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Nothing Special: A Zen Buddhist Guide to Awakening Through Daily Life's Feelings, Relationships, and Work
WHEN NOTHING IS SPECIAL, EVERYTHING CAN BE
The best-selling author of 'Everyday Zen' shows how to awaken to daily life and discover the ideal in the everyday, finding riches in our feelings, relationships, and work. 'Nothing Special' offers the rare and delightful experience of learning in the authentic Buddhist tradition with a wonderfully contemporary Western master.
The best-selling author of 'Everyday Zen' shows how to awaken to daily life and discover the ideal in the everyday, finding riches in our feelings, relationships, and work. 'Nothing Special' offers the rare and delightful experience of learning in the authentic Buddhist tradition with a wonderfully contemporary Western master.
278 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 1993
381 people are currently reading
3740 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Joko Beck
21 books210 followersCharlotte Joko Beck was an American Zen teacher and the author of the books Everyday Zen: Love and Work and Nothing Special: Living Zen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
May 6, 2025
The very things that put us into a foul mood are like empty rowboats.
The late Charlotte Joko Beck tells us, in this book, that once we see in our meditation that some of our worst agravations are caused by unintentional hurts, we'll drop them.
Because once we see through meditation that we are at heart centerless - without a fixed self - such, then is everyone else.
Empty rowboats.
You know, our needs-driven lives are in fact endlessly reiterative vicious circles.
Will the circle be unbroken?
Charlotte Joko Beck infers that if it IS, we will condemn ourselves to lives of unceasing drudgery.
So how do we BREAK the circle that PREVENTS US FROM SEEING REAL LIFE?
It’s not easy, says Ms Beck.
For only slowly can we hope to wear out our If-Only’s.
Whuzzat?
You know the routine - if ONLY I had a new car... If ONLY I had that book... If ONLY I had the Perfect Soulmate! THEN my life’d be complete!
Except, it never is. Cause we never really possess anything that lasts.
We keep running after what Baudelaire called Paradis Artificielles. And so we run ourselves ragged.
Why do we knock our heads AGAINST A WALL?
Just see The Miracle of Simple Life AS IT IS.
There IS an answer, and YOU can find it through meditation!
Just takes lotsa time, work, and Elbow Grease, but -
May the Circle soon be BROKEN
By and by, Lord,
By and by.
There’s a Better Home awaiting
WHERE I AM, Lord,
Where I AM.
This may sound strange to more conservative ears, but this is precisely what Jesus taught, that the Kingdom is At Hand - not necessarily after our death - but that the Kingdom is beginning to appear even now:
In our Heart of Hearts:
Where it COUNTS.
The late Charlotte Joko Beck tells us, in this book, that once we see in our meditation that some of our worst agravations are caused by unintentional hurts, we'll drop them.
Because once we see through meditation that we are at heart centerless - without a fixed self - such, then is everyone else.
Empty rowboats.
You know, our needs-driven lives are in fact endlessly reiterative vicious circles.
Will the circle be unbroken?
Charlotte Joko Beck infers that if it IS, we will condemn ourselves to lives of unceasing drudgery.
So how do we BREAK the circle that PREVENTS US FROM SEEING REAL LIFE?
It’s not easy, says Ms Beck.
For only slowly can we hope to wear out our If-Only’s.
Whuzzat?
You know the routine - if ONLY I had a new car... If ONLY I had that book... If ONLY I had the Perfect Soulmate! THEN my life’d be complete!
Except, it never is. Cause we never really possess anything that lasts.
We keep running after what Baudelaire called Paradis Artificielles. And so we run ourselves ragged.
Why do we knock our heads AGAINST A WALL?
Just see The Miracle of Simple Life AS IT IS.
There IS an answer, and YOU can find it through meditation!
Just takes lotsa time, work, and Elbow Grease, but -
May the Circle soon be BROKEN
By and by, Lord,
By and by.
There’s a Better Home awaiting
WHERE I AM, Lord,
Where I AM.
This may sound strange to more conservative ears, but this is precisely what Jesus taught, that the Kingdom is At Hand - not necessarily after our death - but that the Kingdom is beginning to appear even now:
In our Heart of Hearts:
Where it COUNTS.
Read
April 21, 2020Abandon all hope all ye who enter here?
I did not love this book, which gave me a very distinct pleasure as I reached the end. I read a few of the other reviews and I agree with them all broadly, except that most of them enjoyed the book while I didn't, .
