Customer Reviews

The Zen Teachings of Jesus

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Kenneth Leong's book will let you see a very different Jesus. For me, it was the first time that anyone has helped me win a strong sense of how Jesus might well have lived his life, how he might have come across to the people he met, and of how he walked out the door of the house each day and went about waiting on God (and not for God)in the experience of everyday life, in every encounter met along the road.

Leong does this by taking the `religion" of the everyday, Zen, and especially the Zen that keeps to its Taoist and Chinese roots, and translates this Zen into a series of key qualities, key ways of being in the world. These include a powerful and sustained awareness, insight, simplicity, gentleness, a devotion to the ordinary (as opposed to the supernatural), zest for the everyday encounter, a strong sense of humor, and a deep acknowledgement of the paradox at the root of everything. This is not the Zen of a militant monasticism, the Zen of Japan.

This Zen is the art of living, of accepting the world as it is, and of desiring not what you don't have but what you already are. When the key attributes of this way of being in the world are puzzled out, they seem to fit how Jesus might very well have been, of how he encountered the Spirit at table, on the road, at the well, and on the cross.

Leong also argues that the Gospels and Jesus' words are best seen as Zen-like koans or puzzles that often have no rational solution, puzzles that jar the seeker into a completely different way of seeing the world, of finding the path to the I AM.

Here is the biggest koan of all: Jesus saying, I am the Way. Many Christians believe that Jesus was saying, "Believe in me [the Christ] for I am the only Way to God."

The words of Jesus have been used to shore up the orthodoxy of the established church or the fundamentalist's vision of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God.

Leong struggles with this koan and comes to a different, more Gnostic view: Paraphrasing Leong, he renders this koan as: The path of the I AM [is] the way.

Leong's hard struggle with the `I am the Way' koan helps the reader find his own reaction to Jesus' words. Here is my feeble attempt to understand I am the Way. "The path to the Kingdom is found through my way of being in the world, my way of attemding to and knowing the ordinary miracle of the world. Follow this way or path to freedom, to finding the Kingdom in our midst."

Leong's interpretation of the resurrection is very brave. He sees the resurrection not as the event of the bodily raising of the dead Jesus, but rather the transformation in the disciples that was won in Jesus' deep acceptance of death as a reality of life, as his way of overcoming [the fear of] death. Jesus waited on death, where waiting means that he attended to and underwent the pain and suffering of death as the last and ultimate path toward life lived in the Presence. This extraordinary acceptance finally opened the eyes of the disciples.

The Zen Teachings of Jesus is the best handbook I know for meeting Jesus again, for the very first time.

I have been piecing together my personal insight together for many years concerning the words of Jesus. On occasion I would talk with people about it. I received in return many quirky smiles and condencending attitudes which is what many of you readers today may have also received when you approached the same 'sacred' subject' . It was just better not to talk about it. The way I saw Jesus and the more traditional views were radically different. And much of which I perceived cannot be put into words and, if you understand the nature of this book you will understand what I am referring to. So imagine my extreme joy at finding this gem of a book. I don't care what people think, I really don't, but it is nice to find 'like thinking ' individuals on a subject that is so expansive and yet yields so little fruit. This book is a wonderful find. You will be glad you found it too. For me it clarifies what I have found myself and puts it into a organized fashion that I have not had time to do. This book is not a huge tome and yet it covers an impressive depth and wide range of thought and non-thought. The presence of J. Krishnamurti is very obvious to me. His unique way of cutting through to the heart of the matter is what Leong has brought to this book. Mr Leong also uses quotes from spiritual teachers troughout time in a compelling and enlightening way. Thank you Kenneth Leong. You have done the world a great service.

Kenneth Leong's interpretation of Jesus's teachings along Zen lines is among the very best of its kind. I don't mean to imply my full agreement with his approach in general or with his interpretations in particular -- but on the other hand I think he's done a wonderful job overall.

Oh, there are one or two minor problems. For example, Leong consistently identifies "rationality" with abstract, "left-brain" activity and insists that (in this sense) truth and reality are mysteries to the "rational" mind. But that this is not the whole story is indicated even by his own writing, in which he tries carefully to follows Jesus's "logic" and employs inference freely. I'd really enjoy seeing one of these Zen books take a crack at improving our _understanding_ of rationality rather than just dismissing "reason" as inadequate.

Then, too, Leong occasionally makes references to the "Pharisees" that have little foundation in the actual history of the Perushim. In fact there is a good case to be made that, historically, Jesus was closely aligned with the Pharisees himself (and indeed most of his teachings can be paralleled from within the Jewish tradition of his time).

But as far as the teachings themselves are concerned, on the whole Leong does a nice job of presenting and explicating them. There is a good deal of truth in his presentation and I highly recommend it.

I especially recommend it to readers of Stephen Mitchell's _The Gospel According to Jesus_, which I've just recently reviewed. Mitchell, while acknowledging that his translation may have omitted passages whose light he hasn't been able to see, nevertheless proceeds to leave out ninety percent of the material in the synoptic gospels (to say nothing of John). And Mitchell expressly takes Thomas Jefferson as his example in hacking the gospels to pieces.

By contrast, Leong writes as follows [p. 195]: "Before writing this book, I agreed with Thomas Jefferson that parts of the New Testament 'have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds.' For a long time, I have shared with many scholars and intellectuals the opinion that the words of Jesus have been tampered with and his central teachings distorted to serve the purpose of the religious establishment. But . . . it seems that the suspicion of foul play has to be reconsidered."

In consequence, Leong leaves in nearly everything Mitchell leaves out, and thus provides a much more rounded presentation of Jesus's words and deeds. Mitchell tosses out what he does not understand; Leong has the intellectual and spiritual humility to recognize that there may be more to a passage than he has understood, and therefore keeps digging until he _does_ reach some understanding of it.

Another result is that there is nothing in this volume that expressly interferes with or contradicts more mainstream views of Jesus (or so it seems to me; I am not a Christian myself, so please treat my opinion accordingly). Theoretically, it appears, a theologically conservative Christian could retain all of his or her present views about the nature of Jesus and simply use Leong's book as a guide to understanding his teachings. This, too, is a nice contrast to Mitchell's book, which -- while explicitly dedicating itself to both "believers and unbelievers" -- rather smugly bases itself almost entirely on views that professing Christians can only regard as unbelief.

At any rate, Leong's presentation succeeds quite well on its own terms. His topics range from the nature of Zen to Jesus's use of humor and the dangers of "scapegoating," and he is always both clear and interesting. He closes with a salutary warning not to regard his own conclusions as final and with the hope that he has helped to provide something of a new "paradigm" for reading scripture.

His work should thus appeal to a broad audience in general, and in particular it should be of great interest to readers of the rest of the "Christian Zen" literature (e.g. William Johnston, Dom Aelred Graham, Robert Kennedy).

It is a sad indictment on Christianity that it requires another spiritual path to reveal the hidden beauty and power, the spiritual profundity of Jesus's message - such however is the case. This book comes close to being a revelation.

Every chapter contains an important spiritual insight, some contain two or three. It's a book for that growing number of thinking people who have come to question the official doctrine of the church and want to get a deeper understanding of what Jesus really ment - "the low down". Those who are sold on the official version will get little from this book - they might as well save their time and money. Leong covers every salient point and more to boot. For Buddhists and free seekers its a feast, a smorgasbord. This is good because Buddhists can be just as spiritually prejudiced as Christians. Spiritual maturity is what this book promotes - something sadly missing in todays world.

Leong breaths life into Jesus's wonderful and important message. My only criticism, (and its a small one), is that Leong's style could be a bit more, well, peppy. Not that I was in danger of falling asleep - the important point is what he says, his message, (which is Jesus's message), and this message packs a massive punch, far more poweful than the official one - the book is dynamite.

One of the great strengths of the book and one that gives it added depth, is that Leong weaves together diverse topics and shows their spiritual significance. These topics include art, existentialism, (the writings of Albert Camus), addiction, (with emphasis on alcoholism), the importance of myth and the significance of miricles. So the general approach of the book then is broad and 'historical', and although it does deal with "bare bone" spirituality (it has the word Zen on the cover), its soft and more Buddhist in nature, not like for example Advaita. The bare bones come, but they are introduced gently, with a long approach run. Those intimidated by words such as "Zen" should not be. Like the teaching of Jesus itself, the book can be accessed and understood at different levels. Don't be ashamed to read it twice.

In summary, its an excellent book for someone who wishes to deepen their spiritual understanding, without a label being attached. If you are one of those people who tend to favour labels, this book will help you dispose of them.

Every once in a while I come across a work that I want to give to everyone I know with the admonition "You have to read this book." _The Zen Teachings of Jesus_ is such a book.

Using parables from the Gospels, Mr. Leong finds and follows the common threads woven through Zen and Christianity, explaining them in a way that is at once illuminating, profound, and very accessible. As an example, I have had many problems over the years with the notions of sin and good and evil. It always seemed to me that the Christians were onto something but did not have it quite right, and that the Buddhists would not talk about it at all. Mr. Leong approaches these topics with the deftness of an Aikido master, and, in two or three chapters (with a little help from C. S. Lewis), sets everything in order. His chapter entitled "The Usual Hell," where he talks about the "fire, worms, monsters, and secrets of hell" (there are nine secrets) from a Zen perspective! is worth the purchase of the book all by itself.

