Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice (Shambhala Library)

I have been practicing meditation and mindfulness for over 20 years and teaching it for over ten years. I also lived as a monk for six years in forest monasteries in South East Asia.Someone asked me: "I have a question for you - if there is just one book on meditation / mindfulness that you can suggest, what would it be?"Great question. This question made me pause and reflect. After an inner scan of the countless titles that have deepened my understanding of this profound subject, one stood out clearly.I would recommend..."Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunyru Suzuki Roshi.Why this particular book? What sets it apart?It is about the correct attitude with which to approach our practice. It also offers a method, but doesn't make a big deal about it. There are actually a million meditation methods and a million books extolling the virtues of their own particular method. However that is actually not most important. When the attitude is right, any method will bear abundant fruit. Indeed even without any method we will benefit. Our life will be illumined. When the attitude is off, the world's most profound teacher, teaching and method will miss the mark.In a way this book crushes our rosy ideas about meditation. It doesn't make tall promises about the benefits of meditation. Instead it punctures all our tyres. There is no where else we can go. This is the wisdom of no escape. We are forced to face ourselves right where we are.The chapters are short. Each offers a slap. Some are back slaps of encouragement. Some are face slaps challenging our foolishness. They all slap us back into the present. The taste of these slaps linger. Good strong medicine.This book takes everything away. It offers nothing in return. All that remains is a vast open space where life can flow and love can play. This is why this book is precious. This is why I recommend this book.

Reading this book is like sitting with a teacher. The energy of it is clear and light, open. Its intent is to share its understanding, its observations.On first reading, I understood very little of what it was trying to convey. Sentences in English, easy enough to read, but conveying concepts that clearly went deeply beneath the words to a place that I didn’t comprehend and couldn’t feel.I’ve since re-read it and now, continually re-read sections of it! Its instruction cannot really be conveyed via language alone. The concepts have to be absorbed in combination with meditation, intent and an openness to different ways of looking at life. Each sentence becomes a phrase to study and meditate on. Eventually, the meaning of the words start to appear as if birds in a wood when you are looking for them. Everything quiets down and then they appear to you, though they’ve always been there.Over time, my understanding of the book has changed from it being a lecture, a ‘this is how you should do it’ instructional to a ‘look, this is how it can work’ observation - an understanding of how it is possible to live with straight forward and simple, profound joy.It is one of my go-to resources for spiritual guidance and calm beauty.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki is a rather intricate but deep view into the mindscape of what the 'Zen Mind' entails.Given that this book isn't exactly for those in the nascent stages of Zen Buddhism, it can be quite enigmatic in some spots. Still, this does not detract from the wealth of information the reader will be able to garner if they maintain an open mind.Overall the book shows many insights individuals may follow to strengthen their core repertoire.Some of the concepts the book discusses included mindfulness, the importance of calmness and focus in your life, proper practice, simplicity and much more.For someone that's new in traversing the Zen realm, this book is quite appreciated. It synthesizes many complex topics in a simple to follow manner, and does so in a way that is rich in scope as well.Reading this book will definitely help the reader become more cognizant of the mind in countless ways.After having this book a while, and referenced it quite a bit, have a feeling that how much this book helps an individual is proportional to how much one focuses on each of the concepts. It really is an excellent book.

I’ve never read so many conflicting statements in one place before. One sentence can contradict itsself and the entire paragraph before it. Meaninglessness is rampant and leads to no understanding of life whats so ever. There is no purpose to this book if you are looking for ways of bettering your life. A few times I LOL’d at how bad this was. Before you purchase this get a sample. The book makes you think you know nothing and then doesn’t tell you anything. The metaphors are absolutely abysmal. I wish I could have gotten something from this book. Probably won’t be trying another meditation book. Are these Buddhist followers all brainwashed? How can you find any meaning in the text?

This is one of the best basic books in Zen literature for the Western mind. There are short chapters dealing with the importance of sitting posture and ways to quiet the mind. It is a book that is based on a series of lectures that Suzuki developed for people in the U.S.A. I have used this book as a reference book for my life and return to it often to center my life when things seem to be getting a bit off-kilter. What is good is that each one of the chapters has a heading regarding an aspect of daily life. It is not full of 'doctrine' or detailed teachings, but gently explains some of the thinking behind this way of meditation and how it fits into the Buddhist tradition, specifically Zen Buddhism. I am a Christian, but find this very helpful in my daily walk.

