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Taking the Path of Zen by Robert Aitken
There is a fine art to presenting complex ideas with simplicity and insight, in a manner that both guides and inspires. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity.
The foundation of Zen is the practice of zazen, or mediation, and Aitken Roshi insists that everything flows from the center. He discusses correct breathing, posture, routine, teacher-student relations, and koan study, as well as common problems and milestones encountered in the process. Throughout the book the author returns to zazen, offering further advice and more advanced techniques. The orientation extends to various religious attitudes and includes detailed discussions of the Three Treasures and the Ten Precepts of Zen Buddhism.
Taking the Path of Zen will serve as orientation and guide for anyone who is drawn to the ways of Zen, from the simply curious to the serious Zen student.
The foundation of Zen is the practice of zazen, or mediation, and Aitken Roshi insists that everything flows from the center. He discusses correct breathing, posture, routine, teacher-student relations, and koan study, as well as common problems and milestones encountered in the process. Throughout the book the author returns to zazen, offering further advice and more advanced techniques. The orientation extends to various religious attitudes and includes detailed discussions of the Three Treasures and the Ten Precepts of Zen Buddhism.
Taking the Path of Zen will serve as orientation and guide for anyone who is drawn to the ways of Zen, from the simply curious to the serious Zen student.
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First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
Robert Aitken
88 books47 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Robert Aitken was a retired master of the Diamond Sangha, a Zen Buddhist society he founded in Honolulu in 1959 with his late wife Anne Hopkins Aitken.
A lifetime resident of Hawai‘i, Aitken Rōshi was a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i with a BA degree in English literature and an MA degree in Japanese studies. In 1941, he was captured on Guam by invading Japanese forces, and interned in Japan for the duration of World War II. In the camp, he met the British scholar R.H. Blyth, who introduced him to Zen Buddhism. After the war, he practiced Zen with Senzaki Nyogen Sensei in Los Angeles, and traveled frequently to Japan to practice in monasteries and lay centers with Nakagawa Sōen Rōshi, Yasutani Haku'un Rōshi, and Yamada Kōun Rōshi. In 1974, he was given approval to teach by the Yamada Rōshi, Abbot of the Sanbo Kyodan in Kamakura, Japan, who gave him transmission as an independent master in 1985.
Aitken Rōshi is the author of more than ten books on Zen Buddhism, and co-author of a book-length Buddhist-Christian dialogue. In Hawai‘i he was instrumental in founding the Koko An Zendo, the PĀlolo Zen Center, the Maui Zendo, and the Garden Island Sangha. A number of other centers in Europe, North and South America, and Australasia are part of the Diamond Sangha network.
Aitken Rōshi is co-founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (now with a local East Hawai‘i Chapter) and serves on its international board of advisors. He has been active in a number of peace, social justice, and ecological movements, and his writing reflects his concern that Buddhists be engaged in social applications of their experience.
Aitken Rōshi has given full transmission as independent masters to Nelson Foster, Honolulu Diamond Sangha and Ring of Bone Zendo in Nevada City, California; John Tarrant, Pacific Zen Institute in Santa Rosa, California; Patrick Hawk, Zen Desert Sangha in Tucson, Arizona, and Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Joseph Bobrow, Harbor Sangha in San Francisco, California; Jack Duffy, Three Treasures Sangha in Seattle, Washington; Augusto Alcalde, Vimalakirti Sangha, in Cordoba, Argentina and Rolf Drosten, Wolken-und-Mond-Sangha (Clouds and Moon Sangha), in Leverkusen, Germany. He authorized Pia Gyger, One Ground Zendo in Luzern, Switzerland, as an affiliate teacher of the Diamond Sangha. He joined with John Tarrant in giving transmission as independent masters to Subhana Barzaghi in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and to Ross Bolleter in Perth, Western Australia.
As a retired master, Aitken Rōshi worked with a few long-time students, and continued to study and write. His work, Zen Master Raven: Sayings and Doings of a Wise Bird , was published by Tuttle in 2002 [review]. His more recent publications, The Morning Star: New and Collected Zen Writings , and a new edition of A Zen Wave: Basho's Haiku and Zen , were released in October, 2003, by Shoemaker and Hoard.
