The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment

The market is pretty much saturated with Zen titles which promise to take you to the `heart' of the subject. Painful - and expensive - experience has taught me that most of them don't deliver. `The Three Pillars of Zen', however, does.I think what makes this book different from the rest is that it offers concrete, practical guidance on how to begin Zazen meditation oneself. There is of course no substitute for a reputable Zen teacher, but the fact of the matter is that in the West most people live many miles away from such support.The guidance in Three Pillars allows those interested in Zen to begin practice themselves; those who benefit from the experience can then take it from there and join a Zen group or practice with a teacher.Including practical advice in a book on Zen sounds deceptively simple and common-sense, but anyone who goes on to read other Zen books will see how rare this is. There are hundreds of books about Zen psychology, Zen philosophy, the Zen `way of life', but practically none on something as elementary as how one should sit!Don't read those other books - they simply muddy the waters and lead to confusion. If you want to reach the heart of Zen then sit down, shut up, get meditating and discover it for yourself. This book will help you do that.

If you are a meditator, you will get a lot out of reading this. Read actual dokusan details, best book on Zen.

Good introduction to all things zen, guidance on how to sit, the details of sesshin and incredible modern day enlightenment stories. Recommend to anyone with an interest in zen.

The zen approach to sitting and practice is very succinctly detailed in this book. Chapter I effectively has the beginners' "how to" guide (Yasutani's introductory lectures) and is like having the roshi on call (pages 36-40 will get you started) and the postural advice in Chapter IX (pages 346-373) will help you sit up straight and comfortably. And there's a whole lot more too! Written by a westerner with a deep understanding derived from 13 years study in Japan this book gives (priceless?) insight on how westerners can do Zen. Well written and easily navigated via the 4 page contents, 34 page glossary, 13 page index. Excellent.

I've bought a few Zen books over the years and this is the one I constantly go back to. It is all you need to understand, practice and learn Zen buddhism. An absolute must have.

Not dry and academic; perfect for the solitary practitioner of Soto Zen.

Quite simply a masterpiece. If you are a beginner to Zen or a regular reader or sitter of Zazen please read this book. Its a real beauty...if there were 10 stars I'd give it ten. Enjoy.

A very instructive read. I found it hard going but informative. The Japanese Zen meditation rituals are far harsher than many others I've practised but designed to get to enlightenment quicker. A very harsh discipline, typically Japanese.

Good

Received in good time many thanks

So many gems in here for students of the direct path of non-dual teachings. 'When we aren't conceptualizing the deepest part of us is functioning.' "When you become one with the boat it ceases to be a problem for you. The same is true of daily life. If you don't separate yourself from the circumstances of your life you live without anxiety. In summer you adapt to heat, winter to cold. Animals have this adaptability to a high degree. Humans too but because they fashion ideas of what they ought to be or how they ought to live they are at war with the environment and themselves. The purpose of this koan is to teach you the be at one with every aspect of your life'

This is on of those books that were great for its time and still informs and illumines today. A timeless classic. Not only does it go thorough the Buddhist Mahayana teachings from the Zen school but gives practice methods and tips for the Un-monastaried and Un-sanghaed practitioner. If you truly want a beginners work which is shorter and to the point but in the same vein buy The Rinzai Way by Meidro Moore. Both works are very well written, give great advice and a large helping hand on the Zen path.Note: Soto Zennist's have a tendency to hate both books as they are "critical" of those in the Soto Zen way who misunderstand the phrase by awakened masters who have said "sitting is just it," like Dogen. They account for the lower star ratings. Both books go on to mention the correct understanding from the practice/awaking viewpoint of the true practice of Shikan-taza. So dont let bias form those who do not comprehend fully the depth of the dharma from buying either of these two books.

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