Holy Toledo!
Being ignorant of the details of most eastern religions, when I saw this book in the free books boxes, I grabbed it. Surfing the web revealed that D. T. Suzuki is credited with introducing Zen Buddhism to the West. But I think the book is obtuse and confusing. It pre-supposes that the reader already has an awareness of the terms and basic practices of Zen Buddhism, and seeks to justify those premises. I have about as much knowledge of Zen as I do of tungsten steel manufacture. That is to say, zilcho. So this was not really a good introduction.
Additionally, what I can gather from the text tells me that Zen Buddhism is illogical metaphysics. I like the idea that in Zen, judgment is based on personal experience (according to the book). But when a religion cavalierly discards logic, insisting that dualism
is an anathema to higher consciousness, I start rolling my eyes. I have a spade and I don’t have a spade. Whatever. I am not an unobserved cat in Schrödinger’s box. Some of the stuff on the web is critical of Suzuki, but mostly because they say he is too analytical. Frankly, I’d say it’s not enough. Zen Buddhism may be no worse than Catholic belief in the Trinity. If this sort of thing is actually a Zen belief, it’s as much poppycock as the Catholic belief though.
I thought Christopher Hitchens’ book needlessly ripped into some religions, but after reading this junk I can understand the impulse. Neither the writing nor the philosophy as described seem all that worthy. I could be wrong. There’s probably a good book out there that makes Zen make sense. This ain’t it.
Title: An introduction to Zen Buddhism
Author: D. T. Suzuki (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki) (鈴木 大拙)
Imprint / publisher: Black Cat / Grove Press
Format: Mass market paperback
Length: 132 p.
Publication date: 1914, 1934, 1954, 1961, 1964, 1970-something (actual publication date is unclear)
ISBN-10: 0-394-17474-7
Subject: Zen Buddhism
Subject: Buddha and Buddhism — China
Subject: Monasticism and religious orders, Buddhist
LC classification: BL1430 .S78 1949
