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Zen Inklings: Some Stories, Fables, Parables, Sermons and Prints with Notes and Commentaries
Here is Don Richie's charming retelling of a selection of Zen tales and lessons that Publishers Weekly calls "A delightful, original introduction to Zen, its inner spirit and application to daily living." Kirkus Reviews also praises Richie's stories as having "the proper Zen tart, wry, b are, puckish, self-deflating."
- GenresPhilosophyJapan
132 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Donald Richie
117 books103 followersDonald Richie is an American-born author who has written about the Japanese people and Japanese cinema. Although he considers himself only a writer, Richie has directed many experimental films, the first when he was 17. Although Richie speaks Japanese fluently, he can neither read nor write it.
During World War II, he served aboard Liberty ships as a purser and medical officer. By then he had already published his first work, "Tumblebugs" (1942), a short story.
In 1947, Richie first visited Japan with the American occupation force, a job he saw as an opportunity to escape from Lima, Ohio. He first worked as a typist, and then as a civilian staff writer for the Pacific Stars and Stripes. While in Tokyo, he became fascinated with Japanese culture, particularly Japanese cinema. He was soon writing movie reviews in the Stars and Stripes. In 1948 he met Kashiko Kawakita who introduced him to Yasujiro Ozu. During their long friendship, Richie and Kawakita collaborated closely in promoting Japanese film in the West.
After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Columbia University's School of General Studies in 1949, and received his Bachelor's Degree in English in 1953. Richie then returned to Japan as film critic for the The Japan Times and spent much of the second half of the twentieth century living there. In 1959, he published his first book, The Japanese Film: Art and Industry, coauthored with Joseph Anderson. In this work, the authors gave the first English language account of Japanese film. Richie served as Curator of Film at the New York Museum of Modern Art from 1969 to 1972. In 1988, he was invited to become the first guest director at the Telluride Film Festival.
Among his most noted works on Japan are The Inland Sea, a travel classic, and Public People, Private People, a look at some of Japan's most significant and most mundane people. He has compiled two collections of essays on Japan: A Lateral View and Partial Views. A collection of his writings has been published to commemorate fifty years of writing about Japan: The Donald Richie Reader. The Japan Journals: 1947-2004 consists of extended excerpts from his diaries.
In 1991, filmmakers Lucille Carra and Brian Cotnoir produced a film version of The Inland Sea, which Richie narrated. Produced by Travelfilm Company, the film won numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival (1991) and the Earthwatch Film Award. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.
Author Tom Wolfe describes Richie as: "the Lafcadio Hearn of our time, a subtle, stylish, and deceptively lucid medium between two cultures that confuse one another: the Japanese and the American."
Richie's most widely recognized accomplishment has been his analysis of Japanese cinema. From his first published book, Richie has revised not only the library of films he discusses, but the way he analyzes them. With each subsequent book, he has focused less on film theory and more on the conditions in which the films were made. One thing that has emerged in his works is an emphasis on the "presentational" nature of Japan's cinema, in contrast to the "representational" films of the West. His book, A Hundred Years Of Japanese Film includes a helpful guide to the availability of the films on home video and DVD mentioned in the main text. In the foreword to this book, Paul Schrader says: "Whatever we in the West know about Japanese film, and how we know it, we most likely owe to Donald Richie." Richie also has written analyses of two of Japan's best known filmmakers: Yasujiro Ozu and Akira Kurosawa.
Richie has written the English subtitles for Akira Kurosawa's films Kagemusha (1980) and Dreams (1990)[8].
In the 21st century, Richie has become noted for his erudite audio commentaries for The Criterion Collection on DVDs of various classic Japanese films, notably those of Ozu (A Story of Floating Weeds, Early Summer), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascend
During World War II, he served aboard Liberty ships as a purser and medical officer. By then he had already published his first work, "Tumblebugs" (1942), a short story.
In 1947, Richie first visited Japan with the American occupation force, a job he saw as an opportunity to escape from Lima, Ohio. He first worked as a typist, and then as a civilian staff writer for the Pacific Stars and Stripes. While in Tokyo, he became fascinated with Japanese culture, particularly Japanese cinema. He was soon writing movie reviews in the Stars and Stripes. In 1948 he met Kashiko Kawakita who introduced him to Yasujiro Ozu. During their long friendship, Richie and Kawakita collaborated closely in promoting Japanese film in the West.
After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Columbia University's School of General Studies in 1949, and received his Bachelor's Degree in English in 1953. Richie then returned to Japan as film critic for the The Japan Times and spent much of the second half of the twentieth century living there. In 1959, he published his first book, The Japanese Film: Art and Industry, coauthored with Joseph Anderson. In this work, the authors gave the first English language account of Japanese film. Richie served as Curator of Film at the New York Museum of Modern Art from 1969 to 1972. In 1988, he was invited to become the first guest director at the Telluride Film Festival.
