"Stupid" Book Review

I just finished the Kindle edition of a very fine book entitled "Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity." The book was written by Soko Morinaga Roshi (1925 -1995) who was a Zen Priest of the Rinzai school. The book is filled with self-deprecating humor, and traces Morinaga Roshi's life from his early training to the time when he was an old man. There are many fine passages, but I liked this one in particular:

"The truly still mind, with which you were born, is the mind that moves freely. Without ignoring anything, it reacts wholeheartedly to everything it encounters, to everything on which it reflects. And yet, for all that, it is the mind that is never seized by anything, but is always ready to react on the spot to whatever it encounters next. The mind that is still is the mind that never forfeits its freedom and is able to constantly keep rolloing and rolling and rolling."

If you can find the time, I would recommend giving this book a reading. gassho1

Gassho, William

Hi William,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful passage. gassho1

Gassho
Matt

Beautiful, thank you for sharing :)

Gassho

That sounds really cool; another book to add to the list :)

Thanks for the share William. :)

Gassho
Shingen

Thank you William,
sounds like something I would enjoy to read.
Gassho
Myoku

Thanks William. This has been on my rapidly expanding number of Kindle samples for a while!

_/\_
Ade

OK, I was curious and I decided to download this book and hardcore zen by brad warner. I read the first page of this book and couldn't put it down. I read it straight through. Good call William!

Well, I just finished Hardcore Zen. Good book, I enjoyed it. I dare say it would be a better book to introduce people to this zen thing than many of the other beginner's books I've looked at.

So three days, two books, four thumbs up. Not a bad run at all. Now it's time to go sit again, lest all the words mess up my practice.

Gassho,
Nengyo

Great quote, William. Will look it up
Thanks.
Ed B

Hi everyone,
I would like to pick this up once again, because, now that I almost read it I can only say its a great book! I found it both entertaining AND filled with deep wisdom, I too have a favorite section in this book, I think I like it so much because I feel he describes exactly where I went astray again and again, here it goes:

"WhenI end a lecture, I often ask everyone to please forget everything I have just said. This is because we tend to collect talk as mere data, carry it home with us, and use scraps of it as fuel for criticism of our surroundings. That which becomes the seed of criticism is not wisdom; it is nothing more than the seed of grumbling and dissatisfaction."

Thanks again William,
Gassho
Myoku

Glad everyone enjoyed it. I have been traveling a lot for work these past two weeks, and I have missed the group. Since I cannot carry a Zafu with me in my luggage, I have been sitting in hotel rooms using a pillow for a cushion. It's less than ideal, but I muddle through.

Respect and bows to all!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by William Anderson

Glad everyone enjoyed it. I have been traveling a lot for work these past two weeks, and I have missed the group. Since I cannot carry a Zafu with me in my luggage, I have been sitting in hotel rooms using a pillow for a cushion. It's less than ideal, but I muddle through.

Respect and bows to all!

---

Folded blankets may be a bit firmer than a bed pillow.

Keep on sitting!

Gassho, J

I too have been traveling for work. I'll have to try the blanket trick, I've been sitting on a small decorative pillow. I've also sat in a catholic church that is next to my office a few times during the "off" hours. They have a built in kneeling thingy that works ok and it makes for a very peaceful break in a 12 hour shift.