The volume is divided into eight sections each with a thematic sounding title, each section is divided into chapters with their own title. Each chapter seemed to be a talk mixed with some discussion with the author's students, each of whom is referred to as 'student'. I am not sure if these were transcripts of actual talks with real interactions with students or if it was pure authorial invention. Mostly I felt the chapter and section titles had little to do with the following text, but I did like two chapters: 'From Drama to No Drama' and 'Simple Mind'. The author writes very nicely about joy as well, indeed even her own experiences of joy - so it is not all push-ups in the mud followed by cold showers.
Although I did not enjoy it much, I found the book very interesting because of it's content and tone.
This book has something of the drill sergeant about it, with a regular stress on the difficulty of practise - indeed the book begins with a complaint that there are too many students at the Zen centre and that most of them are not working seriously enough, her other leitmotiv is that Enlightenment is effectively an egoistic goal and not for the serious practitioner of Zen, and in any case so rare an occurrence so as not to be taken seriously. The result, I felt, was a desire to pursue a difficult path purely for the sake of pursuing a difficult path, a kind of puritan ultra marathon with no prizes, and ending in the grave offering only the grim satisfaction of being among the toughest of the tough. This toughness is a kind of brutal realism, a shedding of illusions - self flagellation is not required - you can't help other, indeed you can barely help yourself even with years of sitting practice bursting your illusions, the world is how it is, this is the way things are. None of which I have any great disagreement with.
But still I found the emphasis on difficulty fascinating, after all Buddhism was famously 'the middle way', not the extreme way, and Enlightenment, while not easy, was an attainable goal, it was the desired end, the only way of escaping the miserable cycle of death and rebirth. Here it is just another egotistical goal, another enemy. This side-lining of Enlightenment is already present in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, I believe Shunryu Suzuki's wife suggested that was because he himself had not achieved Enlightenment .
Curiously in this book enlightened Zen masters are still held up to the students, typically for displaying stoicism in the face of death, but they are not held up as role models as such because Enlightenment is presented as both impractical to attain and undesirable but as icons showing perfect behaviours that the student can admire but never emulate.
I felt, but I did not count them to make sure, that there were more references to Jesus Christ than to the Buddha and Zen teachers in this book . Ok, this is a book written by an American woman who is teaching other people in the USA and I guess the gospels are for them a more familiar set of references than Buddhist sutras, I wondered how much the author and her students were attracted to Zen because it offered a tougher form of practice than the Christianity they had grown up with. And that gave me a sense of two towers high across the landscape of the USA, in one the prosperity churches and fans of the Law of Attraction, facing them their polar opposites, the adherents of ferociously realistic Zen schools. I suppose I see in this that the emotional needs of individuals are the most important factor in the development of any religious practice, and the community around the author wants and desires something rigorous and demanding, whether they have found it or created it I don't know.
I did not love this book, which gave me a very distinct pleasure as I reached the end. I read a few of the other reviews and I agree with them all broadly, except that most of them enjoyed the book while I didn't, .
The volume is divided into eight sections each with a thematic sounding title, each section is divided into chapters with their own title. Each chapter seemed to be a talk mixed with some discussion with the author's students, each of whom is referred to as 'student'. I am not sure if these were transcripts of actual talks with real interactions with students or if it was pure authorial invention. Mostly I felt the chapter and section titles had little to do with the following text, but I did like two chapters: 'From Drama to No Drama' and 'Simple Mind'. The author writes very nicely about joy as well, indeed even her own experiences of joy - so it is not all push-ups in the mud followed by cold showers.
Although I did not enjoy it much, I found the book very interesting because of it's content and tone.
This book has something of the drill sergeant about it, with a regular stress on the difficulty of practise - indeed the book begins with a complaint that there are too many students at the Zen centre and that most of them are not working seriously enough, her other leitmotiv is that Enlightenment is effectively an egoistic goal and not for the serious practitioner of Zen, and in any case so rare an occurrence so as not to be taken seriously. The result, I felt, was a desire to pursue a difficult path purely for the sake of pursuing a difficult path, a kind of puritan ultra marathon with no prizes, and ending in the grave offering only the grim satisfaction of being among the toughest of the tough. This toughness is a kind of brutal realism, a shedding of illusions - self flagellation is not required - you can't help other, indeed you can barely help yourself even with years of sitting practice bursting your illusions, the world is how it is, this is the way things are. None of which I have any great disagreement with.
But still I found the emphasis on difficulty fascinating, after all Buddhism was famously 'the middle way', not the extreme way, and Enlightenment, while not easy, was an attainable goal, it was the desired end, the only way of escaping the miserable cycle of death and rebirth. Here it is just another egotistical goal, another enemy. This side-lining of Enlightenment is already present in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, I believe Shunryu Suzuki's wife suggested that was because he himself had not achieved Enlightenment .
