| Taking the Path of Zen Contributor(s): Aitken, Robert (Author) |
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ISBN: 0865470804 ISBN-13: 9780865470804 Publisher: North Point Press OUR PRICE: $14.40 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 1982 Annotation: There is a fine art to presenting complex ideas with simplicity and insight, in a manner that both guides and inspires. In "Taking the Path of Zen" Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. The foundation of Zen is the practice of zazen, or mediation, and Aitken Roshi insists that everything flows from the center. He discusses correct breathing, posture, routine, teacher-student relations, and koan study, as well as common problems and milestones encountered in the process. Throughout the book the author returns to zazen, offering further advice and more advanced techniques. The orientation extends to various religious attitudes and includes detailed discussions of the Three Treasures and the Ten Precepts of Zen Buddhism." " "Taking the Path of Zen will "serve as orientation and guide for anyone who is drawn to the ways of Zen, from the simply curious to the serious Zen student. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Buddhism - Zen (see Also Philosophy - Zen) - Philosophy |
| Dewey: 294.344 |
| LCCN: 82081475 |
| Series: Taking the Path of Zen Ppr |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.2" W x 7.6" (0.32 lbs) 176 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Buddhist |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: There is a fine art to presenting complex ideas with simplicity and insight, in a manner that both guides and inspires. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. The foundation of Zen is the practice of zazen, or mediation, and Aitken Roshi insists that everything flows from the center. He discusses correct breathing, posture, routine, teacher-student relations, and koan study, as well as common problems and milestones encountered in the process. Throughout the book the author returns to zazen, offering further advice and more advanced techniques. The orientation extends to various religious attitudes and includes detailed discussions of the Three Treasures and the Ten Precepts of Zen Buddhism.Taking the Path of Zen will serve as orientation and guide for anyone who is drawn to the ways of Zen, from the simply curious to the serious Zen student. |
Contributor Bio(s): Aitken, Robert: - Robert Aitken (1917-2010) was Roshi of the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu and the author of Taking the Path of Zen and The Mind of Clover. His introduction to Zen came in a Japanese prison camp during World War II, after he was captured as a civilian in Guam. R. H. Blyth, author of Zen in English Literature, was imprisoned in the same camp, and in this unlikely setting Aitken began the first of several important apprenticeships. After the war Aitken returned often to Japan to study. He became friends with D. T. Suzuki, and studied with Nagakawa Soen Roshi and Yasutani Hakuun Roshi. In 1959 Robert Aitken and his wife, Anne, established a Zen organization, the Diamond Sangha. Aitken was given the title "Roshi" and authorized to teach by Yamada Koun Roshi in 1974. |