Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen

by Bernie Glassman

Book Overview

This introduction to Zen teachings is a "watershed book for Zen students, a good study companion and a trustworthy guide" (Norman Fischer, author of The World Could Be Otherwise)

In Infinite Circle, one of America's most distinctive Zen teachers takes a back-to-basics approach to Zen. Glassman illuminates three key teachings of Zen Buddhism, offering line-by-line commentary in clear, direct language:

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590300793
• ISBN13: 9781590300794
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Each Reading A New Reward

Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen by Bernie GlassmanThis amazing little book is anything but little. It invites us into a world both familiar and inconceivable, and points to a practice which makes a difference in the world around us as well as within. Starting with the Heart Sutra, Roshi Bernie takes us into the relative realities we encounter moment by moment to the absolute oneness of life. Next, his commentary on The Identity of Relative and Absolute, presents the inseparability of the two seemingly opposite domains, and the implications of that . Finally, examining the Bodhisattva Precepts, he opens the aspects of the life of zazen in the everyday world. A wonderful wellspring to return to over and over again. Each reading a new reward.

Heart sutra explained

Any Zen student could benfit from reading Bernie's analysis of the heart sutra, which is the subject of the first half of this book. Bernie throughly analyzes the sutra somtimes going as far as to analyze every syllable of a word. This may seem like it could be very dull. 70 or so pages of analysis on a 24 line sutra might seem a bit excessive, but Bernie some how keeps it interesting. Considering the importance of the heart sutra in Zen practice it seems to me this book should probably be considered for required reading for all beginning Zen students. All of that withstanding there is still the second half of the book in which bernie offers more of the same insights on the identity of relative and absolute and the bodhisattva precepts. This is good stuff and a pretty easy read so I'd highly recommend it.

Tetsugen spells it all out

Bernie Glassman is one of the greatest American Zen teachers. In this book, he goes deeply into some core teachings of Zen. He starts with the Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra). When I started attending a Zen temple, the nightly chanting of this sutra always confused me, but Glassman's line-by-line analysis shows how this sutra contains great wisdom, and makes understanding clearer.His analysis of the precepts has been the most helpful to me. He explains the various ways of interpreting each precept, and demonstrates the need for balance. For instance, one of the precepts is non-killing. Some sects of Buddhism extend this to not killing insects and micro-organisms. Glassman explains that to understand this precept, we need not follow it to this level, but we must be aware of it, and try to cause less damage. The precepts, on some level, are an admonition to try our best, and Glassman's discussion will help us to be peacemakers in each moment of our lives.