Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart [Paperback]

Sherry Chayat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 1996

Maurine Stuart (1922–1990) was one of a select group of students on the leading edge of Buddhism in America: a woman who became a Zen master. In this book, she draws on down-to-earth Zen stories, her friendships with Japanese Zen teachers, and her experiences as a concert pianist to apply the inner meanings of Buddhism to practicing the basic ethics of daily living—nowness, unselfishness, compassion, and good will toward every living being. She emphasizes that inner growth comes through our own efforts and intuition, especially as we cultivate them through meditation practice. We can then take what we have learned in meditation and use it to respond to our daily lives in a straightforward and creative way, guided not by concepts or dogma, but by direct insight into the reality of the present moment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stuart's teachings retain their powerfully resonant Buddhist ferocity in the face of mortality and destruction, but her teachings transform Zen for an American context by pointing to ways that the lessons of Zen can be practiced in our everyday lives. . . . refreshing and nourishing."—Publishers Weekly



"Maurine Stuart-roshi was much like these wonderful teachings: intelligent, clear, and crisp as a tart apple, yet profoundly compassionate, with that hard-earned simplicity which springs from the turmoil of examined life through unsparing reflection and devotion."—Peter Matthiessen

About the Author

Roko Sherry Chayat, Dharma Teacher at the Zen Center of Syracuse, New York, is a student of Eido Roshi and also studies with Soen Roshi. She is the author of Life Lessons: The Art of Jerome Witkin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (November 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570620946
• ISBN-13: 978-1570620942
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,643 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 The very best one, December 10, 2006

By 

Roger Christeck (Green Valley, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart (Paperback)

Of the many dharma-talk books that I have read, this is the very best one. If your meditation practice has become stale, read this. If you have abandoned your meditation practice, read this.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful little book full of compassion, September 24, 2000

By 

I. Dunn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart (Paperback)

I found this series of talks by Maurine Stuart to be full of compassion and enthusiasm for life. They were compiled towards the end of her life cut short by cancer. They cover the traditional elements of Buddhist teaching from the perspective of an American woman who was instrumental in the introduction of Zen into the US. I found it interesting to compare her teaching with the teaching of a Japanese teacher. Zen is Zen. An authentic life in the US or Japan is still authentic. Your troubles dont disappear (Maurine had to go through divorce then a terminal illness) But the quality of that life shines like a light in the darkness.

If you are into Zen. Read this. You guys especially might learn something.

5.0 out of 5 stars ""The world is wide and wonderful! Why do you put on your robe at the sound of the bell?", September 1, 2011

By 

J. H. Minde "Everything I need is right here" (Boca Raton, Florida and Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart (Paperback)

Our Sangha spent many months in study group working our way through this wonderful collection of Teisho by MyoOn ("Subtle Sound") Maurine Stuart Roshi (1922-1990); I spent additional time on my own studying and sitting with the text, a series of twenty nine collected Dharma Talks in which almost every individual sentence is epigrammatic. Like the musician she was, Maurine Stuart wastes not a note as she rings the bell of the Dharma and allows its subtle sound to reach out to the hearts of those who've listened and read. This is an excellent book for beginning practitioners of wholehearted intent.