The Eight Gates of Zen: Spiritual Training an American Zen Monastery [Paperback]

John Daido Loori (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992

The Eight Gates of Zen offers a matrix of opportunity for returning to intimate contact with our stillness and clarity, and to reclaim our lives.

The eight gates are zazen, direct study with the teacher, liturgy, ethical and moral precepts, art practice, body practice, academic study, and work practice.

This book emerges out of fourteen years of disciplined and vigorous Zen training at one of the most actice Zen Buddhist monasteries in this country. It reaches back to the enlightenment experience of Shakyamuni Buddha, and can be vital and relevant at this moment in time, amidst our global and personal challenges, if we engage it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Daido Loori's new book is probably the most authoritative work on the subject of Zen training to date. It gives clear and useful answers to almost all the questions that anyone might ask about Zen practice." -- Zenshin Philip Whalen

"The author presents Zen as a full-time spiritual discipline that draws on all facets of human personality throughout the day. It is a revealing description of how Zen is seriously practices at an important American Zen Monastery." -- Francis Dojun Cook

Language Notes

Text: Japanese

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 273 pages
• Publisher: Dharma Communications; 1st edition (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882795008
• ISBN-13: 978-1882795000
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,220,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loori tells the reader just the way it is, June 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eight Gates of Zen: Spiritual Training an American Zen Monastery (Paperback)

John Daido Loori lays the zen life and barrier gates out before the reader to examine and learn. The writing flows from page to page carrying the reader through the highs and lows of reality, the possibilities and expectations of just sitting. Definitely the book to have when you want to know how and why to sit zazen.

11 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whatever happened to 'Beginner's Mind'?, January 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eight Gates of Zen: Spiritual Training an American Zen Monastery (Paperback)

dang, this is one book to discourage anyone from ever starting zen if i've ever seen one, Daido Roshi no doubt knows what he's talking about, but when he lays out a whole zen catechism of 100s of koans and various elitist sounding artsy practices required for entry into Buddha's country club, it sounds like a graduate school curriculum or something. I think this book is maybe a reaction to the laxity and scandals of 1st generation American zen. Now the 2nd generation teachers are reverting back to good-old fundamentalism and rigor to keep out the riff-raff. Guess we can see the age-old story of religious evolution happening before our very eyes here. Anyway, I sure missed the anti-elitist open-hearted Spirit of Suzuki Roshi's 'Zen Mind Beginner's Mind' while I was trying to read 'Eight Gates'.

fyi, check out some critiques and affirmations of American Zen at: