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To Meet the Real Dragon
Buddhist masters of the past have explained the relationship between Buddhist theory and the Truth by way of a simple metaphor. The Truth, they say, is like the distant moon. Ideas, theories, and explanations are merely fingers pointing at that far-away goal. They are not, and can never be, the moon itself. So this book is one such finger, a finger pointing at the moon, but the moon itself can be touched by you alone... The Buddhism which emerges from To Meet the Real Dragon is Buddhism for real people: ordinary human beings with ordinary human problems. It is humanistic Zen--Zen for human beings. Here are a few of the topics covered by this very readable book: What is Religion, Meeting a True Master, Master Dogen, Science and Buddhism, Idealism and Materialism, Gautama Buddha, The Four Noble Truths, The Transmission of the Truth, Cause and Effect, Not Doing Wrong, Action: The Center of Buddhism, Zazen, The Four Philosophies.
246 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 18 reviews
July 24, 2016
A little attached to sitting, but this dragon still seems legit. Little shortcomings aside, I really liked the book. It's a refreshing perspective on the essence of Buddhism, so I sincerely recommend it.
Kudos to Gudo!
Kudos to Gudo!
February 28, 2021
I've read some books covering Kodo Sawaki's teachings, and many of Brad Warner's books. Nishijima was Sawaki's student and Warner's teacher. I was curious to see what he had to say.
Nishijima was a scholar of the Shobogenzo, and the book is full of reverence for that book and its author, Dogen. He was also a student of Western philosophy and history, and the book is filled with his hot takes on both topics all the way up to contemporary global politics. In this way the book differs from the somewhat aloof and mystical style you encounter in other Zen books. He has a unique, idiosyncratic take on things with an interesting political flavor. It's heady but humble, in its way.
That being said, the book is indeed meant mainly as a practical guide, and I think Nishijima is quite successful at making sure the intellectual discussions are in service of a real practice and don't take away from it. I finished the book feeling better equipped for my daily practice on the ground, not interested in more philosophical discussions.
In general, Nishijima is very grounded and unassuming in his approach, and I think many beginners would find this a great introduction to Zen practice. I wouldn't say it's for all beginners though - the book seems tailored for students of Western philosophy or people who are otherwise interested in philosophical conversations and need assistance transitioning from intellectual curiosity to physical practice. Someone ready to hit the ground running might find the first half of the book very boring. But for its niche - it's excellent.
So I recommend this book to seasoned practitioners who want a unique, perhaps eccentric take on zen practice in the tradition of Dogen and Kodo Sawaki, or to beginners with a background in philosophy who are curious about the context of zen and why it might help answer some deep questions.
Nishijima was a scholar of the Shobogenzo, and the book is full of reverence for that book and its author, Dogen. He was also a student of Western philosophy and history, and the book is filled with his hot takes on both topics all the way up to contemporary global politics. In this way the book differs from the somewhat aloof and mystical style you encounter in other Zen books. He has a unique, idiosyncratic take on things with an interesting political flavor. It's heady but humble, in its way.
That being said, the book is indeed meant mainly as a practical guide, and I think Nishijima is quite successful at making sure the intellectual discussions are in service of a real practice and don't take away from it. I finished the book feeling better equipped for my daily practice on the ground, not interested in more philosophical discussions.
In general, Nishijima is very grounded and unassuming in his approach, and I think many beginners would find this a great introduction to Zen practice. I wouldn't say it's for all beginners though - the book seems tailored for students of Western philosophy or people who are otherwise interested in philosophical conversations and need assistance transitioning from intellectual curiosity to physical practice. Someone ready to hit the ground running might find the first half of the book very boring. But for its niche - it's excellent.
So I recommend this book to seasoned practitioners who want a unique, perhaps eccentric take on zen practice in the tradition of Dogen and Kodo Sawaki, or to beginners with a background in philosophy who are curious about the context of zen and why it might help answer some deep questions.
May 21, 2017
To Meet the Real Dragon is presented in a Q & A format that succinctly summarizes the many talks by this zen master into a clear exposition of the practice of zazen, based on Dogen's Shobogenzo. Nishijima prefaces his comparison of the Buddha's teaching with Idealism and Materialism with a look at the history of these ideas and their impact on Western thought, and he revisits the rise of the many schools and flavors of Buddhism. He presents Dogen's Shobogenzo as the closest thing to transmission of the Buddha's teachings. He also proposes that the living spirit of zen is no longer found in Japan, a culture which takes care to preserve temples and monasteries, but whose priests exercise their functions mainly as funerary officials. As the world's divisions threaten the fabric of peaceful co-existence, he proposes Zen as the middle path through to peaceful interdependence. He hopes that the United States with its energy and passion for change and growth will be the place where Buddhism can flourish.
June 21, 2023
Un libro maravilloso para conciliar muchas de las ideas orientales del budismo más clásico y la realidad occidental.
