Customer Reviews

ZEN TRAINING: Methods And Philosophy

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There are a lot of books out there on zen; one may wander the aisles of any of the big book chains and see how the word has become a bit overused. However, if I were to suggest one book on zen that should be found on your shelf, this would be it. No fluff and/or preaching here, just solid information and discussion on the fundamentals of zazen.

I particularly like the fact that Sekida emphasizes breathing and energy flow from the tanden; for someone who practices Qigong this seems obvious but I think many who practice zazen take years to catch on. The sheer amount of practical advice in this book make it well worth the money and the discussion of three nen make it indispensible. In fact, I think this is a better place to start than many of the more esoteric zen books since really, this is all about the practice, not the theory.

Combine this with a book on Qigong, "Mindfulness in Plain English", and perhaps "Zen and the Brain" and then find a master; I don't think you'll ever regret the decision.

For me, this book is the best book on zen I've read,because it deals with a topic that is essencial for learning zen, and that is not discussed in detail in most of the other books: how to practice zazen. It explains methods for breathing, diferent postures, what you should experience in zazen, and many other interesting things. I start practicing zazen a while ago under the direction of a zen monk, and I even went to a ten days sesshin (retreat), but I learned to breath in zazen through this book. I greatly recomend this book for anyone who is interested in zen, beginers and who has some knowledge alike.

The text is written by a laymen who taught high-school English and practiced/studied Zen in Japan. He later taught at several Zendos in Hawaii and in London.

There are several benefits of this text. First, the writer's cultural background bridges translation problems and he focuses on accurate translation of the ideas and concepts. Second, the writer is a laymen which may help the more cynical reader be more open to different ideas. Third, he discusses the fine points of meditation technique in a semi-scientific approach that appeals to a western mechanistic paradigm--we aren't caught up in flowery, artsy-fartsy instruction which does have a place but not for many Westerners interested in the actual practice methods. Fourth, I found the author has suggestions for improving that I haven't seen anywhere else. Fifth, the text describes practice that allows the practitioner to improve the technique to adapt to their special needs which I believe is realistic and very much in-line with the original intent of Siddartha--this is to help free the practitioner from the small inaccuracies always found in a mechanistic approach.

I recommend this as one of the best methods texts I have ever had the privlege to come across.

There are Zen philosophers and Zen practitioners. This book is for the practitioner. After you have grown tired of the philosophical and intellectual musings of other authors, read this book to understand the absolute essentials behind Zen and why it works as no other approach does. Katsuki Sekida explains the three nens, and how the practice of Zazen breaks down our conditioning that keeps us in delusion. He goes on to explain the science of entering samadhi, and the role that posture, breath, and the Tan Tien play. With this understanding, it becomes much easier to bypass the chaos of rising thoughts and emotions, and quickly enter absolute samadhi. This book will help you, in weeks, to gain a depth of Zazen that might otherwise take years. You can take that quite literally; that is not an exaggeration or meant as hyperbole.

I have read many books on Zen, and this book is truly a unique treasure. It is beautifully written and translated and comes from a well regarded, long-time lay practitioner who also was a school teacher. What makes this book unique is the detail and clarity with which the author explains the techniques and theory of zazen. He integrates his knowledge of Zen with modern physiological principles producing explanations for what occurs in zazen that are satisfying spiritually as well as scientifically. I have not found this type of detail or several of the concepts and techniques described in any other source. Particularly for the student trying to develop a home practice without a teacher, this book will prove invaluable. There are also several excellent chapters about the philosophy and psychology of Zen, with nice connections to existentialism and depth psychology. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Zen practice. For a more rigorous and detailed physiological account of zazen, see Zen and the Brain by neurologist James Austin, an excellent companion book.

