Reviews
Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn by Stephen Mitchell, Seung Sahn
louisianasmith's review against another edition
medium-paced
1.0
The best thing about this book was the title . Otherwise it was just boring zen cliches already presented numerous times in better books . Burn it and you’ll have some ashes to drop on yourself .
alex_ellermann's review against another edition
1.0
'Dropping Ashes on the Buddha' came highly recommended, but left me deeply disappointed.
The book, a collection of letters and talks, is supposed to impart the wisdom of Zen Master Seung Sahn, a Korean Buddhist Zen master who divided his time between Massachuessets, Providence, and New York. Over the course of the book, however, I came to the conclusion that Seung Sahn was a fraud.
The Master attributes powers to Zen that simply don't exist, asserting that Zen masters can do things like fly and walk on water. He makes the practice of Zen, something as simple as water flowing in a brook, seem confusing and unapproachable. Basically, he's putting us on.
You see, a true master of any discipline can make the complex simple. It takes a poseur to make the simple complex, and Sueng adds to the complex by layering it with opacity and self-importance. The Western seeker after Zen would do better to study Thomas Merton's 'Zen and the Birds of Appetite.' Merton's book is approachable, readable, simple. As Zen is simple.
Yes, I'm aware that many contemporary thought leaders swear by 'Dropping Ashes on the Buddha.' But the emperor has no clothes.
The book, a collection of letters and talks, is supposed to impart the wisdom of Zen Master Seung Sahn, a Korean Buddhist Zen master who divided his time between Massachuessets, Providence, and New York. Over the course of the book, however, I came to the conclusion that Seung Sahn was a fraud.
The Master attributes powers to Zen that simply don't exist, asserting that Zen masters can do things like fly and walk on water. He makes the practice of Zen, something as simple as water flowing in a brook, seem confusing and unapproachable. Basically, he's putting us on.
You see, a true master of any discipline can make the complex simple. It takes a poseur to make the simple complex, and Sueng adds to the complex by layering it with opacity and self-importance. The Western seeker after Zen would do better to study Thomas Merton's 'Zen and the Birds of Appetite.' Merton's book is approachable, readable, simple. As Zen is simple.
Yes, I'm aware that many contemporary thought leaders swear by 'Dropping Ashes on the Buddha.' But the emperor has no clothes.
gameoftomes's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A hard one to rate, but still a successful book.
I have memory problems stemming from an autoimmune disorder, so the repetitive nature of the advice and anecdotes really helped me take it all in. If you are a reader where repetition takes you all the way out of a book, this isn’t for you. If you are more tolerant with that, then the topics discussed are worth the read.
The book is also funny, with such realness of humanity that it sparkles off the page. My main schema of a monk is through the portrayal of Catholicism (not being in the religion myself) so the grit, humor, and realness was such a relieving surprise. Considering what I learned about warrior nuns in eastern Asia in my brief time in king fu lessons, you’d think I wouldn’t have been surprised.
You’ll find a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between whatever religious background you have. This particular type of zen that Seung Sahn teaches is discussed as a speedier version of Japanese zen, but there is still years of learning in the examples shown. Stephen Mitchell filters down, and I wish we had a more direct Seung Sahn voice, not just the letters or lectures transcribed, but his commentary.
I really learned what I consider a better way of looking at the word, even if parts of it can occasionally be viewed as apathetic. My soul was touched, and while I probably won’t read through the whole thing again, especially as my medical treatments help my memory improve, I will definitely use it as a reference book to come back to certain sections of topics. 7/10 not for everyone but I enjoyed it.
I have memory problems stemming from an autoimmune disorder, so the repetitive nature of the advice and anecdotes really helped me take it all in. If you are a reader where repetition takes you all the way out of a book, this isn’t for you. If you are more tolerant with that, then the topics discussed are worth the read.
The book is also funny, with such realness of humanity that it sparkles off the page. My main schema of a monk is through the portrayal of Catholicism (not being in the religion myself) so the grit, humor, and realness was such a relieving surprise. Considering what I learned about warrior nuns in eastern Asia in my brief time in king fu lessons, you’d think I wouldn’t have been surprised.
You’ll find a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between whatever religious background you have. This particular type of zen that Seung Sahn teaches is discussed as a speedier version of Japanese zen, but there is still years of learning in the examples shown. Stephen Mitchell filters down, and I wish we had a more direct Seung Sahn voice, not just the letters or lectures transcribed, but his commentary.
I really learned what I consider a better way of looking at the word, even if parts of it can occasionally be viewed as apathetic. My soul was touched, and while I probably won’t read through the whole thing again, especially as my medical treatments help my memory improve, I will definitely use it as a reference book to come back to certain sections of topics. 7/10 not for everyone but I enjoyed it.
lisa_casey's review against another edition
2.0
Zen confuses and intrigues me. Interesting conversations and what is and is not. Perhaps it's all the same?
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