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Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce, and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharma [Paperback]

Brad Warner
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

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Book Description

February 10, 2009
How does a real-life Zen master — not the preternaturally calm, cartoonish Zen masters depicted by mainstream culture — help others through hard times when he’s dealing with pain of his own? How does he meditate when the world is crumbling around him? Is meditation a valid response or just another form of escapism? These are the questions Brad Warner ponders in Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate.

During a year that Warner spent giving talks and leading retreats across North America, his mother and grandmother died, he lost his dream job, and his marriage fell apart. In writing about how he applied the Buddha’s teachings to his own real-life suffering, Warner shatters expectations, revealing that Buddhism isn’t some esoteric pie-in-the-sky ultimate solution but an exceptionally practical way to deal with whatever life dishes out.

Frequently Bought Together

Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce, and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharma + Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye + Sex, Sin, and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything in Between
Price for all three: $31.66

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: New World Library; Original edition (February 10, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1577316541
  • ISBN-13: 978-1577316541
  • Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zen monk and punk rocker Warner offers a "big snarly ball of confessional vomit" in his third book, following Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up. The snarly ball is his own suffering, fodder for the Zen cushion: his mother's and grandmother's deaths, the dissolution of his marriage and lots of day-job insecurity when the Japanese monster-movie company he works for downsizes and gets sold. As ever, Warner is unafraid to smash idols, including his own celebrity status as a Zen master. "Not only am I not that thing, but no one is," he writes, and that means everybody from the Dalai Lama to fellow students of his Japanese teacher who disliked his being picked as the teacher's successor. Warner is honest—he would say his attitude is seeing things as they are, a Zen bent. Those familiar with his previous work will find this book exceptionally plainspoken and pungent, in keeping with his idiosyncratic vow "to be an a**hole for the rest of my life." That's a lot of honesty.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for Brad Warner and Sit Down and Shut Up:

“Warner’s intimate, funny, conversational style goes a long way toward imparting his many sensible messages. Deserving of a wide audience.”      
Library Journal
 
“Buddhism has long enjoyed baffling ‘crazy wisdom’ teachers and paradoxical koans, and Warner’s punk iconoclasm fits in nicely.”      
Publishers Weekly
 
“[Brad Warner] seems about as honest as they come, and he shares his personal history and opinions freely.”      
Booklist
 
“I can already smell the beautiful smell of newly soiled meditation mats all across this great land of ours.”      
Razorcake
 
“Nuggets of wisdom rarely seen in an author this plugged in to youth-counter-modern-hipster-culture.”      
— Buddhistgeeks.com
 
“There are plenty of ‘Buddhist/Spiritual’ authors on the market who will gladly sell you a pat on the back. Brad Warner is not one of those.”
—  D. Randall Blythe, lead screamer, Lamb of God

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: New World Library; Original edition (February 10, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1577316541
  • ISBN-13: 978-1577316541
  • Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brad Warner is an ordained Zen teacher and author of the books Sex Sin and Zen (2010), Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate (2009), Sit Down and Shut Up (2007) and Hardcore Zen (2004). He maintains his own blog at http://hardcorezen.blogspot.com

He's also a writer for the Suicide Girls website, bass player for the hardcore punk rock group 0DFx (aka Zero Defex), director of the film "Cleveland's Screaming!" and former vice president of the US branch of the company founded by the man who created Godzilla.

While playing hardcore punk in the early 80s, Brad became involved in Zen Buddhism. The realistic, no BS philosophy reminded him of the attitude the punks took towards music. He made it to Japan in 1993 where he began studying the philosophy with an iconoclastic rebel Zen Master named Gudo Nishijima. After a few years, Nishijima decided to make Brad his successor as a teacher of Zen.

He has also published work in the Buddhist magazines Shambhala Sun, Buddhadharma, and Tricycle as well as rock magazines such as Alternative Press, Maximum Rocknroll and Razorcake.

