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Zen Around the World with CD
A dynamic presentation of the story of Zen, this book chronicles Zen's development from the original enlightenment of the Buddha to its expression in the 20th century. The Simpkins begin with the Indian roots of Zen and continue the journey through China, where Buddhism merged with Taoism to give birth to Zen as we know it today. The development of Zen in Japan and Korea is then chronicled, and the book ends with an exploration of Zen in the West. The Simpkins bring many beautiful legends to life anew, and through anecdotes, interviews, poetry, and art, they help readers truly understand that the spirit of Zen is alive in all of us.
Paperback
First published July 15, 1997
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October 22, 2015
I would rate this a 2.5 if I could and I rounded down instead of up because Goodreads has "okay" associated with two and that is what I have to say instead of the "liked" three stars.
The book was in the religion section of my library, but the book (as per the title) isn't strictly about Zen BUDDHISM, but Zen in itself. The history is steeped in Buddhism, but Zen itself is not necessarily religious. Well, allow me to restate that. Technically Buddhism doesn't have to be religious either. Zen is a state of mind and Buddhism is a method to obtain a state of mind. Still, after describing in detail the historical development of Zen Buddhism, the book addresses how Zen has been integrated into martial arts, flower arrangements, poetry, and more. Later chapters describe how someone can practice Zen either in sitting meditation or during another activity.
Zen Around the World describes Zen thoroughly, though perhaps too thoroughly. The language carries a technical voice and some chapters may as well be a list names of influencers, a thing they did, and who next down the line they influenced. This is a good approach if you want to follow up and do more research on historical individuals. However, I approached this book wanting a qualitative understanding and I found that on roughly half of the pages.
The book was in the religion section of my library, but the book (as per the title) isn't strictly about Zen BUDDHISM, but Zen in itself. The history is steeped in Buddhism, but Zen itself is not necessarily religious. Well, allow me to restate that. Technically Buddhism doesn't have to be religious either. Zen is a state of mind and Buddhism is a method to obtain a state of mind. Still, after describing in detail the historical development of Zen Buddhism, the book addresses how Zen has been integrated into martial arts, flower arrangements, poetry, and more. Later chapters describe how someone can practice Zen either in sitting meditation or during another activity.
Zen Around the World describes Zen thoroughly, though perhaps too thoroughly. The language carries a technical voice and some chapters may as well be a list names of influencers, a thing they did, and who next down the line they influenced. This is a good approach if you want to follow up and do more research on historical individuals. However, I approached this book wanting a qualitative understanding and I found that on roughly half of the pages.
Displaying 1 of 1 review