Verwandte Artikel zu Essential Zen
Inhaltsangabe
Tanahashi & Schneider present many of the classic writings regarded as "essential" in the East Asian Zen traditions along with a vibrant assortment of American Zen stories, poems, & teachings that reflect the present flowering of Zen in the West. At turns spare, elegant, witty, deeply serious, & marvelously humorous, these are reflections on everything from practical meditation techniques & the tasks of daily life to death, the environment, & activism. Including a history of Zen & its practices, this is a wonderfully lucid & comprehensive venture into the enduring, evolving, & essential heart of Zen. Illustrated.
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Review
In the introduction to Essential Zen, the editors remark in very Zen-like fashion that this book cannot rightly claim to represent anything "essential" at all about their subject; for how can mere writing bring readers to the heart of a teaching that lies "outside words and letters"? The essential Zen in book form, they say, would "more likely consist of blank pages; a reader fills them in. Or not."
But what a blessing that Tanahashi and Schneider, like others in Zen's long and prolific literary tradition, have nonetheless decided to spill a little ink and attempt to point toward that which cannot be told. In this lively little volume, they bring together some treasures of classical and contemporary wisdom that capture the enigmatic soul of Zen. Included are familiar works from classical masters--haiku by Japanese poet Basho, stories from philosopher Dogen, poems by Chinese recluse Hanshan, and koans and meditations by monks and nuns dating from the 5th century. And placed alongside "on equal footing" with the works of venerated Asian teachers are writings by contemporary Westerners--from poet Gary Snyder to students from Zen centers around the United States and Europe--emphasizing the fresh spirit or "nowness" of the tradition. At turns deeply serious, poignant, and humorous, the selections cover a wide range of concerns, from the inevitability of death to the importance of environmental stewardship. But all have in common a rootedness in the physical present while recognizing its fleeting nature; there is a freedom, they seem to say, that comes in appreciating but not clinging to the things of this world. Each piece is presented "clean," without accompanying commentary, but the editors' excellent endnotes give valuable biographical information and background on unfamiliar concepts. More than an accessible introduction to Zen for Westerners, this is a collection to be read for its insight into what it means to be human in a changing world. --Uma Kukathas
About the Author
Kazuaki Tanahashi is an artist, translator, and writer whose books include Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen and Brush Mind.
Tensho David Schneider is an ordained Zen priest and the author of Street Zen.
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