Cold Heart Thawing: The Zen Poetry of Do Chong-An Anthology of Poetry about Living in the Modern World [Paperback]

Do Chong Poep Sa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2003

A collection of Zen Poetry from the Abbot of Ocean Eyes Zen Center in Long Beach, California. This first collection of poetry was written between 1995 and 1997, and follows the spiritual path of a Buddhist Layperson searching for a balance between the life of dedicated Zen practice and the life of layperson living in the world. The introduction contains an interview with Do Chong's grand teacher Zen Master Seung Sahn, the 78th Patriarch of Korean Chogye Buddhism, in which the two discuss poetry and Zen Practice. Some exiting insights are shared with the reader about Zen Poetry and living in this modern world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Do Chong Poep Sa, with the assistance of Zen Master Seung Sahn and Zen Master Ji Bong, founded the Ocean Eyes Zen Center in August of 1993. An active practicing Buddhist since 1988, he began training with Greg Penn, DD, a Vipassana Teacher and Minister from Escondido. Paul joined the Kwan Um School of Zen and became a student training under Zen Master Ji Bong in February of 1991.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (April 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595189725
• ISBN-13: 978-0595189724
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,743,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not about dew drops, November 20, 2001

By 

C.A.Montana (somewhere in the world) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Heart Thawing: The Zen Poetry of Do Chong-An Anthology of Poetry about Living in the Modern World (Paperback)

And you thought zen poetry had to be about dew drops and frogs jumping into a pond... As the title justfully points to these wonderful poems deal with such familiar subjects as falling in love and out of love, leaving, working, getting angry, getting over it, living life every day and waking up in the process.
Their universal appeal reside in that there is a bit of all of us in each of them. No matter who and what you are, no matter where you live, these heartfelt and intimate expressions of the poet's heart will find a way to connect with your own heart... and hopefully jumpstart it's own thawing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cold Heart Thawing, October 12, 2002

By 

Roman Tsivkin (IRVINE, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Heart Thawing: The Zen Poetry of Do Chong-An Anthology of Poetry about Living in the Modern World (Paperback)

This book, as the title suggests, has a range of temperatures, from the cold showers of Zen perception to the warm arms of a lover. The introduction contains a very illuminating conversation on poetry between the author and a Korean Zen Master, who answers the question of how he writes by saying "this moment appears, then write a poem." The author of Cold Heart Thawing does just that, writing poems on the go, in airplanes, cars, temples, restaurants and offices. There are love poems, travel poems, haikus, Zen practice poems, even freeway poems. But no matter what subject a poem is about, there is always a direction to the language, always an anchor that ties any abstraction or high-minded idea to this world we live in, this physical body. This is American Zen poetry at its best, with the pulsing, vibrant roots of Kerouac and Ginsberg not too far beneath the surface.
If you're a Zen student, this book will be a delight; if you've only heard of Zen, this book will be an eye-opener; if you've never heard of Zen, don't worry--it's just damn good poetry.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ice Bricks Melting, November 25, 2001

By 

"barobinson10" (Tustin, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Heart Thawing: The Zen Poetry of Do Chong-An Anthology of Poetry about Living in the Modern World (Paperback)

I came to Buddhism hoping I would learn to quiet my mind but also believing, regretfully, that I would learn how not to feel either. This wonderful book, which I picked up on my first visit to my Zen Center, of free verse on all aspects of life, helped to show me that without feeling deeply, loving greatly, and living fully, we cannot awaken. As Natalie Goldberg puts it so well, no matter how peaceful and present we become, we are human beings with feelings; we are not ice bricks. Whether or not one is following a Buddhist path, these poems are not to be missed. Do Chong's poems are a delight to all hearts on the path of Life.