With his one-of-a kind blend of autobiography, pop culture, and plainspoken Buddhism, Brad Warner explores an A-to-Z of sexual topics — from masturbation to dating, gender identity to pornography. In addition to approaching sexuality from a Buddhist perspective, he looks at Buddhism — emptiness, compassion, karma — from a sexual vantage. Throughout, he stares down the tough questions: Can prostitution be a right livelihood? Can a good spiritual master also be really, really bad? And ultimately, what's love got to do with any of it? While no puritan when it comes to non-vanilla sexuality, Warner offers a conscious approach to sexual ethics and intimacy — real-world wisdom for our times.
Sex, Sin and Zen
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
There's not exactly a large shelf of books on this subject, so leave it to the iconoclastic ex-punk-rocker Zen teacher Warner (Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate) to plunge in, double entendres in footnotes and all. The subject is as fundamental as the human sex drive, which does not go away as one spends time on the cushion. Since most Buddhists are laypeople (yes, the author intends that pun), Warner offers practice- and experience-based analysis and reflection over a wide range of sex-related topics and flavors, from vanilla (traditional hetero) to kink. A mind-opening interview with Zen-influenced porn star Nina Hartley is included, as is discussion of a difficult topic in Buddhism: student-teacher sexual involvement. Warner is as usual at his best in confessional-analytic mode; he's been romantically involved with a student and written a Buddhist column for a sex-positive Web site. A few chapters seem dry or even unnecessary: a chapter on Amma, for example, is unwarranted. Some women readers will object to the inescapability of the male viewpoint, though the author is aware of his biases. Kudos to Warner for tackling the subject.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Bitingly funny, unapologetically honest, razor-sharp, and the most useful and healing book about sex (and Zen) you'll find. Warner's most insightful and hilarious work to date effortlessly translates our desires for sex and happiness into something nourishing, while slightly skewering the nirvana-seeking, post-Nirvana generation. Sex, Sin, and Zen shines right out of the gate.…It's great to get wonderful storytelling from an unabashed Zen master horndog that might actually help you heal a few sore spots along the way. Whenever anyone tells me that sex is the key to happiness, or the key to damnation, I'm handing them this book.”
— Violet Blue, blogger and sex columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle
“I loved this book! It's so refreshing to read such an engaging, insightful, accessible book on sex and Buddhism, two subjects that don't seem to go together at first glance. He's successfully bridged the gap between two very different cultures, each with its own notions of right, wrong, and proper moral behavior. Bravo, Brad!”
— Nina Hartley, sex activist, author, educator, registered nurse, and Zen kid
— Violet Blue, blogger and sex columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle
“I loved this book! It's so refreshing to read such an engaging, insightful, accessible book on sex and Buddhism, two subjects that don't seem to go together at first glance. He's successfully bridged the gap between two very different cultures, each with its own notions of right, wrong, and proper moral behavior. Bravo, Brad!”
— Nina Hartley, sex activist, author, educator, registered nurse, and Zen kid
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Martin Z.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A big fan of Brad Warner's other three books, I was a bit skeptical about this one. I worried that it might have too much sex and too little of Brad's take on Zen Buddhism. I was wrong. There is a great mix of sexual specific content and Zen, as well as how one trying to live a better life through zazen practice might approach sex. For me, the book's main focus was how to deal with doing and thinking 'bad' things. Since this is a book about Zen Buddhism, the answers (well, maybe suggestions) all touch on how to use zazen practice and Zen precepts to manage the normal crazy experiences and choices that life brings.
For those how haven't read a Brad Warner book, article, or blog, his writing style is crisp. For someone writing about philosophy, this should be commended. The book is peppered with anecdotes from his life as well as from the cast of characters he has encountered in his times as a Zen student and Zen teacher. He is almost always self-deprecating about himself, even though he has accomplished a great deal and has an international position as a Soto Zen Buddhist monk.
He also makes a point to cover Zen basics in his usual accesible way. Thus, if you've never read a book about Zen Buddhism there is lots of great information here. That said, if, like me, you've read books on the subject before, Brad Warner's explanations of Zen concepts are fresh, funny, and insightful and I finished the book with a better understanding of Zen Buddhism than I started.