Robert Aitken was a retired master of the Diamond Sangha, a Zen Buddhist society he founded in Honolulu in 1959 with his late wife Anne Hopkins Aitken.
A lifetime resident of Hawai‘i, Aitken Rōshi was a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i with a BA degree in English literature and an MA degree in Japanese studies. In 1941, he was captured on Guam by invading Japanese forces, and interned in Japan for the duration of World War II. In the camp, he met the British scholar R.H. Blyth, who introduced him to Zen Buddhism. After the war, he practiced Zen with Senzaki Nyogen Sensei in Los Angeles, and traveled frequently to Japan to practice in monasteries and lay centers with Nakagawa Sōen Rōshi, Yasutani Haku'un Rōshi, and Yamada Kōun Rōshi. In 1974, he was given approval to teach by the Yamada Rōshi, Abbot of the Sanbo Kyodan in Kamakura, Japan, who gave him transmission as an independent master in 1985.
Aitken Rōshi is the author of more than ten books on Zen Buddhism, and co-author of a book-length Buddhist-Christian dialogue. In Hawai‘i he was instrumental in founding the Koko An Zendo, the PĀlolo Zen Center, the Maui Zendo, and the Garden Island Sangha. A number of other centers in Europe, North and South America, and Australasia are part of the Diamond Sangha network.
Aitken Rōshi is co-founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (now with a local East Hawai‘i Chapter) and serves on its international board of advisors. He has been active in a number of peace, social justice, and ecological movements, and his writing reflects his concern that Buddhists be engaged in social applications of their experience.
Aitken Rōshi has given full transmission as independent masters to Nelson Foster, Honolulu Diamond Sangha and Ring of Bone Zendo in Nevada City, California; John Tarrant, Pacific Zen Institute in Santa Rosa, California; Patrick Hawk, Zen Desert Sangha in Tucson, Arizona, and Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Joseph Bobrow, Harbor Sangha in San Francisco, California; Jack Duffy, Three Treasures Sangha in Seattle, Washington; Augusto Alcalde, Vimalakirti Sangha, in Cordoba, Argentina and Rolf Drosten, Wolken-und-Mond-Sangha (Clouds and Moon Sangha), in Leverkusen, Germany. He authorized Pia Gyger, One Ground Zendo in Luzern, Switzerland, as an affiliate teacher of the Diamond Sangha. He joined with John Tarrant in giving transmission as independent masters to Subhana Barzaghi in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and to Ross Bolleter in Perth, Western Australia.
As a retired master, Aitken Rōshi worked with a few long-time students, and continued to study and write. His work, Zen Master Raven: Sayings and Doings of a Wise Bird , was published by Tuttle in 2002 [review]. His more recent publications, The Morning Star: New and Collected Zen Writings , and a new edition of A Zen Wave: Basho's Haiku and Zen , were released in October, 2003, by Shoemaker and Hoard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
February 18, 2019
“Taking the Path of Zen” serves as a primer for the practice of zazen meditation. Aitken’s instructions are remarkably clear and explained in a way that makes them easy to approach: he gives very good advice on focusing the breath, the proper sitting posture (and exercises that can be done to facilitate that posture), all the while being gently encouraging.
As a short book on basics, it doesn’t dig very deep into Zen philosophy, focusing instead on basic practices and ideas. While this may not be anything new to people acquainted with Zen, I think as far as beginners' resources go, this book should be at the top of the list.
I was very struck by an early passage that discusses how the Buddha’s story can be seen as a metaphor for how any person can come to the Dharma and practice of zazen: born a prince, the Buddha then became aware of sickness, old age and death, and sought a way to lessen the suffering of beings and eventually found the Middle Way. In Aitken’s view, everyone who takes refuge in the Dharma undergoes the same process in their own way. I had never seen it put quite like that before, and yet what better way illustrate the fact that we all share fundamental Buddha nature?
I also really appreciate that he reminds the readers that doubt doesn't mean one is failing, but is an integral part of the process one must work with in their practice.
Very insightful and practical, this book could be a fantastic reference for new students of Zen, and a helpful reminder to the more seasoned students.
As a short book on basics, it doesn’t dig very deep into Zen philosophy, focusing instead on basic practices and ideas. While this may not be anything new to people acquainted with Zen, I think as far as beginners' resources go, this book should be at the top of the list.
