Zen Is Right Now

“Suzuki challenged [students] to open their minds and face the reality of death—while also making space for laughter and playfulness. He urged students to see the meaning present in everyday life, but to avoid getting attached to one’s thoughts, preferences, and even one’s practice. For Suzuki, the point of Buddhism was not so much about enlightenment, but about sharing in ‘the joy of practice’ and in learning how to ‘die well.’ Buddhist readers both new to or already familiar with Suzuki’s teaching will find disarming simplicity and great wisdom here.”—Publishers Weekly“A fresh and exciting collection of vignettes.”—Buddhistdoor Global“Extraordinary, thought-provoking, and highly recommended … Essential reading for all students and practitioners of Zen Buddhism.”—Midwest Book Review

SHUNRYU SUZUKI (1904-1971) was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century and is truly a founding father of Zen in America. A Japanese priest of the Soto lineage, he taught in the United States from 1959 until his death. He was the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center and the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is the author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness- Zen Talks on the Sandokai, and Zen Is Right Here- Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki, and he is the subject of the biography Crooked Cucumber by David Chadwick.

DAVID CHADWICK began his Zen study under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. Ordained as a Zen priest in 1971, he later wrote Suzuki’s biography, Crooked Cucumber, as well as Thank You and OK!- An American Zen Failure in Japan. With a great deal of help, Chadwick is poo-bah of Cuke Archives, preserving the legacy of Shunryu Suzuki and those whose paths crossed his–and anything else that comes to mind.

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