Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice [Paperback]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1994

Thich Nhat Hanh brings his warmth and clarity to this unique explication of Zen Buddhism. Beginning with a discussion of daily life in a Zen monastery, Nhat Hanh illustrates the character of Zen as practiced in Vietnam, and gives the reader clear explanations of the central elements of Zen practice and philosophy. Thorough attention is given to concepts such as Awareness and Impermanence, and to contemporary issues such as the conflicts between modern technology and spirituality. The final section includes a set of 43 koans from the 13th century Vietnamese master, Tran Thai Tong, which are translated here for the first time into English. Originally published in 1974, Zen Keys has been unavailable for several years but is now reissued by popular demand. Readers will find it as fresh today as when it was first written, and will be struck by the timelessness of its insights. What makes this work particularly compelling is that Nhat Hanh is able to invigorate what in other presentations may seem like empty abstract principles. The example he has set in his own life as a relentless advocate for peace brings strength and a realistic understanding to idealistic Buddhist goals. In Zen Keys, Thich Nhat Hanh presents the philosophy which has enabled him to be mindful of peace in every moment. An excellent introduction from Philip Kapleau (author of the classic Three Pillars Of Zen ) provides background on the emerging American Zen tradition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Thich explains in simple terms many of the more difficult theories and philosophies of Zen Buddhism in this 1974 title. The book also includes the first English translation of the writings of 13th-century Vietnamese Zen master Tran Thai Tong.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; revised edition (December 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385475616
• ISBN-13: 978-0385475617
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk, a renowned Zen master, a poet, and a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, January 3, 2004

By 

Swing King (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice (Paperback)

"To reach truth is not to accumulate knowledge, but to awaken to the heart of reality." So starts a random chapter in Thich Nhat Hanh's now quite famous book ZEN KEYS. This book is FILLED to the brim with metaphors, allegories, and meditational suggestions Thich provides us with. He references Dogen a few times, using quotes of the old Master. Also interesting is Thich's use of some koans in the end of this work, something he is not "well known for" in many of his works. He provides us with 43 of them to be precise, with commentary following each one. It's just interesting because through the years Thay has seemed to lay off koan work some, yet this is a unique work in that he uses them.

Simply put, this book will live up to your expectations if you read it through and through. Too often we place a book down during a "slow part", never reading it's entirety. The most important facet of reading into Zen for me these days is approaching the texts with a "I don't know it all" mindset. A challenge, to say the least. After practicing and reading with teacher after teacher, group after group, sometimes you get the feeling you know something "special" about the Dharma. When we get this attitude, no book, no zazen, and no teacher can penetrate our ego. It is only when we become babies again that we can allow the light of truth to come back in. Get Thich's book, it's truly wonderful!

Enjoy:)

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious introduction to Zen, February 12, 2002

By 

edward j. santella (Malden, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice (Paperback)

Hardly a day goes by without a new Thich Nhat Hanh book - which is a very good thing. A Buddhist monk who fled the American War in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh leads a world-wide community centered at Plum Village in south-west France. A critic and target of both the Communist regime and the U.S. backed South, he became well-known in America and a friend of Martin Luther King and Daniel Berrigan. Just as Chinese political oppression forced Tibetan Buddhists onto the world stage, Thich Nhat Hanh's exile allowed the West to come to know Zen better.

"Zen Keys" is one of his earlier books and, unlike many others, is not a meditation text. "Zen Keys" is a serious introduction to the history and practice of Zen from the Buddha to the present. And Zen is practice. Unlike Western religions, Zen does not rely on dogma. Zen and Buddhism are methods of enlightenment, coming to know the real world. We have learned to "see" they world through reason and emotions. Reason and emotions are not bad; they are insufficient to come to know the world. "Reality, he writes, "is only reality when it is not grasped conceptually." (112)

Zen is the practice through which we come to know the world. Using some of Thich Nhat Hanh's books and other works, I have tried meditation. No, I have not attained enlightenment, but I have discovered all too many ways in which I have failed to see reality. Have I come to be a better human being because of "practice"? You'll have to ask someone else. And, yes, it is disconcerting - but so freeing - to realize that my idea of myself is a construct I've assembled over time and not who I am.

As Thich Nhat Hanh points out, Zen and Buddhism do not lead to "navel-gazing". He is a proponent of engaged Buddhism, a modern term which reaches back to one of the oldest schools of Buddhism. He writes that in living in the world we have created, "What we lack is not an ideology or a doctrine that will save the world. What we lack is mindfulness of what we are, of what our situation really is." (155)

Take that, you Communists and Capitalists!

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understand Zen?, May 20, 2000

By 

"eibhinn" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice (Paperback)

Thich Nhat Hahn uses his personal and direct writing style to do the impossible --- teach the basics of Zen to a western audience. This book is back in print after being unavailable for about twenty-five years. Consider yourself lucky. It is a very effective introduction to Zen, it doesn't dwell on the details and the author doesn't attempt to be mystical and astound you with how enlightened and "zen-er than you" he is. Thich Nhat Hahn tell it like it is. He is a very talented and gentle teacher and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Zen.