Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings of D.T. Suzuki

by D.T. Suzuki

No other figure in history has played a bigger part in opening the West to Buddhism than the eminent Zen author D.T. Suzuki. In the reissue of his best work, readers are given the very heart of Zen teaching. These writings are brought together to form the most accessible & definitive overview of Zen philosophy available.
The sense of Zen
Zen in relation to Buddhism generally
The history of Zen
Satori, or, Enlightenment
Practical methods of Zen instruction
The reason of unreason: the koan exercise
The Zen doctrine of no-mind
The role of nature in Zen Buddhism
Existentialism, pragmatism & Zen
Painting, swordsmanship, tea ceremony

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

294 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1956

About the author

Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki (鈴木 大拙 貞太郎 Suzuki Daisetsu Teitarō; rendered "Daisetz" after 1893) was Professor of Buddhist philosophies at Ōtani University. As a translator and writer on Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, he greatly helped to popularize Japanese Zen in the West.

Reviews

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Zen does not give us any intellectual assistance, nor does it waste time in arguing the point with us; but it merely suggests or indicates, not because it wants to be indefinite, but because that is really the only thing it can do for us. If it could, it would do anything to help us come to an understanding."


I read this book, not really to learn about Zen, but to learn about the perspective of its author D.T. Suzuki. Suzuki was a Japanese monk that taught at Colombia University and spoke 6 languages fluently (including, obviously, English). He is responsible for being the main source bringing Zen to the United States. He was also a supporter of the fascist military junta during the Second Sino-Japanese War, so I was on my guard. I was curious of how he would explain it, and it is apparent he knew how to explain things to a Western audience. The fact that he wrote in English is very telling. I would say that the selection of works here were very well-picked by the editor William Barrett. From the way he explains it, Zen is the easiest concept to understand and the hardest. I was very surprised at how different Zen Buddhism is from Abrahamic monotheism, but how similar it was in places. Zen philosophy, for me, is very similar to Roman Stoic philosophy. Of course, Suzuki was interested in measuring Zen to the popular philosophy of the day: Existentialism. It seems the more one tries to think of Zen from the default intellectual analysis, the harder it is to understand it. Even now, I feel like I get it and don't get it; it takes a whole-sell re-ordering of the way one thinks, especially in the West, to start to understand it--but it's possible.

I can't claim to be a convert to Zen, but it is always nice to learn about something different--to understand how other people in the world think of basic things.

[Jenwhitson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book showed me that Zen is just as full of dogma and superstition and nonsense as any other religion. Thanks a lot. I think Zen has come a long way since ole Suzuki in making itself accessible to the West. It's maybe a little alarming to see how little Western Buddhism has in common with this articulation of its Eastern roots, but whatever is in this book is completely useless to me.

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really excellent, if perhaps dated, view of Zen Buddhism written in a way that is accessible to university-educated Westerners. I thought the content of this book was exceptional, and would have given it five stars, except that I thought that the writing style was a bit too dense for most readers. A part of this is simply due to the nuanced nature of the subject matter, but I feel the author could have done better in making his ideas accessible. Overall, though, I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about Zen Buddhism and what it might have to teach us as Westerners.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe I read this while taking Harold Kasimow's Major Eastern Religions course while at Grinnell College. The writings of D.T. Suzuki (which this collection surveys) were of considerable influence in my understanding of Zen Buddhism and led to my belief that if I had to subscribe to a recognized "religion" it would be Zen.

[j.marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most awesomest and wonderful zen book foreverandever.
Esp. when he slams Oscar Wilde...or quotes that thing about the mountain.
you know.
the mountain.

[Scott Stead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most approachable on the subject of Zen but purposefully brilliant in walking the reader through the reasons Zen cant be defined by the written word.

[A. Raca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çok güzel bilgiler evet ama imla hataları göz kanatıyor, özür dilerim.

"Özgür bir zihne sahip olmak için göreneklerin, geleneklerin, belirli çıkarların zihnimize yerleştirdiği önermelerin yargı ve değer ölçülerinin bağımlılığından zihnimizi kurtarmamız gerekli ama yeterli değil."

