I was asked about the handful of books I thought addressed the thorny questions of how we live our lives written from a specificly Zen perspective. There are a few more, but the ones I find really, really interesting are:
Robert Aitken Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics
The first serious presentation of how we might engage our lives inspired by the Bodhisattva precepts of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Some readers criticize Aitken Roshi’s socialist perspective which does inform his commentary, but I find him a lovely writer and a compelling thinker. A wonderful book.
Reb Anderson Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts
The first time I read this book I didn’t like it. Then I found I needed to pull some quotes for something I was writing and was caught by Anderson Roshi’s genuine, humble commitment to an authentic path. I still twitch at his version of the first of the “pure precepts” given as “I vow to embrace and sustain forms and ceremonies.” While I know it is used in some schools, I have trouble seeing how it could possibly be derived from what I understand to be the source text. That said, this is a very good book, and I strongly recommend it.
Diane Eshin Rizzetto Waking Up to What You Do: A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation With Intelligence and Compassion
The latest of the books on this list. It’s practical and goes straight to the heart of the matter. If someone wanted to read only one of these books, this would be it.
Ken Jones The New Social Face of Buddhism: A Call to Action
Part of my ongoing concern is that our concerns with living our lives not be seen as essentially private. Jones shows us how to take this matter public. If some wanted to read only two of these books, this would be the second one on my list…
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