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Grassroots Zen
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Expected 31 Dec 30Many Zen Buddhist practitioners have come to question some of Japanese Zen's less democratic aspects-from the strict, male-dominated hierarchies to the racial overtones. At the same time, modern American Buddhists often find it difficult to integrate zazen (seated Zen meditation) with lives of family, work, and social engagement. This book offers a fascinating guide to overcoming both these dilemmas. A study of how one Zen group returned to an ancient Chinese tradition of community meditation practice without a leader or hierarchy, this book also outlines an authentic, "grassroots" approach, urging people from all walks of life to come together in meditation and the study of dharma. Grassroots Zen focuses on the challenge of truly becoming one with the moment in our frantically paced society; of finding a space for the passing self; and of achieving balance between Zen practice and daily life, as well as individuality in community. A thoughtful and absorbing work, Grassroots Zen is an important book for those seeking a practice that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 23, 2020
“In every facet of our lives, we are taking refuge in the Buddha.”
Some books find their ways in your hands at just the right time, and this was definitely the case for me and “Grassroots Zen”. Since the beginning of the lockdown, I had been very consistent in my zazen practice, but a couple of weeks ago, a weariness set in, and it became quite a chore. Now I have been doing this long enough to know that when you least feel like sitting zazen is the time at which you should do it the most, but I was completely stuck, and kind of miserable about it. This book was the gentle nudge I needed to un-stick myself out of my funk.
Perle Besserman and Manfred Steger were student of Robert Aitken, who wrote two books on Zen that I really liked (“Taking the Path of Zen” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and “The Mind of Clover” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... the Zen group they founded in Princeton is an interesting example of a group of lay practitioners coming together to study and practice Zen – in a context mostly free of the hierarchical trappings of the more traditional sanghas. I was curious about this: while it can be a slippery slope to remove all the cultural context from the study and practice of Zen, one must also be careful to not throw out the baby with the bath water. Western practitioners try really hard to avoid cultural appropriation, which is fine, but sometimes the cultural and spiritual are closely intertwined. It’s also important not fall into spiritual escapism in one’s search for authentic practice. The same caution should be taken when it comes to activism in the name of Buddhism: yes, upholding the precepts definitely influences how one might choose to vote, consume goods and interact with people, but it’s easy to let that become an attitude of self-righteousness on par with that of televangelists. One must be really, really careful. Had Besserman and Steger managed that fine balancing act, I wondered? As it turns out, they are pulling it off pretty well!
What I found in these pages was a grounded and realistic secular perspective on Zen practices, on what it means and the place it takes in the life of working, married/parenting Westerners who have to balance being a Zen practitioner with every other facets of their lives. Besserman and Steger explore a wide range of topics, perhaps not always very deeply, but with clarity and without relying on mysticism. I was afraid that this would be a little too devil-may-care at first, but while these two are not interested in hierarchies and ceremonialism, they still take their zazen very seriously, and are completely committed to the practice and the precepts. They simply don’t think you have to be a monk to make this a serious part of your life and have an authentic practice. As I happen to agree with that, it was an inspiring and comforting read.
This is not a book that tries to tell the reader how to live, but simply gets them to think about how things learnt on their zafu translates in daily activities, their relationships to others and themselves. Often, it is simply a reminder to think about things in a slightly different way, to remember the interconnectedness that we are a part of, and that we cannot truly ever be separate from the big picture. They also do a wonderful job of dispelling some common stereotypes often associated with Zen.
Earnest practice of zazen, a willingness for genuine introspection, and the acceptance of the inevitability of change is ultimately all that is needed to practice Zen. Knowing a bunch of koans and sutras is nice, but it’s not the whole deal – and while it may mean making changes to your lifestyle, no one needs to drastically upend their lives and go to a monastery in the mountains to get it (though that does sound nice sometimes…). If you’ve ever had impostor syndrome about your Zen practice because you have a job, this book is for you! You can also read it simply if you want a very interesting read on the subject of Zen in the 21st century Western world.
Some books find their ways in your hands at just the right time, and this was definitely the case for me and “Grassroots Zen”. Since the beginning of the lockdown, I had been very consistent in my zazen practice, but a couple of weeks ago, a weariness set in, and it became quite a chore. Now I have been doing this long enough to know that when you least feel like sitting zazen is the time at which you should do it the most, but I was completely stuck, and kind of miserable about it. This book was the gentle nudge I needed to un-stick myself out of my funk.
