An Invitation to Practice Zen

by Albert Low

Many good books about the rich literature and philosophy of Zen can be found ou bookstore shelves. But there are no books that explain simply, to the interested beginner, how to do Zen - how to sit down and begin to work toward fulfillment of the promises of Zen. An Invitation To Practice Zen answers this need. Its author makes no glib claims or airy promises. He admits that the way of Zen is not an easy one to follow. But for those willing to undertake the work, he offer concise, easy to understand, step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate Zen into your daily life - how to establish a regular program of practice that will make available the wisdom and insight to be gained from the discipline of Zen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Spirituality, Buddhism

151 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Albert William Low was a western Zen master in the Philip Kapleau-lineage, an internationally published author, and a former human resources executive. He lived in England, South Africa, Canada, and the United States and resided in Montreal since 1979. He held a BA degree in Philosophy and Psychology, and was a trained counselor. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws for scholastic attainment and community service by Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario.

Reviews

[Nariman · Rating 4 out of 5]

به نظرم مسیر متفاوتی برای رسیدن به قلهٔ مدیتیشن هست. مسیری مقداری متفاوت‌تر از مسیر یوگا. فکر می‌کنم گاهی دیدن تفاو‌ت‌ها یا شنیدن روایت متفاوتی از داستانی تقریبا یکسان، کمک زیادی در فهم مطالب قبلی می‌کند.

کتاب در دو بخش است: جهت‌گیری و عمل. بخش اول بیشتر به اطلاعات نظری و کمی هم تاریخی می‌پردازد و بخش دوم به چگونگی ورود به این عرصه.
به نظر برخی شاید فصل پنجم تا حدی روده‌درازی برسد، و شاید بعد از خواندن آن فصل، دیگر به باقی مطالب نیازی نباشد. ولی من فصل ششم رو سخت‌ترین و پیچیده‌ترین فصل کتاب یافتم. به نظرم باید مدت‌ها تمرین کرد و باز برگشت و یکبار دیگر قسمت‌هایی از آن را خواند تا بهتر درک شود.

ترجمه و چاپ کتاب کیفیت خیلی خوبی داشت. معادل‌یابی‌های ع. پاشایی واقعا نشانهٔ دقت نظر و وسواسی هست که مترجم به کار برده.

[S.N. Arly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a decent introductory book, I don't think I'm cut out for Zen. I use several forms of meditation, sitting, standing, and walking, and none are as proscriptive as the methods described here. That said, if you're interested in Zen, this is probably a helful tool for you to decide if it's right for you. It's also a reasonably quick read.

I found thisbook to be a mix of useful information and dull passages that didn't add to my understanding. The writing is a bit wordy, which occasionally obscures clarity, but there are also some spectacularly illustrative metaphors.

Pros:
In some sections, explanations are really clear, allowing the reader to understand both the process and the reason behind it.

This includes some different definfitions for "zen" and "mindfulness" than I've previously encountered. While I'm not saying one definition is more accurate than another, it's interesting to explore the etymology a bit.

Cons:
Some of the arbitrary seeming information is left unexplained, when it would be really helpful to have the reason, making it oddly dogmatic. For example, when practicing sitting meditation, or zazen, why must the hands be just so? The athor spent two pages explaining the proper positioning of the hands, but not why it matters.

Some sections are far longer than they need to be, and turn out to be somewhat contradictory. We get 17 pages of detail on the correct way to sit, and eventually we're told not to worry to much about our sitting posture. When I first started meditiating, I would have found the posture alone too daunting to get past.

There are two pages on proper breathing and counting (which turns out to just be an aid, and not a useful one for everyone), but then failed to explain the difference between "following the breath" and "the idea of following the breath." As this is an area where I got hung up for a while in my own practice, this would be beneficial to readers.

I expect that many American readers will give up at chapter 5. In our fast-paced society it is really hard for people to commit to 20-40 minutes to try something new. I like the approach that some modern meditation books use, guiding readers through an easing in period so they are less likely to quit before they start and are more likely to stick with it even if it isn't working well at first.

[Mikaeili]

تمرین

[Liam 🏄‍♂️]

Body as a cathedral of tensions

[Lawanen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an insightful book. I really wish I wasn't as passive as I was while reading it. The author had greatly convied the philosopies of Zen that's why on the first 3 sections, I couldn't put the book down. But I lost my interest when it started talking about the technical details that must be followed to practice Zen. Though at times the book points out some awe inspiring virtues which I think are down right coherent to our truth, I sadly couldn't get myself to be completely immersed with Zen and Buddishm. It's a very very effective introductory book, though.

[Cody Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little introduction to zen practice. Achieves a good balance between practical (how to sit/zazen properly), the big picture (increasing mindfulness in daily life) and theory (attempting to come to awakening without actually doing the practice just to become awakened). There's definitely some tricky logic in here (or the fact that I'm applying logic at all is faulty) but its not overly flowery or convoluted -- for the most part pretty direct and straightforward.

[Eliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great one if you want to learn about meditation, being present and living life on your terms.

[Rachel]

Except for the chanting, I liked it.