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Zen: The Authentic Gate
Whether a beginner or at the highest level of practice, learn Zen from one of the greatest masters of the twentieth century.
Why practice Zen? What sets Zen apart from religion? What are its different practices?
These questions, and more, are examined and answered by Zen Master Koun Yamada, whose Dharma heirs include Robert Aitken, Ruben Habito, and David Loy. Through compelling stories and a systematic approach, he guides the reader through creating and sustaining a lifelong practice. Warm and ecumenical in tone, Koun uses the insights of Zen to bring a deeper understanding of faith.
Zen: The Gateless Way is an easy-to-follow guide to creating an effortless and natural practice regardless of background, tradition, or religion.
Why practice Zen? What sets Zen apart from religion? What are its different practices?
These questions, and more, are examined and answered by Zen Master Koun Yamada, whose Dharma heirs include Robert Aitken, Ruben Habito, and David Loy. Through compelling stories and a systematic approach, he guides the reader through creating and sustaining a lifelong practice. Warm and ecumenical in tone, Koun uses the insights of Zen to bring a deeper understanding of faith.
Zen: The Gateless Way is an easy-to-follow guide to creating an effortless and natural practice regardless of background, tradition, or religion.
248 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2015
80 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Kōun Yamada
10 books7 followersYamada Kōun (1907-1989), Japanese Buddhist, leader of the Sanbō Kyōdan sect of Zen Buddhism.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 7, 2020
There are many books I'd recommend for anyone new to Zen Buddhism. But what sets this book apart from the rest, is I'd also recommend this book to advanced practitioners as well. It is for both beginners and those who have walked the path for many years. Koun Yamada has an amazing ability to synthesize the most complex aspects of Zen into a language we can all understand and benefit from. What makes this book extra special is that Koun Yamada was the leader of the Zen sect known as Sanbo Kyodan, which is a combination of the two primary Zen schools, Rinzai and Soto. So when he teaches Zen, he explains it from the perspective of both schools because they are synthesized into Sanbo Kyodan. In this book, he explores the suffering of the world, the philosophical tenets of Zen, and also how we should practice to become natural again. This is one of the best books on Zen Buddhism, period. Koun Yamada has left behind for all of us a treasure trove of wisdom that will help our understanding of what it means to be Zen.
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August 30, 2020A good introduction to Zen, as I have known very little about it except for the emphasis on meditation in this form of buddhism. I learned a little about two schools of zen after reading this: Soto and Rinzai. Both schools emphasise on sitting in meditation (zazen) as a way of reaching self knowledge. Both also use koans, a form of puzzles to focus the mind in practice. Two very popular koans referred to in the book are Mu and teh sound of one hand clapping.
The story of Mu Kuan is interesting. A zen master is asked by a monk "Does a dog have Buddha nature or not?: Jôshû, the zen master replies, ‘Mu!' which means no, or nothing.
I am unable to grasp how trying to understand what the zen master means by mu will help to realise the self, but Yamada Koun reminds me as the reader repeatedly that I cannot understand any of the zen teachings with conceptual knowledge but need to experience these myself.
Another interesting nugget from the book that stood out for me, which I intend to dig deeper is the ten ox herding pictures. The ox herding describes the process of awakening
The book goes through theories, beliefs, and at the end even a practical guide for meditation. One key takeaway for me was that ideal lengths of meditation is 15-25 minutes instead of sitting in long hours. The other key takeaway is to meditate with eyes open - I tend to close them which always carries me to a different world of distractions which constantly keeps shifting.
There were some parts of the book which read like dogma, and these passages made me doubt the entire text, but the mind is so quick to doubt and create boundaries, that it is sometimes best not to pay heed to each of its voices.
The story of Mu Kuan is interesting. A zen master is asked by a monk "Does a dog have Buddha nature or not?: Jôshû, the zen master replies, ‘Mu!' which means no, or nothing.
I am unable to grasp how trying to understand what the zen master means by mu will help to realise the self, but Yamada Koun reminds me as the reader repeatedly that I cannot understand any of the zen teachings with conceptual knowledge but need to experience these myself.
Another interesting nugget from the book that stood out for me, which I intend to dig deeper is the ten ox herding pictures. The ox herding describes the process of awakening
The book goes through theories, beliefs, and at the end even a practical guide for meditation. One key takeaway for me was that ideal lengths of meditation is 15-25 minutes instead of sitting in long hours. The other key takeaway is to meditate with eyes open - I tend to close them which always carries me to a different world of distractions which constantly keeps shifting.
There were some parts of the book which read like dogma, and these passages made me doubt the entire text, but the mind is so quick to doubt and create boundaries, that it is sometimes best not to pay heed to each of its voices.
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January 31, 2026This book managed to be encouraging without being unrealistic. It gave me a lot of direction as far as further reading. Also the practical meditation guidelines in the final chapter were straightforward and helpful.
June 27, 2025
Audiobook review: really great listen for walks in nature for anyone interested in learning more on zazen and zen in general. 4.5 / 5
January 9, 2025
This is a serious introduction to real Zen. The practical stuff at the back is most helpful but great information is covered along the way.
Love the suggestion that you should only read classic texts and not contemporary ones.
p. xi) "Put your questions on the shelf and practice zazen; you'll get your own answers."
p. 5) "Dying was always something other people did; What a surprise to find I'm like them."
p. 12) "Sometimes I feel that the practice of Zen, which Japan has preserved up to now, is the sole cultural property Japan can be truly proud of in the world."
p. 15) "There is absolutely no need to renounce your religion or to become a Buddhist in order to practice Zen."
p. 21) "The quickest and most direct route to an experience of realization is the practice of zazen."
p. 29) "Indeed in the practice of Zen we eradicate thoughts and come face to face with the true facts."
p. 39) "Zen aims to accomplish the following three main goals:
1. Development of the power of concentration.
2. The experience of the Supreme Way, or seeing into our own nature (kensho)
3. Personalization of the Supreme Way, or the perfection of character (mujodo no taigen)"
p. 57) "The sixteen Buddhist precepts are divided into three classifications:
1. Three precepts of taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Shagha.
2. Three cumulative pure precepts (the three bodhisattva ideals): the commandment to keep the precepts, to practice good works, and to liberate all beings.
3. Ten grave precepts: against killing, stealing, misuse of sex, lying, dealing in intoxicants, speaking of another's faults, praising oneself and censuring others, begrudging the Dharma treasure, getting angry, and vilifying the Three Treasures."
p. 59) "Three Types of Zen Practice:
1. Ordinary Zen (Bompu Zen)
2. Mahayana or Great Vehicle Zen (Daijo Zen)
3. Supreme Vehicle Zen (Saijojo Zen)"
p. 63) "In modern Japan, the instruction in Rinzai Zen, which holds up self-realization as the goal of meditation, is characterized by the use of koans. The Soto Zen sect, which emphasizes meditation as the total expression of the Buddha Way, singles out the practice of 'just sitting' as the authentic way of Zen."
p. 64) "Just sitting is the purest form of meditation, a single great path our both beginner and perfectly enlightened alike."
p. 67) "The Rinzai sect emphasizes Mahayana Zen in contrast to the Soto sect's emphasis on Supreme Vehicle Zen. The two sects also differ when it comes to practice: the characteristic practice of Rinzai is the study of koans, while in the Soto sect it is just sitting."
p. 73) Three-way classification of koans:
1. koans that teach through principle (richi)
2. koans that teach through devices (kikan)
3. koans that are directed upward (kojo)
p. 76) Five-way classification of koans:
1. Dharma body koans (hosshin)
2. Koans that teach through devices (kikan)
3. Koans that clarify with words (gonsen)
4. Koans that are difficult to pass (nanto)
5. Koans of the five modes and ten grave precepts (go-i jujukin)
p. 87-8: "Looking at the way just sitting and koan study have been used in Zen instruction, we can make four general divisions:
1. A Zen where just sitting is the sole method of practice from beginning to end. This is Silent Illumination Zen, the practice promulgated by Dogen Zenji.
2. A Zen where koans are the main practice, from the first barrier up to the final barrier and completion of formal study. This is the practice of most Rinzai training centers in Japan today.
3. A Zen where just sitting is the main practice, with koan study used as an adjunct to practice. This is the position taken by Keizan Zenji in his Transmission of the Lamp and his (Guidelines for Zazen (Zazen Yojinki).
