Zen Mind Beginner's Mind Summary
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Suzuki Roshi is an important text of the modern Soto Zen tradition. Having previously read many of the classic Koans of the tradition, on first encountering Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, I found it to be, by comparison, less concise or poetic.
Nonetheless it contains a treasure trove of wisdom, and it seems to me to be designed specifically for people like me -- Americans living in California who had little to no exposure to Zen in their upbringing and who are seeking its benefits, and the cultural context in which to receive them.
As I worked my way through the text I felt the desire to summarize or condense this collection of lectures into a concise poetic expression of the words of Suzuki Roshi. The following documents comprise that summary. I am sharing it in case others might like to use it to enhance their own Zen study.
It can be read from beginning to end, or taken in parts. One may also bring a portion of the summary to their meditation practice, similar to how a koan might be used to enhance one's practice. The words of the summary are the words of Suzuki Roshi, somewhat rearranged and only slightly edited.
This summary could be considered the "third derivative" of Suzuki Roshi's words, as it is the result of three successive passes of editing, where unnecessary text was removed, and the remaining text was reduced. If you find this summary of use I'd appreciate it if you would let me know. Thanks, and enjoy!
Subtitle
Seeking wisdom is wisdom
Chapters
