Scan barcode
A review by gameoftomes
Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn by Stephen Mitchell
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.