosotros: la raza humana. (Me) Recordé que el Universo nada sabe que existimos, ni sabrá ni sospechará que alguien escribió todo esto...


pd: Agradezco a mis compañeros de travesía: Pancho (nuestro guía mendocino), a María, a "Chemín".

[Iona Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 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.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zen buddhism has fascinated me for a long time, while I didn't know why. When I've engaged with it off and on over the years it went over my head while still intriguing me. So I took on this book, considered a classic in the canon, with more urgency and determination. Lately I'd been wondering if I've ever met an enlightened person and was starting to wonder if it's even possible (without having to go live in a cave in Tibet or a monastery :-)). Is becoming enlightened, of realizing the inherent buddha nature within everyone beyond everyone's grasp? Are those who go on the spiritual path at best only managing incremental, limited or transitory improvements in their lives (mostly in their mental health and well-being)? This very engaging book clearly and methodically conveys that it is possible and how it is possible. The real stories of people aspiring to enlightenment, to knowing their true nature are written in such electrifying fashion that while reading I felt like I do know enlightened people. The work, the effort, the courage, the persistence required are enormous, with the steps spelled out so a reader and a seeker will understand the endeavor. The author has written a wonderful book whether one is ready to make the effort needed for the highest levels of living or for someone who simply wants to understand the ideas and practice of Zen.

[Sypsis]

I am hesitant to give this book 5 stars since I have not read any other zen literature; regardless, this book was an exceptional read. It is incredibly dense, and I only recommend it if you have a strong curiosity for Zen practice. It taught me a shit ton of stuff (like the fact that Shakyamuni Buddha was the og that said, "Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honoured One" and NOT Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen.). Jokes aside, good book.

[Silvio Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The editor of this book was one of the first Zen teachers outside Asia, and seems to have mainly intended this book as a sort of teach-yourself manual for people who couldn't find someone to teach them. Since I wasn't really considering becoming a Zen student before reading it, and am definitely not considering it now, I don't fall into the target audience. All the same, I found it an illuminating explanation of a religion that is radically different from typical European/Western Asian religions and (in some ways, more surprisingly) the Quaker tradition I grew up with. It's an explanation of practice, not of concepts, since the goal of practice is to understand that all concepts are delusions. Since their delusion is what I see as the foundation of reality, and vice versa, I'm of course left with thoughts after reading this that are not at all in the spirit of Zen and very much in the spirit of me, but unfamiliar nonetheless.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic book on the basics of Zen Buddhism. I especially enjoyed the firsthand accounts of how people (both Japanese and Westerners) had attained enlightenment. Fascinating stuff. I also appreciated learning more about the purpose behind dudes whacking you with a stick in the monastery while meditating. What is "mu"? What is the sound of one hand clapping? What did your face look like before your parents were born? These are questions that now preoccupy my thoughts. Especially mu.

[Michael RoehmT#0reau · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...# Robin's words say enough. A good book either for one in Zen or one who just wants a snese of what Zen is about. Kapleau's book is a Western Zen classic.

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretentious nonsense. I'm really glad this wasn't the first book I picked up on Zen, it's terrible.

[Rachna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did I feel that the very book which was dealing with a very non-conceptual concept, conceptualised the hell out of it? This was a complicated read for me.

[Sandman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful introduction to the Zen Buddhism, The Three Pillars of Zen is a passionate potpourri of classic Zen writings, a historical walk back to its roots in Mahayana Buddhism, layman instructions for zazen and personal accounts of its practice, both western and Japanese.

[Brian Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, careful, detailed exposition of Zen practice (as opposed to Zen philosophy) and the varieties thereof. For those who aren't familiar with the author (Kapleau), he was the founder of the Rochester Zen Center--one of the earliest Zen institutions to be established in America.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grasping the ox. Some interesting insight into what actual zen practice looks like, but I feel like this made me realize I am more just interested in meditation than actual zen practice.

[Oleg Prophet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good Zen introduction. It has it all:
- how to start the practice
- what happens during sesshin (zen retreat)
- how wisdom is passed from master to disciples
- people's experiences during kenshō and satori
- the Ten Oxherding pictures with commentaries

10/10

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book and I go way back. I read it in my twenties and it influenced me to spend some time in Zen Buddhist temples and practice centres.

Alan Watts’s The Way of Zen was a good read for me as a teenager, and gave me my initial introduction to Chan (Zen) as a “way”, explaining its ancient developmental background in India & China. Watts was good on tracing how this religious movement was influenced in China, then had a degree of influence on Chinese culture, and much more influence later in Japan. Watts presented the Zen enlightenment as something independent and transcendent of doctrines and verbal formulas. However, Watts had achieved his knowledge by virtue of knowing Christmas Humphreys and D.T. Suzuki, plus doing an awful lot of reading. He had sampled the training but didn’t wish to commit to it.

By contrast, Philip Kapleau lived in Japan, studied with recognized Zen Masters, and was eventually credentialed as a teacher. The intellectual information concerning the experience & traditions was, for him, something subsequent to actual Zen experience. In this book, we learn how Zen was taught and practiced in Japan in the mid-20th century (still relevant today). Instructions for starting zazen (Zen meditation) are provided. Extensive commentary by Kapleau’s primary Zen master is included. The personal experiences of numerous modern students (both American & Japanese) are related through their own words.

An interesting aspect, not previously included in books about Zen, is the relationship between kensho (Zen glimpse of awakening, or insight) and the action of kundalini in a practitioner's subtle body.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Three Pillars of Zen is an essential text for anyone interested in engaging with Zen Buddhism from either an introductory, technical, or academic perspective. Kapleau's writing and clarity are superb; his training as a lawyer gives his writing an unparalleled clarity and flow. The book is broken down into three sections with subsections that explore the whole gamut of Zen Buddhism ranging from how to sit, testimonies of enlightenment, and even modern translations of medeival Zen-Master texts. This book is as much a resource as anything I could ask for and includes a nifty glossary that anyone interested in Buddhist and Zen studies can make use of.