Customer Reviews

A Zen Life: D.T. Suzuki Remembered

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A man comfortable in the cultures of both the east and the west, D.T. Suzuki has made a unique contribution by explaining Zen in a way that a western trained mind can grasp. Suzuki died in his 90's, and this book contains an initial essay on Zen written by him during his life time. The remainder of the book consists of a series of essays by notable Zen scholars about Suzuki, as well as the practice of Zen. This is an excellent place for the beginning student of Zen to approach this mysterious yet simple view of life.

A particularly interesting essay is by the late Trappist priest Thomas Merton. Merton, who had corresponded with Suzuki reconciles the practice of Zen with the practice of mysticism in the Roman Catholic Church.

This is a tremendous book about a wonderful and simple man who possessed a powerful intellect and a gift of understanding.

The essays in this book bear ample testimony to the creative influence D.T. Suzuki exerted upon those came within the orbit of his mind. He was the man who gave the West its first taste of 'Zen' - and, for many years, any mention of this Far-eastern form of Buddhism was almost synonymous with the name of D.T. Suzuki. Some Japanese roshis deemed Suzuki's approach too bookish, referring to it as 'Suzuki-Zen' to qualify the difference between their own approach - and Suzuki's own. But - the traits which made some roshis suspicious of Suzuki's work - were the very traits which enabled Suzuki to communicate his ideas with such success. He helped shape the thought of a whole generation - perhaps two, paving the way for other things to follow - which would not have been possible, had Suzuki adopted a narrow, parochial outlook. We all owe Suzuki a debt in that respect, and one of the first things the reviewer did - after arriving in Japan, years ago, was to visit the Suzuki family-grave in Kita-Kamakura, to offer a heart-felt 'gassho'!

Of late, attention has been drawn to the more problematic aspects of Suzuki's thought - namely, his support of 'Imperial way' Buddhism and the nationalistic spirit that drove Japan down the road to WW2. Brian Victoria has touched on this mat-ter in his 'Zen at War.' These dubious traits are more evident in Suzuki's Japanese writings. Even so, odd passages in Suzuki's English writings have given the reviewer pause - at times. On close reading, isolated passages in 'Zen & Japanese Culture' (ZJC)smack of 'Nihon-shugi' - as against the more innocent 'Nihon teki rei-sei.' Though little was said on the matter, parts of ZJC digressed on the 'fact' that China had 'lost' its Zen culture' - whereas Japan had preserved it, making it permeate every facet of life, probably an allusion to the nascent 'Imperial way' Buddhism. But - was Suzuki really so 'anti-Chinese' at the time? Paradoxically, Suzuki's most well known writings - the 'Zen essays' trilogy - focus almost entirely on Chinese T'ang sources - rarely mentioning the Japanese Zen schools at all - hardly the trait of a Japanese Buddhist writer obsessed with nationalism.

In the 'Essentials of Zen' - we find Suzuki declaring that Zen might 'find itself wedded to fascism . . .' - almost as if it were a matter of indifference. For a while, at least, it seems that Suzuki allowed himself to be seduced by nationalist ferver, not altogether in keeping with his Buddhist principles. This issue is complex, for Suzuki otherwise embodied a certain internationalism. He was working for Paul Carus - in America, before the turn of 20th c. - and later married an American woman - Beatrice Lane. Suzuki had lifelong ties with Christmas Humphreys, the English Q.C. (High Court Judge) who founded the Buddhist Society, London, and served as its president. As is well known, throughout his long life, Suzuki spent many years as a guest lecturer in American universities, with extended lecture-tours in Europe, besides. I remain wary of the 'wobbly bits' in Suzuki's work - but, whatever we may deem culpable in it, he certainly redeemed himself in the post-war years and became a firm friend.

If you are a frequenter of the unwritten word then this might interest you. These are with one exception all essays in remembrance and sincere regard and respect for the world's foremost conveyor of the Buddhadharma. The one exception is a reprint of Dr. Suzuki's experienced and beautiful essay on Satori. This essay alone is priceless and yet makes the cost inconsequential. Though not really 'required reading', it is by any measure a rememberance of a most loved and loving friend. I am grateful to have this book.

Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966) was a Japanese author of books and essays on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in spreading interest in both Zen and Shin to the West. Suzuki spent several lengthy stretches teaching or lecturing at Western universities, and devoted many years to a professorship at Otani University, a Japanese Buddhist school.

This 1986 book contains a series of essays and remembrances, from persons such as Christmas Humphreys, Thomas Merton, Erich Fromm, Alan Watts, Philip Kapleau, Gary Snyder, Robert Aitken, etc. There is also a wonderful "autobiographical account" by Suzuki himself.

Here are some quotations from the book:

(DTS) "My father was a doctor and a Confucian. My mother was not particularly a follower of either the Pure Land or Zen sects, but had a deep interest in Buddhism." (Pg. 14)
(DTS) "(Paul Carus) was searching for someone who could read the text well. Shaku Soen asked me if I would like to go to America for this purpose, and so, through this connection, I went to the United States... poverty forced me to remain at Carus's publishing company, helping out in various ways in the editorial department. One year grew into the next and I wound up staying in America for more than a decade... people must realize that it was the World's Parliament of Religions which introduced Buddhism to America... I suppose it was my writing on Zen topics in English, after my return to Japan from Europe and America, that constituted the first step in the recent interest and popularity of Zen in the West... I guess I was the first to make a special study of Zen in English... But as translating the works of others cannot help but be time consuming and troublesome, I decided to do my own writing. Thus, my books on Zen came into being." (Pg. 20-22)
(DTS) "Christians cannot go any further than these deeds of Christ, they cannot transform one's whole life into one grand miracle." (Pg. 30)
(DTS) "But Zen is not interested so much in conceptualization as in 'existential thinking' so called, satori is said to take place when consciousness realizes a state of 'one thought.'" (Pg. 33)
(DTS) "Satori may be defined as dynamic intuition." (Pg. 62)
(Alan Watts) "During a class on the basic principles of Buddhism: ... (he said) All Buddhism is summed up in Right View, because Right View is having no special view, no fixed view. Second step of Noble Eightfold Path ... (and here there was a long pause). Oh, I forget second step. You look it up in the book.'" (Pg. 191)
(Robert Aitken) "Mr. (Alan) Watts remarks somewhere in his books that his dialogue showed how Tang period Zen people disapproved of 'zazen.' He did not know that rather it reflects disapprovel of trying to become something you already are. The story is about motive, not zazen. Dr. Suzuki said to both Anne and me, 'I regret to say that Mr. Watts did not understand that story.'" (Pg. 212-213)