Perle Besserman and Manfred Steger were student of Robert Aitken, who wrote two books on Zen that I really liked (“Taking the Path of Zen” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and “The Mind of Clover” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... the Zen group they founded in Princeton is an interesting example of a group of lay practitioners coming together to study and practice Zen – in a context mostly free of the hierarchical trappings of the more traditional sanghas. I was curious about this: while it can be a slippery slope to remove all the cultural context from the study and practice of Zen, one must also be careful to not throw out the baby with the bath water. Western practitioners try really hard to avoid cultural appropriation, which is fine, but sometimes the cultural and spiritual are closely intertwined. It’s also important not fall into spiritual escapism in one’s search for authentic practice. The same caution should be taken when it comes to activism in the name of Buddhism: yes, upholding the precepts definitely influences how one might choose to vote, consume goods and interact with people, but it’s easy to let that become an attitude of self-righteousness on par with that of televangelists. One must be really, really careful. Had Besserman and Steger managed that fine balancing act, I wondered? As it turns out, they are pulling it off pretty well!
What I found in these pages was a grounded and realistic secular perspective on Zen practices, on what it means and the place it takes in the life of working, married/parenting Westerners who have to balance being a Zen practitioner with every other facets of their lives. Besserman and Steger explore a wide range of topics, perhaps not always very deeply, but with clarity and without relying on mysticism. I was afraid that this would be a little too devil-may-care at first, but while these two are not interested in hierarchies and ceremonialism, they still take their zazen very seriously, and are completely committed to the practice and the precepts. They simply don’t think you have to be a monk to make this a serious part of your life and have an authentic practice. As I happen to agree with that, it was an inspiring and comforting read.
This is not a book that tries to tell the reader how to live, but simply gets them to think about how things learnt on their zafu translates in daily activities, their relationships to others and themselves. Often, it is simply a reminder to think about things in a slightly different way, to remember the interconnectedness that we are a part of, and that we cannot truly ever be separate from the big picture. They also do a wonderful job of dispelling some common stereotypes often associated with Zen.
Earnest practice of zazen, a willingness for genuine introspection, and the acceptance of the inevitability of change is ultimately all that is needed to practice Zen. Knowing a bunch of koans and sutras is nice, but it’s not the whole deal – and while it may mean making changes to your lifestyle, no one needs to drastically upend their lives and go to a monastery in the mountains to get it (though that does sound nice sometimes…). If you’ve ever had impostor syndrome about your Zen practice because you have a job, this book is for you! You can also read it simply if you want a very interesting read on the subject of Zen in the 21st century Western world.
November 13, 2020
An interesting little book about a type of Zen which has no lineage and makes it own way. Not for a beginner as there although they talk about lots zazen (Zen medition) there are no clear instructions as how to do it.
March 2, 2018
A masterpiece. If you interested in western zen philosophy, you will not be disappointed.
June 29, 2019
The Expanded edition of "Grassroots Zen " is an exceptional book and should be recommended as essential reading to those that are modern visionaries, or are in a leadership position on their communities, or just a common person that endeavors to really enact changes in the world, from within.
The authors bring clarity and a better understanding of the practice of sitting, and in doing so, they resolve all the misconceptions generated by all the "spiritual" expectation from various schools of thoughts.
I personally regard this book as a Vade Mecum of spiritual activism, and it acknowledges that there is an inner dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation.
The authors bring clarity and a better understanding of the practice of sitting, and in doing so, they resolve all the misconceptions generated by all the "spiritual" expectation from various schools of thoughts.
I personally regard this book as a Vade Mecum of spiritual activism, and it acknowledges that there is an inner dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation.
May 30, 2018
Useful advice on how to practice Zen as individuals in communities outside of the monastery.
August 31, 2013
Oh, I so wanted to like this book a lot more than I ended up liking it. Anyone who knows me at all would know that I deeply resonate with the idea of "grassroots zen," which is based upon the 10th century Chinese zen movement, ts'ao-pen ch'an, of householders, farmers, artists, intellectuals and business people, all without any "official sanction' from the priestly elite. With no formal lineage, no hierarchy, and no official history, ts'ao-pen ch'an is not very well known in the west, which seems to have swallowed the whole lineage/transmission mythology hook, line, and sinker.
However, despite this "grassroots" approach of Steger and Besserman, and despite some very good teachings on embracing this world, the passions, and everyday life, and downplaying any sort of mystification, they still come down -- as does the general zen tradition, being so influenced by Taoism -- to some essentialist thinking, and talk about "the true self." And again, as anyone who knows me at all knows, I firmly resist any of that atman-subsitute talk and thinking so prevalent in much contemporary buddhism, and especially so in zen and tibetan buddhism. As well, they have apparently bought and continue to sell the anti-thinking theme so prevalent in zen and other forms of, what Glenn Wallis has called, "x-buddhism."
As an example of one egregious statement:
"To be clear in Zen is to be 100% part of that unfolding. As soon as we stop and say, 'Oh, what was that experience? Where did it come from? In what way was it different from the experience I had yesterday?' we're engaged in a search for analytical clarity. We stop the flux by removing ourselves from it, thereby creating a static object called the 'self.' It's this onlooker that creates other static objects and no longer wants to flow along with events."
