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Zen Culture
(Random House, 1977)Zen History, Zen, Haiku, Ceramics, Archery, Landscape Garden, Stone Garden, Ink Landscape Scroll, Zen Architecture, Sword, Katana, No Theater, Noh Theater, Japanese Tea Ceremony, Flower arranging, Ikebana, Zen Ceramic Art, Raku, Shino, Ryoanji-ji
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
115 people are currently reading
411 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Hoover
31 books23 followersThomas Hoover has a doctorate in oceanography and served as senior vice president of an architect-engineering firm in New York, where he has lived for several decades. His vices include being an avid sailor and a recognized collector of the classical music of India. He began his writing career with two classic non-fiction books on Far Eastern art and religion and then moved into fiction writing with two critically acclaimed novels about English sailors in the early Seventeenth century.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 12, 2019
a good way to look into zen
November 4, 2020
Anyone who examines the Zen arts is immediately struck by how modern they seem. The ceramics of 16th-century Zen artists could be interchanged with the rugged pots of our own contemporary crafts movement; ancient calligraphies suggest the monochromes of Franz Kline or Willem de Kooning; the apparent nonsense and illogic of Zen parables (and No theater and Haiku poetry) established the limitations of language long before the theater of the absurd; 400-year-old Zen architecture seems to be a copy of modern design ideas such as modular space and a California marriage of house and garden.
Zen values experiencing things over analyzing them. Perhaps if we can take the power of direct perception, sharpened by the devices of Zen art, back to everyday activities, we will find a beauty in common objects that we previously ignored.
Zen values experiencing things over analyzing them. Perhaps if we can take the power of direct perception, sharpened by the devices of Zen art, back to everyday activities, we will find a beauty in common objects that we previously ignored.
November 3, 2014
A comprehensive and accessible read on what I find to be a thoroughly intriguing subject. This book examines the way that Zen found a fertile home in the mind and hearts of the Japanese people. And how those very same people helped to bring new form and thought to the religion itself.
I found it to be a fascinating read, which was hard to pull away from until the very last page. The chapter on the tea ceremony was a personal favorite.
Though no one book could truly cover every facet of this subject, this does give a good base for someone just starting to explore an interest. As well as it would be a welcome addition to any library of someone who is well versed in the material.
I found it to be a fascinating read, which was hard to pull away from until the very last page. The chapter on the tea ceremony was a personal favorite.
Though no one book could truly cover every facet of this subject, this does give a good base for someone just starting to explore an interest. As well as it would be a welcome addition to any library of someone who is well versed in the material.
November 6, 2012
Very interesting book about the influence of Zen on Japanese art and culture, giving also a good idea about Buddhism zen in general.
I recommend it especially for those interested in art, architecture and zen.
I recommend it especially for those interested in art, architecture and zen.
November 7, 2021
Excellent source for both the historical background of Zen and separate chapters covering the connection between Zen and gardens, architecture, painting, sculpture, ceramic art, poetry, flower arranging and food. It certainly deepened my appreciation of Japanese culture and its deep aesthetic sense. There were plenty of pictures to whet your appetite for more Japanese culture.
However, I do think at times the author exaggerates the differences between the West and Japan and some of his observations just seemed like caricatures of Zen and cliches or perhaps just beyond my un-Zenlike understanding. For example, I can't make heads or tales of "disciplined spontaneity" which he uses to describe the paintings of a Zen master (p. 122). Another example is his explaining of the term "shibui" as studied restraint which makes "what is done seem effortless" (p. 143). To be fair, many people use this expression casually but it adds nothing to my understanding. And on page 221 there is another comparison which is beyond my capacity to appreciate: "The soup hints of the field and the sea, but in delicate nuances, like an ink painting executed in a few suggestive strokes."
In the last chapter his exaggerated contrast between the East and West really comes through. "In Eastern philosophy, although 'seeing' involves the senses, it must ultimately transcend them (p 224). Surely there are plenty of Western mystics who would fully endorse this view, especially in the Middle Ages. In the following paragraph he says that Zen culture "can bring us in touch with a portion of ourselves we in the West scarcely know--our nonrational, nonverbal side."
Scarcely known or not as widely known,--maybe, but certainly not unknown in the West since Hoover even quotes from Carl Jung's Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious of all books.
I still recommend the book for all of its detailed information to get the reader started on a quest to learn more about Zen and Japanese culture.