[Moon Captain]

yooooo why the fuck can't I say I'm "currently reading" books anymore? because I'm in chapter two of this and it's good. very readable.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half good, second half too much gobblygoop

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the initial excitement of the very first essay, I had reconnected with one of the first lessons I can recall about Zen Buddhism, all the way back at the start of my undergraduate studies, and each successive essay felt like speed-reading through so many lessons and courses I took up to my doctoral defence. Very easy to get lost in a thought or not see the forest for the trees, as nearly every example from the long history of Zen felt like I had already seen somewhere else before. I was not just reading about consciousness or no-mind, I was experiencing all the paradoxes and mysteries that have befuddled many a monk and infuriated the master. By the end, I could grasp that I was not meant to make sense of their koans and catechisms but rather intuit what it might mean. Then, just like the frog leaping into the old pond, words start to makes sense of the insensible, and a mountain is a mountain, a book is a book after all.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

To get the most out of this book, I decided to dedicate quiet time to myself while reading it aloud. To me, it is not a backpack book, not a bus ride book, it is not a breakfast book, nor is it a before bed book. It is at times a frustrating read because though it is immensely fruitful it is haphazardly strung together in true Zen form. At times I felt as though I were doing brain cartwheels. It takes quite a bit of concentration and open-mindedness, which I now understand are both opposites and one in the same, key ingredients to fully appreciating and understanding a new experience... There was an excerpt on page 261 where I wrote a note - "This should be page 1!"... There are also moments where the book contradicts itself. Regardless, it is full of wisdom. Certain sections do a thorough job of outlining the precepts and concepts of Zen such as Satori, Tathata, and Prajna; but, they take much reading to get to, very akin to climbing a mountain to reach the peak after much stumbling around in the forest. I've attached my favorite quotes below.

Pg.49
Monk asks master - "how can I escape the bondage of birth and death?"
Zen master answers - "where are you?"

Pg.129
"When I raise my hand thus, there is Zen. But when I assert that I have raised the hand, Zen is no more there"

Pg. 162
"The whole system of Zen discipline may thus be said to be nothing but a series of attempts to set us absolutely free from all forms of bondage"

Pg.174
"The object of Zen discipline is to recognize it, and to be released from error, which are passions"

Pg.177
Huai-jang - "No amount of polishing makes a mirror out of brick... Sitting cross-legged in meditation, this is murdering the Buddha".

Pg.253
Seppo - "You are all like those who, while immersed in the ocean, extend their hands crying for water!"

Pg.285
Basho - "for life is after all a traveling from one unknown to another unknown".

[Tavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." Carl Sagan

[michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the first chapter. Do it now!

[David Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overly academic for my interests. Overtly making sentences and words complicated.

[Vivek Bhandari · Rating 3 out of 5]

And I always wondered what Zen was about

great........... pizzas are here

[Özge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu kitabı tam Japonya seyahatine başlarken okumaya başladım. Kyoto'da gezdiğim bütün Shinto ve Budist tapınakları bu kitap sayesinde anlama kavuştu. Kitapta Zen'in neden yanlış anlaşıldığı ya da basitliğinden dolayı derinliğinin kaçırıldığı anlatılıyor. Çinli bilgelerin öğretilerinden Zen ustaların hikayelerine kadar çok kritik detaylar içeriyor.

Çokça hoşuma giden diyaloglar oldu kitapta. Örneğin, Bir keşiş zen yolunda ilerlemek istediğini söyleyince usta 'kahvaltını ettin mi? etmedin mi?' diye sormuş. Zen, yaşama yepyeni, daha derin ve doyurucu bir görünüm kazandıracak bakış açı sunmaya çalışan; yani Satorilerin (Zen yolunda yürüyenlere deniyor) yaşamı nasıl yeniden düzenlendiğini aktarıyor. Daha ilginci, Satori akılla ve yargıyla erişilecek bir mecra da değil.

'Hiç bir şeye gereksinim duymayan adam ne tür bir adamdır?' sorusuna, zen ustası, 'sen bir yudumda batı ırmağının bütün suyunu içtiğinde sana söylerim' yanıtını veriyor. Tutarsız bir cevap. 'Bir asanız varsa size bir tane daha veririm, eğer yoksa onu sizden alırım' gibi çelişkilerle dolu görünen cevapların nasıl Zen'in doğasını açıkladığını okuyacaksınız.

'Zen kitaplardan edinilen bilgilerlerle değil de kişisel yaşantılardan çıkan gerçeklere dayanarak sorunları çözmeyi öneriyor. Sonluyla sonsuz arasındaki çekişmenin sürüp gittiği insan varlığının iç yapısının kavranması için akıldan 'daha üstün' bir yetenek gerekiyor deniyor. Sezgiye, kendiliğinden olana, an'da kalabilmenin erdemine de vurgu var. Ayrıca, 'anı yaşa' mottosunun batı tarafından ne kadar yanlış yorumlandığı bölümü de etkileyiciydi.

Kitabın sonunda ise, Japon sanatlarının (çay seramonisi, sumiye, kenjitsu, haiku, ikebana..) nasıl Zen'le ilişkili olduğunu anlatıyor yazar. Tek kelimeyle muazzam akışı olan bir kitaptı, uzak doğu felsefeleri, Japonya, ve Zen Budizmine ilgi duyanların başucu kitabı olabilir.

[Melike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zen diyor ki, akıl kendisinin yanıt bulamayacağı sorular ortaya atıyor, bu nedenle bu sorulara yanıt bulabilecek akıldan daha üstün daha aydınlatıcı bir yeteneğin ortaya çıkabilmesi için aklı bir yana itmekten başka seçenek yok. Çünkü aklın gönül esenliğini bozan, huzur kaçıran bir özelliği var.

*****

İşte gerçek önümüzde durup duruyor onu öylesine doğrudan çıplak ellerimizle yakalamalıyız ki ellerimizin arasından kayıp kaçmasın. Zen’in önerisi bu. Nasıl doğa hava boşluğunu sevmezse Zen de gerçekle aramıza giren hiç bir şeyden hoşlanmaz.

*****

Çoğu kez Zen’in su içmeye benzediğini söylerler; çünkü suyun sıcak mı, soğuk mu olduğunu içen bilir. Zen duyarlığıyla algılama bu yaşantının en son aşamasıdır, böyle bir yaşantıdan geçmemiş, konuya yabancı olan kimselerce yadsınamaz, yokumsanamaz.

*****

Çekişme, didişme, boş, anlamsız şeylerle, boş heveslerle dolu olan bu dünyada göreceliğin sınırlarını aşıp, şöyle bir göz ucuyla da olsa sonsuzluğa bakabilecek gösterişsiz basit bir köşe bulabilmek gene de önemli bir şey sayılmaz mı?

[Eduardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I began losing interest in this book about 2/3 of the way through. This is my first exposure to D.T. Suzuki so I don't know if the writings that Barrett, the editor, selected weren't as impactful on me as others that could have been selected would have been. I also don't know how much Suzuki's use of language affected me. I felt that there were many places where Suzuki's word choice felt either dated or pretentious. When I reached the selections from "The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind", the book really began to feel like an effort to relate Zen to western philosophers and readers of western thinkers, particularly James, Eckhart, Sartre, and the like. I'll be interested to read other Suzuki books to see how they compare to these.

[Michelle Wruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading Suzuki. I don’t always agree with him. In fact, I probably disagree with his major points more often than I agree with them but he’s so accessible and I love the questions he asks. Reading his books is like having a good conversation with someone very well versed in a topic (that I happen to love) but whose experience and perspective are quite different from your own. It’s engaging and thought-provoking. It has helped me clarify my own views on a number of issues within the Buddhist canon.

[John Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. (read sometime between 2012-2015)

"At first it is a mountain, then it is not a mountain, and then it is a mountain."
This is not a direct quote from the book, but once read, it makes wonderful sense >> a true self-government of independence. Mr Suzuki dives deep into ying/yang and helps one understand how Zen is not a philosophy and how it is indefinable. Wonderful.

[Atilla]

Kötü bir kitap değildi ama Alan Watts ve İlhan Güngören'in bu konudaki kitaplarını daha başarılı buldum. D. T. Suzuki'nin dili, bahsettiğim yazarlar kadar anlaşılır değil. Ayrıca konunun ele alınışı da yeterince çok boyutlu değil.

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too wordy to be truly Zen

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written digest of some of Suzuki's Zen writings.

[Kevin Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written selection of essays from a number of his books. They vary in degree of difficulty, for my mind, to grasp. I read roughly four pages a day, slowly absorbing and (I hope) understanding.

[Celesto De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got boring at the end, but went very deep into the mystery of zen.

[Mel Bossa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has changed my life.

[Lukas Stock · Rating 3 out of 5]

That’s it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't begin to understand Zen and this is a seminal work. If one were to ask a master "Is this a good book," the answer might be "The daffodil is beautiful." It's a start.

[Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on Zen. Has a lot of helpful kaons for the unraveling of the not-so-evident mental constructs that have plagued societies for millennia.

[Cougar · Rating 2 out of 5]

To put this bluntly, the book was exhaustively repetitive on points that didn't necessarily need to be further analyzed by the author's method. As an example, the author would site a copious amount of different events in which a monk experienced satori; now that sounds cool, right? Well, not when each experience is practically the same (monk gets hit with a stick by his master and suddenly experiences satori). Nevertheless, I still received a general idea of what Zen entails; it just feels like the book could've been 200 or more pages shorter. The final selection about Japanese culture in relation to Zen (which was the only essay I was planning to skip) turned out to be the one I was most enamored by.