This is lovely. Just what I was looking for to deepen my knowledge and understanding of Zen. It's simply written and as easy to understand as Zen can be. Am already feeling the benefits. It's a book to keep by your bedside and dip into. Highly recommended.

I’ve spent the last 20 years using “Everyday Zen: By Charlotte Joko Beck” to guide my daily zazen. That book has transformed my life, career and relationships in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Charlotte often referred to this book by Shunryu Suzuki’s in her writing/talks so I thought it would be good to give it a read and it didn’t disappoint. It’s now clear to me the Charlotte’s work has been greatly influenced by Shunryu Suzuki with both having developed an unpretentious and practical way of guiding students of Zen. I can greatly recommend both books which I guarantee will do you no harm and might transform your life for the better.

I know it sounds a bit OTT but as someone who is not religious, this book perfectly exemplifies how we could ideally live our lives. As meditator for 20 years, my state of mind is very important for my sense of peace, wellness and productivity. Suzuki Roshi takes me to my personal nirvana within a few lines of any of the beautiful passages. It has so much depth that I have been perpetually reading this book for more than 17 years and continue to learn from it. Probably read it 100+ times. I've read hundreds of buddhist and zen books. This is the one you want.

A delicately written and profound exposition of Zen Buddhism, this little book has rightly become a classic of the genre.An enduring and dedicated following of admirers in the Soto tradition confirms Shunryu Suzuki’s valuable legacy of genuine sincerity and practical wisdom; a copy of this book should be in every home.

a beautiful practical and gentle book - a series of talks - and a different, realistic perspective about meditation about someone who really knows. It explains some of the paradoxes of the aspirations of meditation. I found it helpful and realistic. Meditation in our fast-forward world it is not as easy as we assume until we start to see ourselves as the top priority on our own world.

Very interesting but I will have to read it again to fully understand. My youngest grandson ( 21 years old) has introduced me to the book, I think he is more intelligent than I am. I want to understand why he has chosen the Buddhist way of life.

I've read this book three times, and I know I will read it again. Don't try to understand it; just read it.

This book was pretty useless to me as the first thing it says is that you have to get into a full lotus to achieve meditation. Well as a retired manual worker with a bad back that’s quite impossible so it went straight to the charity shop

I read this book 2 years ago and I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. I just couldn’t make sense of it. My life has changed a lot and I’ve read lots of books on spirituality. Wayne Dyers books being my favourite along with Ram Dass. So I decided to read Zen mind, Beginners mind again. Now it all makes sense. I loved it. I would recommend this book to everyone on a spiritual journey.

Reading this book for the first time is like going on a journey - after each page your understanding of Buddhism and of yourself has changed. I would recommend this to everyone, Buddhist or not Zen Mind will likely change your life. The style of prose is incredibly radiant and friendly so in that sense it is perfect for the beginner yet also perfect for the long time practitioner whom has grown tired of the regimented style of a lot of Buddhist books. Its amazing that even though Zuzuki could not speak English very well his use of the language itself allows his ideas and insights to penetrate to the core of your being. This book is best served with regular meditation.

An interesting book for a beginner in meditation. Introduction, without detailed explanation on how to meditate.

It's a wonderful book on the simplicity of the practice and understanding of it. Not only meditation but for me this is translatable into any field of practice in my case Ashtanga yoga.Book that, at least in my experience, needs a number of readings to comprehend it's meaning, and all the hidden gems of this Zen master mind 🙏

This book is probably the best “Zen” book I have ever read

Book arrived with a heavy duty barcode sticker slapped right in the middle of the front cover. The eventual removal damaged the book and was not quite the Zen path I was planning to follow.

This was the first book on Zen I read, and I found it simply amazing.Not only is the message of Zen made clear in content, but - crucially - the language and style of the text is so much part of what Suzuki has to offer.I definitely recommend this book by one of the most influential Zen teachers of the western world. It is a canonical piece of work for Westerners wanting to learn more about Zen philosophy.The book so inspired me last summer that I included many references to it in my dissertation on the concept of 'effort' in geography at university.