Daisetz T. Suzuki

Zen and Japanese Culture is a classic that has influenced generations of readers and played a major role in shaping conceptions of Zen’s influence on Japanese traditional arts. In simple and poetic language, Daisetz Suzuki describes Zen and its historical evolution. He connects Zen to the philosophy of the samurai, and subtly portrays the relationship between Zen and swordsmanship, haiku, tea ceremonies, and the Japanese love of nature. Suzuki uses anecdotes, poetry, and illustrations of silk screens, calligraphy, and architecture. The book features an introduction by Richard Jaffe that acquaints readers with Suzuki’s life and career and analyzes the book’s reception in light of contemporary criticism, especially by scholars of Japanese Buddhism. Zen and Japanese Culture is a valuable source for those wishing to understand Zen in the context of Japanese life and art, and remains one of the leading works on the subject.

Zen and Japanese Culture

Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki's The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk invites you to step inside the mysterious world of the Zendo, where monks live their lives in simplicity. This is perhaps the best introduction to Zen and the life of the Zen monk. By means of a direct and succinct description of the training that a Zen Buddhist monk undergoes, Dr. Suzuki has given us the most precise picture possible of Zen in life. The forty-three illustrations give a unique value to the book. The artist, Zenchu Sato has depicted here the record of his own experiences in going through all the disciplinary measures pertaining to the life of Zen. As author, Dr. Suzuki said, "Zen ought to be studied not only in its theoretical aspects, as a unique product of the Oriental mind, but in its practical aspect as it is to be seen in the Zendo life. This is the chief motive for my writing this book."

Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk

Shin is the uniquely Japanese flowering of the type of Buddhism known as "Pure Land." It originated in the thirteenth century with the charismatic and prophetic figure Shinran (1172–1263), whose interpretation of the traditional Pure Land teachings was extremely influential in his own lifetime and remain so today. In a period when Japanese Buddhism was dominated by an elitist monastic establishment, Shinran's Shin teaching became a way of liberation for all people, regardless of age, class, or gender. Although Shin is one of Japan's greatest religious contributions—and is still the most widely practiced form of Buddhism in Japan—it remains little known in the West. In this book, based on several lectures he gave in the 1950s, D. T. Suzuki illuminates the deep meaning of Shin and its rich archetypal imagery, providing a scholarly and affectionate introduction to this sometimes misunderstood tradition of Buddhist practice.

Daisetz T. Suzuki

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