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The Finger and the Moon: Zen Teachings and Koans
Jodo’s interpretations of the stories and koans of Zen master Ejo Takata
• Offers more than 60 Zen teaching tales, initiatory stories, koans, and haikus for self-realization and spiritual awakening
• Each story or koan is accompanied by the author’s lucid and penetrating commentary, blending the same burlesque slapstick and sublime insight that characterize his films
• Explains how one must see beyond the words of the story to grasp the spiritual insights they contain
Before he became the film maker and graphic novel author known throughout the world today, Alejandro Jodorowsky studied with Zen master Ejo Takata in Mexico City. In The Finger and the Moon, Jodorowsky recounts how he became Takata’s student and offers his interpretations of the teaching tales, initiatory stories, koans, and enigmatic haikus he learned at the feet of his great and humble teacher. Blending the same burlesque slapstick and sublime insight that characterize his films such as El Topo and The Holy Mountain, each story is accompanied by the author’s lucid and penetrating commentary, as well as insights from ancient Zen teachers. Yet their most significant gift to the reader is the sudden shock of realization they impart that can lead to spiritual awakening.
Jodorowsky notes that most people are incapable of self-realization because of their fear of the void within, an emptiness they seek to fill with noise and chatter. He shows that Zen teachings can be compared to a finger pointing at the moon, directing you to awaken to your true nature--the Buddha within. The danger lies in mistaking the pointing finger for the moon, mistaking the words for the essential enlightenment, which can only be grasped once words have been surpassed. Unlike most tales, these stories are intended to evoke silent illumination--as true awakening and self-realization cannot occur until the mind has been stilled.
• Offers more than 60 Zen teaching tales, initiatory stories, koans, and haikus for self-realization and spiritual awakening
• Each story or koan is accompanied by the author’s lucid and penetrating commentary, blending the same burlesque slapstick and sublime insight that characterize his films
• Explains how one must see beyond the words of the story to grasp the spiritual insights they contain
Before he became the film maker and graphic novel author known throughout the world today, Alejandro Jodorowsky studied with Zen master Ejo Takata in Mexico City. In The Finger and the Moon, Jodorowsky recounts how he became Takata’s student and offers his interpretations of the teaching tales, initiatory stories, koans, and enigmatic haikus he learned at the feet of his great and humble teacher. Blending the same burlesque slapstick and sublime insight that characterize his films such as El Topo and The Holy Mountain, each story is accompanied by the author’s lucid and penetrating commentary, as well as insights from ancient Zen teachers. Yet their most significant gift to the reader is the sudden shock of realization they impart that can lead to spiritual awakening.
Jodorowsky notes that most people are incapable of self-realization because of their fear of the void within, an emptiness they seek to fill with noise and chatter. He shows that Zen teachings can be compared to a finger pointing at the moon, directing you to awaken to your true nature--the Buddha within. The danger lies in mistaking the pointing finger for the moon, mistaking the words for the essential enlightenment, which can only be grasped once words have been surpassed. Unlike most tales, these stories are intended to evoke silent illumination--as true awakening and self-realization cannot occur until the mind has been stilled.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 1997
24 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Alejandro Jodorowsky
694 books1,947 followersAlso credited as Alexandro Jodorowsky
Better known for his surreal films El Topo and The Holy Mountain filmed in the early 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky is also an accomplished writer of graphic novels and a psychotherapist. He developed Psychomagic, a combination of psychotherapy and shamanic magic. His fans have included John Lennon and Marilyn Manson.
Better known for his surreal films El Topo and The Holy Mountain filmed in the early 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky is also an accomplished writer of graphic novels and a psychotherapist. He developed Psychomagic, a combination of psychotherapy and shamanic magic. His fans have included John Lennon and Marilyn Manson.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 4, 2015
Para leerlo poco a poco.
September 13, 2025
Le Doigt et La Lune aka The Finger and The Moon – Zen Stories by Alejandro Jodorowsky reviewed in the lotus on the head position here…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u...
