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A review by reubenisanchez
Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn by Stephen Mitchell
2.0
There is a lot of stick-wacking, 3lbs of flax, and cats.
Unfortunately from the get-go, the overall vibe of the individual is tainted by his "rules for thee but not for me" approach. He claimed to be abstinent, but upon discovery, it was found that he had sexual relations with some of his students. His subsequent apology suggested that he did not want that information known. Not out of privacy but seemingly out of embarrassment.
This is similar to other Eastern-esque teachers such as Chogyam Trungpa or Krishnamurti, they didn't practice what they preached either. I don't believe these men were awful, they were very wonderful people in many other regards, but at least Alan Watts kept his skeletons out in the open rather than in the closet.
Generally, there are still valuable insights to glean. Unfortunately, the media format of this fellow human does not translate well to the written word. Phrases are often repeated, suitable for internal memorization but less effective for the reader who encounters multiple stories sharing the same structure, koans, and lessons.
One thing that annoyed me was that the students constantly screeching "KATZ" never seemed to show a sense of true understanding; it felt like imitation. They appeared to say what the teacher wanted to hear, which often involved strange or pre-fabricated answers lacking cognitive effort—an echo chamber.
Telling everyone the answer to a difficult math question does no good without the preceding steps or the process through which enlightenment was achieved. Seuyung Song does not remedy this in his book; no clear answer or steps are provided. While he has seen the top of the mountain and is eager to share insights, how to get there or see it for yourself is nowhere to be found.
I'm certain he made more sense in person and speech. I've read plenty about teachers who spoke with profundity but only had a basic grasp of the English language. Therefore, while his teachings may be repetitive, simple, and unclear in the written word, I imagine he was quite the character to be around physically, and these ‘issues’ were not issues at all in daily teaching. In the end, unfortunately, his wisdom and knowledge were lost on me within the pages.
Written and revised by myself along with a peer review by ChatGPT.
Unfortunately from the get-go, the overall vibe of the individual is tainted by his "rules for thee but not for me" approach. He claimed to be abstinent, but upon discovery, it was found that he had sexual relations with some of his students. His subsequent apology suggested that he did not want that information known. Not out of privacy but seemingly out of embarrassment.
This is similar to other Eastern-esque teachers such as Chogyam Trungpa or Krishnamurti, they didn't practice what they preached either. I don't believe these men were awful, they were very wonderful people in many other regards, but at least Alan Watts kept his skeletons out in the open rather than in the closet.
Generally, there are still valuable insights to glean. Unfortunately, the media format of this fellow human does not translate well to the written word. Phrases are often repeated, suitable for internal memorization but less effective for the reader who encounters multiple stories sharing the same structure, koans, and lessons.
One thing that annoyed me was that the students constantly screeching "KATZ" never seemed to show a sense of true understanding; it felt like imitation. They appeared to say what the teacher wanted to hear, which often involved strange or pre-fabricated answers lacking cognitive effort—an echo chamber.
Telling everyone the answer to a difficult math question does no good without the preceding steps or the process through which enlightenment was achieved. Seuyung Song does not remedy this in his book; no clear answer or steps are provided. While he has seen the top of the mountain and is eager to share insights, how to get there or see it for yourself is nowhere to be found.
I'm certain he made more sense in person and speech. I've read plenty about teachers who spoke with profundity but only had a basic grasp of the English language. Therefore, while his teachings may be repetitive, simple, and unclear in the written word, I imagine he was quite the character to be around physically, and these ‘issues’ were not issues at all in daily teaching. In the end, unfortunately, his wisdom and knowledge were lost on me within the pages.
Written and revised by myself along with a peer review by ChatGPT.