This is one of the best books I've read on meditation, be it Zen of other. The author, a Japanese student of Zen, collected a seres of articles published in Hawaii on the topic of Zen Meditation, and published this great book. Starting from the very, very beginning, he will teach you how to breathe, how to sit correctly for meditation, how to count breaths and many techinques needed for correct achieval of Samadhi. He will also discuss spiritual and physical issues of Zen Meditation. In all, a very instructional book on the subject. Great for beginner or advanced meditators.

This book is a milestone in zen literature for the western student. Mr. Sekida was a layman who wrote primarily for the zen student who does not study regularly with a teacher. It is a detailed but practical book. This was one of the first books on zen I ever read, several years ago, and at that time it was probably too detailed for me to appreciate. Now, with the benefit of more experience and a little personal instruction, I can appreciate the book much more, and it serves as a source of both practical and philosophical information and inspiration. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the theory and practice of zen.

Many books on zen focus on the philosophy behind it. They are much like most philosophical books. My opinion is that any philosophy can be believed. Words can be put to the reader in a way to make them believe anything. Zen is the one philosophy that I have found that does not. The problem with most books on zen is that they use only words to descibe. They make the reader debate what zen and reality is in their heads. The idea is to experience zen. That is where this book comes in. It teaches you how to practice zazen. This is the only way to know zen. To feel it. And this is the best book to learn the proper techniques without a roshi (a zen teacher). For anyone who is probing the depths of thought, defintely give this one a go.

You won't get this kind of instruction even if you are lucky enough to have a teacher. Zen teaching tends to glance off the practical and let you stumble around looking for your own way. This book -- and only this book, of all the books I have read or considered reading -- imparts practical, step by step instruction on exactly how to practice zazen.

The three jewels are buddha, dharma, and sangha. Sekida cannot hand these jewels to you on a silver platter, but he can spare you many frustrating hours on the cushion if you're beginning -- or continuing -- your practice.

If you're serious about zazen, shove those guided meditation and newage [sic] music CDs to the bottom of your wish list, and buy this book.

My qualifications: Four years of daily practice, one year of practice with a sangha. That parses out to three years of stubbornly stumbling around on my own. I recommend a little less stumbling and a lot more practice.

I avoid modern texts on Zen because too many of them are meaningless ramblings written by frauds to whom Zen is a business. I especially dislike the new age pretentiousness which seems to pass for Zen among many modern 'masters'. I believe that Zen is practiced by doing zazen, pure and simple. Reading books, going to retreats, being a vegetarian, etc. is all just 'window dressing' and has nothing to do with real Zen.

As a result, I've kept my Zen reading to minimum. I have some koan collections ('The Gateless Gate', 'The Blue Cliff Records'), a slender volume of works attributed to Bodhidharma, and a few translations of ancient texts. That's about it! Not saying my way is the best way or anything, but I'm setting the stage for how hard it would be for a modern book to cut through my defenses. Despite all that, I found this book to be amazing!

Many things I've learned through zazen are woven into the text, so this is clearly an authentic person writing a legitimate treatise on Zen. Some key terms mentioned in Zen texts are described in a very straightforward manner. While I haven't yet appreciated the hardcore physiological passages on breathing, the focus on the tanden is dead on. Interestingly, this focus mirrors what I have always been instructed to do in my martial arts training.

I would not recommend this book to someone starting out with Zen. Rather, I think it's best to read it after spending some time on your own (or with a master) in zazen and figuring things out for yourself. After you have some experience, I think this book would then have more positive impact. A person new to Zen might end up using the text as a 'how to' manual or adopt its content with a dogmatic attitude, neither of which was the author's intent (or would move your work in Zen in the right direction).

For me, 'Zen Training' has provided some valuable guidance and compiled many key concepts I have found to be important into a single volume. While this doesn't make me interested in checking out more modern works, I'm certainly thrilled to be proven wrong about my blanket dismissal of modern Zen texts. This is a very thoughtfully written book by someone who clearly has spent a great deal of time practicing Zen.

PS: I was led to the book because I own the author's translation of the koan texts mentioned above. His commentary in that book resonated with me enough to make me curious what else he might have done.