Nothing Holy about It
The Zen of Being Just Who You AreBy Tim Burkett, edited by Wanda Isle. Shambhala; $16.95. 292 pages.
About Tim: Tim Burkett was only twenty years old when he became a student of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Today, Suzuki Roshi is one of the most famous Zen teachers in the world but, in 1964, he was virtually unknown outside of his small circle of dedicated Zen students. As a part of that core group, Tim remembers the struggle to raise money for the now famous Tassajara Monastery. He remembers the roaring applause when Suzuki took the stage after Janis Joplin at the Fillmore Auditorium during a fund-raiser.
And he remembers Suzuki’s empathy for his long-suffering student, Trudy Dixon, and his tearful “lion’s roar” at her funeral. These stories and many more, told from the perspective of the student who is now himself an old master, create the backdrop, and a wonderful ambiance for his book Nothing Holy About It: the Zen of Being Just Who You Are.
About the book: According to legend, when the founder of Zen Buddhism was asked about the main principle of his holy teaching, he replied that there was “nothing holy about it!” Now, a millennium and a half later, Tim Burkett reveals how and why the wisdom of nonholiness is the key to a joyful heart. You don’t need to go looking for something sacred—the happiness you seek is right where you are. In this book, a concise summary of Zen teachings unfolds within the ordinary comedies and tragedies of everyday life, beginning with the delightful nonholiness Burkett experienced in the presence of his original teacher, Shunyru Suzuki.
Amazon Link
Teacher's Page on website of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center where Tim is Abbot
Huff Post Review
Time Burkett cuke page
Teacher's Page on website of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center where Tim is Abbot
Huff Post Review
Time Burkett cuke page