Finally, to reference the title of my review, the book has been helpful in that I have already applied some of the things I read in the book and avoided a situation that looking back would have been trouble!
For those how haven't read a Brad Warner book, article, or blog, his writing style is crisp. For someone writing about philosophy, this should be commended. The book is peppered with anecdotes from his life as well as from the cast of characters he has encountered in his times as a Zen student and Zen teacher. He is almost always self-deprecating about himself, even though he has accomplished a great deal and has an international position as a Soto Zen Buddhist monk.
He also makes a point to cover Zen basics in his usual accesible way. Thus, if you've never read a book about Zen Buddhism there is lots of great information here. That said, if, like me, you've read books on the subject before, Brad Warner's explanations of Zen concepts are fresh, funny, and insightful and I finished the book with a better understanding of Zen Buddhism than I started.
Finally, to reference the title of my review, the book has been helpful in that I have already applied some of the things I read in the book and avoided a situation that looking back would have been trouble!
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sex, Sin and Zen answers the question that everyone has been asking Brad for a long time, how can sex and Buddhism come to some sort of reconciliation? As a guest writer for Suicide Girls many questioned his choice to join their writing team. And I think we should have, because if anyone had the answer, it was Brad.
We know of all the vows we take, and accept in our lives, but as Brad explains, never do any of them say do not have sex. Brad breaks this misconception down, simplifies in the easiest of ways. It's not the act of sex, but how we act about sex. Like any other attachment, it is our grasping at sex that can cause us, and others, damage.
What I really loved about this book is Brad's brazen explanation of mindfulness:
"I'm not sure what most people in the West these days mean when they say "mindfulness." Near as I can tell, the general population uses the word to mean something like "thinking really hard about stuff." Or at best it's sometimes a synonym for paying attention to what you're doing. But if that what you mean, why not just say "pay attention"?
Another high point is his points about sex being one of the most immersive acts we partake in. And what he says makes perfect sense, minus a few people out there, when one is engaged in sexual activity, are we thinking about anything else really? No, we are just being there, having sex. Of course there are emotions within that, but for the most part, sex is just sex. Sex is not what we were doing at work, the plans we have later, or anything else, it's sex.
He makes the case, from my understanding, that if we could harness that ability to pay attention to one thing, the goals we are hoping to achieve may be that much easier. Who doesn't want to be able to pay attention all the time, to be mindful of every moment, as it is? I know that's part of it for me. Because yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, right now is it!
His interview with the original "porno Buddhist" Nina Hartley is funny and engaging. They match wits, and humor, enlightening us to not take this whole thing so seriously all the time. I'm not sure I'm 100% in agreement with everything he's got to say, but it's great to have someone break things down in a way that is readable, and at times, laughable.
That only things that bugs me sometimes, is the over the top swearing and almost mocking tone. Other than that minor detail, this book was necessary, completely necessary. Sex and Buddhism does not have to be taboo, it just needs to be understood in a context that is healthy and helpful.
We know of all the vows we take, and accept in our lives, but as Brad explains, never do any of them say do not have sex. Brad breaks this misconception down, simplifies in the easiest of ways. It's not the act of sex, but how we act about sex. Like any other attachment, it is our grasping at sex that can cause us, and others, damage.
What I really loved about this book is Brad's brazen explanation of mindfulness:
"I'm not sure what most people in the West these days mean when they say "mindfulness." Near as I can tell, the general population uses the word to mean something like "thinking really hard about stuff." Or at best it's sometimes a synonym for paying attention to what you're doing. But if that what you mean, why not just say "pay attention"?
Another high point is his points about sex being one of the most immersive acts we partake in. And what he says makes perfect sense, minus a few people out there, when one is engaged in sexual activity, are we thinking about anything else really? No, we are just being there, having sex. Of course there are emotions within that, but for the most part, sex is just sex. Sex is not what we were doing at work, the plans we have later, or anything else, it's sex.
He makes the case, from my understanding, that if we could harness that ability to pay attention to one thing, the goals we are hoping to achieve may be that much easier. Who doesn't want to be able to pay attention all the time, to be mindful of every moment, as it is? I know that's part of it for me. Because yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, right now is it!