I was very struck by an early passage that discusses how the Buddha’s story can be seen as a metaphor for how any person can come to the Dharma and practice of zazen: born a prince, the Buddha then became aware of sickness, old age and death, and sought a way to lessen the suffering of beings and eventually found the Middle Way. In Aitken’s view, everyone who takes refuge in the Dharma undergoes the same process in their own way. I had never seen it put quite like that before, and yet what better way illustrate the fact that we all share fundamental Buddha nature?
I also really appreciate that he reminds the readers that doubt doesn't mean one is failing, but is an integral part of the process one must work with in their practice.
Very insightful and practical, this book could be a fantastic reference for new students of Zen, and a helpful reminder to the more seasoned students.
March 18, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. RESPONSIBILITY:
- Being alive is an important responsibility.
2. TIME:
- We have little time to fulfill.
3. PRACTICE:
- Rigorous practice is necessary.
4. ZEN:
- Zen breathing: 1-10.
- When you lose count, come back to “one.”
- Breathe in “1” breath out “2”
5. FEELINGS:
- Noticing and acknowledging your feelings is a step toward taking responsibility for them, and reflecting.
6. REST:
- Rest is the essence of patience.
- Cultivate rest.
7. DON'T FEED PROBLEMS:
- If we feed our problems by paying attention to them, they will grow and flourish.
8. UNITY:
- Deepest experience is complete unity with the whole universe.
9. INDIVIDUAL INQUIRERS:
- We are guided by our parents toward a sense of responsibility, but despite the program set up for us, we emerge, each in our way, as individual inquirers.
10. KARMA:
- enlightenment, an awakening of responsibility for negative energy.
1. RESPONSIBILITY:
- Being alive is an important responsibility.
2. TIME:
- We have little time to fulfill.
3. PRACTICE:
- Rigorous practice is necessary.
4. ZEN:
- Zen breathing: 1-10.
- When you lose count, come back to “one.”
- Breathe in “1” breath out “2”
5. FEELINGS:
- Noticing and acknowledging your feelings is a step toward taking responsibility for them, and reflecting.
6. REST:
- Rest is the essence of patience.
- Cultivate rest.
7. DON'T FEED PROBLEMS:
- If we feed our problems by paying attention to them, they will grow and flourish.
8. UNITY:
- Deepest experience is complete unity with the whole universe.
9. INDIVIDUAL INQUIRERS:
- We are guided by our parents toward a sense of responsibility, but despite the program set up for us, we emerge, each in our way, as individual inquirers.
10. KARMA:
- enlightenment, an awakening of responsibility for negative energy.
March 18, 2023
In Zen Buddhism, when you walk, you walk. When you sit, you sit. When you go to the bathroom, you go to the bathroom.
Whatever you are doing — whether you’re sweeping the floor, listening to a song on the radio, or biting into a juicy red apple — be aware of what you are doing. Care for each moment as if you’re cradling a newborn in your arms.
When you’re engaged, you’re not separate from what is outside of yourself. You (the subject) and what is out there (the object) melt into one. The only difference is your mind.
When you practice Zen, you’re not only practicing on the meditation cushion. Zen is ordinary life. It is here, right now. Nothing special.
What happens to you is happening, but you are not clinging to what is happening. You are letting go. “Forgetting the self is the act of just doing the task, with no self-consciousness sticking to the action” (Aitken 10).
If you get lost in your ideas, you can return to where you are again. You don’t need to beat yourself up, saying, “I’m such a bad person for thinking like this, for feeling upset, for worrying.” Just note that you have drifted away from the present. Then you can come back, over and again.
It’s natural to feel mad, depressed, bored, restless, and so on. You are a human. You don’t need to shut out your feelings, thoughts, and sensations. You’re not a stone or a block of wood.
Instead of judging, rationalizing, acting out, ignoring, or distracting yourself, watch what is happening. Listen closely. Notice what is arising and passing. Breathe in and then release.
Anger will come, anger will go. Sadness will come, sadness will go. Peace will come, peace will go. Your shoulders may tense up, your heart may beat faster, your insides may hurt, a bird may chirp over on a nearby tree. There is no need to hold on.
