Customer Reviews

Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart

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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.

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.

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.

Wisdom from one of the lesser known dharma teachers. A wise and compassionate teacher.