Customer Reviews

Nothing Special

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a buddhist.I have read a single talk out of this book every night for over a year. These are concise dharma talks. Zen is pretty new to the US, and many of the traditional Zen stories have to do with monks having exotic experiences. It is easy to get caught in these dreams of 13th century Japan. Joko brings us back from our dreams of a far away practice to doing our dishes while the kids yell in our house in Denver. She offers a sober message of being just here. You wont find a heartwarming Hallmark message here. Joko is as direct and harsh as reality. It is no fun to follow the teachings back to our drab old smelly life, so don't look for the book to be a fun escape. It is the opposite -- which is why it is so good.
The book is comprised of a series of talks from Joko and some questions from her students. Joko is an American and so the message couched in the familiar language of our culture. IT is not like reading Dogen, and is more accessible. I would recommend this work to anyone who is serious about---well words escape me. It is not quie accurate to say that it is for those who are serious about taking the Zen path. But for anyone who wants to learn to be present with their real life, this offers solid guidance as much as words can.

For years I was obsessed with Zen books. However, it wasn't until I came across Joko's books that I encountered the radical suggestion: OUR LIFE IS OUR PRACTICE!!! It was a real eye opener. I reread "Everyday Zen" three or four time in a row. My teachers in Rochester were pretty unimpressed; they thought that Joko was for people "who weren't ready for Zen." (One of them really did say that!) I thought otherwise; her work addressed the disconnect between a practice created for those in monasteries and the "self-centered dream" of our lives. It baffled me that people would be having "openings" in the Zendo and then treat their family like dirt after a retreat. She taught that working with our family "issues" (noticing our thoughts and resting in our physical experience) was not something separate from our practice on the cushions in the meditation hall. No duality.

I ended up working with Joko for about five years. She was (and is) every bit as remarkable in real life as she was in her book. There isn't a lot of drama in this practice. Our life becomes less of a soap opera and becomes more mundane. From that ordinariness emerge joy, compassion, love and all of the other aspects of our true nature. You might have fewer of the kind of lightening bolts of a traditional practice. Instead, you will have a grounded life that brings peace rather than pain into this world.

This is the best book on zen practice that I have ever read . . . and I've read many books on this subject! Beck demystifies the process of living a compassionate life. Other books on this subject have left me feeling baffled and inadequate. Beck's approach helped me find some clarity. I HIGHLY recommend it.

"Nothing Special" is indeed something very special. You don't have to be a student of Zen or Buddhism of any sort to enjoy and learn from this book. Beck, with her pleasant style that feels like she wrote the book just for you, has much to teach. And yet at the same time, very little to teach, as it is all so simple in the end.

This book will give you lots to think about. The stories, the experiences, the questions and answers. They get your mind going, and they will open your eyes if you take Beck's words to heart. "Nothing Special" is all about living a full life. Not an easy life, not a 100% happy and pain-free life, but a full life.

Much of what you may get from this book, you'll find you already knew. But along the way you may discover that you've learned something beyond the mere words and ideas on the pages - that there is perhaps a better way of living, one that embraces the good and the bad. Living for the sake of living. "Living Zen".

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have the thoughtful people who recommended it to thank. Joko Beck's straightforward, no nonsense approach makes Zen practice a day-to-day, moment-to-moment experience that truly changes the way you see yourself and the world, but ONLY if you work diligently. I love the way she refuses to promise a blissful, enlightened life, yet engages you to strive for pure joy, whether happy OR sad. I am now looking forward to reading Everyday Zen!

A while ago somebody mentioned a quote by Joko Beck, and I felt that the quote was quite wrong. This started a discussion thread, in which I've tried to defend my assertion that her views are unfair. Eventually, and because the participants were defending her fiercely, I was forced to read, and re-read her books. So you can imagine how biased I was. "I'll show them how wrong this lady is..." was my primary intention.

Miraculously, and much to my surprise, I was transformed by her prose into a huge supporter. This kind of thing never happened to me before!

So, from the mouth of a disbeliever: read this book! It is excellent, one of the best ever.

This book should be read in conjunction with "Living Zen". I don't know which book is actually better. When you get to the end of both of these books, you wish that there is more, although she kindly said much more than needs to be said.

I bow deeply to Joko Beck.

"Nothing Special" is paradoxically something very special. It is a simple and enjoyable read and yet gives much insight into the essence of Zen. I have read many Zen related books and this one stands out as one of the best. It would be valuable to those familiar with Zen and Buddhism, as a reminder that the very root of Zen is "nothing special" and is most often best kept uncomplicated. Even more, this is an excellent book for readers who are unfamiliar but curious about Zen practice and ideas, as the author has a gift for relating the concepts simply and without unnecessary dogma. The question and answer portion at the end of each chapter is also helpful, as her students ask many questions which the reader may have as well. Based upon my reading of her books, it is my opinion that Ms. Beck is one of the true Western Zen Masters. She is one of the few here in America who has managed to keep the Zen in Zen and still make it pallatable, practical, and practicable.

Parenthetically, her other books, "Everyday Zen", and "Now Zen" are equally worthwhile. "Now Zen" is a little compilation book and an absolute gem. It is the first book I would give to anyone who was interested in Zen or what is so special about Nothing.

Iread this book amongst a flurry of readings pouring over all I could find to give me direction and uncloud the densest of Zen writings. Joko Beck's books are like opening the Farmer's Almanac or biting into a Toll House cookie. Just delightful common sense stuff. The impact her books has had in my life has been similar to finding a compass when lost in a deep dark forest. I simply use them to light my way daily. All I have left to say is I thank you most humbly Ms. Joko Beck.

I read "Everyday Zen" several times and loved it. Recently saw this book on the shelf, bought it immediately and was not disappointed.

I am not sure where one of the previous reviewers got the notion that there are no teachings in Zen. The very history of it is based on names of teachers, starting with Buddha. Rinzai, Boddhidharma, Suzuki - these are just a few that come to mind. Well, Beck is another name for that list.

And yes, it requires years of practice to get an undertanding. And even after years and years of sitting, old techers will tell you that they are just beginners in Zen.

Go figure... Or just sit...

I began looking at this book with a critical and suspicious eye, but I was vastly unhappy and needed some guidance. I was interested in Zen, but most things I'd read that were American Zen seemed kind of loopy and new-agey. As I continued reading, I was completely engrossed by Ms. Beck's ability to express the compassion and tolerance inherent in her school of Zen Buddhism. Her teachings are the no-nonsense wisdom I have been looking for; they are all about my everyday life and totally relevant. Without a doubt, this book has allowed me to change my life and start to be happy. I recommend this book ZEALOUSLY, which I never do for any other book...