4. A Zen where koan study is the main practice, with just sitting uses as an aid. In this type of training, just sitting is also taken up after completion of koan study."
p. 105) Hygiene suggestions
p. 107-8) Five desires:
1. Wealth
2. Sex
3. Food
4. Fame
5. Sleep
p. 112) The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures by Shibayama Zenkei Roshi
Pictures and Verses on Taming the Ox by Fumyo Zenji
Ten Ox-Herding Pictuces by Kakuan Zenju
White Ox Pictures with Verses by Unknown
p. 125) "Buddhist cosmology divides the universe of sentient beings into ten realms. Among them, six are realms of delusion: the realms of hell beings, hungry spirits, beasts, violent demigods, humans, and heavenly beings. The remaining four are realms of enlightenment: the realms of those who attain enlightenment studying with a teacher (shravaka), those who attain enlightenment on their own (pratyekabuddha), bodhisattvas, and buddhas."
p. 134) "In order to correctly understand the Dharma, however, we must also read and study the teachings."
p. 135) "At least once or twice a year, however, we should find an opportunity to see a true teacher and hear his or her public talks or lectures. Otherwise we may misunderstand the teaching and acquire a complacent attitude toward Zen."
p. 135) "At least before seeing into one's own nature, one should avoid reading books that discuss Zen. Outsiders to Zen with only a smattering of knowledge and no real experience of sitting have taken advantage of the recent boom of interest in Zen to write a variety of books that explain the subject. It is best for beginners not to read such books at all."
p. 135-6) "I can confidently recommend the following works to beginning students of Zen:
Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
Principle of Practice and Enlightenment
Song in Praise of Zazen by Hakuin Zenji
Recommending Zazen to All People by Dogen Zenji
Guidelines for Studying the Way by Dogen Zenji
The Book of Rinzai
The Teachings of Bassui Zenji
Guidelines for Zazen by Keizan Zenji
Spurring Students through Zen Barriers by Unsei Shuko Zenji
The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures by Kakuan Zenji
Talk of Wholehearted Practice of the Way by Dogen Zenji
p. 137) "Without meditation there can be no understanding of Zen, much less any understanding of the workings of Buddha."
p. 143) "The eight tenets are as follows:
1. All Beings Are Intrinsically Endowed with Buddha Nature
2. Unenlightened Beings Cling to the Illusion of Self
3. Life Continues
4. Cause and Effect Are Inevitable
5. Buddhas Actually Exist
6. Sentient Beings and Buddhas Mutually Interact
7. Self and Other Are Not Two
8. All Beings Are in the Process of Becoming Buddahs."
p. 160) "Each thing is the ever-present buddha mind and should be treated with care. It is important to treat each and every thing in the spirit of taking care of its life. This is compassion."
p. 163) "without the private interview it is impossible to lead people to true Zen."
p. 173) San'un Zendo in Kamakura
p. 178) Sitting positions
p. 181) Keep your eyes open
p. 187) "When sitting alone, sit facing a wall or similar surface."
p. 192) "Zen practice in motion is a million times greater than still practice."
p. 194) "I advise keeping a small notepad by your side when you sit in zazen."
Love the suggestion that you should only read classic texts and not contemporary ones.
p. xi) "Put your questions on the shelf and practice zazen; you'll get your own answers."
p. 5) "Dying was always something other people did; What a surprise to find I'm like them."
p. 12) "Sometimes I feel that the practice of Zen, which Japan has preserved up to now, is the sole cultural property Japan can be truly proud of in the world."
p. 15) "There is absolutely no need to renounce your religion or to become a Buddhist in order to practice Zen."
p. 21) "The quickest and most direct route to an experience of realization is the practice of zazen."
p. 29) "Indeed in the practice of Zen we eradicate thoughts and come face to face with the true facts."
p. 39) "Zen aims to accomplish the following three main goals:
1. Development of the power of concentration.
2. The experience of the Supreme Way, or seeing into our own nature (kensho)
3. Personalization of the Supreme Way, or the perfection of character (mujodo no taigen)"
p. 57) "The sixteen Buddhist precepts are divided into three classifications:
1. Three precepts of taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Shagha.
2. Three cumulative pure precepts (the three bodhisattva ideals): the commandment to keep the precepts, to practice good works, and to liberate all beings.