However, I do think at times the author exaggerates the differences between the West and Japan and some of his observations just seemed like caricatures of Zen and cliches or perhaps just beyond my un-Zenlike understanding. For example, I can't make heads or tales of "disciplined spontaneity" which he uses to describe the paintings of a Zen master (p. 122). Another example is his explaining of the term "shibui" as studied restraint which makes "what is done seem effortless" (p. 143). To be fair, many people use this expression casually but it adds nothing to my understanding. And on page 221 there is another comparison which is beyond my capacity to appreciate: "The soup hints of the field and the sea, but in delicate nuances, like an ink painting executed in a few suggestive strokes."
In the last chapter his exaggerated contrast between the East and West really comes through. "In Eastern philosophy, although 'seeing' involves the senses, it must ultimately transcend them (p 224). Surely there are plenty of Western mystics who would fully endorse this view, especially in the Middle Ages. In the following paragraph he says that Zen culture "can bring us in touch with a portion of ourselves we in the West scarcely know--our nonrational, nonverbal side."
Scarcely known or not as widely known,--maybe, but certainly not unknown in the West since Hoover even quotes from Carl Jung's Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious of all books.
I still recommend the book for all of its detailed information to get the reader started on a quest to learn more about Zen and Japanese culture.
April 18, 2014
A fascinating introduction to how Zen ideas influenced Japanese culture over the centuries. The book is accessible, broad in scope, and demonstrates genuine respect and understanding of the topics being discussed. Having lived in Japan and been fascinated by aspects of the culture like ceramics and the tea ceremony for a number of years, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
February 8, 2019
Zen Culture is a solid introduction not so much to the religion of Zen, but to the history of individual aspects of Zen in Japanese arts, from rock gardens to monochromatic ink paintings to sword making to Japanese architecture to Japanese poetry, theater, ceramics, flower arranging, food, and the tea ceremony. I must admit that I didn't really need as much detail about each of these as Thomas Hoover gave, but that ha more to do with the limits of my curiosity rather than a flaw in his writing and presentation. Indeed, after reading Zen Culture, I have a much greater and more knowledgeable appreciation of Japanese culture, enough to know that while I may admire it from a purely intellectual standpoint, I would not want to replace my Western view of the world with that of Zen Buddhism. But as with my appreciation of Hover's book, this may well be a consequence of my own limitations rather than a flaw in the Zen viewpoint.
June 30, 2017
Divine when you have The ability to Fall in Love with gardens, flowers and The General virtues of Zen Discipline and Simplicity in The Same way your passions can be Fired Up in The Concept of Romantic Love.
Those who can see beauty in the simplicities of everyday day to day, will always hold the the pure joy of simple pleasure's in their hearts.
While this book is so intensely in its descriptions it's a pure delight for every zen lover. ❤️
Those who can see beauty in the simplicities of everyday day to day, will always hold the the pure joy of simple pleasure's in their hearts.
While this book is so intensely in its descriptions it's a pure delight for every zen lover. ❤️
May 12, 2017
Very interesting book but struggled as I'm not familiar with Japanese words or history so there was a lot to take in.
Dealing with a very visual subject but very few photos (and those that were included were very small), could've done with pictures in the text and diagrams of things like the gardens.
Dealing with a very visual subject but very few photos (and those that were included were very small), could've done with pictures in the text and diagrams of things like the gardens.
February 7, 2024
"But Zen takes the opposite tack; it holds that true reality is the fundamental unity of mind and matter, inner spirit and external world. When life is viewed in such terms, there can be no success or failure, happiness or unhappiness; life is a whole, and you are simply part of it. There are no dualities, hence there is nothing to worry about. The result is perfect tranquility."
March 7, 2020
Informative and interesting read
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!
April 22, 2015
This is a perfect book for anyone interested in the history and influence of Zen Culture. On page vii Hoover introduces his work with a quotation from Sohaku Ogata’s “Zen for the West” which explains: “Throughout the entire Far East of China, Korea, and Japan, we see the system of a unique culture which originated in the sixth century, reached its meridian in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and began to decline in the seventeenth century, but which is still kept up in Japan even in this day of materialism and mechanisation. It is called Zen culture.”
Hoover’s work is extensive and expansive, covering the whole trajectory of this culture through the ages, presenting his findings in clear, lucid writing. Written in the late 1970s, when Western civilisations were “rediscovering” Zen, the work clearly sets out how the ideas of Zen originated from the original Buddhism and then Chinese Ch’an version which ultimately became Zen in Japan. There it developed the special qualities characteristic of Zen through its application to Japanese life and living, influencing many if not all those things we in the West might call quintessentially “Japanese”.