WOW! From the buddha encouraging us to "go against the stream," to "go with the flow," this is an example of the distortion of buddhist meditation from analytical investigation of dhammas to the rhetoric of spontaneity and oneness with the flow! And they hammer at this theme saying things like "The analytical mind itself is the obstacle to partaking in the unfolding moment and seeing clearly." This is the common error of being blind to one's ideology.
This made me cringe:
"It helps to remember that we're searching for the true self, not just the self. What exactly is this true self? We don't know, but we still find the word "true" meaningful."
Talk about the creation of confusion and delusion. Talk about something you don't know, but posit its existence anyway! Beneath the so-called "masks" they encourage us to look, there isn't any "self" to be found! THAT's the radical teaching of the buddha. It's not palatable to many folks, so they just ignore it, by pretending that "not-self" is some kind of "true self!"
While an enticing and necessary theme, this "grassroots zen," I cannot give it more than 2-stars. Sorry.
However, despite this "grassroots" approach of Steger and Besserman, and despite some very good teachings on embracing this world, the passions, and everyday life, and downplaying any sort of mystification, they still come down -- as does the general zen tradition, being so influenced by Taoism -- to some essentialist thinking, and talk about "the true self." And again, as anyone who knows me at all knows, I firmly resist any of that atman-subsitute talk and thinking so prevalent in much contemporary buddhism, and especially so in zen and tibetan buddhism. As well, they have apparently bought and continue to sell the anti-thinking theme so prevalent in zen and other forms of, what Glenn Wallis has called, "x-buddhism."
As an example of one egregious statement:
"To be clear in Zen is to be 100% part of that unfolding. As soon as we stop and say, 'Oh, what was that experience? Where did it come from? In what way was it different from the experience I had yesterday?' we're engaged in a search for analytical clarity. We stop the flux by removing ourselves from it, thereby creating a static object called the 'self.' It's this onlooker that creates other static objects and no longer wants to flow along with events."
WOW! From the buddha encouraging us to "go against the stream," to "go with the flow," this is an example of the distortion of buddhist meditation from analytical investigation of dhammas to the rhetoric of spontaneity and oneness with the flow! And they hammer at this theme saying things like "The analytical mind itself is the obstacle to partaking in the unfolding moment and seeing clearly." This is the common error of being blind to one's ideology.
This made me cringe:
"It helps to remember that we're searching for the true self, not just the self. What exactly is this true self? We don't know, but we still find the word "true" meaningful."
Talk about the creation of confusion and delusion. Talk about something you don't know, but posit its existence anyway! Beneath the so-called "masks" they encourage us to look, there isn't any "self" to be found! THAT's the radical teaching of the buddha. It's not palatable to many folks, so they just ignore it, by pretending that "not-self" is some kind of "true self!"
While an enticing and necessary theme, this "grassroots zen," I cannot give it more than 2-stars. Sorry.
August 24, 2016
I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I think the idea of divorcing Zen from its Asian roots is necessary if one's goal is to make Zen truly universal, but on the other hand, it could easily be interpreted as appropriation. To what extent are the structures of formal Zen study necessary for the study and to what extent are they simply artifacts of the millennia of Buddhist history. This book assumes there are core beliefs in Zen that can be applied outside the whole context of Buddhist thought, and that assumption is either the book's greatest strength or its downfall.
If you already have a grounding in the basic tenets of Zen Buddhism, I would recommend this book. If you don't, all you're likely to get out of this is hippy-dippy nonsense.
If you already have a grounding in the basic tenets of Zen Buddhism, I would recommend this book. If you don't, all you're likely to get out of this is hippy-dippy nonsense.
February 17, 2015
Boundless and free is the sky of samadhi.
Bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes;
This very place is the lotus land;
This very body, the Buddha.
Hakuin
No need for wishful thinking, hoping, or believing.
No need for self improvement or future heavens.
Free, living this ever moving, changing now.
Bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes;
This very place is the lotus land;
This very body, the Buddha.
Hakuin
No need for wishful thinking, hoping, or believing.
No need for self improvement or future heavens.
Free, living this ever moving, changing now.
Want to read
October 21, 2009The authors sought to explain that fundamental questions of life can be approached with non-confessional method, but by developing our sensitivity towards everything. This book is divided into 3 chapters: Time, Space & Motion. This is like Gaston Bachelard goes practical.
Read
November 8, 2024I like that the first and last page were made to resemble grass.
In any case, possibly too secular and permissive for the more ardent-minded and possibly too vague for newcomers testing the waters, but just right for an uncommitted journeyman like myself.
No star rating here as YMMV.
In any case, possibly too secular and permissive for the more ardent-minded and possibly too vague for newcomers testing the waters, but just right for an uncommitted journeyman like myself.
No star rating here as YMMV.
books-by-our-journal-contributors
March 9, 2010Perle Besserman is in Volume 13 of Emprise Review. Find God Given Gifts here.
January 23, 2011
waktu ... ruang ... dan gerak
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews