The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics [Paperback]

Robert Aitken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1984

In Taking the Path of Zen, Robert Aitken provided a concise guide to zazen (Zen meditation) and other aspects of the practice of Zen. In The Mind of Clover he addresses the world beyond the zazen cushions, illuminating issues of appropriate personal and social action through an exploration of the philosophical complexities of Zen ethics.

Aitken's approach is clear and sure as he shows how our minds can be as nurturing as clover, which enriches the soil and benefits the environment as it grows. The opening chapters discuss the Ten Grave Precepts of Zen, which, Aitken points out, are "not commandments etched in stone but expressions of inspiration written in something more fluid than water." Aitken approaches these precepts, the core of Zen ethics, from several perspectives, offering many layers of interpretation. Like ripples in a pond, the circles of his interpretation increasingly widen, and he expands his focus to confront corporate theft and oppression, the role of women in Zen and society, abortion, nuclear war, pollution of the environment, and other concerns.

The Mind of Clover champions the cause of personal responsibility in modern society, encouraging nonviolent activism based on clear convictions. It is a guide that engages, that invites us to realize our own potential for confident and responsible action.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As an American who has trained in Zen practice for many years Aitken Roshi has a special understanding of the problems and questions which plague Western students of Zen."--Yamada Koun Roshi

About the Author

Robert Aitken's introduction to Zen came in a Japanese prison camp during World War II, after he was captured as a civilian in Guam. R. H. Blyth, author of Zen in English Literature, was imprisoned in the same camp, and in this unlikely setting Aitken began the first of several important apprenticeships. After the war Aitken returned often to Japan to study. He became fris with D. T. Suzuki, and studied with Nagakawa Soen Roshi and Yasutani Hakuun Roshi.In 1959 Robert Aitken and his wife, Anne, established a Zen organization, the Diamond Sangha, which has two zos in Hawaii. Aitken was given the title "Roshi" and authorized to teach by Yamada Koun Roshi, his current teacher, in 1974. He continues to teach and study Zen in Hawaii, where he has lived since the age of five.

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: North Point Press; First Edition edition (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865471584
• ISBN-13: 978-0865471580
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Ethics

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo..." March 28, 2007

By J. H. Minde TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a Zen practitioner preparing for Jukai I found Aitken-roshi's THE MIND OF CLOVER to be possibly the best book I have read to date on the Ten Grave Precepts.

These Precepts (not to kill, lie, steal, self-aggrandize, defame others, misuse sex, misuse intoxicants, become wrongfully angered, to be generous, and to honor awareness, learning and community) are very similar to the Judeo-Christian Commandments in form. Aitken-roshi shows the reader however that the precepts are not simply ordinances imposed from outside but the very building blocks of personality and social interaction. He illustrates well how the precepts can and must be interpreted not blindly but with full cognizance of circumstance and consequence, both on a personal level and on a global level.

THE MIND OF CLOVER takes what could be a very fuzzy and indeterminate subject and presents it with elegant simplicity. The book has been described quite correctly as a sonata, with each successive chapter building on the ones before it to reach a grand conclusion.

One may disagree with certain of Aitken-roshi's personal observations---at times, his social politics seem reflexively trapped in 1960s amber---but there is no question that THE MIND OF CLOVER transmutes the practice of Zen from "simply sitting" in zazen to an active philosophy of life, allowing the adherent to take the calm, the awareness, and the wisdom found on the zafu and translate it into a way of daily living based on compassion and intimacy with all things.

This book is excellently read in conjunction with Tenshin Reb Anderson's BEING UPRIGHT, a rather more remotely philosophical treatment of the Precepts on a less mundane, more spiritual level.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I read it often, to say the least December 14, 2006

By Julie H. Rose

Format:Paperback

It seems many people don't "connect" with this book. For myself, I find it more than inspiring. I have gone through many copies. I give it away regularly. I've lost one in a stream. Whenever I am feeling out of touch with my practice or my life, I read it. Or I read it when I'm feeling strong. Yes, I read it often.

Aitken Roshi's teachings resonate deeply for me. Who knows why?

This is the first book I read about Zen ethics and for me, it is the best. I find Aitken's writing to be clear, concise and beautiful. He was humble about areas in which he had doubt or un-knowing.

I think is important to correct the mistaken notion that Zen is without an ethical base. Our culture has absorbed this idea with silly expressions like "that's so Zen" or mistaking Zen for nihilism (or vice versa).

Please give this book a try.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The very best exploration of the role of ethics in Zen for western students June 13, 2008

By Ted Biringer

Format:Paperback

Robert Aitken Roshi is one of the true elder statesmen of Zen in the West.

In this straightforward examination, Aitken demonstrates the vital role of ethical conduct that has always been (despite the opinions of many) a part of the Zen Buddhist path of practice and enlightenment.

He walks students through an in-depth examination of the "Ten Grave Precepts" explaining the history, meaning, and various levels of understanding them for the true practice of Zen. He then outlines the deep, liberating message on the inherent nature of enlightenment, wisdom, and compassion that is the nature of the awakened mind in a series of essays.

His essays, like all of Aitken Roshi's teachings, are layered with the wisdom of the enlightenend mind. This book is a true gift from one of the modern giants of Zen Buddhism.