The Little Zen Companion

by David Schiller

While it seeks neither to define Zen nor answer its most famous koan (a riddle unanswerable by conventional thinking, in this case the sound of one hand clapping), this bestselling little book with 437,000 copies in print possesses a maverick Zen spirit that points to a different way of looking at the world.

With each page featuring a quote, phrase, story, koan, haiku, or poem, Zen Companion combines the feeling and format of a meditation book with 2,500 years of wisdom-from Lao-tzu and Groucho Marx, William Carlos Williams and The Little Prince , D. T. Suzuki and Walker Percy, the Buddha and the Bible, Einstein and Gertrude Stein. It's a celebration of intuition: "If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark"-St. John the Cross. Individuality: "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought."-Basho. Uncomplicated nature: "Among twenty snowy mountains/The only moving thing/Was the eye of the blackbird."-Wallace Stevens. Childlike spontaneity: "Goodnight stars. Goodnight air."-Margaret Wise Brown. Irreverent paradox: "Wakuan complained when he saw a picture of bearded Bodhidharma: 'Why hasn't that fellow a beard?'" And above all, the simple pleasure of life lived in the moment. "Chop wood, carry water."

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

389 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 1994

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

My beloved cousin lent me this book, for he knows how much I am fond of reading quotes coming from the powerful lips of famous historical figures . I want to be moved and inspired by their philosophical insights and thoughts.

To be honest, I still don’t have the completely clear ideas of what ZEN is all about. Before, I just knew of that it was some kind of spiritual practices to gain ENLIGHTENMENT and PEACE OF MIND. No wonder I tend to get fascinated to read more on this dogma. In fact, the only book I have ever read that gives me more ideas of this kind of spiritual dogma is Instinct for Freedom: A Maverick’s Guide to Spiritual Revolution by Alan Clements ( 4 stars ). I learned from this book that in order to have spiritual freedom, you have to empty your mind and feelings.

ZEN, as the name suggests, is a type of Buddhism that emphasizes MEDITATION rather than faith or reading religious books. MEDITATION is the practice of emptying your mind of thoughts and feelings, in order to relax completely, or for religious reasons. Thus, reading The Little Zen Companion as a little compendium of wisdom in the form of quotes, phrases, stories, koan, haiku, or poems from Lao-tzu, The Little Prince, D. T. Suzuki, Basho, Walker Percy, the Buddha, the Bible, Einstein, to name a few GUIDES you to empty your mind and feelings.

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Well, LIFE may be a total mess.

To get the hang of it, read and read and read. ^^

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable little epigram-per-page look at Zen precepts, some from actual Zen teachings, others from sources that are "kindred spirits." For those not versed in Zen, some of it may be puzzling. But there's plenty to stimulate thought here, and a fair amount to amuse.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief little book of aphorisms from Zen masters, poets, teachers and practitioners, as well as several Western sources, interspersed with bits of history, some explanations, and definitions of key terms. This book is a nice respite from the modern world’s concerns and helps ground the reader in a longer view of humanity.

[Mansoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that tries to help you understand Zen thought through a compilation of quotes that demonstrate Zen ideas.

It doesn't work.

Rather, I should say, it doesn't seem to work so well. The quotes are sometimes humorous, sometimes moving, but at the end of the book, I felt no closer to understanding Zen. The Zen parables are especially confusing (to the uninitiated, I guess):

A monk brought two potted plants to his Master. “Drop it,” ordered the Master. The monk dropped one pot. “Drop it,” again ordered the Master. The monk let the second pot go. “Drop it,” now roared the Master. The monk stammered: “But I have nothing to drop.” The Master nodded. “Then take it away.”

In the end, one of the quotes made the most sense to me, “Talking about Zen all the time is like looking for fish tracks in a dry riverbed.”

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Source:2024RJXmasMadMoneyBookFund
Bedside reading
in Process



Pleasant bathroom book . Consisting of a quote, saying, poem on each page.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patience is not one of my virtues. Originally I bought The Little Zen Companion to use a sort of "page a day" book-I would read one page a day and finish the book around December 31st. I do not expect much from any book I read in this format-honestly I was just hoping to provoke a little semi-critical thinking on my part. I find I have read all of it, and part of that may be my Western mind at work. Though this book features useful definitions of Zen terms, plus haiku and koans, it also features some cherry picked quotes from various celebrities. That's right it turns out I am a Zen snob-I would much rather read what Alan Watts or DT Suzuki has to say than, say, Woody Allen. (I kept wondering where the Kanye West quote was. "I am a proud non-reader of books.") This book actually does not manage to parody itself-I just felt it was the thing bored housewives read between James Patterson bestsellers.

[Jaide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the collected quotes were “hippy” at times, but I will be forever grateful to the little gems I found in this years ago. Glad I got to finally read the whole thing through.

“Ten years searching in
the deep forest
Today great laughter at
the edge of the lake.”
~Soen

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book full of snippets of zen sayings, many zen stories, and even some quotes by many well-known individuals. Very deep most of the way through.