3. Ten grave precepts: against killing, stealing, misuse of sex, lying, dealing in intoxicants, speaking of another's faults, praising oneself and censuring others, begrudging the Dharma treasure, getting angry, and vilifying the Three Treasures."
p. 59) "Three Types of Zen Practice:
1. Ordinary Zen (Bompu Zen)
2. Mahayana or Great Vehicle Zen (Daijo Zen)
3. Supreme Vehicle Zen (Saijojo Zen)"
p. 63) "In modern Japan, the instruction in Rinzai Zen, which holds up self-realization as the goal of meditation, is characterized by the use of koans. The Soto Zen sect, which emphasizes meditation as the total expression of the Buddha Way, singles out the practice of 'just sitting' as the authentic way of Zen."
p. 64) "Just sitting is the purest form of meditation, a single great path our both beginner and perfectly enlightened alike."
p. 67) "The Rinzai sect emphasizes Mahayana Zen in contrast to the Soto sect's emphasis on Supreme Vehicle Zen. The two sects also differ when it comes to practice: the characteristic practice of Rinzai is the study of koans, while in the Soto sect it is just sitting."
p. 73) Three-way classification of koans:
1. koans that teach through principle (richi)
2. koans that teach through devices (kikan)
3. koans that are directed upward (kojo)
p. 76) Five-way classification of koans:
1. Dharma body koans (hosshin)
2. Koans that teach through devices (kikan)
3. Koans that clarify with words (gonsen)
4. Koans that are difficult to pass (nanto)
5. Koans of the five modes and ten grave precepts (go-i jujukin)
p. 87-8: "Looking at the way just sitting and koan study have been used in Zen instruction, we can make four general divisions:
1. A Zen where just sitting is the sole method of practice from beginning to end. This is Silent Illumination Zen, the practice promulgated by Dogen Zenji.
2. A Zen where koans are the main practice, from the first barrier up to the final barrier and completion of formal study. This is the practice of most Rinzai training centers in Japan today.
3. A Zen where just sitting is the main practice, with koan study used as an adjunct to practice. This is the position taken by Keizan Zenji in his Transmission of the Lamp and his (Guidelines for Zazen (Zazen Yojinki).
4. A Zen where koan study is the main practice, with just sitting uses as an aid. In this type of training, just sitting is also taken up after completion of koan study."
p. 105) Hygiene suggestions
p. 107-8) Five desires:
1. Wealth
2. Sex
3. Food
4. Fame
5. Sleep
p. 112) The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures by Shibayama Zenkei Roshi
Pictures and Verses on Taming the Ox by Fumyo Zenji
Ten Ox-Herding Pictuces by Kakuan Zenju
White Ox Pictures with Verses by Unknown
p. 125) "Buddhist cosmology divides the universe of sentient beings into ten realms. Among them, six are realms of delusion: the realms of hell beings, hungry spirits, beasts, violent demigods, humans, and heavenly beings. The remaining four are realms of enlightenment: the realms of those who attain enlightenment studying with a teacher (shravaka), those who attain enlightenment on their own (pratyekabuddha), bodhisattvas, and buddhas."
p. 134) "In order to correctly understand the Dharma, however, we must also read and study the teachings."
p. 135) "At least once or twice a year, however, we should find an opportunity to see a true teacher and hear his or her public talks or lectures. Otherwise we may misunderstand the teaching and acquire a complacent attitude toward Zen."
p. 135) "At least before seeing into one's own nature, one should avoid reading books that discuss Zen. Outsiders to Zen with only a smattering of knowledge and no real experience of sitting have taken advantage of the recent boom of interest in Zen to write a variety of books that explain the subject. It is best for beginners not to read such books at all."