There are a few books in my spiritual library that I go back to again and again, like old friends. This will be one of them. I bought it three weeks ago, and I am already on my third reading. I recommend it heartily to anyone searching for a fresh perspective on Zen or Christianity, or for the common avenues that run through both paths. It is a unifying experience.

You have to read this book.

It was the strangest thing. As I read, Gospel passages kept popping into my head. When I read what came next, the author chose the same aforementioned passages. As a perpetual "beginner" at zazen, I would have liked to have someday written this book, for it tells it as I presently see it, and , I believe, how many more Christians are seeing "IT". As we grow in our assimilation of the "Good News" we discover that this "news" as it comes in the Gospel of Mark: "Metanoiesete[Change the way you think about reality] for the Kingdom of Heaven is within you".
This book is as helpful as Suzuki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind".
As scientific knowledge grows, we have an increasing sense that the "Tao" of it all needs neither time nor space in which to exist, but rather remains inconceivable within us.
Someone once related to me the motto for zen should be,
"NOW, HERE, THIS!" I would add a fourth, "WITHIN!"
To add to this, the Christian belief that the "Inconceivable" has conceived of Tao's Very Self within a young Jewish girl so as to reveal Tao in human signs, is just impossible to believe without overflowing with gratitude, joy and love.
A great book and I heartily recommemnd it.

One of my biggest gripes with Christianity, the religion of my childhood, had been the way that it seemed at some levels to preach indiscriminate equality and tolerance, while at the same time having the tendency to set people against one another. Kenneth Leong's book helped me to sort out this conundrum by providing a key element that had been lacking in all of my, and many others', somber attempts: laughter!

Mr. Leong speculates, for instance, that Jesus' "commands" often place intentionally ridiculous demands on his listeners as a way of moving them out of their preconcieved -- and all too often idolized -- versions of "holiness." When a person closely considers a commandment like "if your right eye offends thee, pluck it out", it becomes painfully visible that no such plucking is possible. In the moment of readjustment -- the moment that is repeatedly created by Jesus, one of the truest Zen masters -- a person sudddenly becomes aware of the futility of "fighting". When we stop fighting, we let go. When we let go, it becomes easy to "love our enemies": especially when we realize that they are our own prejudices and hang ups!

The possibility of loving one's enemies ties back into my gripe with Christianity -- it says love your enemies, but then seems to create more enemies. Kenneth Leong's book reveals that it is not the poetry of a subtly smiling Jesus that has caused such battles, but the way that it is often overlooked.

One of the most interesting and enjoyable things that I noticed while reading Mr. Leong's book, is the way that it not only speaks of Jesus' Zen Teachings, but it does so in such a Zenlike way. The author must have went through quite a battle to be able to come to the point where he could write such a simple and profound interpretation of Jesus' truly beautiful insight to the art of living. In comaprison, my overpersonalized, convoluted, and perhaps perplexing account of Mr. Leong's book at least serves as a testament to its thought provoking and eye opening message.

I highly recommend this book!

i just finished reading this book, and i'm alive with a new perspective. being a recovering catholic, it is always with great trepidation that i approach books with any kind of christian lean. this book, however, lends new insight to jesus, the poet and teacher, and also clarifies and crystalizes some important zen concepts, particularly in the area of koans. the dialogues on hope and hopelessness, on faith, and on embracing shadow are simple, but to the point. this books a keeper.

I believe this book is a must read for everyone in search of the true Jesus. The author explains what the true meaning of Jesus's teachings could have been. The parables of Jesus take on different meanings when you filter them through the perspective of a Zen Buddhist instead of a Fundamentalist Christian. Hell could be a place we go mentally as a state of mind instead of a hot place our soul goes through disbelief and bad conduct in the body.The beautitudes were about over coming the false self not pleasing a God. The book confirmed some of my long term belefs that Jesus was one of a line of spiritual masters who was made into a God by the Catholic Church. Read this book with an open mind, it will be beneficial in your understanding of Jesus the teacher.

This book is one of the best books I have read. Ever. The ability Mr. Leong has to explain the gospel is amaizing...perfect. I have been "Catholic" my whole life and is as if this is the first time I have heard the gospel and actually understood its meaning. And this book is not only about the golspel, it is full of insight about life in general. It is said tha Zen cannot be defined in words, this book will give the closest possible definition about Zen. This is the kind of book I would just hand out to all the people I know. It is wonderfull book that you can' t stop reading. I always felt there was more to the scriptures than what they teach in church, and finally I have found it in this book. Excellent book, a must read for anyone who trully wishes to know Jesus and God in a deeper way. I am not a great writer or critic, but trust me if you wish to expand your knowledge (both intellectual and spiritual) this is the book you must read.