The Zen story that this reader likes most is told at the end of the excellent motion picture Charlie Wilson’s War http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/06/c...
by the regretted Philip Seymour Hoffman to Tom Hanks (the latter is Charlie Wilson) and it goes something like this – there was a Zen Master who had a horse and when it ran away, the neighbors expressed their regret, to which the Master said ‘we shall see’, when the horse returned with a number of wild animals, the villagers had joy to share, but they received the same impartial ‘we shall see’, which will be repeated when the son has an accident, the army recruiters come to take him to join the force and the community would express alternative, sorrow and mirth, only the Master knew equanimity is the name of the game…
Aside from the incredible spiritual benefit that the reading of this book would bring, there are practical advantages as well and perhaps none more important than the story that prompts people to ‘find their calling’, this is a subject that is taken on in the most popular lectures at Harvard, on positive psychology, available on YouTube, wherein Professor Tal Ben-Shahar talks about the three groups of activities that we need to look at, the things we like doing, those we are good at and finally, the tasks that have meaning for us, and where these intersect, we have the domain which should provide u with our vocation…
The manner in which the Zen stories are compiled makes them very accessible, especially given that Alejandro Jodorowky would add some commentary – at times it seems quite inordinate, and counterintuitive, perhaps even contrary to the Zen spirit, such as when a disciple asks a question and then we are told ‘this is such a cretinous query’, and we may wonder how could any question be stupid in the Zen realm – and the meaning of the very often intriguing, baffling exchange is laid out on the table…
When the follower is asking the master ‘are you in your mind’, the latter responds ‘no, I am in my mind’, thereby making clear there is a stark difference between what the former might think of his master’s state, which is so presumably so serene (Serenity Now!) and detached…what comes to mind is the series of experiments that have looked at the effect of meditation on the mind, which would be the main activity of a Zen Master (right?), some of which have Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist Monk and close adviser to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, at the center, he had agreed to participate in experiments.
In one, they would have the sound of a shotgun firing close to the meditating man (this would mean many hours per day, not just a quarter of an hour now and then) and he would have no reaction, no muscle on his face would move, which is in stark contrast with what happened when they had others take the test…
People with experience in law enforcement, police, or army, would have to go through the same motions and albeit they had been exposed to the extremely loud sound of the firing of a gun near them, in training and sometimes in practice, they could not help but have a noticeable reaction to this event, and move some muscled on the face, and this goes to prove how much in control humans can be, after many hours of meditation and the brain of these serious, professional meditators has been looked at in scans and it shows a very different pattern within, form the thinking organ of ordinary people…
When asked about hell and heaven, a Master insults the samurai, and the latter is ready to react and punish the act, taking his sword out, then, after the master explains that this is hell and how it happened, the samurai is relaxed and serene, which is depicted ‘now, this is heaven’, thus we have the very wise men that have this knowledge and are so sage, demonstrate an ability to communicate and portray the unknown…when another master is prompted to answer if Buddha is within a dog, the wise man barks
There is a story told in another book, I cannot remember where I have read it, about the Buddha and his view on anger, which is like ‘taking coals from the fire to take revenge, but while you hold them, your hand will be burnt’…if there is some humor in the previous, the next might have even more, for it is about two brothers, one of them quite simple, who is left in the room with a notable sage who is visiting, and when the alert brother returns, he is asking if all is well and the visitor says he has had a very intelligent conversation with the thick sibling…’I have mentioned talked about the Buddha and the absolute and your brother very deeply showed me one finger, signifying that there is one Buddha, and then I showed him two, for Buddha and the world, which in turn brought the sign of the fist from your sibling, to show unity of all’
When asked about the same sign dialogue, the brother has another version nonetheless, he said ‘the guest showed two fingers, insulting me on the issue of the one eye that I have and the two he has and I showed him my fist, to tell him what happens, if he does not stop’ – this is not an extract from the book, but just how I recall the dialogue and thinking about it, I fell in the same trap, the two were saying two very different stories to each other, and I, in my turn, come up with yet another version, like in the game we played when we were kids, we would line up for the ‘cordless phone’ and one would tell something to the first in line, which would pass it to the next, and then that one to the next, until the end of the line
The fun was provided by the major, often huge difference between what the first heard and what the last would pronounce…there are also some very horrible stories, Zen as they may be, such as the one about the samurai who has the dog barking at him, and upset, he just cuts off the head of the poor animal, only to see in his mouth the head of the snake, for the pet was trying to prevent him from getting harmed…and speaking of snakes, when some characters eat at table, they find the head of a snake and when the cook is called, he admits to his mistake by…taking the head and eating it…Buddha is a state of mind that you must see within yourself, we should eat very little meat, but why not eliminate it completely, because in this book, they say it could have benefits, but I reject that…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u...
