Customer Reviews

Zen Speaks: Shouts of Nothingness

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hard to imagine that a cartoon could unfold the depths of Zen. Perhaps it is the fact the cartoons are brief yet encapsulate so much. Personally, I find it to be in the expressions of the characters in the drawings that tell the story. I really feel the smiles throughout the book and can almost see them winking along with that smile.

Never straying from the seriousness of Zen, this little gem really reveals the joy that lies underneath. A great way to get started; a great little reminder for those already underway.

At first one might expect that cartoon is too informal a medium to convey the depth of a religion such as Zen. This book is beautiful in it's simplicity, the perfect starter for the religion. I recommend it as a gift to someone you love who is stressed out. Hopefully, Zen Speaks will help them to shine through adversity, as it has me. 6 stars.

Truthfully, I don't know how well this book introduces Zen, but I do know that I really enjoyed it. All the Zen stories that I've heard over the years plus tons more are all presented here in cartoon form with short explanations by someone (a cartoon zen master I presume) who is explaining the story to a westerner.

One point that I have to make is how much more of an impact this book had on me after I watched Joseph Campbell's video series "The Power of Myth" . I read this book both before and after I watched the videos and realized how much more they meant to me afterwards and how great this book really is.

If you want to get even more out of this book, check out the Campbell videos, you won't be sorry that you did.

"Comics are just words and pictures. You can say anything with words and pictures." ---someone I don't recall.

This comic book contains one hundred Zen Tales (koans), and I have heard some of them before. They seem to gain something when presented in this format. The author brings out something of the shock that is enlightenment that I hadn't really felt in the stroies before. The artwork is simple, yet effective. The writing is the same. The ideas conveyed are both profound and obvious. And, of course, it is a very enjoyable read.

Interested in Zen? Put away those long wordy books by various masters and get this instead. This wonderful "comic book" may have fewer words in it compared to others, but it speaks volumes. The author has a great talent for taking a Zen saying and translating it into pictures that show the concept, making the experience immediate and not reliant upon language (which is very Zen in and of itself). This book would make a great gift, too, since it's beautifully illustrated and has the original Chinese text in the margins. If you're only going to buy one book on Zen, make it this one.

Elegant in simplicity. Zen in its humor.

Tsai Chih Chung is brilliant in his ability to encapsulate the meaning and experience of these zen tales. You'll put this book down different than when you started. More a piece. Calm.

Buddhist monk Tsai Chih Chung has made an incredible contribution to stacks of zen litterature with these witty cartoons. I've yet to find zen stories presented in an accessable and poignant manner as done here.

I highly reccomend it.

This is my first encounter w/Zen philosophy, and I must say this book presents it excellently! For Zen's point of "seeing one's mind," this book does a great job. Both the illustrator and writer mesh flow like wind and water, shattering the written word, forcing one to see oneself. Great job!

This book not only gives real life uses for zen, but tells you how to use zen in real life

Zen is so simple, simplifies your life, is all good, actually it is like what Jesus taught,yes, I am educated enough to say so, and it is all in cartoon form.

Each panel is short, to the point, yet teaches a lesson. It may be common sense lessons, yet is so profound.

It truly changed my life. After studying Zen in boring, complicated, heavy books, this is all I needed. Absolutely delightful.

If you want to discredit or bash this book, go ahead, it only means you need to read it again, simple, easy, forgiving.

Have a Zen Day.

I've read and reread Zen Speaks!, and I learn or understand something new every time. I've loaned my copy to friends and recommended the book to friends who are far away, and everyone loves it.

The clever illustrations and clear text make classic Zen parables accessible and relevant. This book is a modern classic on Buddhism.