Curiously in this book enlightened Zen masters are still held up to the students, typically for displaying stoicism in the face of death, but they are not held up as role models as such because Enlightenment is presented as both impractical to attain and undesirable but as icons showing perfect behaviours that the student can admire but never emulate.
I felt, but I did not count them to make sure, that there were more references to Jesus Christ than to the Buddha and Zen teachers in this book . Ok, this is a book written by an American woman who is teaching other people in the USA and I guess the gospels are for them a more familiar set of references than Buddhist sutras, I wondered how much the author and her students were attracted to Zen because it offered a tougher form of practice than the Christianity they had grown up with. And that gave me a sense of two towers high across the landscape of the USA, in one the prosperity churches and fans of the Law of Attraction, facing them their polar opposites, the adherents of ferociously realistic Zen schools. I suppose I see in this that the emotional needs of individuals are the most important factor in the development of any religious practice, and the community around the author wants and desires something rigorous and demanding, whether they have found it or created it I don't know.
October 8, 2011
This book really changed my view of why I'm meditating and where I'm going with it. I have a completely different visual analogy now, one in which I'm peeling away layers and layers of mental junk I've built over the years. And then nothing special happens. You just peel away as much of it as you can, and the rest takes care of itself. In other words, I'm not trying to achieve any particular outcome, other than the peeling away. There is nothing special at the end of this path, and there is no end in this path. What will happen will unfold on its own naturally. This is a difficult fact to face sometimes but the sooner you face it the better and Joko Beck's book really helps you understand this. The message is universal and simple. I'm Turkish and yet I doubt the book is less accessible to me or anyone from my culture as it is to any American. That shows how successful the author was.
I've been meditating on and off, completely on my own (no teacher, no Zen center, etc.), with very strong resistance. I do not have a broad exposure to Eastern philosophy or Buddhism (I don't consider myself a Buddhist). While reading this book, I've broken through a good deal of that resistance because of this "better" understanding of what meditation is about. After a few years, I've finally been able to meditate daily again; and this shows again how successful the author was. As a result of my increased insight, I'm compelled to meditate and thus, the resistance has been naturally weakened; it's not a struggle anymore. I wish all of our actions were backed up by this kind of compelling insight.
One caveat: I'm not sure if certain paradoxes or contradictions in Zen were explained as deeply as they could have been, and I'm not sure if they ever could be... But this also leaves room for you to do your own thinking. And a small note: This is not a how-to (e.g., you sit like this, you breathe like this, etc.) book.
I've been meditating on and off, completely on my own (no teacher, no Zen center, etc.), with very strong resistance. I do not have a broad exposure to Eastern philosophy or Buddhism (I don't consider myself a Buddhist). While reading this book, I've broken through a good deal of that resistance because of this "better" understanding of what meditation is about. After a few years, I've finally been able to meditate daily again; and this shows again how successful the author was. As a result of my increased insight, I'm compelled to meditate and thus, the resistance has been naturally weakened; it's not a struggle anymore. I wish all of our actions were backed up by this kind of compelling insight.
One caveat: I'm not sure if certain paradoxes or contradictions in Zen were explained as deeply as they could have been, and I'm not sure if they ever could be... But this also leaves room for you to do your own thinking. And a small note: This is not a how-to (e.g., you sit like this, you breathe like this, etc.) book.
October 10, 2019
Charlotte Joko Beck’s books always feel like a breath of fresh air. Just as in “Everyday Zen” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), “Nothing Special” is a collection of her lectures, often followed by some questions from her students. Those lectures are not really for beginners, but they are perfect for students who have been practicing for a certain time, who have seen their practice mature and who are trying to intergrate it into every aspect of their daily lives. This is not an easy balancing act, and Beck gives strong perspective, great motivation and encouragement, as well as plenty of food for thought.
Her style is referred to as “blunt clarity”, and it is one of the things I like most about her. When a student asks a silly question, she just says “I’m not going to answer that. Go practice, you’ll figure it out.” And that’s not rude: that’s the right answer. Zen is something you do, not something you parrot from a teacher. There is also no point in sugar-coating how tough it can be, but we have to find good reasons to keep doing it, and reading what Beck has to say about it helps. Well, it helps me, for what that’s worth!
Here are a few quotes: if you like what you read here, you’ll enjoy the rest of the book!
“Whatever choice we make, the outcome will provide us with a lesson. If we are attentive and aware, we will learn what we need to do next. In this sense, there is no wrong decision.”
“Sitting is like our daily life: what comes up as we sit will be the thinking tat we want to cling to, our chief feature. If we like to evade life, we’ll find some way to evade our sitting. If we like to worry, we’ll worry. If we like to fantasize, we’ll fantasize. Whatever we do in our sitting is like a microcosm of the rest of our lives. Our sitting shows us what we’re doing with our lives and our lives show us what we do when we sit.”
“Every unhappy person I’ve ever seen has been caught in a belief system that holds out some promise, a promise that has not been kept. Persons who have practiced well for some time are different only in the fact that they recognize this mechanism that generates unhappiness and are learning to maintain awareness of it – which is very different from trying to change or fix it.”
“Life is not a safe space. It never was, and it never will be.”
“Anything that annoys or upsets us (which, if we’re honest, includes almost everything) becomes grist for the mill of practice. Working with everything leads to a practice that is alive in every second of our lives.”
Her style is referred to as “blunt clarity”, and it is one of the things I like most about her. When a student asks a silly question, she just says “I’m not going to answer that. Go practice, you’ll figure it out.” And that’s not rude: that’s the right answer. Zen is something you do, not something you parrot from a teacher. There is also no point in sugar-coating how tough it can be, but we have to find good reasons to keep doing it, and reading what Beck has to say about it helps. Well, it helps me, for what that’s worth!
Here are a few quotes: if you like what you read here, you’ll enjoy the rest of the book!
“Whatever choice we make, the outcome will provide us with a lesson. If we are attentive and aware, we will learn what we need to do next. In this sense, there is no wrong decision.”
“Sitting is like our daily life: what comes up as we sit will be the thinking tat we want to cling to, our chief feature. If we like to evade life, we’ll find some way to evade our sitting. If we like to worry, we’ll worry. If we like to fantasize, we’ll fantasize. Whatever we do in our sitting is like a microcosm of the rest of our lives. Our sitting shows us what we’re doing with our lives and our lives show us what we do when we sit.”
“Every unhappy person I’ve ever seen has been caught in a belief system that holds out some promise, a promise that has not been kept. Persons who have practiced well for some time are different only in the fact that they recognize this mechanism that generates unhappiness and are learning to maintain awareness of it – which is very different from trying to change or fix it.”
“Life is not a safe space. It never was, and it never will be.”
“Anything that annoys or upsets us (which, if we’re honest, includes almost everything) becomes grist for the mill of practice. Working with everything leads to a practice that is alive in every second of our lives.”
February 4, 2017
wow, fantastic. Life changing for me.
Read
January 4, 2009Plain, simple and tough. Very good.
I guess maybe part of the usefulness of reading Zen books (as opposed to say, sitting) is to reinforce your commitment to practice and for me, this was a pretty good book for that. No artificial flavours or preservatives, no mystical bullshit, no made-up words, no exhortations for loving-kindness and compassion, no pseudoscientific justifications or the grating "scientists are starting to discover X; Buddhists have known this for thousands of years", just the same messages presented over and over again from slightly different angles, jarring me out of my self-conscious, self-centered loop (maybe if I practice long enough, I'll stop being so anxious). (*)
Books tend to go in one ear out the other, and I'm always anxious (hah!) about not having gotten anything out of them, so...
Useful distinctions: (a) preferences vs demands (b) goals vs obsessions with outcomes (c) things vs attachments to things. Useful practices: labeling your thoughts.
This book seems to be a collection of talks, of which I particularly liked:
- The Talk Nobody Wants to Hear - gives you an idea for the tone of this book.
- Cocoon of Pain pointing out strategies people have for avoiding unpleasantness (one of which is "If we can 'bliss out', if we can be a mindless 'buddha', we don't have to assume any responsibility for the world's unpleasantness".)
- Melting Ice Cubes (needs to turn into an animated cartoon)
- The Six Stages of Practice (not a how-to, just a catalogue of people's tendencies as they practice): [i] awareness of self, desire to control [ii] breaking emotions in physical and mental components [iii] more experiential living [iv] 80-90% experiential living [vi] (theoretical, likely non-existent) buddahood
Fun quotes:
- A guilt trip is a very self-centered activity
- Attachment concerns not what we have, but our opinions about what we have
- That's the problem with "positive thinking" and affirmations: we can't keep them up forever. Such efforts are never the path to freedom. In truth, we already are free
- Feelings are simply thoughts plus bodily sensations
(*) One slightly annoying bit is when she drags out the "oh, what a terrible thing it would be if somebody invented a pill that would let people live forever"... seems like should that come to pass, it would just be another thing that just is.
I guess maybe part of the usefulness of reading Zen books (as opposed to say, sitting) is to reinforce your commitment to practice and for me, this was a pretty good book for that. No artificial flavours or preservatives, no mystical bullshit, no made-up words, no exhortations for loving-kindness and compassion, no pseudoscientific justifications or the grating "scientists are starting to discover X; Buddhists have known this for thousands of years", just the same messages presented over and over again from slightly different angles, jarring me out of my self-conscious, self-centered loop (maybe if I practice long enough, I'll stop being so anxious). (*)
Books tend to go in one ear out the other, and I'm always anxious (hah!) about not having gotten anything out of them, so...
