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The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics Paperback – January 1, 1982

by Robert Aitken (Author)

20 customer reviews

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In Taking the Path of Zen, Robert Aitken provided a concise guide to zazen (Zen meditation) and other aspects of the practice of Zen. In The Mind of Clover he addresses the world beyond the zazen cushions, illuminating issues of appropriate personal and social action through an exploration of the philosophical complexities of Zen ethics.

Aitken's approach is clear and sure as he shows how our minds can be as nurturing as clover, which enriches the soil and benefits the environment as it grows. The opening chapters discuss the Ten Grave Precepts of Zen, which, Aitken points out, are "not commandments etched in stone but expressions of inspiration written in something more fluid than water." Aitken approaches these precepts, the core of Zen ethics, from several perspectives, offering many layers of interpretation. Like ripples in a pond, the circles of his interpretation increasingly widen, and he expands his focus to confront corporate theft and oppression, the role of women in Zen and society, abortion, nuclear war, pollution of the environment, and other concerns.

The Mind of Clover champions the cause of personal responsibility in modern society, encouraging nonviolent activism based on clear convictions. It is a guide that engages, that invites us to realize our own potential for confident and responsible action.

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Editorial Reviews

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“As an American who has trained in Zen practice for many years Aitken Roshi has a special understanding of the problems and questions which plague Western students of Zen.” ―Yamada Koun Roshi

About the Author

Robert Aitken's introduction to Zen came in a Japanese prison camp during World War II, after he was captured as a civilian in Guam. R. H. Blyth, author of Zen in English Literature, was imprisoned in the same camp, and in this unlikely setting Aitken began the first of several important apprenticeships. After the war Aitken returned often to Japan to study. He became friends with D. T. Suzuki, and studied with Nagakawa Soen Roshi and Yasutani Hakuun Roshi. In 1959 Robert Aitken and his wife, Anne, established a Zen organization, the Diamond Sangha, which has two zos in Hawaii. Aitken was given the title "Roshi" and authorized to teach by Yamada Koun Roshi, his current teacher, in 1974. He continues to teach and study Zen in Hawaii, where he has lived since the age of five.

Product details

Paperback: 202 pages
Publisher: North Point Press; 4th Printing edition (1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0865471584
ISBN-13: 978-0865471580
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 20 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #187 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Ethics
- #258 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Zen > Philosophy
- #331 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Zen > Spirituality

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Bernard McGovern

An Important Book on Buddhist/Zen Precepts and Ethics

January 17, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an amazing and accessible book on the Precepts of Buddhist living and learning. The writing is smooth, clean and clear. There is little jargon or extraneous asian words and one does not have to be a Buddhist to understand the principles of upright living - something everyone can relate to

"Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo..."

March 28, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As a Zen practitioner preparing for Jukai I found Aitken-roshi's THE MIND OF CLOVER to be possibly the best book I have read to date on the Ten Grave Precepts.

These Precepts (not to kill, lie, steal, self-aggrandize, defame others, misuse sex, misuse intoxicants, become wrongfully angered, to be generous, and to honor awareness, learning and community) are very similar to the Judeo-Christian Commandments in form. Aitken-roshi shows the reader however that the precepts are not simply ordinances imposed from outside but the very building blocks of personality and social interaction. He illustrates well how the precepts can and must be interpreted not blindly but with full cognizance of circumstance and consequence, both on a personal level and on a global level.

THE MIND OF CLOVER takes what could be a very fuzzy and indeterminate subject and presents it with elegant simplicity. The book has been described quite correctly as a sonata, with each successive chapter building on the ones before it to reach a grand conclusion.

One may disagree with certain of Aitken-roshi's personal observations---at times, his social politics seem reflexively trapped in 1960s amber---but there is no question that THE MIND OF CLOVER transmutes the practice of Zen from "simply sitting" in zazen to an active philosophy of life, allowing the adherent to take the calm, the awareness, and the wisdom found on the zafu and translate it into a way of daily living based on compassion and intimacy with all things.

This book is excellently read in conjunction with Tenshin Reb Anderson's BEING UPRIGHT, a rather more remotely philosophical treatment of the Precepts on a less mundane, more spiritual level.

20 people found this helpful

March 1, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This was a lovely exploration into Buddhist ethics.

A good starting place for those unfamiliar with the subject matter...

October 13, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Rather than a definitive instructive work on the 'Ten Grave Precepts', these are notes written from the author's viewpoint. A good starting place for those unfamiliar with the subject matter; good also for students of Buddhism trying to gather their own thoughts on the matters at hand. But should be read along with other authors (Tich Nhat Hanh, for example), in order to get other perspectives. As Aitken himself states, the precepts are "not commandments etched in stone, but expressions of inspiration written in something more fluid than water..."

March 8, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An easy to read and understand book about the fundamental precepts on Zen Buddhism. I highly recommend this book to anybody wanting to take a first step through the gate to seek enlightenment and tranquility.

For your Zen library

January 14, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an excellent book that I have read numerous times over the years. If you are receiving the Precepts (jukai), this is a must read.

October 5, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great gift

Larry Lee Peterson

Quite simply one of the best books on American Buddhism from Aitken roshi written after ...

January 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Quite simply one of the best books on American Buddhism from Aitken roshi written after spending 40 years on the cushion. Beautifully written in simple language it is revealing for beginning and mature students of Buddhism.

Most recent customer reviews

Robert Aitken nails it on the head as far as Zen goes, which is all the way.

Published 1 year ago

Published on June 11, 2015

Published on March 31, 2015

Another book that addresses the Buddhist precepts. It's a ...

Another book that addresses the Buddhist precepts. It's a little dated and more intellectual but still very thought provoking. Well written.

Published on February 28, 2015

Michael F. Pavitt

I like the person that I encounter in this book

Aitken writes in a way that is engaging and understandable. I like the person that I encounter in this book.

Published on September 22, 2014

This may be an excellent book for western students of Zen seeking to understand ethical questions within the Zen tradition.Read more

Published on March 3, 2013

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