| The number of books on Buddhism, and, especially, on | | | | to jump right into it. Or maybe that should be, "sit" right |
| Zen Buddhism, has long amused me. Just go into any | | | | into it. Without a lot of preliminary verbiage, she starts |
| of the book bookstores and head to the Eastern | | | | out instructing the reader on the proper way to sit |
| Religions section, then look for the Buddhist sub-section. | | | | zazen and to meditate in the Zen fashion. Then she |
| You'll likely see shelf after shelf of books. | | | | tells how to take one's meditation beyond solitary |
| Why is this amusing? It's because Buddhism, at least | | | | home practice and into one's friendly local zendo. This |
| as far as I understand it, is all about wordless | | | | is especially appreciated by folks like me who often |
| knowledge. It cannot be told in words (I thought). You | | | | hesitate to enter the doorways of someone else's |
| have to experience it directly: The finger that points at | | | | religious environs, not knowing quite what to expect -- |
| the moon is not the moon. The map is not the territory. | | | | or how we will be expected to act. |
| Etc. etc. | | | | Only after guiding the reader into practicing Zen does |
| Having shared with you my skepticism over books | | | | Smith go into the history, philosophy and evolution of |
| that are about Buddhism and Zen, I will recommend at | | | | Zen Buddhism. As other reviewers have noted, The |
| least one to you. It is The Beginner's Guide to Zen | | | | Beginner's Guide to Zen Buddhism is a primer and an |
| Buddhism by Jean Smith. | | | | overview -- and a refreshingly friendly one at that. |
| Smith knows that the best way to understand Zen is | | | | |