From Library Journal
These four masterful abridgments, based on the classic work that helped bring Zen Buddhism to America, are read ably by Christopher Reed. The Rinzai sect of Zen seeks illumination through the tea ritual, samurai swordsmanship, and reverence for nature. It shuns philosophy, ego, and dualism. Through "unstopped" action and a state of "no mind," it embraces anti-intellectualism and relies on the unconscious to propel its adherents toward concrete action unfettered by abstractions or conceptualizations. Author Suzuki uses a series of fascinating stories of Zen masters to enlighten the listener, but it would take either a lifetime of study or a moment of Zen illumination for a full understanding of the content of even one of the four essays included in this suberb audio book set. Recommended for philosophy collections.?Mark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, N.C.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
This audio programs is drawn from Zen and the Japanese Culture, the author's highly respected history of how Japanese culture accepted and influenced Zen, the simplest branch of the Buddhist faith. Anecdotes from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the absence of intellectual language give this abridgment a timeless, spiritual quality. The beauty of the stories and rhythm of the language help the intellectual Western mind comprehend Zen philosophy. Reed is a Zen Buddhist scholar and teacher in his own right; his immersion into this tradition allows him to speak with emotional and spiritual authority. His steady tone and absence of pretense draw the listener into the ideas, not the performance. If the listener can encounter this program without permitting worldly distractions, the material will be accessible and the listening enjoyable. T.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"As one turns the pages of this delightful book, one seems to catch intimations of how and why certain aspects of the 'spirit of Zen' are making themselves felt in America today...There is something inexpressibly soothing in the old Japanese virtues...as Mr. Suzuki describes them."--The New York Times


Review
"As one turns the pages of this delightful book, one seems to catch intimations of how and why certain aspects of the 'spirit of Zen' are making themselves felt in America today...There is something inexpressibly soothing in the old Japanese virtues...as Mr. Suzuki describes them."--The New York Times


Review
"As one turns the pages of this delightful book, one seems to catch intimations of how and why certain aspects of the 'spirit of Zen' are making themselves felt in America today...There is something inexpressibly soothing in the old Japanese virtues...as Mr. Suzuki describes them."--The New York Times


Book Description
From one of the most influential books ever written on Zen Buddhism: The paradox of Zen as a philosophy of compassion and combat.

One of the leading twentieth-century works on Zen, D.T. Suzuki's Zen and Japanese Culture is an invaluable source for those wishing to understand Zen concepts in the context of Japanese life and art.

Zen and the Samurai explores Zen Buddhism as it applies to the life of the warrior, sustaining him both morally and philosophically, and how it is the work of a great Zen Master to be familiar with both the sword of life and the sword of death, and know when and how to wield either of them.

In simple, often poetic language, enhanced by anecdotes and poetry, D.T. Suzuki studies the lives of some of Japan's greatest swordsmen, explores the military mind, and ultimately brings us to a new understanding of the meaning and symbolism of the sword and the code of bushido: the way of the warrior.


About the Author
Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki was Japan's foremost authority on Zen Buddhism, and the author of over 100 works on the subject. He was trained as a Buddhist disciple in the great Zen monastery at Kamakura. From 1897 to 1908 he worked in the United States as an editor and translator, and later became a lecturer at Tokyo Imperial University. In 1950, at 80, he returned to the United States and spent most of the decade teaching, lecturing, and writing, particularly at Columbia and Harvard. Returning to Japan, he died in Tokyo in 1966 at the age of 95.

Christopher Reed has been teaching Buddhism and Buddhist meditation for fifteen years. He received transmission as a Dharma teacher from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. He has been influenced by the tradition of socially/politically engaged Buddhism, and works toward the integration of traditional Buddhist teaching with the demands of everyday life. He is co-founder and director of the Ordinary Dharma Meditation Center of Los Angeles and the Manzanita Village Retreat Center in San Diego.

ANNOTATION

This is Zen as it applies to the life of the warrior, sustaining him both morally and philosophically, and how it is the work of a great Zen master to be familiar with both the sword of life and the sword of death, and know when and how to wield either of them. 2 cassettes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Zen and the Samuraiexplores Zen Buddhism as it applies to the life of the warrior, sustaining him both morally and philosophically, and how it is the work of a great Zen Master to be familiar with both the sword of life and the sword of death, and know when and how to wield either of them.

In simple, often poetic language, enhanced by ancedotes and poetry, D.T. Suzuki studies the lives of some of Japan's greatest swordsmen, explores the military mind, and ultimately brings us to a new sword and the meaning and sybolism of the sword and the code of bushido: the way of the warrior.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

These four masterful abridgments, based on the classic work that helped bring Zen Buddhism to America, are read ably by Christopher Reed. The Rinzai sect of Zen seeks illumination through the tea ritual, samurai swordsmanship, and reverence for nature. It shuns philosophy, ego, and dualism. Through "unstopped" action and a state of "no mind," it embraces anti-intellectualism and relies on the unconscious to propel its adherents toward concrete action unfettered by abstractions or conceptualizations. Author Suzuki uses a series of fascinating stories of Zen masters to enlighten the listener, but it would take either a lifetime of study or a moment of Zen illumination for a full understanding of the content of even one of the four essays included in this suberb audio book set. Recommended for philosophy collections.Mark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, N.C.

AudioFile - Thomas Walken