The book in written in chronological order, and is presented in three parts: part I (from prehistory to 1333 CE) includes its rise, chronicles, and influence in such things as Archery and Swordsmanship; part II (from 1333 to 1575 CE) deals with landscape gardens and the Stone Gardens of Zen, Ink landscapes, the aesthetics of Japanese architecture, and the achievements of Nō Theatre; and the final part III (from 1573 to the present) deals with the rise of popular Zen culture, with particular attention to the Tea ceremony, ceramic art, Haiku, and Flowers and Food. As can be seen, a wide and influential array of cultural pursuits are covered; and as Hoover constantly points out, the “philosophy” (for want of a better word) behind all of them tends to transcend any specific, particular culture, and instead has proved to be relevant on a much wider, more universal, global scale.
On a simplistic level, it can be argued that Zen Culture is anti-rational, anti-scholastic and anti materialistic. These are traits which it incidentally shares with the Daoism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu (what I all the earlier “philosophical” approach of Daoism rather than its later “religious” approach). Its positive side is that it is pro-simplicity, more ascetic (finding sufficiency in restraint); more meditative in approach, and pro the intuitive and the instinctive in humanity, emphasising suggestion rather than anything else. The intention is to emphasise detachment and objectivity in dealing with the world, with the purpose of achieving some kind of transience and enlightenment. As such, it is a way of life that would appeal to the artist, poet, philosopher, and mystic in all of us.
I will end with quoting the last paragraph of this work: “Zen culture’s primary lesson is that we should start trying to experience art and the world around us rather than analysing them. When we do this, we find that everything suddenly comes alive. If we can take this power of direct perception, sharpened by the devices of Zen art, back to everyday activities we will find a beauty in common objects that we previously ignored. Flowers — indeed individual petals — become objects of the most intense loveliness. When we see the world with a Zen-honed awareness our sense of the beauty in objects supplants our desire to possess them. If we allow the ancient creators of Zen culture to touch our lives, we open wider the doors of perception.”
Hoover’s work is a painless and illuminating entry into this fascinating and stimulating world.
Hoover’s work is extensive and expansive, covering the whole trajectory of this culture through the ages, presenting his findings in clear, lucid writing. Written in the late 1970s, when Western civilisations were “rediscovering” Zen, the work clearly sets out how the ideas of Zen originated from the original Buddhism and then Chinese Ch’an version which ultimately became Zen in Japan. There it developed the special qualities characteristic of Zen through its application to Japanese life and living, influencing many if not all those things we in the West might call quintessentially “Japanese”.
The book in written in chronological order, and is presented in three parts: part I (from prehistory to 1333 CE) includes its rise, chronicles, and influence in such things as Archery and Swordsmanship; part II (from 1333 to 1575 CE) deals with landscape gardens and the Stone Gardens of Zen, Ink landscapes, the aesthetics of Japanese architecture, and the achievements of Nō Theatre; and the final part III (from 1573 to the present) deals with the rise of popular Zen culture, with particular attention to the Tea ceremony, ceramic art, Haiku, and Flowers and Food. As can be seen, a wide and influential array of cultural pursuits are covered; and as Hoover constantly points out, the “philosophy” (for want of a better word) behind all of them tends to transcend any specific, particular culture, and instead has proved to be relevant on a much wider, more universal, global scale.
On a simplistic level, it can be argued that Zen Culture is anti-rational, anti-scholastic and anti materialistic. These are traits which it incidentally shares with the Daoism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu (what I all the earlier “philosophical” approach of Daoism rather than its later “religious” approach). Its positive side is that it is pro-simplicity, more ascetic (finding sufficiency in restraint); more meditative in approach, and pro the intuitive and the instinctive in humanity, emphasising suggestion rather than anything else. The intention is to emphasise detachment and objectivity in dealing with the world, with the purpose of achieving some kind of transience and enlightenment. As such, it is a way of life that would appeal to the artist, poet, philosopher, and mystic in all of us.
I will end with quoting the last paragraph of this work: “Zen culture’s primary lesson is that we should start trying to experience art and the world around us rather than analysing them. When we do this, we find that everything suddenly comes alive. If we can take this power of direct perception, sharpened by the devices of Zen art, back to everyday activities we will find a beauty in common objects that we previously ignored. Flowers — indeed individual petals — become objects of the most intense loveliness. When we see the world with a Zen-honed awareness our sense of the beauty in objects supplants our desire to possess them. If we allow the ancient creators of Zen culture to touch our lives, we open wider the doors of perception.”
