Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart

by Sherry Chayat

Maurine Stuart (1922–1990) was one of a select group of students on the leading edge of Buddhism in America: a woman who became a Zen master. In this book, she draws on down-to-earth Zen stories, her friendships with Japanese Zen teachers, and her experiences as a concert pianist to apply the inner meanings of Buddhism to practicing the basic ethics of daily living—nowness, unselfishness, compassion, and good will toward every living being. She emphasizes that inner growth comes through our own efforts and intuition, especially as we cultivate them through meditation practice. We can then take what we have learned in meditation and use it to respond to our daily lives in a straightforward and creative way, guided not by concepts or dogma, but by direct insight into the reality of the present moment.

Genres: Zen, Buddhism

162 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 1996

Reviews

[Jef Sneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurine Stuart (1922–1990) was apparently an accomplished Zen master, but this book does not celebrate her life or accomplishments. Instead we are treated to a series of talks given by Maurine Stuart, mostly given during Zen retreats or sesshin. Her Zen teachings are simple and straightforward. They are indeed, "subtle sounds." Do not look for enlightenment. Do not expect your teacher to show you the way. Let your nature guide the way. Seek your true nature. Much of the content of each chapter comes from her reflections on koans or stories about Zen masters from India to Japan and from the beginning of Buddhism to Maurine Stuart's own modern teachers. The stories are a delightful and challenging way to learn about Zen.

Maurine Stewart shows compassion for her students and all those who sit for hours in zazen. She feels their pain, but encourages continued sitting. She encouraged my continued sitting as well.

Most important, the book contains an extensive glossary compiled by my teacher, Shinge Roshi Sherry Chayat, the author of the book. I learned a great deal about Zen, koans andZen masters from the glossary - even though I have been studying Zen for many years. Thank you, Sherry.

[Beth Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book offering the sweet wisdom of being alive in each moment. Carrying our innate spirituality and being into the world in each act. We sit and meditate because we rise and go into the world. Nonacademic yet it teaches. Highly recommended.

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuart’s words come from both the discipline of her practice and her staunch refusal to dramatize insight. Throughout the text, the teisho form is preserved: unforced, immediate, attentive to the moment rather than to rhetoric. She returns again and again to practice as posture and attention (attention! attention!), and to the vital importance of cultivating the ability to inhabit what is unresolved. I find myself wishing we had more of her writing, or some recordings of her piano playing. As it stands, this wonderfully direct and eminently useful collection must suffice.

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never not laugh my butt off at the mental image of a Zen priest chucking a gifted statue of the Baby Buddha off the side of a boat so that he can spread the dharma from the bottom of the ocean.

[Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wished I had known Maurine Stuart! Her dharma talks or teishos go to the point. She deserves to be better known.