Customer Reviews

Zen Miracles: Finding Peace in an Insane World

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Among the many, many books on zen, i found ZEN MIRACLES by far to be the best. It is clear, concise, filled with great zen anecdotes, and is also practical, giving me exercises to grapple with myself, which have already helped me greatly in finding peace. It also gives a nice, simple introduction to zen, which seems to be hard to find in the crowded zen market. I also really liked the fact that Dr. Shoshanna is a Ph.D. psychologist with over 20 years experience, which lent the book a feeling of expertise and a nice counterbalance. If I had to recommend one book on Zen, this would be it.

I had previously read several books on Zen prior to coming across this particular book from Brenda Shoshanna. Unlike many of the other books I read, which tended to be bland and sometimes diffficult to follow and apply to one's own life, Dr. Shoshanna takes an entirely different approach in helping us to understand the common concepts of Zen. Her book is very well written. It is clear and concise, even for someone not entirely familiar with Zen, enjoyable to read, and most importantly, she conveys her own experiences with Zen, some of which are quite humorous, to assist the reader in understanding and applying Zen principles to his or her own life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of Zen.

For anyone looking for a soothing change in lifestyle, read this book. The author takes you through an accessible introduction to Zen and shows you how to incorporate peace and mindfulness in your daily life. I've using this book as a guide and ever since, my stress is better managed.

I sought out this book after reading an excerpt from the Relationships chapter about false expectations. I still think that chapter was particularly well-written.

It was a delightfully easy-to-read introduction to concepts of Zen so you get the gist of it. The Zen in Action at the end of each chapter contain helpful hints to add some zen to your daily life. The koans, on the other hand, didn't do much for me. It could just be me.

Since reading this book and practicing zazen, I have come to believe that miracles are not only possible, they're inevitable with continued sitting. Although I'm a beginner, I love noticing the moments of "newness" Zen has brought to my life - laughter ready to bubble up inside me, connecting with people I thought I had nothing in common with, and more delight than resistance in changing circumstances. With every sitting I feel like I'm reviving a love of life that I haven't enjoyed since childhood.

I'm reading Dr. Shoshanna's book for the second time and recognizing the beauty of the truth that she knows from experience. While she artfully weaves psychology with Zen stories and mysteries, her message is down-to-earth and practical in our daily lives. I particularly love the chapter, "Walking Through the Gateless Gate," where she describes communion with a person, a flower, a tree, an animal. Those moments are fleeting glimpses of living in harmony with all of life, with every moment received as a gift. This book is a gift, a treasure, and a life-long friend. As my practice ripens, I trust this wisdom to be my guide to life.

For me, this book has served as much more than an introduction to Buddhism. It actually has convinced me to start practicing meditation and has transmitted the how-to's so that now meditation is part of my daily life. Meditation has made me receptive to goodness and blessings that are all around me!

What I like about this book is its ecumenism. It covers the very abstract aspects of daily meditation practice and makes them real through illustrations from many different cultures and religions.

This book presents a pathway to faith and now I can see many more of the daily miracles in my life rather than focusing on difficulties and problems. It makes me say thank you over and over each day as I recognize these miracles - thank you to God and thank you to Brenda for showing me the way.

If you've read a lot of Zen before this book would be an easy read for you. If you haven't it could be a seminal work. Brenda does an exceptional job of explaining (clearly for a Western mind) the basic points and benefits to approaching the external world from a Zen philosophy. There are exercises as well for the unguided.

I would actually rate this closer to 3.5 stars, but rather than rating it at a 3 and pointing out that it's better than that, I decided to do the opposite. Why? Because this is an enlightening and eye opening book that many, many people could stand to benefit from reading. The writing is crystal clear and insightful, as it fleshes out abstract Zen riddles and philosophies with practical, common sense exercises for incorporating Zen ideals into your everyday life.

My main problem with this book is that I found it to be a tad contradictory at times. Bear with me here, because I am only just now beginning to learn more about this stuff, but it is my understanding that perhaps the most fundamental tenet of Zen and Buddhism in general is that we all need to look within for our own answers, rather than trusting teachers and other authorities to spell everything out for us. However, there are a few parts of this book where the author seems to contradict this by becoming a bit overly dogmatic and spelling out exactly what various aspects of Zen are supposed to mean. The tone bothered me at times because I felt like I was being force-fed her views on certain things, and so I had to remind myself that all of these ideas are meant to remain open to interpretation.

Of course, I do realize that a book of this sort might not be all that worthwhile if it didn't dole out at least some concrete answers. For one thing, it seems intended for newcomers to Zen who stand to benefit from more than just abstract sayings and philosophies. And, overall, there were only just a select few parts that I found to be a bit too imposing, maybe 5% of the overall text (although they did stick out like a sore thumb to me).

At the end of the day, the author has done a commendable job of stitching together various Zen sayings, stories, and anecdotes... weaving them together with her own (mostly) gentle interpretations to present a readily understandable account of it all. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for new perspectives on life.

I highly recommend this book. Brenda Shoshanna does not give easy answers, but instead invites the reader to struggle to find their own way. I agree with another reviewer who wrote that truly following the recommendations and doing the exercises requires courage. This book reminded me of Gary Zukav's books as well as Quaker spirituality. I recommend this book to anyone who feels trapped, or is curious about Zen, interested in spirituality, or wants a new perspective on life.

I came upon this inspiring book in my local library completely by accident. I started reading it only becuse I had some time to kill, but found that I couldn't put it down. It's full of absorbing stories and practical advice. A joy to read. Full of wonderful insights. Highly recommended.