This is an introduction to Buddhism written in a caring and loving style by Ayya Khema. It is laid out in 13 sections. These include sections on the 5 hindrances, the 4 kind of happiness, the 5 aggregates, the 10 virtues and last but not least the 4 noble truths. This is illustrative of the Buddhist vernacular, 3 of this and 42 of that and so on. Don’t hold this against Ayya. She does a wonder job of presenting the material. The part that moved me the most was Ayya’s treatment of the 5 hindrances. For those unfamiliar with them, here they are.

* Sensual Desire
* Ill Will
* Sloth and Torpor
* Restlessness and Worry
* Skeptical Doubt

This defines the work needed to build personal character. Ayya offers encouragement in all these area. For some reason, I could not connect with most of this book. It took me longer than expected to read. I can recommend this book to anyone interested in a serious look at the basics of Buddhism from a Theravada perspective. Theravada is one the three traditions or sects of Buddhism. Vajrayana and Mahayana, being the other two.

I have finished Janwillem van de Wetering’s trilogy about his Zen experiences. “The Empty Mirror” (about his experiences in Japan) and “A Glimpse of Nothingness” (about his experiences in the US) were both great. In the former book, I could identify with his struggles and it was fascinating to read about the monastic landscape of that time. In the latter book, I really got the message of how important it is to “do my best”. Jan-sen, as he was called, was given that admonition over and over by his Roshi. This is something I can apply to my life.

Jan-sen’s last book, “After Zen”, was a disappointment. His mood was cynical, bitter and defeated. He focused on the dysfunctional characters he met during his Zen practice. He continues to have great doubt but without the desire for the great insight and seems to have forgotten his Roshi telling him to do his best. If he wanted to show that the Zen community is made up of various characters, he didn’t have to do it in such a one-sided way. No doubt, Zen has its fair share of dysfunctional characters.

I hope I’m not too stuck in my own perceptions about the Zen experience. Too stuck in wanting it to be proper that I forget that we are people and people can be weird. Here “weird” is not negative or really judgmental, it just means deviated from the usual. I’m betraying my conventionality. Anyways, this last book is n my opinion too dark and I wouldn’t recommend it.

The Empty Mirror
By Janwillem van de Wetering
Published 1973

Jan-san, as he is called in the book, is a Dutchman who traveled to
Kyoto Japan via a circuitous route. Once there he set about as a
volunteer Zen student and compiled this book to chronicle his
adventures. He later became a writer of popular mystery novels but this
book and two others are biographical accounts of his Zen trainings and
adventures. This book was recommended to me as an example of Zen
literature applied to everyday life. The Empty Mirror is the first of
three books Jan-san wrote. The second was written in 1975, which I’m
reading know and the third was written many years later and is titled
After Zen. The title of that third book is quite provocative.

Jan-san creates through his writing a montage of Zen practice, the
monastery and the people in the monastery. The story is not sugar
coated, there are highs and a lot of lows. After reading this book and
going on a short Zen retreat, I can know see a little bit clearer the
reasons for the structure and group dynamics in the zendo. I can
recommend this book to anyone new to the formal practice of Zen in
America.

Below is the obligatory snippet from the book. Jan-san has a motor
scooter and is being chastised by the head monk because of his driving.

The scooter disturbed the head monk.
“Koan study,” he said, “leads to understanding that all things are
connected. All beings are bound to each other by strong invisible
threads. Anyone who has realized this truth will be careful, will try to
be aware of what he is doing. You aren’t.”
“No?” I asked politely.
“No,” the head monk said and looked at me discontentedly. “I saw you
turn a corner the other day and you didn’t hold out your hand. Because
of your carelessness a truck driver, who happened to be driving behind
you, got into trouble and had to drive his truck on the sidewalk where a
lady pushing her pram hit a director of a large trading company. The
man, who was in a bad mood already, fired an employee that day who might
have stayed on. That employee got drunk that night and killed a young
man who could have become a Zen master.”
“Come off it,” I said.
“Perhaps it will be better if you hold out your hand in future when you
turn a corner,” the head monk said.

And so the chapter “A Zen master will be murdered” ends. One feel the
Jan-san misses the lesson but it is a good one for me.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen Covey
First published in 1989