His interview with the original "porno Buddhist" Nina Hartley is funny and engaging. They match wits, and humor, enlightening us to not take this whole thing so seriously all the time. I'm not sure I'm 100% in agreement with everything he's got to say, but it's great to have someone break things down in a way that is readable, and at times, laughable.
That only things that bugs me sometimes, is the over the top swearing and almost mocking tone. Other than that minor detail, this book was necessary, completely necessary. Sex and Buddhism does not have to be taboo, it just needs to be understood in a context that is healthy and helpful.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Erik
Format:Paperback
Really? Dear lord, I can not believe some of the inane comments written by reviewers here. One of the primary reasons that I dig Brad Warner's texts is BECAUSE of his silly asides and accessible language. Clearly, the other people who have deigned to come down off of their ivory pillars of intellectualism and decided to haphazardly slap the keyboard in a futile attempt to sound like they were somehow above Mr. Warner's writing, haven't read to many other books on the topic of Zen. Other authors treat the living, breathing and vitally relevant discipline of Zen as archaic and something that we laypeople could barely comprehend if we tried. However, in "Sex, Sin and Zen" and his other works, Warner takes a modern day approach to the topic in an encompassing manner that is much more likely to reach many readers who could desperately benefit from the teachings of Dogen and the Buddha.
If you prefer to read mind-numbing, dense works full of spiritual jargon that rarely applies to anything you might experience today, this is not the book for you. However, if you are interested in delving deeper into Buddhism in a modern and relevant way, and have some laughs on the side, Brad Warner's books do a great job.
Lastly, good professors of Amazon.com who cannot be bothered with works about Zen that are more accessible than "Crime and Punishment", the Buddha once stated, "In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west. People create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." I feel so sorry for you that the distinction that you created for yourself was that you had something worthwhile to say.
If you prefer to read mind-numbing, dense works full of spiritual jargon that rarely applies to anything you might experience today, this is not the book for you. However, if you are interested in delving deeper into Buddhism in a modern and relevant way, and have some laughs on the side, Brad Warner's books do a great job.
Lastly, good professors of Amazon.com who cannot be bothered with works about Zen that are more accessible than "Crime and Punishment", the Buddha once stated, "In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west. People create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." I feel so sorry for you that the distinction that you created for yourself was that you had something worthwhile to say.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, Interesting, and Informative Read
I discovered Brad through reading Tricycle Magazine which told me of his blog, Hard Core Zen. So I looked him on Amazon, and found this book. Read more
Published 3 days ago by G. Scott Souchock
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Factually Inaccurate and Mean-Spirited Book
The only reason I am taking time out of my life to write this review is because I want to save at least one person from feeling the total frustration I have felt. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Heather Trahan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Brad Warner is a great writer for the unconventional zen/buddhist student (whatever that even means, lol). Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finger pointing at the Moon
Brad-sensei here talks about Buddhism, Buddhist values, Buddhist morality, and what is Right Thought, Right Meditation, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, and does it ather... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Charles R. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book I've read recently
I love this book. Not only for frank talk about sexuality, but for non-precious straight talk about Buddhism. Ordering his others now.
Published 17 months ago by Laura Pritchett
4.0 out of 5 stars
Our Bodies, Our Non-Selves
This was my first Brad Warner book and I approached it with a great deal of skepticism, if not outright cynicism. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Z. Becker
2.0 out of 5 stars
Cute, but lacking substance
Warner is a Zen Buddhist monk, possibly a rather unusual one, and he certainly has a good sense of humor and what appears to be interesting ideas about various aspects of Buddhism. Read more
Published on May 17, 2011 by Massimo Pigliucci
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morals & ethics of sex in particular
This is not only one of the very best books I've read, it is also probably one of the very best expositions on spirituality from a true Buddhist perspective. Read more
Published on May 8, 2011 by D. V. Short
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just be careful
Warren is effective at elucidating Zen without using exclusive lingo. He even admits that the Zen community is often "inbred. Read more
Published on January 25, 2011 by brad weist
1.0 out of 5 stars
just like zen - a whole lot of nothing
Let me sum up this book in one sentence: "Don't use sex to harm others or to harm yourself." Now you can go about your life without wasting any more of it by reading this book. Read more
Published on December 15, 2010 by Sputnik
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