Amazon link. - Counterpoint Press link
A young painter, coming of age in San Francisco's bohemian 1950s, meets his teacher--Shunryu Suzuki, a pivotal figure in Buddhist America--and dedicates his life to continuing Suzuki Roshi's teachings
Seeing One Thing Through begins with a series of autobiographical memories and reflections going back to Sojun Mel Weitsman's boyhood in Southern California, his coming of age as an artist and a seeker in the vibrant San Francisco of the 1950s, and his encounter with Zen in one remarkable teacher, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. From that moment, and for nearly sixty years after, Weitsman's life took the direct path of Zen--as a student, as a teacher, and as one of the first generations of American Zen masters. The larger portion of the book is a collection of Weitsman's edited talks, his articulation of "ordinary mind," and his strong belief that Zen as a way of life is available to all.
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DC comment: This is an excellent, concise book on Mel's life, practice, problems, take on it all, and teaching. Lots of good stuff. Easy to read. I'll post some comments later for the record, but don't want to detract from the book now - except to say that the Berkeley Zen Center wins favorite Zen Center in my book and that of many others and, he didn't realize this, but I think if there had been a most popular Suzuki disciple contest, that Mel would have won. He was easy-going and diligent at the same time. The book is solid. Good going Mel (who was working on this book right up to near the end). Thanks Counterpoint for publishing this book.