Useful distinctions: (a) preferences vs demands (b) goals vs obsessions with outcomes (c) things vs attachments to things. Useful practices: labeling your thoughts.
This book seems to be a collection of talks, of which I particularly liked:
- The Talk Nobody Wants to Hear - gives you an idea for the tone of this book.
- Cocoon of Pain pointing out strategies people have for avoiding unpleasantness (one of which is "If we can 'bliss out', if we can be a mindless 'buddha', we don't have to assume any responsibility for the world's unpleasantness".)
- Melting Ice Cubes (needs to turn into an animated cartoon)
- The Six Stages of Practice (not a how-to, just a catalogue of people's tendencies as they practice): [i] awareness of self, desire to control [ii] breaking emotions in physical and mental components [iii] more experiential living [iv] 80-90% experiential living [vi] (theoretical, likely non-existent) buddahood
Fun quotes:
- A guilt trip is a very self-centered activity
- Attachment concerns not what we have, but our opinions about what we have
- That's the problem with "positive thinking" and affirmations: we can't keep them up forever. Such efforts are never the path to freedom. In truth, we already are free
- Feelings are simply thoughts plus bodily sensations
(*) One slightly annoying bit is when she drags out the "oh, what a terrible thing it would be if somebody invented a pill that would let people live forever"... seems like should that come to pass, it would just be another thing that just is.
April 8, 2009
This was my first investigation into Zen and I found it to be nothing like I expected--which was better than I could have imagined. I fall for fluff and promises of nirvana and enlightenment like anyone else, but I always come back to people like Charlotte Joko Beck and Brad Warner who have the guts to tell it like it is. Rather than feel disappointed that Zen made no promises, I felt relieved. Nine years later I'm still poking around the issues, drifting in and out of fantasies, but this dedicatory quote from Warner's Hardcore Zen sums up my current intentions: "I have no time for lies or fantasy and neither should you. Enjoy or die." John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten from Rotten.
May 26, 2018
A tedious read for me and most likely why it took 8 months to complete. With each new chapter, I was expecting something new and I felt like it was the same information over and over in different words: upset is optional, sitting is hard work and not for everyone, nothing is real except this moment, no matter how long you sit you likely never reach enlightenment and there's probably more that I just couldn't absorb because I felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over again.
In addition, the conversational bits with the students got old really quickly. It felt trite and condescending.
In addition, the conversational bits with the students got old really quickly. It felt trite and condescending.
August 9, 2014
I do not carve time to meditate in the Zen tradition of sesshin but I read this book to explore the practice of Zen and its canons.
It did awaken some considerations about my own approach to life and they were a useful addition. I found the Dorothy chapter resonated with something I read in Jon Kabat Zin's book and that is, we are on a constant search for our "path" when in fact, our path is in everything we do on a daily basis. From the mundane tasks to our deepest connections with those around us. I absolutely savored this book.
It did awaken some considerations about my own approach to life and they were a useful addition. I found the Dorothy chapter resonated with something I read in Jon Kabat Zin's book and that is, we are on a constant search for our "path" when in fact, our path is in everything we do on a daily basis. From the mundane tasks to our deepest connections with those around us. I absolutely savored this book.
June 14, 2012
I think it's one of the best books I've read so far. She is very kind yet so confronting...no matter how personal you take it at first, you keep on reading the book because you know she's speaking the truth. I can honestly say I didn't had much discipline to keep up with my practice.. maybe because I practiced for the wrong reasons. She made that all clear for me.
March 2, 2017
Spiritual truth teller.
August 5, 2011
At first I thought the title, Nothing Special, sounded "mean". It was kind of a depressing thought~ as most of us have a need to feel set aside form others and be unique (special) in some way, or else we feel worthless as humans. We seem to have a desire to feel separate. But after delving into the book, I realized that what Joko talks about is pure life itself and our connection to it, without all the nasty complicated emotions we like to center our thoughts around, which separate us from enjoying life. Simply setting our egos and this "self-centered" need for drama aside, what's left is just pure living~ appreciation for all life with constant wonder and joy.
This is not a self help book (and I don't recomend them). It doesn't try to convince us that we need to do this or that program, that there is some miracle cure that will make us into better people. It simply shows us that what we've been relentlessly seeking our entire lives is already here~ NOW, in this moment.
A wonderful introduction to Zen!
This is not a self help book (and I don't recomend them). It doesn't try to convince us that we need to do this or that program, that there is some miracle cure that will make us into better people. It simply shows us that what we've been relentlessly seeking our entire lives is already here~ NOW, in this moment.
A wonderful introduction to Zen!
January 22, 2010
This is a sequel to the enormously successful "Everyday Zen" by the same author. Though it contains the same dogged realism about human desires and motives, it lacks some of the punch of the first volume. Many of the "talks" in this book include student questions and Joko's responses. While interesting, they lack the freshness and immediacy of her earlier "sermons". Sometimes, in "Nothing Special," despite the introductory remarks, one gets the sense that one is intruding on a long-running conversation. The book is probably best seen, and used, as a companion to the earlier (and superior) work. Viewed in tandem they provide a very good picture of how an active zen practice can flower into an engaged (and engaging) intellect.
May 31, 2024
Second review from 2024:
When I ordered this book and started to read it, I didn't know I had already read it in 2017. I saw that when I went to log it here. As you can see below, I wasn't a big fan of it then. Well, it's been seven years since I last read it and this time around I really liked it. I liked it a lot! The book didn't change during that time, so I must have. I really liked the book. There is a lot of good info in it.
First review from 2017:
I didn't care for this book, despite really wanting to like it. I don't like the style/format that it was written in, which made it difficult to stay interested. I'm sorry to say, but this book was, well, nothing special.
When I ordered this book and started to read it, I didn't know I had already read it in 2017. I saw that when I went to log it here. As you can see below, I wasn't a big fan of it then. Well, it's been seven years since I last read it and this time around I really liked it. I liked it a lot! The book didn't change during that time, so I must have. I really liked the book. There is a lot of good info in it.
First review from 2017:
I didn't care for this book, despite really wanting to like it. I don't like the style/format that it was written in, which made it difficult to stay interested. I'm sorry to say, but this book was, well, nothing special.
Read
December 26, 2017This book was nothing short of a revelation to me, distilling complex practices into clear, functional ideas. I appreciate Joko’s firm but compassionate approach, as it avoids the somewhat saccharine view of mindfulness that’s currently en vogue all-the-while framing Zen in a slightly less harsh light than is often found in traditional teachings. Ultimately, Nothing Special is a necessary guide to stripping away the mental and emotional constructs that cause us so much misunderstanding, anger, and fear and keep us from taking in the wonder of it all.
August 30, 2009
Charlotte Joko Beck is just amazing: down-to-earth, accessible, and wise. I have loved both her books, and both I've read very very slowly, savoring and pondering. When I finally finished this one, I would have been happy to turn back to page 1 and start all over again. There's so much wisdom in her writing, always so much new to learn.
June 29, 2010
Another excellent book which reinforces the importance of meditation practice, paying attention, noticing and labelling thoughts, maintaining a sense of wonder and keeping a "simple mind". Probably worth re-reading when things aren't flowing because the messages contained here would bring you back on track. I liked the author's practical advice and laid-back writing style as well.
August 28, 2007
this is my bible - JOKO-BECK is amazing.
October 4, 2007
How could I describe how life-altering this book was for me? I guess if I could figure out how many times I've read it, that would be a start! I couldn't recommend this book more.
October 1, 2025
Another reviewer described this book as having a slight drill sergeant tone... and I would have to agree. The best way to describe it is a stern but caring parental tone that's backed by very obvious wisdom.
The practice of mediation wakes us up to live as it is. We don't immediately heal and figure everything out. We just return to life and it's joy and sorrow over and over and show up the very best we can. The more we do this, the more we recognize when we're caught in self-centeredness and rigidity. Thus, we can move closer toward freedom and non-attachment. It's so straightforward, yet requires so much courage and awareness. Some notes:
- Open yourself to pain. Do not cocoon yourself in where it feels safe.
- Disappointment is a wonderful teacher. Disappointment shatters our invisible belief systems that "I will be [happy/satisfied/content/etc.] only when [xyz]".
- We cannot know anything in advance. We can do our best, then learn from it.
- We are all falling. We are all in an utterly hopeless, dire situation and we do all we can to protect ourselves from it by becoming rigid and ego-centered. That's all useless. Let go of the defensive strategies. No strategy will save you.
- "Awareness is our true self; it's what we are. So we don't have to try to develop awareness; we simply need to notice how we block awareness, with our thoughts, our fantasies, our opinions, and our judgements" (p. 87)
- Practice is not separate from life. It is how we live life.
- Our personal dramas, when really looked at, are literally just thoughts in our head and feelings in our body. Practice breaks this down so that they are not personal. Further along the journey, we begin to glimpse states of non-duality beyond thought and feeling.
- Joy is curiosity. Curiosity towards what is, not what may be or what we hope will be. It's an honest looking at what's present right here.
