Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series (Paperback)

~ D.T. Suzuki (Author), Christmas Humphreys (Foreword) "BEFORE I proceed to the discussion of the main idea of this essay, which is to consider Zen the Chinese way of applying the doctrine..." (more)
Key Phrases: incomparable security, ultimate signification, fifth patriarch, Zen Buddhism, Fourfold Noble Truth, National Teacher (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Included in this volume are Suzuki’s famous study “Enlightenment and Ignorance,” a chapter on “Practical Methods of Zen Instruction,” the essays “On Satori — The Revelation of a New Truth in Zen Buddhism” and “History of Zen Buddhism from Bodhidharma to Hui-NÍng (Yeno),” and his commentary on “The Ten Cow-herding Pictures” which have long been used in Zen to illustrate the stages of spiritual progress.

Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; Reprint edition (January 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802151183
• ISBN-13: 978-0802151186
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #211,633 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic, engaging introduction to Zen, May 2, 2005

By	Hakuyu "Ikeda" (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews

More than any other known source, this series of essays (including the other two companion volumes) have probably done the most to put Zen 'on the map' - in the Western world. In some quarters - at least, it has become fashionable to regard D.T. Suzuki as 'passe' - a bridge builder, whose work has now reached its 'sell-by' date. While I can see why some people might feel that way - if training with a Roshi, or tired of 'reading too much' - Suzuki's 'essays' continue to have relevance for people making their first dip into the world of Zen.

In one sense, you could say that Suzuki wants to say too much, and the 'purists' may fault him for it. But he was good at his job - and knew exactly how to write about such things for a Western audience, saying enough to entice them and whet their appetite, then drop them in at the deep end! His way of doing this was lively and engaging. Suzuki was a good communicator (he had an American wife, which certainly helped. Beatrice Lane Suzuki was an accomplished student of Buddhism in her own right) - and, in some respects, Suzuki was more successful than some of the roshis teaching in the West. He wasn't trying to sell you an institution, but pointing to the 'treasure house' we must all find, for ourselves.

One thing is worth noting about Suzuki's 'essays.' For the most part, the anecdotes he has presented were taken from the T'ang masters in the Dentoroku (Chuan Teng Lu). You get a pretty fair spread of teaching-examples, and they are not all from masters in the Rinzai (Lin-chi) lineage. In the T'ang, there was no such sharp division between the Zen schools and in that sense, Suzuki's account has a freshness about it.

Suzuki will not bog you down with laboured academic digressions. He was rather slap-dash about footnotes - and as such, you get the very 'marrow' of Zen teaching. Suzuki had his foibles - but, he remains the 'grand old man of Zen' who whetted our appetite. These essays have life in them yet! Digest Suzuki. You wont regret it!

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Powerful, February 3, 1997

By A Customer

Suzuki's works offer a clear insight look at the often misunderstood world of zen. Suzuki gives the reader the ability to understand zen, rather than dictating what zen is. This work would be of benefit to any one wishing to see if zen is 'right' for them

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth is in the midst of us..., January 13, 2009

By	N. Blaine Frierson "Tulsa Aggie" (Tulsa, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This brilliant book by Suzuki has changed my life. Several times reading it I felt that I had experienced a small degree on satori or enlightenment. Heaven and earth should be experienced as one. The truth is in the present moment inside me.