The Little Book of Zen

by Manuela Dunn-Mascetti (Editor), Timothy Hugh Barrett

Illuminating introduction to Zen art and thought --- haiku, koans and the sayings of the mysterious Zen masters.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Zen, Philosophy, Poetry, Buddhism

155 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and pensive book explaining the ins and outs of the origin and Buddhist beliefs on zen, haikus and various other writings.

[Stacey Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of Japanese Zen haiku, koans, and sayings. Informative introductions to haiku and koans,and Zen sayings. Attractively packaged as a hardback gift book and beautifully illustrated earth tone color plates of famous paintings and illustrations on thick paper. List of color plates and suggestions for further reading.

[Kirk Plankey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book, about 5"x 5" with nice introductory samplings of Zen Haiku, Koans and Sayings. One of my favorite parts is that there is art work throughout the downside is that because of the small format of the book, a full appreciation of most of the art work presented is wanting since they could be shown to much better favor in a larger format. Still the art work is impressive and moving.

[Philippe Gagné · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little book on Zen. It offers a beautiful collection of Zen art, poetry, koans, and zen stories with some explanations about their meaning. I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the subject, though, but readers who already possess some knowledge on the subject should appreciate the ride.

[Harrison Large ラージ • ハリソン · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book that I highly recommend to anyone who finds it in a charity shop, like I did. I especially liked the explanation of some of the basic koen, which the last Zen book I read neglected to expand on.

[Diane Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book while going through my mother’s house after her death a year ago. It had been inscribed to her by a friend. I read it on the first anniversary of her death and what would have been her 98th birthday. It helped me to feel closer to her and to see haiku in a different way.

[Sonkaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. The Little Book of Zen is a great introdution into Zen Buddhism, presenting a selection of haikus, art, koans, and Zen sayings.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little bathroom book, but not much more

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend loaned me this interesting book. The contents contain haiku, koans, and sayings. I enjoyed the haiku the most. The illustrations inspired me as well.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent selection of haiku. Unfortunately, some of the koan explanations make the koans seem more trivial than I would have thought otherwise.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small, short, arty book. Lovely illustrations, brief explanations of what haiku, koans, and saying are along with their importance followed by multiple and examples of each.

[Mary Follis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found on the sale table at BN, it entertains & educates as well as inspires thought. This is a book to read any part of any time; I'm sure I will pick it up again soon just to reread some parts.