Among his most noted works on Japan are The Inland Sea, a travel classic, and Public People, Private People, a look at some of Japan's most significant and most mundane people. He has compiled two collections of essays on Japan: A Lateral View and Partial Views. A collection of his writings has been published to commemorate fifty years of writing about Japan: The Donald Richie Reader. The Japan Journals: 1947-2004 consists of extended excerpts from his diaries.
In 1991, filmmakers Lucille Carra and Brian Cotnoir produced a film version of The Inland Sea, which Richie narrated. Produced by Travelfilm Company, the film won numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival (1991) and the Earthwatch Film Award. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.
Author Tom Wolfe describes Richie as: "the Lafcadio Hearn of our time, a subtle, stylish, and deceptively lucid medium between two cultures that confuse one another: the Japanese and the American."
Richie's most widely recognized accomplishment has been his analysis of Japanese cinema. From his first published book, Richie has revised not only the library of films he discusses, but the way he analyzes them. With each subsequent book, he has focused less on film theory and more on the conditions in which the films were made. One thing that has emerged in his works is an emphasis on the "presentational" nature of Japan's cinema, in contrast to the "representational" films of the West. His book, A Hundred Years Of Japanese Film includes a helpful guide to the availability of the films on home video and DVD mentioned in the main text. In the foreword to this book, Paul Schrader says: "Whatever we in the West know about Japanese film, and how we know it, we most likely owe to Donald Richie." Richie also has written analyses of two of Japan's best known filmmakers: Yasujiro Ozu and Akira Kurosawa.
Richie has written the English subtitles for Akira Kurosawa's films Kagemusha (1980) and Dreams (1990)[8].
In the 21st century, Richie has become noted for his erudite audio commentaries for The Criterion Collection on DVDs of various classic Japanese films, notably those of Ozu (A Story of Floating Weeds, Early Summer), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascend
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 2, 2024
This is a fabulous read about beauty, ugliness, the body, sex, satori, and, of course, awareness about awareness. The quest to be without consciousness is fascinating. All that emptying of the mind - and the lunatics that are attracted to this discipline is fascinating. Makes me want to read Dharma Bums again.
The comments section covers Richie’s own interest in zen as well as the legacies of HR Blyth, Ruth Sasaki and Dr Daisetsu Suzuki. Not much of a religious person himself Richie does write that at one point in his life talking to Blyth in the train after they had been at Enkakuji temple or in bed:
“At that moment my eyes opened. I suddenly saw a connection, a real and vital one, a bridge of living tissue, between my faltering need for religion, my inclination for whatever I thought Zen was, and something I knew very well indeed: that inchoate bundle of longings, of satisfactions and exhaustions which I called my sex live.” (122)
The comments section covers Richie’s own interest in zen as well as the legacies of HR Blyth, Ruth Sasaki and Dr Daisetsu Suzuki. Not much of a religious person himself Richie does write that at one point in his life talking to Blyth in the train after they had been at Enkakuji temple or in bed:
“At that moment my eyes opened. I suddenly saw a connection, a real and vital one, a bridge of living tissue, between my faltering need for religion, my inclination for whatever I thought Zen was, and something I knew very well indeed: that inchoate bundle of longings, of satisfactions and exhaustions which I called my sex live.” (122)
June 24, 2022
Lovely tales shared in the spirit of Zen koans. Several of them, such as "Holy Demon" and "Spirit Animal", really made me think (and smile at the mastery of the tale.) Greatly enjoyed this book and I expect to revisit the stories in the future.
March 12, 2008
One of my absolute favorites of ALL times!!! The book is composed of parables & short stories. They're a bit abstract, but extremely vivid & colorful, so the both the story and the lesson really sticks with you for life! I've lent out my copy dozens of times, and have purchased copies for presents for close friends. If you are at all interested in buddhism or eastern philosophy, or even fairytales, you'll LOVE this collection! WONDERFUL!
June 6, 2024
Nothing to do with Zen really. It's all about Donald Richie's hyper-sexualized narratives loosely based on some actual Zen anecdotes. (Hint: there's no 'sex' in Zen. That's why it's the Path!)
Extremely disappointing 'read'.
Extremely disappointing 'read'.
December 7, 2009
A hoot from beginning to end. Funniest book on Zen I've every read.
September 4, 2014
Knew Donald Ritchie from his video essays on Kurosawa, this book was a most pleasant and earthy read, enjoy!
September 23, 2022
Fun, sometimes funny, slightly weird, sometimes insightful.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews