Paperback. Cream cover with title and mountain image on front board.

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‘Suzuki’s works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism’ Carl Jung

Essays in Zen Buddhism was the first book to fully introduce Zen in the West. In it, Dr D.T. Suzuki outlines the origins of Zen as a unique Chinese interpretation of the Doctrine of Enlightenment with the aim of attaining Satori (‘Sudden Enlightenment’). He describes how Satori can be achieved and the methods that can bring it about – but always stresses that Zen has to be a way of life that can cope with the demands and frustrations of everyday life.

Exploring the history of Buddhism, the daily life of a Zen monk and the path to enlightenment, Essays in Zen Buddhism offers an understanding of Zen not as a religion but as a way of perceiving, acting and being. It is both a classic introduction to Zen and a foundation for living a fulfilled life.

After reaching enlightenment at the age of 27, Dr Suzuki spent the next 65 years writing about Buddhism and teaching in universities in Europe and the US. Widely regarded as the twentieth century’s leading authority on Buddhism, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963.

Review: I’ve long been an admirer of Suzuki, as was the Christian monk Thomas Merton who spoke of him as a brother. The very first essay here was particularly good, linking as it does a deep knowledge of the fundamentals of Theravada scripture with the development of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. For this alone the book is well worth buying. Suzuki is well versed in Western thought.