In this text on Zen, Kazuaki Tanahashi and Tensho David Schneider explore many of the classic writings considered 'essential' to Zen as an East Asian tradition, as well as an incorporation of modern American writings that are representative of the fascination with and growth of Zen in the West. These writings reflect both serious and humourous sides; some are elegantly simple (without being simplistic) and others are enigmatic and complicated.Tanahashi explains the incorporation of modern Western ideas and writing on Zen:
'If the present moment is when truth is actually experienced, then Western Zen, however young and immature, ought to be treated on a par with traditional Zen in China, Korea, and Japan.'
Zen is a difficult concept to grasp, not least of all because of its very simple underpinnings. Zen comes not from Buddhism alone but rather incorporates many strands -- always striving for completeness and looking for the interconnectedness of all, Zen has as a fundamental symbol or expression of enlightenment a circle: Shunryu Suzuki on his deathbed traced a circle in the air, symbolising transcendence, connexion, momentary enlightenment, everlasting completeness.
Schneider also discusses the very idea of a book on Zen:
'Zen prides itself on being a teaching 'outside words and letters'; thus any book of mere writing -- no matter how elevated or enlightened -- could not rightly be called essential. The essential Zen, in book form, would more likely consist of blank pages; a reader fills them in. Or not.'
The idea of the circle permeates this book. Throughout there are ink drawings of different kinds of circles, and the poetical verses and stories loop back upon themselves in many ways.
Now that things have been made perfectly clear, Tanahashi and Schneider proceed to develop the ideas of Zen in a very personal way, which is, after all, the only way in which Zen can be experienced and understood.
Which way
did you come from,
following dream paths at night,
while snow is still deep
in this mountain recess?
- Ryokan
Zen is a place, but it isn't. Zen is a journey, but not really. Zen is, and it isn't. Through poetry, tales of journeys, tales of myths, tales of being still, tales of understanding and confusion, the reader begins to see just a little piece of Zen, and yet, Zen is not something that comes in pieces, and is not something to be seen. Understand this, and you begin to understand Zen. Or not.
Through faith and doubt, through grand designs and commonplace daily life, Zen is there with enigmatic meanings, always designed toward the greater enlightenment, the greater completeness, the greater oneness. This essential text includes discussion of Zen practises designed toward the attainment of greater enlightenment. Coming full circle back to a discussion of The Circle, the ideas of Zen are still incomplete, and still fully presented.
He was offered the whole world
He declined and turned away.
He did not write poetry,
He lived poetry before it existed.
He did not speak of philosophy,
He cleaned up the dung philosophy left behind.
He had no address:
He lived in a ball of dust playing with the universe.
- Jung Kwung