The Zen story that this reader likes most is told at the end of the excellent motion picture Charlie Wilson’s War http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/06/c...
by the regretted Philip Seymour Hoffman to Tom Hanks (the latter is Charlie Wilson) and it goes something like this – there was a Zen Master who had a horse and when it ran away, the neighbors expressed their regret, to which the Master said ‘we shall see’, when the horse returned with a number of wild animals, the villagers had joy to share, but they received the same impartial ‘we shall see’, which will be repeated when the son has an accident, the army recruiters come to take him to join the force and the community would express alternative, sorrow and mirth, only the Master knew equanimity is the name of the game…
Aside from the incredible spiritual benefit that the reading of this book would bring, there are practical advantages as well and perhaps none more important than the story that prompts people to ‘find their calling’, this is a subject that is taken on in the most popular lectures at Harvard, on positive psychology, available on YouTube, wherein Professor Tal Ben-Shahar talks about the three groups of activities that we need to look at, the things we like doing, those we are good at and finally, the tasks that have meaning for us, and where these intersect, we have the domain which should provide u with our vocation…
The manner in which the Zen stories are compiled makes them very accessible, especially given that Alejandro Jodorowky would add some commentary – at times it seems quite inordinate, and counterintuitive, perhaps even contrary to the Zen spirit, such as when a disciple asks a question and then we are told ‘this is such a cretinous query’, and we may wonder how could any question be stupid in the Zen realm – and the meaning of the very often intriguing, baffling exchange is laid out on the table…
When the follower is asking the master ‘are you in your mind’, the latter responds ‘no, I am in my mind’, thereby making clear there is a stark difference between what the former might think of his master’s state, which is so presumably so serene (Serenity Now!) and detached…what comes to mind is the series of experiments that have looked at the effect of meditation on the mind, which would be the main activity of a Zen Master (right?), some of which have Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist Monk and close adviser to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, at the center, he had agreed to participate in experiments.
In one, they would have the sound of a shotgun firing close to the meditating man (this would mean many hours per day, not just a quarter of an hour now and then) and he would have no reaction, no muscle on his face would move, which is in stark contrast with what happened when they had others take the test…
People with experience in law enforcement, police, or army, would have to go through the same motions and albeit they had been exposed to the extremely loud sound of the firing of a gun near them, in training and sometimes in practice, they could not help but have a noticeable reaction to this event, and move some muscled on the face, and this goes to prove how much in control humans can be, after many hours of meditation and the brain of these serious, professional meditators has been looked at in scans and it shows a very different pattern within, form the thinking organ of ordinary people…
When asked about hell and heaven, a Master insults the samurai, and the latter is ready to react and punish the act, taking his sword out, then, after the master explains that this is hell and how it happened, the samurai is relaxed and serene, which is depicted ‘now, this is heaven’, thus we have the very wise men that have this knowledge and are so sage, demonstrate an ability to communicate and portray the unknown…when another master is prompted to answer if Buddha is within a dog, the wise man barks
There is a story told in another book, I cannot remember where I have read it, about the Buddha and his view on anger, which is like ‘taking coals from the fire to take revenge, but while you hold them, your hand will be burnt’…if there is some humor in the previous, the next might have even more, for it is about two brothers, one of them quite simple, who is left in the room with a notable sage who is visiting, and when the alert brother returns, he is asking if all is well and the visitor says he has had a very intelligent conversation with the thick sibling…’I have mentioned talked about the Buddha and the absolute and your brother very deeply showed me one finger, signifying that there is one Buddha, and then I showed him two, for Buddha and the world, which in turn brought the sign of the fist from your sibling, to show unity of all’
When asked about the same sign dialogue, the brother has another version nonetheless, he said ‘the guest showed two fingers, insulting me on the issue of the one eye that I have and the two he has and I showed him my fist, to tell him what happens, if he does not stop’ – this is not an extract from the book, but just how I recall the dialogue and thinking about it, I fell in the same trap, the two were saying two very different stories to each other, and I, in my turn, come up with yet another version, like in the game we played when we were kids, we would line up for the ‘cordless phone’ and one would tell something to the first in line, which would pass it to the next, and then that one to the next, until the end of the line
The fun was provided by the major, often huge difference between what the first heard and what the last would pronounce…there are also some very horrible stories, Zen as they may be, such as the one about the samurai who has the dog barking at him, and upset, he just cuts off the head of the poor animal, only to see in his mouth the head of the snake, for the pet was trying to prevent him from getting harmed…and speaking of snakes, when some characters eat at table, they find the head of a snake and when the cook is called, he admits to his mistake by…taking the head and eating it…Buddha is a state of mind that you must see within yourself, we should eat very little meat, but why not eliminate it completely, because in this book, they say it could have benefits, but I reject that…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
November 27, 2023
Un buen maestro que se precie, no te dará la solución del problema, te ofrecerá las herramientas para llegar al resultado optimo. En una primera lectura no se alcanza el mensaje por el diálogo simple y la escena extraña, pero si lo lees con calma, dejando que cada palabra cale, hallas la enseñanza.
