Answer
There is no single holy book of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is a practice; it is not a creed or set of ideas.
Therefore, what counts is mastering the practice, which is called "zazen." There are plenty of books about how to master the practice, but they are not holy books. Similarly, a lot of Buddhist literature is both relevant and valued, for example, works by Nagarguna and Dogen, but they are not considered holy books in the way that, for example, THE BIBLE is for Christians.
There is no single holy book of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is a practice; it is not a creed or set of ideas.
Therefore, what counts is mastering the practice, which is called "zazen." There are plenty of books about how to master the practice, but they are not holy books. Similarly, a lot of Buddhist literature is both relevant and valued, for example, works by Nagarguna and Dogen, but they are not considered holy books in the way that, for example, THE BIBLE is for Christians.
Request recommendation: Zen Books by D. T. Suzuki?
mikeerwill
Amazon has about 225 Zen books buy D. T. Suzuki.
Can anyone recommend the top few I should read?
Thanx!
http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=297985
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisetz_Teitaro_Suzuki#Bibliography
Answer
DT Suzuki was a fine scholar of the Japanese Zen tradition. His classic work is "Essays in Zen Buddhism," first published in 1927.
Alan Watts is quite popular, but he had little practical experience with Zen Buddhism, other than reading (books by Suzuki) and talking with Zen masters.
If you want a genuine taste of Zen, I recommend that you read books by genuine Zen masters. Two modern classics are:
"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (not related)
"Dropping Ashes on the Buddha" by Zen Master Seung Sahn
=============================================
Edit: Today I came across an online version of DT Suzuki's "Manual of Zen Buddhism." It's in the public domain and so freely accessible. It's got a lot of very detailed information on Zen -- a real find! Here ya' go:
http://www.integrativespirituality.org/postnuke/html/static-docs_Books-buddhism-Manual_Of_Zen_Buddhism-index.htm
DT Suzuki was a fine scholar of the Japanese Zen tradition. His classic work is "Essays in Zen Buddhism," first published in 1927.
Alan Watts is quite popular, but he had little practical experience with Zen Buddhism, other than reading (books by Suzuki) and talking with Zen masters.
If you want a genuine taste of Zen, I recommend that you read books by genuine Zen masters. Two modern classics are:
"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (not related)
"Dropping Ashes on the Buddha" by Zen Master Seung Sahn
=============================================
Edit: Today I came across an online version of DT Suzuki's "Manual of Zen Buddhism." It's in the public domain and so freely accessible. It's got a lot of very detailed information on Zen -- a real find! Here ya' go:
http://www.integrativespirituality.org/postnuke/html/static-docs_Books-buddhism-Manual_Of_Zen_Buddhism-index.htm
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