Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Critical Book Review: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind For my critical book review I chose to read, " Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," by Shunryu Suzuki. Suzuki was a direct spiritual descendant of the great thirteenth-century Zen master Dogen. Suzuki was already a deeply respected Zen master in Japan when he came to America in 1958 intending on a short visit. He was very impressed by the seriousness he found among Americans interested in Zen that he became a permanent resident in San Francisco. His following became so large that it expanded into three major locations including, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen training center outside of Asia. He died at the Zen Center in December 1971; a year after this book was published. I chose this book because Zen meditation is something that has interested me for a few years after learning briefly about it in high school. Zen is something that I hope to try in the near future, possibly after I visit a Zen Center when I'm in California this summer. However, after reading this book I have learned that Zen is not really something which you are supposed to try at, you're just supposed to do it and not think about it. "Zen Mind," is composed of three major sections w
The way that Suzuki went through Zen Mind and zazen systematically helped me understand these difficult concepts. The absence of thought is the pure aspect of zazen. It's not reserved for Buddhists alone. Suzuki says, " try not to see something in particular; try not to achieve anything special. It is symbolic of the theme of humbleness seen throughout Buddhism. Getting through college is not an easy task. I found many of the teachings in this book new and interesting. Suzuki goes through each specific aspect and gives metaphors and anecdotes to explain these better. " Within this part the sections are entitled, single-minded way, repetition, zen and excitement, right effort, no trace, god giving, mistakes in practice, limiting your activity, study yourself, to polish a tile, constancy, communication, negative and positive, nirvana, the waterfall. The thing that appeals to me here is that other religions seem to want you to be part of a collective whole and don't push for the individuality that Buddhism does. Correct posture is explained describing full lotus position. A teacher can only teach so much to a student, the student has to come to his or her own conclusions on what they feel. The position expresses the oneness of duality. This section talks about the simplicity in which you should approach zazen.
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Acceptance Essays