This felt grounding and has breathed more of my practice into all other parts of daily life. Great read for someone like me who is still a novice on the spiritual path.
The practice of mediation wakes us up to live as it is. We don't immediately heal and figure everything out. We just return to life and it's joy and sorrow over and over and show up the very best we can. The more we do this, the more we recognize when we're caught in self-centeredness and rigidity. Thus, we can move closer toward freedom and non-attachment. It's so straightforward, yet requires so much courage and awareness. Some notes:
- Open yourself to pain. Do not cocoon yourself in where it feels safe.
- Disappointment is a wonderful teacher. Disappointment shatters our invisible belief systems that "I will be [happy/satisfied/content/etc.] only when [xyz]".
- We cannot know anything in advance. We can do our best, then learn from it.
- We are all falling. We are all in an utterly hopeless, dire situation and we do all we can to protect ourselves from it by becoming rigid and ego-centered. That's all useless. Let go of the defensive strategies. No strategy will save you.
- "Awareness is our true self; it's what we are. So we don't have to try to develop awareness; we simply need to notice how we block awareness, with our thoughts, our fantasies, our opinions, and our judgements" (p. 87)
- Practice is not separate from life. It is how we live life.
- Our personal dramas, when really looked at, are literally just thoughts in our head and feelings in our body. Practice breaks this down so that they are not personal. Further along the journey, we begin to glimpse states of non-duality beyond thought and feeling.
- Joy is curiosity. Curiosity towards what is, not what may be or what we hope will be. It's an honest looking at what's present right here.
This felt grounding and has breathed more of my practice into all other parts of daily life. Great read for someone like me who is still a novice on the spiritual path.
August 27, 2019
Ik highlightte 252 dingen uit dit boek: 28 pagina’s in totaal. Joko Beck raakte me: met troostende, scherpe, grappige, confronterende, herkenbare zinnen. Ik las het boek en dacht: ‘Zo is het. Mijn leven nu. Het leven. Leven.’
Wat wij bestempelen als het fijne (‘’Sometimes we hit a little spot of quiet, of good feelings’’) en minder fijne (‘’Life is a series of endless disappointments’’) is volgens Joko allemaal ‘joy’.
Joy - ''Joy includes suffering, happiness, everything that is. This (…) is what our lives are about.’’
Een transformerend boek. Een aanrader voor iedereen die mediteert. En voor wie een korte samenvatting van het boek wil lezen: ik heb mijn highlights teruggebracht tot 13 pagina’s.
Wat wij bestempelen als het fijne (‘’Sometimes we hit a little spot of quiet, of good feelings’’) en minder fijne (‘’Life is a series of endless disappointments’’) is volgens Joko allemaal ‘joy’.
Joy - ''Joy includes suffering, happiness, everything that is. This (…) is what our lives are about.’’
Een transformerend boek. Een aanrader voor iedereen die mediteert. En voor wie een korte samenvatting van het boek wil lezen: ik heb mijn highlights teruggebracht tot 13 pagina’s.
April 9, 2020
Highly recommend reading on zen practice and how to work on your mindset.
September 2, 2023
So many references to christianity, Jesus, the Bible and the god killed the whole vibe for me.
August 31, 2023
‘As we survive, living through the dryness and thirst, we may come to a discovery: wandering in the desert is the Promised Land,
July 7, 2025
I found this much more "reader-friendly", perhaps less cynical, less pragmatic than books from the Zen school. Some chapters are definitely worth a re-read. Some went totally over my head.
October 10, 2019
"Nothing Special" added a lot to my understanding of what meditation and enlightenment are about. Joko is not a fan of sophisticated methods like special breathing techniques or the usage of mantras. The practitioner should learn to spend time with just sitting and labeling his or her thoughts. That's it.
The reason for this deceptively simple approach was far from clear and it took the whole book to convince me. The discussions with the students helped because I had similar questions. Aren't emotions what makes us human? Yes, but we need to be aware of negative, self-feeding loops where we are in the middle of our own drama, or the all-so-common situation where our own perceptions and memories overlay reality. This is not easy and Joko warns the reader that it will take years (!) of practice.
The most useful concept in the book for me was that by labeling your thoughts (during sesshins or throughout the day) you will eventually interrupt the loop and start seeing the world as it is without emotional attachment. This is what Joko describes as Joy and it includes the bad experiences as well like grief, a yelling boss or going to a dentist. We have a preference for things we like but ultimately we have to embrace everything and explore it with curiosity.
Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now came to a similar conclusion that everyone should live in the current moment and that watching the watcher enables us to leave our suffering behind.
