Customer Reviews

The Poetry of Zen (Shambhala Library)

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

 

 

Skillfully translated and edited by award-winning poet Sam Hamill and Professor of Chinese J.P. Seaton, The Poetry of Zen is an anthology of the poetic Buddhist expressions of enlightened minds. Collecting works by a wide variety of great authors, including Lao Tzu, Han Shan, Li Po, Dogen Kigen, Saigyo, and many more, The Poetry of Zen offers a cross-section of historical classics that all have in common a resonating theme conducive to meditation, reflection, and self-transformation. Highly recommended. "Everything must end. / Thus the day tries to begin / with the morning bell. / But the long night remains, / empty moon still in the sky."

This collection is very satisfying. There are useful and short essays on zen poetry, and the poetry is kernel sized but with outsized messages. And, like all good poetry, lets you gap fill and extrapolate. Pick up a copy of "Japanese Death Poems" to compliment this collection.

I have had an interest in Zen and Asian poetry for more than forty years. This fantastic book begins with an introduction to how the philosophy of Zen can directly relate to a beautiful poem. This book has two sections. The first section covers Chinese poems taken from numerous sources. The second section covers poems from the Japanese poetry masters.

In general, the Chinese poems are a little longer in length; nevertheless, all the poems in this collection are a joy to read. If you like Asian poetry, you will love this book. It is filled with beautiful and thoughtful poems that may provide you with Zen enlightement.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Season of the Warrior: a poetic tribute to warriors)

Hamill and Seaton produced a superb blend of Chinese and Japanese Zen poems in their text, The Poetry of Zen, is a lovely pocket-sized book that is suitable for pre-meditation reading, thoughtful consideration by a couple at a coffee shop, or an interesting peak into Zen by students and world literature readers.

I enjoyed it in an afternoon sipping coffee and pondering the settings in which these authors wrote. These are amazing thoughts and words by what society would have often considered simple men and women.

I especially enjoyed the information about the original authors of the poems. Hamill and Seaton included paragraphs about each author and the period and location of their writing whenever known. I found this work insightful and delightful, and I appreciate the authors' careful work in translating these poems into English.

A wonderful book containing succinct translations of Japanese and Chinese poems relating to zen. The book never fails to inspire me to practise zazen or to write a poem. What I love most is the sense of humour so many of the poems have, reminding us how joy and laughter remain crucial to life and the most serious-minded meditation student. Recommended.

This is a wonderfully diverse collection of poetry. I've since purchased books by many of the featured poets, finding each a worthy read. The one aspect I didn't find all that interesting was the last few pages of haiku.