Great book!

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to recommend a book that I just read. It's called, "The Path of the Human Being: Zen Teachings on the Bodhisattva Way," by Dennis Genpo Merzel. It's a really great read and short enough to get through quickly. Tell me what you think.

Gassho,

Adam

Hello Adam

I have read the book you mentioned. It is a you said easily read and straightforward. I have read one of his first books as well is called the Eye never sleeps. I sometimes take it out of the shelf just to read some. As this book you have read is talking about zen in general terms and he gives examples of how you go on the path of the human being, for me the Big Mind he is referring to is sometimes linked with meditation, while in other parts I sense that it is more a self inquiry which can be done seperately, and other times he refers to Big Mind as the state where in you are now sitting, without preferences. It is interesting to see how he refers to a lot of terminology used in zen buddhism in a very easy and informal way. I have been participating in a Big Mind session of Genpo in 2006, I must say it is an interesting process but for me had no ground to take on, zazen has opened me up more then a session where your mind is doing the talking. But in this book he sticks quite plain to the zenbuddhist tradition,

What do you think of the content ?

Ensho

I like Genpo Merzel. The Eye Never Sleeps was one of the very first zen books I ever read, and it is still one of my favorites. I learned a lot from it. Haven't read the new one yet, but maybe down the road after I get through all the other ones I already have lined up to read.

Ensho and AlanLa,

Thanks so much for your replies. Ensho, I agree with the comment you made about Big Mind being connected with meditation. I don't practice zazen in that way, but it was interesting to see another perspective. The content is really simple, and that's really why I like it. It makes the book very approachable for someone who is new to zen and wants to get his/her feet wet. It was one of those books that didn't require total concentration. You could read it in a quiet room as well as in a busy coffee house. Sometimes, I find zen books to be a little too poetic to try and read without full mindfulness. Thanks for the response again!

Gassho,

Adam