Algunos los he visto más acertados que otros, algunos comprendo mejor el mensaje, ese carácter de cotidiano de cada cuento es en sí mismo una enseñanza, en la observación diaria: la vida es una de las más sabias maestras, solo hay que estar atentos a los detalles y aprender a escuchar.
El que yo cuento a mis hijos:
_ Maestro, ¿ cuál es el secreto de la felicidad?
_No discutir con idiotas.
_ Eso no es.
_Tienes razón.
Algunos los he visto más acertados que otros, algunos comprendo mejor el mensaje, ese carácter de cotidiano de cada cuento es en sí mismo una enseñanza, en la observación diaria: la vida es una de las más sabias maestras, solo hay que estar atentos a los detalles y aprender a escuchar.
El que yo cuento a mis hijos:
_ Maestro, ¿ cuál es el secreto de la felicidad?
_No discutir con idiotas.
_ Eso no es.
_Tienes razón.
October 14, 2018
La cosa eccezionale di questo libro è il poter leggere il commento ai koan fatto da una mente occidentale, mente lucida e vivace che riesce abilmente ad entrare nel cuore della filosofia zen in modo semplice ma non semplicistico, senza sminuire il valore della dottrina stessa ma anzi tratteggiandone applicazioni pratiche di stampo psicologico e psicanalitico.La chiarezza e il modo acuto ed essenziale con cui l'autore affronta i koan (da maestro e discepolo insieme, a dimostrazione della piena comprensione di ciò di cui sta disquisendo) è così suggestivo che spinge a voltare pagina e a non fermarsi nella lettura, cosa rara in testi di questo genere.Decisamente consigliato.
November 8, 2018
No tengo palabras para expresar todas las cosas.... que no entendí de este libro!! jajajaja. La verdad es que se me hizo muy complicado, de otro nivel, todos esos acertijos zen son tan raros y yo esperaba comprender esos misterios en la explicación de Jodorowsky, pero sinceramente quedé peor. Espero con el tiempo adquirir esa sapiensa necesaria para entender mejor este rollo, por ahora no es lo mío. Aunque no todo fue oscuridad, hubo algunas cosas que si comprendi y sin duda me dejan una gran enseñanza, pero si me quedo con ese amargo sabor de boca de no haber logrado disfrutar este libro como se merece, aunque se que algún día lo volveré a leer.
May 10, 2022
I've been looking for a book of Zen koans to help me stop trying to intellectually think about things and just clear my mind. I found this one and was initially excited that the author expanded upon each of the koans. But the more I read, the less comfortable I felt. What he was saying just missed its mark with me. To me he came across as haughty at times.
Then he equated homosexual fantasies with our "dark root" alongside cannibalisms. That was it for me.
I found another book that presents the koans without commentary. That's much more what I was looking for. I put this one down.
Then he equated homosexual fantasies with our "dark root" alongside cannibalisms. That was it for me.
I found another book that presents the koans without commentary. That's much more what I was looking for. I put this one down.
August 30, 2021
When I found this book in Toulouse, the owner of the bookshop told me it didn't stay long, the book arrived on the shelf the day before.
Being on the road, it dint not take me long to finish to read this book.