p. 135-6) "I can confidently recommend the following works to beginning students of Zen:
Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
Principle of Practice and Enlightenment
Song in Praise of Zazen by Hakuin Zenji
Recommending Zazen to All People by Dogen Zenji
Guidelines for Studying the Way by Dogen Zenji
The Book of Rinzai
The Teachings of Bassui Zenji
Guidelines for Zazen by Keizan Zenji
Spurring Students through Zen Barriers by Unsei Shuko Zenji
The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures by Kakuan Zenji
Talk of Wholehearted Practice of the Way by Dogen Zenji
p. 137) "Without meditation there can be no understanding of Zen, much less any understanding of the workings of Buddha."
p. 143) "The eight tenets are as follows:
1. All Beings Are Intrinsically Endowed with Buddha Nature
2. Unenlightened Beings Cling to the Illusion of Self
3. Life Continues
4. Cause and Effect Are Inevitable
5. Buddhas Actually Exist
6. Sentient Beings and Buddhas Mutually Interact
7. Self and Other Are Not Two
8. All Beings Are in the Process of Becoming Buddahs."
p. 160) "Each thing is the ever-present buddha mind and should be treated with care. It is important to treat each and every thing in the spirit of taking care of its life. This is compassion."
p. 163) "without the private interview it is impossible to lead people to true Zen."
p. 173) San'un Zendo in Kamakura
p. 178) Sitting positions
p. 181) Keep your eyes open
p. 187) "When sitting alone, sit facing a wall or similar surface."
p. 192) "Zen practice in motion is a million times greater than still practice."
p. 194) "I advise keeping a small notepad by your side when you sit in zazen."
Read
March 27, 2016Took me forever to finish this, long stretches of putting it down and forgetting it existed. Most overtly religious Zen book I've read in a while, including a "things you must believe in order to be a Buddhist" chapter (fairly innocuous, 8 Mahayana tenants: all beings have buddha nature, illusion of a self, ... "buddhas actually exist" (?)…)
Quite good for a getting a glimpse of the Sanbo school, learning a bit of things like koan practice, for example. A much more comfortable read for me than the Kapleau book for some reason. One random interesting tidbit too is the connection between Sanbo Zen and some Catholic folks who have taken up the practice. Have always liked the "yeah, we're compatible with everything" attitude in Buddhism.
Kind of funny learning about "just go on and doze off for a few minutes" as a last resort strategy for dealing with sleepiness during zazen. Oh, and "keep your Zen practice to yourself". Oops. And one last detail. For some reason, the book seems pretty adamant about importance of dokusan (?) [well, the book/translation says "private interview"], I think to the point of "it ain't Zen if ain't got dokusan" (where I guess I go "well, all right then…")
Quite good for a getting a glimpse of the Sanbo school, learning a bit of things like koan practice, for example. A much more comfortable read for me than the Kapleau book for some reason. One random interesting tidbit too is the connection between Sanbo Zen and some Catholic folks who have taken up the practice. Have always liked the "yeah, we're compatible with everything" attitude in Buddhism.
Kind of funny learning about "just go on and doze off for a few minutes" as a last resort strategy for dealing with sleepiness during zazen. Oh, and "keep your Zen practice to yourself". Oops. And one last detail. For some reason, the book seems pretty adamant about importance of dokusan (?) [well, the book/translation says "private interview"], I think to the point of "it ain't Zen if ain't got dokusan" (where I guess I go "well, all right then…")
April 2, 2024
Great book if you are interested in Sanbo-Zen: it gives a bit of history of this sect and defines how the practice is done. If you are a Zen student or aspiring to be one, this book will have all the information you need.
However if you are coming to Zen from a secular perspective, you will be extremely disappointed. Yamada is heavy on the religious side and the book contains a lot of metaphysics and Buddhist mythology.
However if you are coming to Zen from a secular perspective, you will be extremely disappointed. Yamada is heavy on the religious side and the book contains a lot of metaphysics and Buddhist mythology.
November 15, 2019
This is the 2nd book on Zen Buddhism that I've read, written by a Zen master. The first one, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" has influenced my spiritual practice a lot through the simplicity of the Zen way of thinking and having always a fresh approach to life, every day.
"The Authentic Gate" comes to complete what I knew with a more down-to-earth and serious perspective, stressing the importance of everybody having Buddha-nature and being already Enlightened. The idea in Mayahana Japanese Buddhism is that we already are what we are looking for, and looking outside of us only creates an illusion.