Since 2004 Brad has spoken in a variety of settings from Zen centers to public libraries, from vocational high schools to university auditoriums. Though Brad's talks always focus on the Buddhist dharma, the actual topics covered can range from the words of the ancient masters to the finer points of slam dancing, from insights to be found in the depths of marathon meditation sessions to whether Godzilla could beat up Yog the Space Monster. Lively and full of self-effacing humor, Brad prefers to respond to an audience rather than lecture them. A sampling of these can be seen on Brad's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/doubtboy

Customer Reviews

So I think to myself, "If Brad can do it, I can do it too!" Cynthia Choi  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
There is a zen koan that states the student always has to see the master as being perfect. B. Zandee  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 39 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, Entertaining - and Snarky February 16, 2009
Format:Paperback
Unlike several of the reviewers here, I came to this book having never heard of the author (sorry Brad.) At first, I was turned off by his criticism of some other Buddhist teachers and schools, and of the confessional nature of the book. In the end though, he won me over, because his explanations of Zen, and particularly of zazen, are clear and accessible. He keeps it real, and that is part of what the confessional aspects of the book are meant to do. He's not out to set himself up as an exalted being - in fact, his goal is to make sure you don't think he, or any other Buddhist teacher, is that. But readers looking for a traditional introduction to Zen Buddhism should understand that this book is more memoir than treatise (which does keep it entertaining.) And I gave it four stars instead of five because I think he could have lightened up a bit on the snarkiness - at least in relation other teachings.
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47 of 61 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Still not sold March 13, 2009
Format:Paperback
i have read all three of brad's books. "zen wrapped..." is much different than the first two. it is an autobiography with small zen messages sporadically dispersed throughout the book. don't buy this expecting it to be a lecture about zen in america.

when i read brad's first book, i thought "this guy is not zen. he is an egomaniacal pretender." after having read all three of his books i am still not convinced that my original impression was wrong. part of me still thinks brad says what he says not because he is a zen priest, but because for some psychological reason he is extremely anti-establishment. i am sure in his personal life he owns a mac and hates bill gates. having said all of this, i think there are great messages in each of his books, this one included. we are all human, even the "enlightened" ones. we all make mistakes and do dumb $h1t sometimes. its ok, just try not to do too much of it and dont hurt others while doing it.

overall i liked this book and if brad writes a fourth (which i am quite certain he will) i will purchase and read it too. i dont agree with everything he says and i think he tries way too hard not to be part of the established zen order (whatever that is, right brad?), but there is still enough of a very good message in his books to keep going down this path with him.
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28 of 37 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Zen revenge March 31, 2009
Format:Paperback
Warner presents his book as radical "confessional vomit," full of "scandalous stuff," that will show him as he really is, warts and all, in all his disturbing ugliness, and demolish the myth of the perfect Zen teacher (he takes for granted throughout the book that people out there think he is one such faultless sensei...). However (but not surprisingly), what image of Warner do we have at the end? Well, that of a somewhat nerdy and pretty decent guy, who, among other things, is deeply committed to Zen and discipline, loves his grandma even though she was mean to his dad, had some alcohol and pot on the 4th of July (but does not recommend it, and will never do it again, which is not hard because he does not like it anyway), and endures his wife's coldness and sexual indifference to him for months (she even humiliates him by telling him she no longer sees him "as a man") before having sex with another woman (but only after she actually initiates the act). Oh, and disturbingly... he only wears one layer of underwear under his Zen robes. Man, you certainly wouldn't want to run into this guy in a dark alley... However, there is one aspect of the book that may be construed as truly mean-spirited (and un-zenlike, even by Warner's definitions of Zen): the true villains of the book are his wife Yuka, who comes across as a cold, workaholic woman who cheats on her husband and then gives him the silent treatment, and Zeppo and Gummo, the two power thirsty Zen teachers who hate Warner. Warner knows that those people, including his wife, will read the book, which then becomes his very public special revenge against them. Ch-ching!
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14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars One Long Ego-Stroke April 11, 2010
By Aimee
Format:Paperback
This book is kind of like bologna: lots of crap and miscellaneous filler you'd be very happy never to know about, let alone consume, with a vague whiff of meatiness buried deep within the sludge.