Hoover’s work is a painless and illuminating entry into this fascinating and stimulating world.
June 15, 2020
(Edit: for a more comprehensive, poetic and less historical approach of Zen culture and its manifesting arts and philosophy, I would recommend reading The Book of Tea by Kakuzō Okakura)
A very thorough description of the history and theory of Zen itself and its manifesting arts. It starts with a run-through of Japanese history and how China influenced their customs and, ultimately, introduced Chan buddhism — which later became Zen — to the country. The book then analyses individually the manifestations of the Zen arts divided into two periods: the Ashikaga (or High Culture) age and later its introduction into popular Japanese culture. The book have chapters almost exclusive to each manifestation — namely the landscape and stone gardens, calligraphy and painting, architecture, theatre, tea ceremony, ceramics, poetry, flower arrangement and cuisine.
Maybe ironically (as with most western authors who write about Zen), it is a very analytical view of an otherwise completely intuitive and anti-intellectual philosophy. However, that is no demerit as the author manages to explain everything with great detail, allowing us — with a little bit of imagination — to almost experience each artistic manifestations. That is also its greatest flaw: the experience is mostly exclusively imaginative as there is a surprising lack of pictures in the book to exemplify what it is saying (to be fair, on the poetry chapter, there is a good amount of haiku in both its Japanese version and English translation). The author manages to show a great understanding and reverence to Zen and its art forms so don't expect many criticisms. It's mostly a historical and artistic analysis of the philosophy of Zen and its art forms — and it does its job wonderfully well.
A very thorough description of the history and theory of Zen itself and its manifesting arts. It starts with a run-through of Japanese history and how China influenced their customs and, ultimately, introduced Chan buddhism — which later became Zen — to the country. The book then analyses individually the manifestations of the Zen arts divided into two periods: the Ashikaga (or High Culture) age and later its introduction into popular Japanese culture. The book have chapters almost exclusive to each manifestation — namely the landscape and stone gardens, calligraphy and painting, architecture, theatre, tea ceremony, ceramics, poetry, flower arrangement and cuisine.
Maybe ironically (as with most western authors who write about Zen), it is a very analytical view of an otherwise completely intuitive and anti-intellectual philosophy. However, that is no demerit as the author manages to explain everything with great detail, allowing us — with a little bit of imagination — to almost experience each artistic manifestations. That is also its greatest flaw: the experience is mostly exclusively imaginative as there is a surprising lack of pictures in the book to exemplify what it is saying (to be fair, on the poetry chapter, there is a good amount of haiku in both its Japanese version and English translation). The author manages to show a great understanding and reverence to Zen and its art forms so don't expect many criticisms. It's mostly a historical and artistic analysis of the philosophy of Zen and its art forms — and it does its job wonderfully well.
March 12, 2015
I did not go out of my way to find this book, I was just flicking through my kindle store looking for something different to read and I saw this I was intrigued so I downloaded it not really knowing what to expect, unsure if I was going to enjoy it. Sometimes we just have to pick up a book that we wouldn't normally look at and it turns out that I enjoyed it.
August 13, 2016
Just a great little book about zen--where it came from, how it evolved, who the major players were, etc. . . . seasoned generously with poems, photos, and paintings throughout. For a novice like myself, I came away from Mr. Hoover's work with a greater understanding and appreciation of zen culture. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about zen.
April 21, 2013
An intriguing and comprehensive introduction to how the Zen philosophy has influenced and shaped Japanese culture through exploring different aspects of the culture.
August 1, 2013
THIS IS A VERY INFORMATIVE AND SKILLFUL WRITTEN BOOKS ABOUT ZEN CULTURE AND AFTER READING IT , I FEEL MORE INFORMED ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAPANESE AND THEIR CULTURE !
July 17, 2013
Thomas Hoover takes a comprehensive look at how Zen philosophy has created the modern Japan we see today. Not a bad book, but at times rather dull.
November 27, 2014
I enjoyed this book, it's a good overview of the philosophy of zen and its impact on various art forms including pottery, gardening, plus archery, etc.
January 19, 2015
Highly enjoyable but prone to some oversimplification
February 7, 2015
Perceptive account of this vital culture...
Want to read
May 25, 2015Many Books
July 24, 2017
Totally worth reading.
November 29, 2024
Look out the window.
Are you the observer or
Are you the observed?
Are you the observer or
Are you the observed?
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews