EMBED. I borrowed translations of Japanese and Chinese literature from the library, and met Basho and Po Chu-i. The author's style is very readable and the book is not too dense. “Taking the Path of Zen” serves as a primer for the practice of zazen meditation. November 21, 2020-November 28, 2020. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Conscious Breathing: Discover The Power of Your Breath. My single favorite Buddhist Teacher died yesterday, a man whose writing saved my life in some respects. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. It is summed up best on the back cover of the book: “In Taking The Path of Zen, Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. New: Item is brand new, unused and unmarked, in flawless condition. Even when enlightenment has struck the student must continually polish his or her mirror lest the dust settle and obscure the original insight. One of the earliest primers on Zen practice, this book remains invaluable in its simple introduction to the tradition. What the hell? This book also has some historical info: how Aiken came to Zen (as a prisoner of war of the Japanese), how he established his zendo, etc. Or am I being too "sensitive"? I feel this will be a valuable source of information and inspiration both for those who have a passing interest in the subject and those who have determined to set out on the path of Zen themselves. I already want to read more and find out more. This should be required textbook for studying authentic Zen Buddhism, Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2019. Please try again. I have found this book to be very insightful and overall it has been a good read. It is my sincere wish that this work will gain the wide readership it so deserves." He was not faced with the probability of biological holocaust. As an American who has trained in Zen practice for many years Aitken Roshi has a special understanding of the problems and questions which plague Western students of Zen. Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. Fairly good description of the basics of meditation. Please try again. The foundation of Zen is the practice of zazen, or mediation, and Aitken Roshi insists that everything flows from the center. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. As a book lover and a keeper of books, I was disappointed. Perhaps if you're planning to live in a Zen monastery all that might be useful, but for the rest of us - well, me anyway - it isn't. Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group. “I'm in a weird place because the book is about to come out. … Fairly good description of the basics of meditation. "I welcome with great pleasure Robert Aitken Roshi's introduction to Zen practice, Taking the Path of Zen. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. A primer on the bases of practice, this is also a good book for the more experienced practitioner to revisit from time to time as it presents Zen in a clear, concise and accessible (if somewhat erudite) format. I wish that I had read this book earlier. Free shipping for many products! “In realizing all this, we understand how we are just bundles of sense perceptions, with the substance of a dream or a bubble on the surface of the sea. He is highly esteemed and well respected in the Soto Zen Tradition, and this foundational book, is one of the best for explaining how to sit zazen and begin practicing. North Point Press; 1st edition (December 15, 2015). In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. I have now owned this book for a number of years and find myself referring back to it constantly. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. This great classic is a must for those interested in an inquiry of Zen. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. Throughout the book the author returns to zazen, offering further advice and more advanced techniques. It offers the possibility to be who we truly are, not just ideas about ourselves. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. This item has a maximum order quantity limit. He did not encounter the righteous imperatives of a feminist movement." Still, lots of very good information and guidance in a progression of sitting approaches. Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2014. Taking the Path of Zen contains a quote from one of Aitken’s teachers, Yamada Roshi: “The purpose of Zen is the perfection of character.” From my experience with Zen, this means learning to live more unself-consciously and intimately, ethically, and sanely. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. There is a fine art to presenting complex ideas with simplicity and insight, in a manner that both guides and inspires. "Taking the Path of Zen" is the practice and philosophy of Zen Buddhism. I read his book many years ago before starting a ten day meditation period at Zen Mountain Center. Zen practice is not about getting away from our life as it is; it is about getting into our life as it is, with all of its vividness, beauty, hardship, joy and sorrow. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. I find it really useful to have a book on how to practice Zen that is written by a Westerner, in a style that is easy to follow. Sitting with Lao-Tzu: Discovering the Power of the Timeless, the Silent, and the In... No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners: Clear Answers to Burning Questions About Core B... Zen: How To Live Your Life the Zen Way - Beginners Guide for Zen Meditation. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Highly recommended for students of Zen or Buddhism generally. Reassign his words, I felt like I was being welcomed into the mediation hall. Welcome back. share. He discusses correct breathing, posture, routine, teacher-student relations, and koan study, as well as common problems and milestones encountered in the process. This is not a new book. This is a good "nuts and bolts" guide to practicing zen in a center. This is a brief introductory volume for Americans who have decided to take up the Way of Zen and need a starting point. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. Many years later the book came back to me in the mail and I read it again. Taking the Path of Zen – Robert Aitken “You will have learned how to begin, at any rate, the task of keeping yourself undivided, for it is thinking of something other than the matter at hand that separates us from reality and dissipates our energies.” Explanations for the philosophy and precepts, not so good. 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