Glimpse of Nothingness: Experiences in an American Zen Community

Zen Trilogy #2

by Janwillem van de Wetering

The description of a Zen path of one Westerner who began by seeking for the sense of it all, and who came to realize at least a part of it.

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

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Jan Willem Lincoln "Janwillem" van de Wetering was the author of a number of works in English and Dutch.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Netherlands

Just repeat the mantra. Let every breath hold one repetition of the mantra. Become the mantra. Forget everything else. Pay no attention to your thoughts.

I remembered how often he has told me not to ask, but to find out.

Everything is allowed, provided you can accept the consequences of what you do.

Perhaps being tired is one of the many illusions we live with.

You don't need much and too much luxury will only block your path.

Nothing happens by accident. Nothing is the key.

The moments of change are of importance. At those moments we are forced to wake up and look around. And only when we are awake do we see something, and there is too much to be seen.

Detachment is caused by a slow process, and the results of this process are gradual.

There is no self. There is a constantly changing combination of properties, housed in a constantly changing body.

An unpleasant situation does not have to be accepted.

A man is nothing but an ever changing combination of ever changing habits.

To see that it isn't true is easy. But to see what is true will take some doing.

You are not alone. There are others, on their way on the same track. Travelers from nowhere to nowhere, on their way from nothing to nothing. The track may be narrow and steep and boring and frightening but everybody walks it. You are not alone but linked to everything around you.

Whatever it is I want will come. All I have to do is be there when it comes and then I give it away.

Emptiness, the great goal which is to be reached by losing everything there is to lose.

The disciple has to meditate. For hours and hours. Everyday. Insight is caused by sitting.

We are frightened by the emptiness within and try to fill it. With ideas, with names, with definitions.

Anything he has ever been, ever learned, ever owned, floats past him, still and without life, moved by the slow current of the wide river. It is the first moment of his liberation.

[William Burr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had another book on the go that I was having trouble getting through when I had a moment of despair and decided to pick this one up, having a feeling that it would be more appealing, since I really enjoyed the first book in the series, An Empty Mirror. I was right - I breezed through this one in a week. Not sure how van de Wetering makes the most mundane aspects of life interesting. In this book, he visits an American Zen retreat centre, with a rather authoritarian master.

It's interesting to see his progression since the first book, where he introduced himself to Zen at a Kyoto monastery. This book happens a good while later. I found that he had more faith in the Buddhist teachings this time. The way he describes Zen masters in this book is full of awe and wonder- he believes that they are in touch with a great mystery. As he says in the preface, "Who the master really is I wouldn't know. I could only describe his mask and costume and repeat some of the statements he made and try to recapture the sense of the conversations he had with me."

His writing is simple, and seemingly un-emotional. He has a great eye for detail, and irony.

One of the most memorable moments is when he goes for dinner at the house of a fashionable couple. The hostess is elegant and attractive. At one point, de Wetering notices, though : "The hostess looked at me. The polite behavior of the evening had, for the moment, been forgotten. I saw the frightened face of a woman who is no longer young, whose beauty diminishes by the day, a woman who has seen the first signs of her death. The wrinkles, the first pair of spectacles, the small spots, so aptly named gravespots in English, have appeared on her hands. She is suffering from rheumatism."

That might sound gloomy but the book is not. de Wetering is constantly searching for truth with his writing, and with his life. The book is full of situations where he quietly observes seemingly mundane events and comes to some deeper understanding of life, through them.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are those people out there who say they are Buddhist, who do yoga and vegan diets and oppose wars and meditate occasionally. The latest "trend" is mindfulness, how you can practice five min a day and everything is clearer, one step closer to Nirvana.

Which is why I love books like this. According to this book, if you label yourself a Buddhist, you're not there yet.

Great nonfiction telling of the author's experience in deepening his understanding of beliefs. It is in fact a glimpse into another world, and in reading it I hope others gain a bit of insight. Or, at least they try their best.

[ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The old teacher had told me about the man under the apple tree. First he grabbed at the apples and every now and then he would get one, but they were small and they were crushed in his hand. Then he changed his attitude. He just stood under the tree and stopped jumping. He merely held up his hands and when the apples were ripe they fell into his hands, and there were so many apples that he didn't know what to do with them and gave them away. 'So I must wait,' I thought, 'like I am waiting here in the snow. And while I am waiting I can do the best I can.'"

[Arjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het lijkt alsof Janwillem een stuk cynischer is geworden na zijn avontuur in Japan, maar ik ben benieuwd naar het derde -en laatste- boek.

[Menno Beek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Het eerste deel van deze triologie, waar JWvdW naar Japan gaat om in een klooster ongemakkelijk te gaan zitten, was overtuigender. Hier gaat hij naar Amerika, een Amerikaan achterna die hij in Japan leerde kennen. De Amerikaan is in de USA zijn eigen afdeling van het Japanse klooster begonnen, en JWvdW heeft er alle vertrouwen in: als deze Peter kinderachtig of eigenaardig doet, is dat een kant van zijn brede persoonlijkheid die hij projecteert, wetende dat hij projecteeert - terwijl ik als lezer met het bange vermoeden bleef zitten dat Peter gewoon ook zo zijn limieten heeft. Of JWvdW heeft de beste uitspraken van peter speciaal buiten het boek gelaten, dat kan ook. Wel erg boeiend om de zoektocht van JWvdW te volgen. Dat derde deel lees ik ook nog wel eens.

[Maryanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting, slow moving personal story of a man from Amsterdam that visits America to continue his Zen studies with his Japanese master's chief disciple. It is a remote retreat center where he encounters a strict regimen of meditation, austere living conditions and conversations with an assorted characters. He writes about koans, the puzzles and riddles posed by the master, that I had to look up, but really don't understand. It's a look at the journey of finding enlightenment.

[Joseph Gerhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, absolutely fire, really helped me learn more about the Buddhist practice and feel more grounded, and now I feel ready to explore eastern religions more

[Marilyn Di Carlo-Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are no secrets here; the people who live a monastic life are mere mortals like the rest of us. The wit and humor that van de Wetering captures in his characters are, just that, characters. There are different ways that we go about finding ourselves, and in this world chaotic, it sounds very sensual to imagine retreating, but do you have the sanctity to do it in this manner? Being one who is familiar and comfortable with solitude the idea sounds enchanting, yet when you learn of the Zen masters rules, I personally think cult. You decide. Either way, this book is an eye-opener into the concept of what does anything matter anyway? Hmm...

[Jerobeam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toeval bestaat niet. Lees een sterk staaltje in mijn leesverslag van dit boek op depiependemeerkoet.nl.

[caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Glimpse into Nothingness offers a perspective of Zen Buddhism and it’s occupation in the western world that few other recounting could offer. A European man who lived in Japan, returned to the Netherlands, and then settled on the homestead of an American Zen master. The interplay between Peters strict adherence to the lifestyle and subsequent, “advancement” in the Zen principles plays off of Janwillen’s departure and eventual return to the dedicated lifestyle. I began to unpack alongside the narrator how challenging it is to grasp the ideals of Zen Buddhism as a Westerners, usually though the lens of Janwillen’s tribulations with his koans. The pinnacle of his struggle, “Sun faced Buddhas and Moon faced Buddhas” highlighted my own lack of understanding of the challenges a koan presents. What does this phrase mean? Where does one even begin to unpack the meaning of this ancient phrase? I don’t know. I think some of the confusion comes from the lack of clarity Janwillen provides. The book rambles for chapters before providing a valuable nugget of wisdom. I think the nature of recollection doesn’t always lend itself to consistently coherent story telling- hence the swaths of seemingly unending prattling. But when it was good, it was excellent. There was instances of such clear and decisive takeaways, allowing even a layperson such as myself to understand and apply to my life. Is the small novel worth the read? Yes. Will it be a challenge to get though? Depends on your patience.

[Heather Dombrovskis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a great book the author goes over nothingness, detaching from your name and identity. The author Janwillem shares his experiences while at a American Zen community, he discusses how speaking about this subject matter is what some will do but few will practice mediation. Insight and deep insight is brought from the practice of meditation, its the study of self in a way that one reads a book. However learning nothing and even trying to comprehend nothing is far more challenging then a human knows. I highly recommend this book, deep dive and highly introspective content.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something so simple shouldn't normally make me cry, but the way Janwillem writes about seeing his old friend had me burst in to tears while reminding me of Albert Camus "Death Resistance and Rebellion". This book really encapsulates the essence of life through the seemingly ordinary and mundane repetition of everyday life. Sprinkled throughout are simple but insightful stories from modern day to ancient Buddhist texts. I loved every page I read. Looking forward to reading the final installment of his unofficial non-fiction series on Zen Buddhism.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a follow up to the author’s remembrances of time spent in a Kyoto monastery in the late 1950’s. Now, a then fellow practitioner, one of the other few foreigners then at the monastery, has years later established his practice in the US. The author visits him and tells us about the eccentric folks he meets there - seekers and travelers along the Zen path.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn't for me. I felt like the author became to esoteric and was unsure why this was written or what purpose it served, it felt very self aggrandizing even though it was pretending not to be.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its possible to see in this and in the author's other writings on his Zen studies the foundation of his wonderful Grijpstra and De Gier detective series. I have read them all.

[Nithasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like The Empty Mirror, this book is straightforward, deep and makes you want to sit with your thoughts more. Easy to read, lots to think.

[Geert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deel 2 van de ervaringen met Zen, nu op bezoek in Maine.

[Femmesquara · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute and light foray into an American Zen Buddhist monastery through the eyes of a Dutchman. enjoyed all the little buddhist asides about the Buddha Nature, knowing nothing, being nothing. Some notable quotes " Real wisdom can never be expressed in words", "man is a collection of ever-changing properties, housed in an ever-changing body", "buddhism is negative. it tells you only what it is not. it is only specific about its methods. it suggests taht you should create your own situations, rather than being pushed around by yrself and others. it warns that you should not avoid your own doubts. it recommends trying things out for yourself." there is a great parable (is it a parable?) about a man who is trying to pick apples, but he has to jump for them, and he winds up crushing the apples, which are not ripe anyhow. instead, the wise man waits for them to fall, ripened and in abundance, so in abundance there are too many for him to eat. the rest, he gives away.

[Eric]

I think I tend to like this sort of first-person stuff (eg. Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity). Makes for good light reading, no pressure. Was also interesting to see a bit of life on the Rinzai end of the spectrum.

Gotta say, the book overall had a weirdly gloomy and lonely feel… The atmosphere reminded me of that Philip K. Dick novel with that slightly-broken kid on Mars that could see everybody through time. So pretty traumatising for him because every time he looked a a guy, he basically saw a walking corpse. The book kind of felt like that. I mean, there were some human connection and warmth scenes, but somehow it all seemed a bit disconnected…

[Justin]

I'm reading this because a friend gave it to me for my birthday. It was very nice of him, although his insights are more interesting than some of those in the book. I am on day five of a juice cleanse right now. It feels hard, but not as hard as the form of Zen described in the book. I am enjoying it because I have a little experience with Zen and because it is a story. There are better stories and better books about Zen. But that's not a reason to put it down.

--

Done now. No need to fall into the existentialist trap the author's cohorts seem to have set for themselves. Perils of Zen, perhaps. Or the misinterpretation.

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan van de Wetering continues his exploration of Zen Buddhism. Some ten years ago, he had spent time in a Japanese Zen monastery and studied with a Master. While there for a year and a half, he was given a koan, a riddle of sorts, to solve and left before reaching any enlightenment. The koan did not lay dormant and through chance encounters, Jan finds himself staying in the United States at a newly established Zen community of one of the disciples of his previous Master.

Brisk and amusing read. Not much talk about the pain of meditation, but still it humanizes the people and the practice of meditation.

[Lynne-marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot about Zen Buddhism, but find it hard to write about what I've read. This book is honest, straight-forward and not about philosophy, but a day-by-day description of life in an American Zen commarde as the surrounding Americans call it. I found it enlightening with a small "e". I would recommend it to someone getting their feet wet in the concepts of Zen.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too nihilistic. He asks himself questions, such as "have I learned anything in my pursuit of Buddhism?", and his responses are nihilistic. He goes over those questions too many times in the book.

I hate his answers. He could have described the other disciples with more depth. The people he meets at the monastery are given only superficial background stories and character descriptions.

[Davin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the title says, in this second book of the author's Zen experience he starts to get somewhere. Inspiring.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found this book entertaining and helpful. and as someone who sits (meditates) in a zen-esque manner every day it's a rare zen-related book that strikes me as both.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred lent this to me, and it was a pretty fascinating look at quasi-monastic Zen training in the U.S. Not fluffy or overly hardcore, and the author makes no attempt to look good for his closeup.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this after reading the Amsterdam mysteries, and the first book The Empty Mirror. This is zen with self-deprecation. That helps.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one takes us to where Jan leaves off after The Empty Mirror. It was interesting to hear how he had matured.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I wrote right after I read it: An extremely good writer combined with a very interesting topic left me wanting to know more.