The book is also presenting clearly, step by step, the two schools of Zen, Soto, and Rinzai. These two schools of Zen in Japan use exclusively meditation (shikantaza or "just sit") and koans in combination with meditation. Through "koans", which are paradoxical and illogical for our minds, one manages to stop the usual thought process going on in our heads and focus on an inexistent paradoxical thing, to go beyond the ordinary and find Awakening.
Throughout the book, along with the different explanations in each chapter, the author keeps a silver line of mindfulness, simpleness, and clarity, that one can only experience in Zen meditation or close relation with a Zen master.
There are also occasional discussions and comparisons between Christianity, Mahayana Buddhism (where Zen comes from) and also occasional Vajrayana Buddhism, to answer a broader group of people that might be interested in Zen Buddhism.
By reading this book, one gets face to face with the core of Zen Buddhism experienced through their two vehicles (meditations and koans) and witnesses the mind of a Zen master. You can almost feel Yamada Koun talking to you humbly and direct, sitting cross-legged near a table with a great teapot on it, explaining to you in its simplicity, the base and the ways of practicing Zen Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a clear and undivided perspective on Zen Buddhism. This can be very useful in practicing Zen or even as documenting yourself for further references to Zen Buddhism, especially if you are a writer of spiritual books.
"The Authentic Gate" comes to complete what I knew with a more down-to-earth and serious perspective, stressing the importance of everybody having Buddha-nature and being already Enlightened. The idea in Mayahana Japanese Buddhism is that we already are what we are looking for, and looking outside of us only creates an illusion.
The book is also presenting clearly, step by step, the two schools of Zen, Soto, and Rinzai. These two schools of Zen in Japan use exclusively meditation (shikantaza or "just sit") and koans in combination with meditation. Through "koans", which are paradoxical and illogical for our minds, one manages to stop the usual thought process going on in our heads and focus on an inexistent paradoxical thing, to go beyond the ordinary and find Awakening.
Throughout the book, along with the different explanations in each chapter, the author keeps a silver line of mindfulness, simpleness, and clarity, that one can only experience in Zen meditation or close relation with a Zen master.
There are also occasional discussions and comparisons between Christianity, Mahayana Buddhism (where Zen comes from) and also occasional Vajrayana Buddhism, to answer a broader group of people that might be interested in Zen Buddhism.
By reading this book, one gets face to face with the core of Zen Buddhism experienced through their two vehicles (meditations and koans) and witnesses the mind of a Zen master. You can almost feel Yamada Koun talking to you humbly and direct, sitting cross-legged near a table with a great teapot on it, explaining to you in its simplicity, the base and the ways of practicing Zen Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a clear and undivided perspective on Zen Buddhism. This can be very useful in practicing Zen or even as documenting yourself for further references to Zen Buddhism, especially if you are a writer of spiritual books.
December 31, 2023
I have to say that I found this book well intent, but the critics of "other", the need for beliefs, whilst as well asking recategorizing other religions, all read to me as hypocritical. On the real actions for meditations, I guess he did very well, but I got blocked ahead of that in the book.
In this book the story of Zen, mostly Za-Zen, is a requirement from System 2 (rational mind) to bury itself into System 1 (emotional mind), whilst aiming to achieve a break away from System 1, but keeping the intelligence to answer sound System 2 questions, but answered in a System 1 manner... all in all is still non-sense, but varnished in lack of physical action, and kept within the individual. I see this as a potential door to individuals to get some comfort, better control and achieve some level of worldly detachment, but a fail to see it as an ultimate anything for the individual, and surely a non-progressive manner for the society.
I read it so you don't have to.
In this book the story of Zen, mostly Za-Zen, is a requirement from System 2 (rational mind) to bury itself into System 1 (emotional mind), whilst aiming to achieve a break away from System 1, but keeping the intelligence to answer sound System 2 questions, but answered in a System 1 manner... all in all is still non-sense, but varnished in lack of physical action, and kept within the individual. I see this as a potential door to individuals to get some comfort, better control and achieve some level of worldly detachment, but a fail to see it as an ultimate anything for the individual, and surely a non-progressive manner for the society.
I read it so you don't have to.
