Lo Zen

by Christmas Humphreys

Si tratta di una dottrina, ma, insieme, di una speciale tecnica di allenamento spirituale per superare le antitesi dell'intelletto (che pure deve essere pienamente sviluppato perché si possa trascenderlo) e giungere così alla superiore intuizione dell'Assoluto. Questo libro è una introduzione indispensabile al Buddhismo in generale e, particolarmente, alla forma assunta in Cina e in Giappone come Zen.

Genres: Religion, Zen, Buddhism, Spirituality, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Japan

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Travers Christmas Humphreys, QC was an English barrister who prosecuted several controversial cases in the 1940s and 1950s, and later became a judge at the Old Bailey. He also wrote a number of works on Mahayana Buddhism and in his day was the best-known British convert to Buddhism.

Reviews

[Michael]

I wanted to read this as soon as I saw it, the book being name-checked by Van Morrison in his song, Cleaning Windows. Bought the book, started reading it, then looked up the author when I got home and found that in his 'day job' he was a Crown Prosecutor, in which capacity he was instrumental in securing the executions of Ruth Ellis, Derek Bentley and Timothy Evans, all cases now widely seen as either controversial and/or miscarriages of justice.

I put the book down last year, and picking it up today can feel no joy when holding it in my hand. So, I'm sending it on it's way. I can't rate it as I've read only 46 pages, but have no appetite for any more. Another book on Zen will, no doubt, comfortably find it's way into my hand at some point.

[Kristin-Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're interested in reading a stereotypical bourgeoisie white European man's understanding of Zen Buddhism, this is the book for you. It's very much written from a Westernized perspective--Christian-centric is the only term I can think of that fits; Humphreys obviously thinks in absolutes, explains in absolutes, which poses a major problem when what one is trying to understand is a religious philosophy against the idea of absolutes.

Did I mention he's pretentious? The author's overly-pedantic writing style was enough to have me contemplating just dropping the course I read this for altogether. I ended up sticking it out, which was rewarding, as we moved on to more worthwhile analysis and explanation of Zen later in the course.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This overview of Zen Buddhism isn’t so much an instructional guide as a reflection upon Zen as a life philosophy and an artistic influence. While it does have a chapter on technique, it’s mostly a mile-high overview of koan (paradoxes and riddles) and mondo (a Q & A-based practice,) and doesn’t enter into the fundamentals of meditation. If you’re looking for an introduction to Zen practice, this probably isn’t your book. Even the book’s conclusion, which is meant to address pragmatic matters, does so in an abstract and philosophical way. But this isn’t meant to denigrate the book. There are plenty of books that fill that role, and this book has a couple of specialties that set it apart and make it well worth reading.

There are three areas into which this book delves that are sparsely covered in other books. First, there’s a chapter devoted to Zen in English Literature, and throughout the book there’s much discussion of how Zen influences art, more broadly. The Zen in English Literature chapter draws heavily on a work by R.H. Blyth that is hard to find these days. Second, there’s an attempt to relate how ideas of Zen Buddhism can be conveyed to a Western mind. Third, while it’s acknowledged as being futile, the author discusses Satori in great depth.

I found a great deal of food-for-thought in this book. The author draws from many and varied sources to convey his message. Though that can also be a bit problematic. For example, Humphreys sometimes launches into ideas that come from yogic or other Eastern philosophies without a great deal of elaboration. There’s a certain pretentiousness that’s not unexpected from a mid-twentieth century British writer, but the book is by no means a dense read.

If you’re looking for a philosophical look at Zen, or one which discusses Zen as an artistic influence, check out this book.

[Sadegh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subject of the book is twofold: Zen and Zen Buddhism. The author's treatment of Zen Buddhism, its origins, history, associated beliefs, and practices is comprehensive yet concise. The author's treatment of Zen, by his own admission, might have been a mistake simply by the very fact of trying. As the author is so keen on reminding us, time and again, Zen can be experienced but not described. His effort however is admirable and makes for some good reading material.
While the subject of the book is "spiritual" in essence, references to the "paranormal" aspects of [Zen] Buddhism such as karma and rebirth are few and far between, which allows even the most adamant materialists (such as myself) to enjoy reading it.
The writing style is pleasant, if at times somewhat convoluted. After finishing the book I found myself having read every paragraph at least twice, sometimes to understand what I had read, other times to savor it. The biggest difficulty was presented by words that were used in (a) an (now) uncommon sense. At times I had to refer to several dictionaries in order to make sense of a sentence. There is also the occasional quintessentially English humor spread throughout the book with deadpan delivery which I found to be quite enjoyable.
The author is well aware of the limits of his knowledge and experience and thus uses quotations extensively which vastly add to the richness of the book. The quotations are well used and embedded in the text. It was easy to not notice when the author's own words ended and those of the quotation began if I was not paying attention to quotation marks. Among the most exquisite of these quotations are sublime verses of poetry which convey the subject far better than would be possible using even volumes of prose.

[Bob Cymber · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone enjoys reading Alan Watts, they will really like reading this book. Mr. Humphreys attempts to explain Zen to western readers. There is a lot of wisdom in his words and his elaborations on practical Zen. I found it extremely insightful.

[James White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely introduction to zen

[Gianluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

La visione esaltante, deprimente, coerente e contraddittoria di un occidentale sullo Zen.
Mah.
Wow.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

My inclinations are more towards Taoism than Buddhism, but I found myself sinking into this book like sinking into a comfy chair. And when I was done, I thought, What was all that about? - which was somehow strangely fitting, in that the author is hoping to communicate on an intuitional rather than an intellectual level. And now I'm reading it again, and once again wallowing in the delight and comfort of it.

[Lysergius · Rating 2 out of 5]

A popular introduction.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent book on Zen as it was in the 40's

[Johannes Bertus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convoluted writing style, but some interesting insights.