You can smile instead. You can smile at your fear, smile at your happiness, smile at your tears, smile at your indifference, smile at everything.
When you look into your fear, you can see the fear of other sentient beings. Your desire for happiness is like so many other people’s desire for happiness. Your joy is their joy. Your suffering is their suffering.
When someone is in pain, their pain usually spills over on those who are closest to them. Instead of judging them, you can love them. You can tend to them with your heart because you have tended to yourself.
In Zen, we practice to realize what has always been true. We wipe away concepts and hang-ups, delusions and attachments, but as Hakuin Zenji says, “Nirvana is right here, before our eyes.” (Aitken 59)
When you can see through your delusions, you will find space. Freedom. You will no longer need to blindly react. When you are aware of the present moment, you will see the phenomena of the past, present, and future — interacting and changing, inside you, around you, inside and around you. Everything is a cause and an effect.
When you sit, you sit. When you stand, you stand. When you walk, you walk.
You are walking on the soil, in the sunlight, in the air, near the sea, under the trees. You’re standing with the bees pollinating the flowers and the birds eating the worms and the caterpillars crawling over the wet leaves. You’re standing with your ancestors and descendants. You are standing because of stars that have burst apart billions of years ago.
You depend on so many things to be. Every moment, you are with your ancestors, your feelings, your thoughts, your perceptions, your dinner, a mountain that formed millions of years ago, the moon over a cold dune, and so on, and so on.
Everything is changing with each other.
You are not separate from the universe. You’re an expression of it , going as far back as the Big Bang.
You’re made up of the interactions of the cosmos. You cannot be without all of spacetime, without the rain, without the carbon dioxide that you exhale, without the roots that cling beneath the ground at your feet. What is out there, and what is inside you, is an interacting, interrelated process.
What you cultivate in yourself is not only for yourself, but for others as well.
As Shunryu Suzuki liked to say to his students, “Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.”
Through your lifelong practice, you can let go of what holds you back from seeing yourself as you are. But who are you?
Whatever you are doing — whether you’re sweeping the floor, listening to a song on the radio, or biting into a juicy red apple — be aware of what you are doing. Care for each moment as if you’re cradling a newborn in your arms.
When you’re engaged, you’re not separate from what is outside of yourself. You (the subject) and what is out there (the object) melt into one. The only difference is your mind.
When you practice Zen, you’re not only practicing on the meditation cushion. Zen is ordinary life. It is here, right now. Nothing special.
What happens to you is happening, but you are not clinging to what is happening. You are letting go. “Forgetting the self is the act of just doing the task, with no self-consciousness sticking to the action” (Aitken 10).
If you get lost in your ideas, you can return to where you are again. You don’t need to beat yourself up, saying, “I’m such a bad person for thinking like this, for feeling upset, for worrying.” Just note that you have drifted away from the present. Then you can come back, over and again.
It’s natural to feel mad, depressed, bored, restless, and so on. You are a human. You don’t need to shut out your feelings, thoughts, and sensations. You’re not a stone or a block of wood.
Instead of judging, rationalizing, acting out, ignoring, or distracting yourself, watch what is happening. Listen closely. Notice what is arising and passing. Breathe in and then release.
Anger will come, anger will go. Sadness will come, sadness will go. Peace will come, peace will go. Your shoulders may tense up, your heart may beat faster, your insides may hurt, a bird may chirp over on a nearby tree. There is no need to hold on.
You can smile instead. You can smile at your fear, smile at your happiness, smile at your tears, smile at your indifference, smile at everything.
When you look into your fear, you can see the fear of other sentient beings. Your desire for happiness is like so many other people’s desire for happiness. Your joy is their joy. Your suffering is their suffering.
When someone is in pain, their pain usually spills over on those who are closest to them. Instead of judging them, you can love them. You can tend to them with your heart because you have tended to yourself.
In Zen, we practice to realize what has always been true. We wipe away concepts and hang-ups, delusions and attachments, but as Hakuin Zenji says, “Nirvana is right here, before our eyes.” (Aitken 59)
When you can see through your delusions, you will find space. Freedom. You will no longer need to blindly react. When you are aware of the present moment, you will see the phenomena of the past, present, and future — interacting and changing, inside you, around you, inside and around you. Everything is a cause and an effect.