April 9, 2025
I decided to DNF this not because the book is "bad" but because I'm already quite familiar with the basics of Zen and I wanted to focus more on classic Zen scriptures. The language used was straightforward without using complicated Buddhist terms. The only critic that I have of this book is that there are some teachings and concepts included in the book that for me is still not necessary to be grasped by someone who is still new to the practice.
April 30, 2020
An amazing guide for beginners and intermediates living in secular lives.
August 18, 2022
Excellent--Sanbo Zen--
July 16, 2023
Great introduction, but long
July 7, 2024
Thank you for helping me deepen my just sitting practice.😊
Read
January 2, 2025Perhaps the best Zen "manual" I've encountered: clear, concise, impassioned, uncompromising, and deeply encouraging.
January 21, 2025
This is a very good book to introduce Zen to beginners and neophytes.
May 17, 2025
Perfect
May 31, 2025
Fantastic Zem book!
July 30, 2015
This is a complex book and may require several readings. As a ‘beginner’ I got a lot out of it but there is also much here for accomplished practitioners. Yamada uses ancient texts to develop the reader’s awareness and knowledge of Zen. There are koans and much about meditation and its importance. Mr Yamada says that the effects of even one period of meditation can make an impression on the subconscious mind and sustained meditation impacts our personalities. He refers to modern psychology and science and the book is well grounded without being too difficult.
“…unlike faith based religions, Zen rejects concepts and beliefs as a means of knowing the truth. Instead it aims to help us perceive reality and to find peace of mind based on that reality. Reality is what we really are: namely, our True Self. When we discover what we are, we experience peace of mind and continue to live day by day in infinite tranquillity and complete satisfaction.”
Exercises and poetry helps to illustrate this meaning of Zen and how the ultimate awareness could be achieved. Some of the language is truly beautiful and needs the reader to pause. I read the book with a notebook beside me and copied down many passages. I particularly liked a verse by Ikkyu: “What is mind? The sound of the wind in the pine tree in the brush painting.”
How can you not stop to contemplate that?
An excellent book to keep by your bedside with a notebook and pen (or record available on your phone), as there is much to learn and it needs to be savoured rather than rushed. A book for anyone interested in Zen, Buddhism generally or meditation and learning about awareness and enlightenment. A lovely gift for someone who meditates.
I was given this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
“…unlike faith based religions, Zen rejects concepts and beliefs as a means of knowing the truth. Instead it aims to help us perceive reality and to find peace of mind based on that reality. Reality is what we really are: namely, our True Self. When we discover what we are, we experience peace of mind and continue to live day by day in infinite tranquillity and complete satisfaction.”
Exercises and poetry helps to illustrate this meaning of Zen and how the ultimate awareness could be achieved. Some of the language is truly beautiful and needs the reader to pause. I read the book with a notebook beside me and copied down many passages. I particularly liked a verse by Ikkyu: “What is mind? The sound of the wind in the pine tree in the brush painting.”
How can you not stop to contemplate that?
An excellent book to keep by your bedside with a notebook and pen (or record available on your phone), as there is much to learn and it needs to be savoured rather than rushed. A book for anyone interested in Zen, Buddhism generally or meditation and learning about awareness and enlightenment. A lovely gift for someone who meditates.
I was given this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
April 3, 2015
Very clear and interesting, not so many new information anyway but the old ones are delivered in such an easy way that makes the whole book worth reading.
Molto chiaro ed interessante, per quanto non ci siano poi informazioni "nuove", gli argomenti che hanno a che fare con lo Zen sono spiegati in modo cosí chiaro che rendono il libro degno di essere letto.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND WISDOM PUBLICATIONS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Molto chiaro ed interessante, per quanto non ci siano poi informazioni "nuove", gli argomenti che hanno a che fare con lo Zen sono spiegati in modo cosí chiaro che rendono il libro degno di essere letto.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND WISDOM PUBLICATIONS FOR THE PREVIEW!
January 20, 2016
While a little dry at times, this is still an interesting and informative book about Zen.
August 23, 2015
Yamada explains the background and practice of Zen so clearly! I wish I had found this book a year ago, but I might not have been ready for it then.
March 21, 2016
Waste of time.
July 17, 2023
So good I need to read this again. & Again. & Again.
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