A review by rosereads7
An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki

3.0

"An ethical man performs acts of service which are praiseworthy, but he is all the time conscious of them, and, moreover, he may often be thinking of some future reward. Hence we should say that his mind is tainted and not at all pure, however objectively or socially good his deeds are. Zen abhors this. Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting; there ought not to be any trace of effort or painful feeling. Life, according to Zen, ought to be lived as a bird flies through the air or as a fish swims in the water. As soon as there are signs of elaboration, a man is doomed, he is no more a free being. You are not living as you ought to live, you are suffering under the tyranny of circumstances; you are feeling a constraint of some sort, and you lose your independence. Zen aims at preserving your vitality, your native freedom, and above all the completeness of your being. In other words, Zen wants to live from within. Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one’s own rules.” - D.T. Suzuki

“Zen thinks we are too much slaves to words and logic. So long as we remain thus fettered we are miserable and go through untold suffering. But if we want to see something really worth knowing, that is conducive to our spiritual happiness, we must endeavor once and for all to free ourselves from all conditions; we must see if we cannot gain a new point of view from which the world can be surveyed in its wholeness and life comprehended inwardly.” – D.T. Suzuki

“Unless, it grows out of yourself no knowledge is really yours, it is only a borrowed plumage.” – D.T. Suzuki

“The desire to possess is considered by Buddhism to be one of the worst passions with which mortals are apt to be obsessed. What, in fact, causes so much misery in the world is the universal impulse of acquisition. As power is desired, the strong always tyrannize over the weak; as wealth is coveted, the rich and poor are always crossing swords of bitter enmity. International wars rage, social unrest ever increases, unless this impulse to get and to hold is completely uprooted.” – D.T. Suzuki

This book is flawed from the start; it attempts to explain Zen Buddhism from a scholarly perspective and in doing so contradicts the very nature of Zen entirely. Suzuki is fully aware of this conundrum and points it out repeatedly, which makes for a somewhat awkward read. But since we crave for some kind of written explanation of what Zen is, this book does a pretty good job in laying down the foundation. His writing is concise and he provides many anecdotes and koans throughout the text. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn’t just read Zen Flesh, Zen Bones—a collection of primary Zen sources. What I liked about Zen Flesh, Zen Bones is that it didn’t seem academic, rather you could read the stories and derive your own meaning or interpretation versus having it explained to you. It was a more enjoyable read and closer to the Zen spirit. However, I would recommend reading Suzuki’s An Introduction to Zen Buddhism if you want a more direct, intellectual understanding of the basic precepts of Zen Buddhism.