Product Description

This text explains what Zen is and how you can experience it irrespective of your religious beliefs. It explains the history of Zen systematically, tracing its Indian origins through Chinese flowering to its spread to Japan and Vietnam. Drawing upon the fundamental teaching of Hui Neng's "Platform Sutra", considered by many to be the "bible" of Zen Buddhism, Wong Kiew Kit explains the philosophy and principles that lie behind Zen practice. In addition to explaining the history and theories of Zen, there are practical exercises to improve physical and mental well-being.

Product Details

• Published on: 2001-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 324 pages

Ingram
The only book available in the West which clearly explains the philosophy, principles, and practice of Zen, "The Complete Book of Zen" draws upon the fundamental teaching of Hui Neng's Platform Sutra, considered by many to be the "bible" of Zen Buddhism.

Customer Reviews

bad...just plain bad
this book is awful. He says the same stuff over and over. The author, supposedly a shaolin grandmaster (I doubt it), wastes your time by slamming every other authority on Zen. He clearly has an ego problem. Not sure how a "shao lin grandmaster" and Zen expert could think this way. And, after slamming everyone else's opinion, he rarely offers his own view in a clear concise manner. He tries to hide his lack of knowledge by reciting "encyclopaedia style" history for over the first 1/2 of the book. Then, to torture you further, he keeps repeating the same history over and over, every chance he gets, for the 2nd half of the book. So frustrating. I learned nothing after reading the book twice. I could go on and on about all the flaws of this book but I can simply tell you that you won't feel good after you read it. It is the worst book on Zen I have ever read and I have read dozens.

Magical thinking
The authors main purpose in tracing the history of Zen seems to be to justify the Shaolin temple.

There is also a fair amount of what I would characterize as magical thinking, especially the belief that through kung fu exercises and zen meditation one can acquire supernatural powers and cure disease.

For example, on page 23 he says "With Zen cultivation, psychic powers like telepathy, clairvoyance and astral travel may be developed."

But apparently the techniques don't help much with skepticism, rational thought, or the development of objective and reproducible testing conditions to measure the validity of such a claim.

On page 25: "I myself have successfully employed these principles, together with the relevant exercises, to help cure many patients of their so-called incurable diseases, including cancer."

Western medicine certainly falls down when attempting to classify and manage certain types of disease that don't fit the allopathic model well. But the idea that disease occurs, as WKK suggests, from a failure to reach one's spiritual potential puts an element of blame on the patient that is inappropriate. Also inappropriate is the false hope given to (and in some cases the money taken from) patients faced with terminal illness looking for a way to hang on to life.

It's not all bad. The second half of the book offers a lot of practical instruction. And to his credit, WKK stresses the purpose of all of this is to improve our experience of reality rather than wait for an afterlife.

Simply Excellent
I've read the Hebrew translation, and it was absolutley splendid. After several vague books of Zen and Budhism, it was throughly eye-opening to follow Master WWK, as he leads readers through the basics of both, carefully detailing Zen from basic principles to more elaborate questions, and never leaving your hand.

You know those rare thrills you get out of learning something that really means something? This is it. If you want to understand Zen, that's the one book you should begin with.