When you sit, you sit. When you stand, you stand. When you walk, you walk.
You are walking on the soil, in the sunlight, in the air, near the sea, under the trees. You’re standing with the bees pollinating the flowers and the birds eating the worms and the caterpillars crawling over the wet leaves. You’re standing with your ancestors and descendants. You are standing because of stars that have burst apart billions of years ago.
You depend on so many things to be. Every moment, you are with your ancestors, your feelings, your thoughts, your perceptions, your dinner, a mountain that formed millions of years ago, the moon over a cold dune, and so on, and so on.
Everything is changing with each other.
You are not separate from the universe. You’re an expression of it , going as far back as the Big Bang.
You’re made up of the interactions of the cosmos. You cannot be without all of spacetime, without the rain, without the carbon dioxide that you exhale, without the roots that cling beneath the ground at your feet. What is out there, and what is inside you, is an interacting, interrelated process.
What you cultivate in yourself is not only for yourself, but for others as well.
As Shunryu Suzuki liked to say to his students, “Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.”
Through your lifelong practice, you can let go of what holds you back from seeing yourself as you are. But who are you?
October 7, 2010
I had the good fortune to meet Robert once and I have met his students. We share lineage. Both of us trained in the Soto school and I also trained in the Rinzai school. I read his book many years ago before starting a ten day meditation period at Zen Mountain Center. I loaned the book to a young woman who had been with us for the ten days. Many years later the book came back to me in the mail and I read it again. Amazing insight. Clear practical help for your practice. Now to pass it on.
September 28, 2017
This is the Zen book I wish I would have had many years ago when I first started practicing. We read this as our topic for our Summer book group at Two Arrows Zen. It's a short book, but it contained an incredible amount of depth for the group to dig into. Made for great conversations. Aitken's pragmatic, no-nonsense commentary filled in a significant number of gaps in my understanding of Zen practice.
August 6, 2010
My single favorite Buddhist Teacher died yesterday, a man whose writing saved my life in some respects. For anyone interested in Zen please try this wonderful man's lucid, wise and socially awre books.
August 7, 2025
Generally a good guide to zen practice but especially considering jargon I do wish it provided more context. Easy read and enjoyed until I read the appendix and learned Robert is a fucking ASSHOLE WDYM YOUR WIFE GAVE BIRTH TO Y O U R CHILD AND YOU WENT FUCK IT IM GONNA GO DO ZEN IN JAPAN FOR A YEAR ??!?!?! AND THEN YOU REMARRY AND GO HEY MY SON IS 7 AND I THINK HES SAD HE DOESNT HAVE A FATHER MAYBE I SHOULD LIKE ACTUALLY LIVE IN HAWAII AND NOT LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE ???!? And learning that after reading the book is the reason I rate it 3 stars instead of 4
February 25, 2020
My Kindle says I finished it two months ago. I don't remember anything about it, so I'd call it "forgettable".
September 13, 2022
A good introduction to the principles and practices of Zen Buddhism. Being alive is an important responsibility that we have little time to fulfil. We must practise to remember what has always been true and what we have always known, that the Buddha nature is within all things and all things are one
December 27, 2024
To me this is a good book in the sense that it has helped me during my practice of zazen. I wouldn't recommend it to complete beginners though. If you're a complete beginner I'd say you'd better off going to a zazen session in a Zen temple first.
August 16, 2024
We all must start somewhere and somewhere again. This is another moment of beginnings.
July 15, 2018
It seems that studying Zen is always about new beginnings. Even when enlightenment has struck the student must continually polish his or her mirror lest the dust settle and obscure the original insight.
Robert Aitken has the ability to reveal more than he should, to invite you to merge your eyebrows with his, to see through his eyes.
This is a sound introductory text, which contains sufficient meat and bones to satisfy the hungry. Well worth a read.
Robert Aitken has the ability to reveal more than he should, to invite you to merge your eyebrows with his, to see through his eyes.
This is a sound introductory text, which contains sufficient meat and bones to satisfy the hungry. Well worth a read.
January 10, 2008
This is an excellent book for those who are practitioners of Zen Buddhism or for those who simply want to know more about this philosophy/religion. I have found this book to be very insightful and overall it has been a good read.
January 25, 2009
Robert Aitken is my teacher's teacher. This is the first in a long list of books he wrote.