I picked this book up on a whim, never having read anything by the author previously, and I am quite certain I'll take pains to avoid his work in the future. This book was relentlessly self-serving, meandering, and not even especially well-written. I am scratching my head trying to work out why anyone actually agreed to publish this glorified diary. If the author wants to believe that "there [was] no other Buddhist teacher like me in America," that's just spiffy...but as for being "absolutely necessary"? Not so much. In fact, I think the world could do with a lot less self-absorption masquerading as self-effacing righteousness.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Not sure what all the negativity is about... June 4, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I realize that's a stupid name for my review but I really am stumped. I don't understand why so many people see this book as a massive self-stroking ego trip and/or whining pity party of one, and Brad Warner as a lame excuse-making hypocrite and jerk to end all jerks, etc. It's a book! You can take it or leave it.

I feel like he did what he set out to do-- write an honest account of a bad year to illustrate how Buddhism applies to life as we know it. I found it funny, sad, disturbing, and thoughtful... giving me a lot to think about and act upon. I don't see where he is vain or egotistical; it's a memoir, so of course he refers mainly to himself and his own experiences. I never get the impression that he is talking just to hear himself speak-- he has things he really wants the reader to know, and he does everything he can to get his message across, in his own way.

I did want to know more about his wife and their relationship, because she does not come across as a "real" person in the book-- but neither does anyone else, except Brad himself. Maybe that is a conscious choice or an example of his limited ability as a writer; I think it's both. He is an entertaining and thoughtful writer, but he's not a novelist so I don't expect characterization, and I don't see what value it would add. At most, it might satisfy (or worse, further tantalize) the reader's curiosity about things which are best kept private.

That said, I didn't want to read about the awesome sex he had with exceptionally hot & special women other than his wife... It did seem like he was bragging a bit, which annoyed me. But then I'm kind of a prude about other people's sex lives, and I know he didn't include these stories just to brag.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and insightful
This is the fourth of five Brad Warner's books that I've read. I also read his blog, hardcorezen. The book is a fun read with great stories, regardless of the Zen element. Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. Scott Souchock
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
I read Sit Down and Shut Up and really enjoyed it, which was why I bought this book hoping for more of the same. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Browning
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice follow up book
If you liked hardcore zen, then you will probably like this book. I thought it was an interesting look at the very normal life of a zen teacher. Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Watts
4.0 out of 5 stars Under curtain
I know this book annoys some so called highly spirited people, but so what,I like it and by the way my way is Hare Krishna.
Published 3 months ago by Jarkko Junttila
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Brad Warner Hit
Brad Warner does it again. He weaves Buddhism into his personal journey and thus has written an insightful and interesting story of a life well lived (at least up to this point). Read more
Published 3 months ago by Paul Whiting
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down.
I have read the first three books from Brad and enjoyed all of them. This is probably the best of the three. I'd recomend you read them in order, although you don't really have to.
Published 7 months ago by Tommie Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars Truthful confessional about a long-time Zen practitioner
Brad Warner isn't perfect, and he's not hiding it. He tells us about a difficult personal year, and how he handled emotionally and through his actions. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Diverse
3.0 out of 5 stars No Ch-ching here! And no zen either...
I gave this odd book three stars, just because it was interesting enough to hold me through till the end. However... Read more
Published on May 9, 2011 by L. Combs
4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing perspective
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and will no doubt return to various passages for further reflection. This is the first book of Brad Warner's that I've read. Read more
Published on December 29, 2010 by DanaLK
4.0 out of 5 stars A great "flavorful" taste of Zen
Firstly let me say this, for those that don't think this book was one that needed to be written, it did indeed need to be written and I'll explain. Read more
Published on October 3, 2010 by Precious Metal: the blog
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