An interesting point was that enlightenment is nothing special and actually quite dull. It's not a state of happiness or pleasure as both are emotions that the body creates - and these are left behind. Instead there will be something like joy of being part of everything, which among others opens the pathway to true compassion. I struggle to fully get it but there are many examples and stories in the book that make it easier to grasp. Well, I have decades ahead to find out more. :)
From a neuroscientific perspective I find the "sitting" approach very interesting too. The negative loops Joko writes about made me think of the reentrant connections that Gerald Edelman describes in Bright Air, Brilliant Fire. The simple act of labeling would activate a different part of the brain to categorize these thoughts, which enables one to observe them. This adds to the overall awareness from which also consciousness emerges. Thoughts are reduced to just another input channel like the other senses or memories and don't have the power anymore to overshadow one's life. Life is as it is whether you like it or not.
According to Joko this ability will not make you passive or cold as a stone. It will enable you to make the right decision at any moment because you can see clearer what it calls for.
It took me a long time to finish the book and I will need to read it again one day. Highly recommended for a deep look at meditation and enlightenment.
The reason for this deceptively simple approach was far from clear and it took the whole book to convince me. The discussions with the students helped because I had similar questions. Aren't emotions what makes us human? Yes, but we need to be aware of negative, self-feeding loops where we are in the middle of our own drama, or the all-so-common situation where our own perceptions and memories overlay reality. This is not easy and Joko warns the reader that it will take years (!) of practice.
The most useful concept in the book for me was that by labeling your thoughts (during sesshins or throughout the day) you will eventually interrupt the loop and start seeing the world as it is without emotional attachment. This is what Joko describes as Joy and it includes the bad experiences as well like grief, a yelling boss or going to a dentist. We have a preference for things we like but ultimately we have to embrace everything and explore it with curiosity.
Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now came to a similar conclusion that everyone should live in the current moment and that watching the watcher enables us to leave our suffering behind.
An interesting point was that enlightenment is nothing special and actually quite dull. It's not a state of happiness or pleasure as both are emotions that the body creates - and these are left behind. Instead there will be something like joy of being part of everything, which among others opens the pathway to true compassion. I struggle to fully get it but there are many examples and stories in the book that make it easier to grasp. Well, I have decades ahead to find out more. :)
From a neuroscientific perspective I find the "sitting" approach very interesting too. The negative loops Joko writes about made me think of the reentrant connections that Gerald Edelman describes in Bright Air, Brilliant Fire. The simple act of labeling would activate a different part of the brain to categorize these thoughts, which enables one to observe them. This adds to the overall awareness from which also consciousness emerges. Thoughts are reduced to just another input channel like the other senses or memories and don't have the power anymore to overshadow one's life. Life is as it is whether you like it or not.
According to Joko this ability will not make you passive or cold as a stone. It will enable you to make the right decision at any moment because you can see clearer what it calls for.
It took me a long time to finish the book and I will need to read it again one day. Highly recommended for a deep look at meditation and enlightenment.
January 29, 2019
This is a surprisingly penetrating book on meditation. I read it immediately following my most intense (and most difficult) 10-day vipassana course and it was precisely what I needed to make sense of my experiences from that retreat.
Beck's writing is very accessible but she drops some not-so-subtle cues to her expectations of meditators who consider themselves "experienced": 15 to 20 years of daily practice. Her understanding of Zazen is more thorough and practical than many other Zen books I've read, noting that at some point a practitioner is "doing zazen all the time." Concepts such as 24-hour meditation and her allegory of repeatedly returning to the locked door in her attic are easy to process intellectually but won't mean much to someone who doesn't have a daily practice yet.
Given Beck's wit and character, I would find it hard to recommend someone wait until she has a serious meditation practice before reading Nothing Special, but I would perhaps recommend that the book is worth a re-read after one's first Zazen Sesshin or 10-Day Vipassana Course.
Beck's writing is very accessible but she drops some not-so-subtle cues to her expectations of meditators who consider themselves "experienced": 15 to 20 years of daily practice. Her understanding of Zazen is more thorough and practical than many other Zen books I've read, noting that at some point a practitioner is "doing zazen all the time." Concepts such as 24-hour meditation and her allegory of repeatedly returning to the locked door in her attic are easy to process intellectually but won't mean much to someone who doesn't have a daily practice yet.
Given Beck's wit and character, I would find it hard to recommend someone wait until she has a serious meditation practice before reading Nothing Special, but I would perhaps recommend that the book is worth a re-read after one's first Zazen Sesshin or 10-Day Vipassana Course.
January 25, 2010
A bracing, ice-cold, life-saving splash in the face.
December 31, 2017
This book is spectacular, down to earth, engaging, and delightfully confrontational. So much deeper than Everyday Zen. All about doing the work.
November 7, 2017
A desert island kind of book.
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