January 2, 2016
Clear, insightful and practical guide to this most demanding of Buddhist disciplines.
December 26, 2024
a good zen intro,, maybe something to sit with more but feel a little meh about it upon finishing.
October 1, 2022
I'm between a 4 and 5 on Aitken's book "Taking the Path of Zen." I enjoyed the straightforward simplicity of the book, asking the practitioner to focus on the breath. Aitken uses the breath as the primary tool for staying present and offers four asanas, yoga postures, as suggestions prior to meditating -- a forward bending butterfly (Makkoho - 1), paschim uttanasana seated forward bend (Makkoho -2 ), a wide legged forward bend (Makkoho -3), and a supta virasana, that a runner may enjoy (Makkoho -4). I appreciated the four stretches as a preparation for his four seated options for sitting - lotus, half lotus, seiza (Japanese seated posture), and the Burmese seated posture. He offers a helpful hand mudra of left palm resting in right and offers walking meditation, kinhin, to break up zazen, or meditation, after about 25 minutes. The ritual of namaste, known as gassho, and the importance of precepts, moral injunctions, or values, remind us to come into the present moment.
My hesitation in not offering a full five and somewhere between a four and five is two sticking points. One is that while the tools are reminding us to be in the present, some terms such as "our tradition" and "Buddhism" create a sense of us/them and remind me of the use of religion, in some contexts, such as in Sri Lanka, as a rationale for sectarian conflict, or even India, between two other faiths that have become politicized. Second, is one sentence where Aitken describes feminism as "righteous."
Despite those two off-putting points of us/them vis a vis religion and feminism, overall, Aitken does a remarkable job of offering a practical framework of preparing to sit, how to sit, precepts or wayf of being when not sitting (zazen), and the importance of relationship with one's teacher, or roshi. I will take away his critical tool of counting the breath --- several that he offers -- counting from one to 10 (one inhale, two exhale...) and repeat to simply counting inhale or simply counting exhale to not counting at all to using all of these tools -- regardless of what we call it -- the opportunity to see into one's "sessential nature and the essential nature of all beings and things" (chp. 8, p. 94) I'm grateful for having read this book, a better person for it, like the stone, "steadily acting and reacting" (chp 6, p. 70), returning to the breath, in and out, staying with "I am what is around me" quoted from poet Wallace Stevens (chp. 4, p. 42), knowing that enlightenment and love are one and the same (chp. 4., p. 42)
My hesitation in not offering a full five and somewhere between a four and five is two sticking points. One is that while the tools are reminding us to be in the present, some terms such as "our tradition" and "Buddhism" create a sense of us/them and remind me of the use of religion, in some contexts, such as in Sri Lanka, as a rationale for sectarian conflict, or even India, between two other faiths that have become politicized. Second, is one sentence where Aitken describes feminism as "righteous."
Despite those two off-putting points of us/them vis a vis religion and feminism, overall, Aitken does a remarkable job of offering a practical framework of preparing to sit, how to sit, precepts or wayf of being when not sitting (zazen), and the importance of relationship with one's teacher, or roshi. I will take away his critical tool of counting the breath --- several that he offers -- counting from one to 10 (one inhale, two exhale...) and repeat to simply counting inhale or simply counting exhale to not counting at all to using all of these tools -- regardless of what we call it -- the opportunity to see into one's "sessential nature and the essential nature of all beings and things" (chp. 8, p. 94) I'm grateful for having read this book, a better person for it, like the stone, "steadily acting and reacting" (chp 6, p. 70), returning to the breath, in and out, staying with "I am what is around me" quoted from poet Wallace Stevens (chp. 4, p. 42), knowing that enlightenment and love are one and the same (chp. 4., p. 42)
February 22, 2024
This book was first published in the 1980s and certainly feels that way at some points. It feels like it was meant to be read slowly over the course of a few weeks so you can internalize and slowly work the author's tips into your zazen practice.
Aitken does a great job of going in depth into a lot of the details most modern, or secular, Buddhist books and apps like calm or headspace tend to gloss over. I'm hovering between 3 and 4 stars and can't really decide what to rate it. While it felt like a valuable resource it felt very "old school" and points and reminded me of the negative aspects of more dogmatic religions like Christianity, whereas more modern Buddhist literature that I've been reading lately feels more open minded and less stifling. Overall it was a good resource with some good insight and perspective but it's not one of my top Buddhism books. Definitely worth a read though.