[Kai Mustakoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is this

The Little Zen Companion is perfect reading for toilet!

[Abhi Jeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good compilation of Zen and Zen related ideas and quotes.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the rea6di readings

and thoughts of many diverse people . From the Buddha to Gertrude Stein

[Jon Robnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved books about Zen and Buddhism

[Carl Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

This book has a lot of good and useful quotes in it, that is really all it is. My only objection is that some of the attributions are doing a bit awkwardly.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads more like fables from the mental ward than anything approaching eightenment. Sprinkled with (a few) good quotes, so not quite a 1.

[jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little Zen Companion is quite a cute little book, filled to the brim with a compilation of quotes, philosophies, and very short stories all centred around Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism. The sources of the material are immensely varied – from thousand-year-old Zen teachings to more recent quotes by Westerners looking into the religious/philosophical path. This provides many perspectives on Zen, one quote or story perhaps more relatable or understandable than the other.

A page per quote/story is given by author David Schiller, and its lay-out is quite simple. The book is very much like a tiny inspirational work to leaf through a little now and then, filled with daily sayings much like certain calendars are. It’s in no way meant as an introduction to Zen, or to provide a complete understanding of Zen – just as something to take some inspiration from every day (or rather, every time one browses through the book).

In this, it succeeds mostly, and I find myself leafing through it every now and then. However, some of the ancient Zen stories/teachings it presents are a little difficult for me to understand as a Westerner with no background in Zen at all, so I usually just skip those.

Recommended for those looking for a daily sayings book with a Zen theme.

[Jim Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This definitely isn't great.

I bought this 31, maybe 32 years ago in a bookstore in Princeton, NJ while visiting my girlfriend. I was young and broke but loved books and was just starting to learn about Zen and this was really, really cheap and I couldn't leave a cool bookstore empty handed.

I think at the time I thought it was neat. Profound.

I've read through it a couple of times since. I'll put it in my desk at work and read a quote or two each day, that sort of thing.

Just finished going through it again. And really. Yeah. It's not as profound as the 19 year old me thought. Not terrible. Just. I don't know. I'll stick it back on the shelf and I'll probably forget that it's not that great and in five or six years I'll take it down again and do the same thing.

[Ami]

This is one of those books you can wander through, setting it aside when a reading gets you in the gut/soul. I loved the juxtaposition of quotes/stories/writings from different worlds: Eastern philosophers' & artists' words next to Westerners', writings from hundreds or even more than a thousand years ago next to much more recent ones. It lends itself wonderfully to an appreciation of some of the universals of the human experience. And zen itself is fascinating--deep but right on the surface, everywhen but especially Now.

[Randy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although there's many nice quotes here, overall many readers may dislike the author's choice to include "Zen-like" quotes from other cultures, famous personalities, and religions. The author's disclaimer at the start states "This book doesn't presume to define Zen" and the sayings were "chosen for their power to suggest." This makes the book's title misleading, perhaps chosen for marketing reasons. Ultimately, the random clash of Zen quotes vs. Western quotes creates a confusing spiritual vibe for those wanting to research Zen, or seeking more introspective reading.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book just to keep around to read when you feel like opening your mind a little bit and seeing things in a new way. But the new way is really the old way, the forgotten way your mind used to work and sometimes still does when you're asleep. I feel as if I have become wiser without learning anything, and hope that makes sense while knowing there is no sense to be made. I never understand if Zen is meant to be some sort of religion or just a way to see the world and oneself in relation to the world.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a helpful little book to keep in your pocket. It can serve as an incredibly useful tool to have, when you don't have much time to read. At first glance, it may seem simple, but that's the beauty of Zen; Something simple, can contain so much depth and meaning within it. My score does not reflect the quality of the book, but more reflects the fact that I believe I will have to read it thoroughly, a few times, before I truly see the meanings in some of the quotes.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isnt a bad book by any means, but it also isnt something I see as a must read. Basically it is almost a daily book of zen sayings and some tidbits on the major figures that have played into it. There are some good little quotes in there, which do indeed give you some guidelines to live by. But if you want anything of a real book related to zen, i would suggest searching elsewhere.

[Niva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is small, the haiku,quotes are simply awesome.It has been more than six years I've read it yet the memories of excitement,pain and the huge wisdom it shared remains till today.This book proved that small is indeed beautiful.

[Vassilena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Може и аз да не съм била в точното настроение за книгата, но за моя вкус тя е твърде фрагментарна и не предава ясно послание. Интересна ми беше историята на Дзен, биографиите на учителите и прочие. Мислите са твърде радикално различни за моя западняшки ум, вероятно.

[Chriss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good bathroom book.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this little book in Kodiak, and that's mainly why I love it.

[Shirley Plummer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A variety of authors over time and geography.
A sampler...look for a 'thought for the day'

[Erika]

had this for years...always randomly read

[Orishaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those little books I have in my library that I pick up constantly for some quick little wisdom.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful little book full of one page quotes, poems, and stories related to the concept of Zen.

[Raina Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book to open up randomly and read uplifting quotes.