Saturday, February 26, 2022

A New Review of Zen is Right Now


This is from the Midwest Book Review - down the page some.

A blurb from the review: extraordinary, thought-provoking and highly recommended 

Here's the whole thing: 

Zen Is Right Now
David Chadwick, editor
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
www.shambhala.com
9781611809145, $14.95, HC, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Right-Now-Anecdotes-Beginners/dp/1611809142

Synopsis: Shunryu Suzuki (May 18, 1904 - December 4, 1971) was a Soto Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center). Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which, along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States. A book of his teachings, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", is one of the most popular books on Zen and Buddhism in the West. (Wikipedia)

The teachings of Shunryu Suzuki have served for innumerable people as the gateway to Zen practice and meditation. In "Zen Is Right Now: More Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki", devoted student and biographer David Chadwick sheds new light on Suzuki's presence and teachings through selected quotes from his lectures and a variety of stories told by his students.

"Zen Is Right Now" offers a joyful bounty of anecdotes and insights, revealing a playful and deeply wise teacher who delighted in paradox and laughed often. Each of the stories and quotes presented here is an example of the versatile and timeless quality evident in Suzuki's teaching, showing that the potential for attaining enlightenment exists right now, in this very moment.

Critique: An extraordinary, thought-provoking and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Zen Buddhism collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists, "Zen Is Right Now: More Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki" must be considered essential reading for all students and practitioners of Zen Buddhism. It should be noted that "Zen Is Right Now: More Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki" is also available for personal study in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: David Chadwick began his Zen study under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. Ordained as a Zen priest in 1971, he later wrote Suzuki's biography, "Crooked Cucumber", as well as "Thank You and OK!: An American Zen Failure in Japan". With a great deal of help, Chadwick is poo-bah of Cuke Archives, preserving the legacy of Shunryu Suzuki and those whose paths crossed his -- and anything else that comes to mind. He has two informative web sites: www.cuke.com and www.shunryusuzuki.com.

Cuke page for Zen Is Right Now and Zen Is Right Here