Aitken does a great job of going in depth into a lot of the details most modern, or secular, Buddhist books and apps like calm or headspace tend to gloss over. I'm hovering between 3 and 4 stars and can't really decide what to rate it. While it felt like a valuable resource it felt very "old school" and points and reminded me of the negative aspects of more dogmatic religions like Christianity, whereas more modern Buddhist literature that I've been reading lately feels more open minded and less stifling. Overall it was a good resource with some good insight and perspective but it's not one of my top Buddhism books. Definitely worth a read though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2018
This is the my first book on Zen so I can't compare with others. I considered it a good introductory Zen book, but coming from a secular background some passages made me uncomfortable to say the least. I found the author giving much more emphasis to the religious aspect of Zen Buddhism than I have hoped, making metaphysical claims such as the existence of multiple universes and dimensions, citing Bible passages and very dubious "scientific" studies.
A few examples:
Despite that, overall the book was enjoyable and had a lot of useful content for newcomers to Zen.
A few examples:
Recent studies shows that carrots and cabbages show responses to being cut or uprooted.
The Sangha is, in fact, the kinship of all things, every entity of this universe and of all universes, past, presente, and future, in endless dimensions.
Despite that, overall the book was enjoyable and had a lot of useful content for newcomers to Zen.
August 4, 2017
Funnily enough, I started reading this mistakenly thinking that I was continuing a different book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and PracticeZen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice. The covers look nothing alike, but I still read all the way through this one without noticing until just now. This book wasn't bad but I don't know if I'll try zazen yet.
April 24, 2024
A very basic intro to Zen practice (zazen=meditation). Very quick intro on the overall Buddhist context felt a little unsatisfying. Latter third of book on koan work almost impossible to understand as written. Ends with a mini biographical narrative of the author. Might just be a Zen thing but felt the author came off at times as arrogant and pedantic. Overall an interesting basic intro to Zen but certainly didnt incentivize me to want to pursue this Path.
September 2, 2025
Robert Aitken's primer on Zazen practice is a timeless, almost perfect guide for anyone looking to start on a personal journey, or even if they are simply curious about what Zen Buddhism actually is. Robert's way of writing is practical, gentle and friendly, and he goes the extra mile to help dispel many of the myths associated with Zen practice. This can be read easily in one day, but I recommend reading slowly, and meditating between sections of this book, to truly enjoy the experience.
September 7, 2025
Internal notes: An introductory guide to Zen Buddhism, common terminology, and practises. I found I had to keep checking the dictionary (handy inclusion) to make sure I was interpreting sentences correctly. It is a good learning resource. To get a higher rating, it would have needed to focus more on the actual practises and life of a Zen Buddhist rather than on notable or historical figures.
September 4, 2018
"Taking the Path of Zen" is the practice and philosophy of Zen Buddhism. The greatest strength of this book is the description of the meditative breathing techniques which are specifically geared for the novice as well as the more experienced practitioner. I would highly recommend this book.
July 26, 2019
A good synopsis but felt a bit too clinical and, for lack of a more appropriate word, soulless. A good into to Zen, a less good into to Buddhism. I actually felt more depth and introspection reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
December 19, 2020
I wish that I had read this book earlier. This is a good introduction to different aspects of Buddhism, complete with practical exercises. The book is well-paced and easy to follow. I already want to read more and find out more. Will definitely have to re-read this one.
January 23, 2021
One of the earliest primers on Zen practice, this book remains invaluable in its simple introduction to the tradition. Aitken’s kindness and humility shines through. Reassign his words, I felt like I was being welcomed into the mediation hall. A book I return to and will again.
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July 15, 2021Like much Buddhist writing I've encountered, this shifts almost constantly from penetrating insight, to goofy humor, to seeming nonsense. I suspect the humor and nonsense is as much the point as the insight.
April 6, 2025
Not quite as profound as Opening the Hand of Thought, but I have found it inspirational reading it over the past few months on my own practice, and I am sure I would benefit from returning to it in the future
August 2, 2017
Not exactly what I was looking for.
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