Una forma alternativa de entender muchas de las enseñanzas clásica del zen. Tiene el poder para transformar la práctica espiritual de cualquier persona afín a las religiones orientales.
Recomendado para cualquier persona que practique zazen. Si alguien no es practicante, puede que el libro no le aporte tanto o incluso no llegue a comprenderlo.
Una forma alternativa de entender muchas de las enseñanzas clásica del zen. Tiene el poder para transformar la práctica espiritual de cualquier persona afín a las religiones orientales.
Recomendado para cualquier persona que practique zazen. Si alguien no es practicante, puede que el libro no le aporte tanto o incluso no llegue a comprenderlo.
June 12, 2018
Nishijima lays out some interesting perspectives on Zen, and a nice explanation on how to do zazen. I wasn't thrilled with the tangents (at times) that detoured into areas I felt was non-relevant history, exception being Buddha's biography.
June 20, 2022
Kirjan sisältö on moniulotteinen, koskettaa jopa tiedettä ja politiikkaa, mutta kirjan viesti on yksinkertainen: Istu selkäsuorassa ja ole hiljaa. Kelatkaa, ihan kokonainen kirja tätä varten, sanoisi Alizadi jos tämän kirjan käteensä saisi. Moro moro 🤙🏼
July 11, 2018
ok but caplecit book not for beginers
May 29, 2019
A great and approachable book on the practice of Zen.
September 13, 2021
Aside from the sometimes clumsy political commentary (particularly about Marxist theory), this is a superb book. I would have liked to meet Nishijima Gudo. He is an excellent communicator.
November 17, 2023
great book on zen. straight forward, no nonsense, logical approach to zen and meditation.
October 9, 2022
This is my all-time favorite non-fiction book.
Great book for discovering more about life, reality, and living in the present moment. Also a great book for learning about Buddhism.
Gudo Nishijima explains the history of Western philosophy in a compact and easy-to-understand manner showing that there has always been a conflict between idealist and materialist points of view. He then explains the history of Buddha and Buddhism and sheds new light on interpreting the Four Noble Truths. According to Gudo Nishijima, the first two Noble Truths are related to the opposing philosophical views of Western thought, whereas the third Nobel Truth indicates that reality is a mix of both, and the fourth states that the path to achieving this is through "zazen", i.e. seated meditation.
This book is not for everyone, but if you are into this topic, you will love it.
Great book for discovering more about life, reality, and living in the present moment. Also a great book for learning about Buddhism.
Gudo Nishijima explains the history of Western philosophy in a compact and easy-to-understand manner showing that there has always been a conflict between idealist and materialist points of view. He then explains the history of Buddha and Buddhism and sheds new light on interpreting the Four Noble Truths. According to Gudo Nishijima, the first two Noble Truths are related to the opposing philosophical views of Western thought, whereas the third Nobel Truth indicates that reality is a mix of both, and the fourth states that the path to achieving this is through "zazen", i.e. seated meditation.
This book is not for everyone, but if you are into this topic, you will love it.
March 1, 2013
Fantastic book for everyone interested in Buddhism or even just finding the truth, though I don't think it's the best one to read as an introduction to Buddhism or Zen. For that, turn to Kosho Uchiyama's Opening the Hand of Thought, Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, or for Buddhism in general, Thich Nhat Hahn's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. But for someone who's been practicing for a while, Master Nishijima's book is a good way to get insight into his views on the Truth, zazen, and Master Dogen's way of approaching practice and life.
April 26, 2013
Creo que uno de los mayores aportes en este momento, es poder entender que tanto los pensamientos como los sentimientos son piedras en le camino que nos distraen del presente, que es lo único real y el único momento que tenemos para empezar a vivir la realidad, sin máscaras ni imaginarios mentales.
A su vez, el entender que la práctica del zazen es fundamental porque ella misma ya significa la conexión con la verdad de la vida.
Amo el libro y al maestro!
A su vez, el entender que la práctica del zazen es fundamental porque ella misma ya significa la conexión con la verdad de la vida.
Amo el libro y al maestro!
September 18, 2013
This is the second time I've read this book. The first time around, I got hung up in some translation problems the book has. I also missed the importance put on zazen in the first reading (duh, he's meditating on the cover). The book is full of beautiful Zen metaphor. I liked it much better the second time around.
January 18, 2015
Nishijima’s writing is lucid and utterly avoids the sort of gratuitous mystification that I often find in writers on Zen. But that doesn’t make his arguments necessarily easier to accept, and some of them seem a little weak. Still, his viewpoint, if somewhat unique, is very well presented and he has a lot to say of interest.
March 16, 2012
Really great book got me back into doing zazen meditation regularly. I love Nishijima's break down of idealism, materialism, action, reality and buddhist theory.
June 3, 2016
Find the truth - read this book - find the truth. In the realm of the mind all things are possible, but in the real world there are limits, practical limits like time and space. zazen is zazen.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 18 reviews