To be honest, I am not a big fan of the Zen story, but Jodorowsky has the talent to make it understandable.
I recommend this book even if you do not know who is Jodorowsky and if you have no clue about the philosophy Zen. Indeed, this book is clever and funny, not bad...
Being on the road, it dint not take me long to finish to read this book.
To be honest, I am not a big fan of the Zen story, but Jodorowsky has the talent to make it understandable.
I recommend this book even if you do not know who is Jodorowsky and if you have no clue about the philosophy Zen. Indeed, this book is clever and funny, not bad...
October 12, 2025
Explicaciones ingeniosas de un charlatán inteligente. Puede que a algunos les esté vedada la iluminación, incluso el acceder a un buen maestro, incluso ser apenas un discípulo. Un empeño en explicar aquello que, según repite en varias ocasiones el autor, es inefable pues hay que vivirlo como experiencia propia. La experiencia vivencial más allá de la explicación. Cabe suponer que tras escribir el libro Jodorowsky diría: «Quien tenga oídos que oiga».
February 1, 2022
La prima parte, quella con i racconti zen, è meravigliosa e piuttosto "semplice". Ma quando il libro entra nei koan e negli haiku, ecco che si fa più difficile e profondo. Lo considero un ottimo libro per meditare.
June 2, 2019
La selección de piezas es discutible, pero bueno, es una selección. Los comentarios son repetitivos, prolijos, previsibles.
December 26, 2021
Un libro corto pero lleno de aprendizajes y experiencias que pueden ser fácilmente traducibles a la vida diaria de cada uno. ¡Un gran libro!
January 8, 2024
Insightful but I think Alejandro has some terrible opinions.
March 30, 2024
Capolavoro assoluto di filosofia orientale, profondo senza essere pesante, tedioso o complesso.
November 13, 2025
Buenisimo
February 9, 2020
«Un antico proverbio orientale dice che quando il saggio indica la luna, lo sciocco guarda il dito. Ma luna e dito appartengono a due dimensioni diverse, a due mondi differenti: è questo il cuore dell'insegnamento del buddhismo zen del maestro Ejo Takata che nei tardi anni Cinquanta ha fondato in Messico una scuola frequentata, tra gli altri, dal grande psicoanalista Erich Fromm. Nel 1961 anche Alejandro Jodorowsky ha seguito le lezioni di Takata e ha annotato nei suoi taccuini gli aneddoti e le storielle che questi raccontava. In queste pagine Jodorowsky raccoglie sessanta di quei racconti, li commenta e svela il significato nascosto in ciascuno di essi, apparentemente insensati e così lontani dalla nostra tradizione filosofica basata sulla logica e il ragionamento. Si tratta di haiku e koan della più classica tradizione zen che sorprendono e invitano il lettore a guardare oltre il dito per ammirare la bellezza della luna.». (sinossi tratta dal sito dell'Editore, Mondadori).
Quanto è lunga e difficile la strada per l'illuminazione interiore. E a quanti sacrifici e botte (sì, anche botte) ti costringono i maestri per trovare la tua strada. È così che Jodorowsky presenta e commenta brevi racconti zen, koan e haiku. Ogni storia è utile per capire come provare a trovare il miglior percorso interiore per abbandonare il mondo "fisico" e trovare la pace e il legame con l'Universo tutto. Ma per capire come arrivare al cielo, bisogna imparare a riconoscere il cielo che è dentro di noi.
Quanto è lunga e difficile la strada per l'illuminazione interiore. E a quanti sacrifici e botte (sì, anche botte) ti costringono i maestri per trovare la tua strada. È così che Jodorowsky presenta e commenta brevi racconti zen, koan e haiku. Ogni storia è utile per capire come provare a trovare il miglior percorso interiore per abbandonare il mondo "fisico" e trovare la pace e il legame con l'Universo tutto. Ma per capire come arrivare al cielo, bisogna imparare a riconoscere il cielo che è dentro di noi.
May 4, 2018
My uncle left a copy of Frank Herbert's Dune on the coffee table in my grandparent's basement. I was a fan of sci fi, allergic, and it was harvest. I spent a lot of time in that basement as a result. I was maybe 9 years old.
A few years ago the local cinema society showed 'Jodorowsky's Dune.' I loved it. The grandeur and the genius and the insanity of the project. The neurosis and talents and egos of the participants. Sometimes I suspect the happiest lives are something like this. I'm not sure what I thought of Jodorowsky himself. Some false deprecating modesty, deployed as a tactic of one-upmanship to other immense egos. A bit disturbed by his parenting style. I did not search out Jodorowsky after seeing the film. I read a few chapters in my decaying paperback of Dune.
Reinforcing my enthusiasm and reducing my separation anxiety in Herbert's novel, I did not seek out the other film adaptations of Dune. They are greater failures than Jodorowsky's non-film. Those failures keep coming to mind as I read this anthology of Rinzai koans. Is it needful that another redux version of the Mumankan be published? Jodorowsky gives many simplistic-ish interpretations of Zen antics such as all-things-are-one and get-rid-of-the-intellect and be-present. Page 109-111 gives a nice explanation of the relationship of the relative bad to the relative good of human nature and experience. When Jodorowsky recounts advice he gives to people he returns to his familiar deprecating modesty. In that deprecation the outlines of ego are readily apparent. In reading English language Buddhist literature I've learned a trick: rather than reading it as the author's advice to the reader, read it as a description of the author's path. When I do this I see more of what I think Jodorowsky's true genius is. He has a very large masculine sense of self. He works with creative people with extreme eccentricities and Olympic egos. And he can make the compromise, the flattery, the give and take necessary to hold many heavy pieces together. Getting a sense of how he does this away from a project like Dune in a more mundane setting humanizes the man. I'd be happy to drink coffee and discuss koans with Jodorowsky. After that I'll make a decision as to if I'd want him to instruct me in Zen and life.
A few years ago the local cinema society showed 'Jodorowsky's Dune.' I loved it. The grandeur and the genius and the insanity of the project. The neurosis and talents and egos of the participants. Sometimes I suspect the happiest lives are something like this. I'm not sure what I thought of Jodorowsky himself. Some false deprecating modesty, deployed as a tactic of one-upmanship to other immense egos. A bit disturbed by his parenting style. I did not search out Jodorowsky after seeing the film. I read a few chapters in my decaying paperback of Dune.
Reinforcing my enthusiasm and reducing my separation anxiety in Herbert's novel, I did not seek out the other film adaptations of Dune. They are greater failures than Jodorowsky's non-film. Those failures keep coming to mind as I read this anthology of Rinzai koans. Is it needful that another redux version of the Mumankan be published? Jodorowsky gives many simplistic-ish interpretations of Zen antics such as all-things-are-one and get-rid-of-the-intellect and be-present. Page 109-111 gives a nice explanation of the relationship of the relative bad to the relative good of human nature and experience. When Jodorowsky recounts advice he gives to people he returns to his familiar deprecating modesty. In that deprecation the outlines of ego are readily apparent. In reading English language Buddhist literature I've learned a trick: rather than reading it as the author's advice to the reader, read it as a description of the author's path. When I do this I see more of what I think Jodorowsky's true genius is. He has a very large masculine sense of self. He works with creative people with extreme eccentricities and Olympic egos. And he can make the compromise, the flattery, the give and take necessary to hold many heavy pieces together. Getting a sense of how he does this away from a project like Dune in a more mundane setting humanizes the man. I'd be happy to drink coffee and discuss koans with Jodorowsky. After that I'll make a decision as to if I'd want him to instruct me in Zen and life.
January 7, 2017
I doubt that anyone could read this book without seeing themselves somewhere in the pages, in some certain passage. I did this a lot during the course of this book. Suddenly, I would say. "That sounds like me." When that happens, I feel like I am making a connection with the intentions of the author, and it is a nice feeling.
What made me love this book more than anything else, was the humor. The author does an excellent job of making nonfiction not only tolerable, but actually fun. That's pretty rare for this type of book and I really liked his approach.
This book also teaches you a lot, if you come into it with an open mind and allow yourself to really pay attention to what the author is saying. In the end, this book made me feel smarter. Can't argue with that.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
What made me love this book more than anything else, was the humor. The author does an excellent job of making nonfiction not only tolerable, but actually fun. That's pretty rare for this type of book and I really liked his approach.
This book also teaches you a lot, if you come into it with an open mind and allow yourself to really pay attention to what the author is saying. In the end, this book made me feel smarter. Can't argue with that.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
April 27, 2019
This book contains many koans, which on the whole appear to defy any easy understanding. Each of these koans has a text description that delves into the meanings that are hidden within. These explanations often feel compelling as Jodorowsky presents his elucidations.
The downside of this book is that some of the explanations of these koans feel just plain wrong (my lack of understanding? the author's?). The most notable of these is one of the longest, "Tchao-Tcheu Tests an Old Woman". While other koans show how a disciple fails to understand one (or more) genuine masters, the explanation of this one is that there are two masters, each of whom demonstrates poor understanding of that which they purport to know. The idea that the two masters are both sham robs the koan of its depth and meaning, at least in my eyes. This feels false and incongruous with the rest of the book.
The downside of this book is that some of the explanations of these koans feel just plain wrong (my lack of understanding? the author's?). The most notable of these is one of the longest, "Tchao-Tcheu Tests an Old Woman". While other koans show how a disciple fails to understand one (or more) genuine masters, the explanation of this one is that there are two masters, each of whom demonstrates poor understanding of that which they purport to know. The idea that the two masters are both sham robs the koan of its depth and meaning, at least in my eyes. This feels false and incongruous with the rest of the book.
July 12, 2012
Non posso che apprezzare qualunque raccolta e commentario sul buddismo zen, che continua ad affascinarmi da quando, molti anni fa, venni a conoscenza della sua esistenza. Non metto le 5 stelle per una caratteristica del libro che non ho apprezzato proprio tanto: la mania di Jodorowsky di voler spiegare tutto - ma proprio tutto tutto tutto - facendo a volte svanire il senso delle storielle e dei koan, ossia quello di mantenerti sospeso in uno stato mentale fuori dalla logica lineare. Che ovvimente una spiegazione verbale richiama immediatamente.
December 3, 2017
This just show how playful and ingenious Jodorowsky can be. This set of teachings, koans and "jokes" are among the least pretentiousness things I've seen Jodo put his fingerprints on and make Zen much more accessible with a frame of reference from a writer/director I admire.
This is more approachable to me than say, perhaps David Lynch doing the same or any other celebratory (other than may Grant Morrison or Alan Moore).
This is more approachable to me than say, perhaps David Lynch doing the same or any other celebratory (other than may Grant Morrison or Alan Moore).
September 2, 2018
Each chapter contains a short koan — usually a conversation between a master and his disciple that borders on incomprehensible or pointless — and the famed avant-garde director makes it comprehensible and meaningful. Good bedside reading, but I had to dock it a notch for a handful of strange asides that take away from the message. For example, he lumps “homosexual fantasies” in with a list of “our dark root” that also contains “incest” and “cannibalism.” Grade: B
November 21, 2013
Piacevolissima lettura. Alcuni racconti ti fanno pensare non poco. Mentalità completamente opposte quella occidentale e quella orientale. Due modi completamente differenti di affrontare la vita e le situazioni contenute in essa.
May 7, 2017
This is a quick and entertaining read. Having read most of Alan Watts' book specifically The Way of Zen I have a context around Buddhist thought and their fuzzy logic behind these Koans. Without this context I'm not sure I would have appreciated this material as much as I did.
June 26, 2017
Jodorowsky explains his stories with a gentleness and a kindness that expresses his desire that each of his readers find a path to his/her goals. His hope for clarity and for lucidity comes through in this work. Many thanks to him for his efforts to sweep the path for others.
October 6, 2011
Un libro excelente, pero igual que la mayoría de los libros de jodorowsky, difícil de leer. bastante corto pero lleno de enseñanzas muy "iluminadas"
March 30, 2013
Un libro interesante al que le guste la filosofía japonesa. Muchos koans.
June 9, 2015
Un libro muy bueno que recomiendo a todo el mundo.
Cada vez soy más fan de Alejandro Jodorowski; sus palabras, sus enseñanzas y sus historias.
Muy zen y al mismo tiempo divertido y fácil de entender.
Cada vez soy más fan de Alejandro Jodorowski; sus palabras, sus enseñanzas y sus historias.
Muy zen y al mismo tiempo divertido y fácil de entender.
February 25, 2021
I love all the wisdom of each koan
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