Brad Warner does his best to make you not like him. He appears egotistical, critical, snarky, and worse. The thing is he knows this and I think he does it on purpose. He never lets the reader fool themselves into thinking that he is better then them, and gives important teachings through this. The whole theme of the book is that no teacher is the collection of ideals that we project upon them. That they are also just...
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One question I've often wondered about is how someone who deeply practices Zen but doesn't live in a monastery deals with the problems of everyday life. Leaving aside mostly irrelevant questions of whether or not one is "enlightenment" etc., what does it mean to be a Zen practitioner facing with the death of your mother? Or the dissolution of your marriage? What does it mean, really, to be free from attachment while your...
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This book clears out many old assumptions about how a good Buddhist practitioner should live his/her life. If you want somebody to tell you how, don't read this book. If you want to find an answer yourself, than maybe you can give it a try. It's a fun book to read, and it's about real life, with its moments of joy and sadness. Overall, I strongly recommend this title, both as a good reading and as an antidote to the unfortunately...
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Brad Warner may be unconventional (whatever that means), but his zen is about as straight-up Dogen as you're likely to find. I for one enjoy my dharma with some chocolate sprinkles!
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Brad has certainly made Soto Zen approachable for a new, younger, generation. I thought his second book came across as "Angry in Akron" but this one reveals Brads willingness to just candidly report what happened and how he dealt with it - from an often Zen (in your face) prospective. Life is sometimes suffering - fact. I happened to be very pleased with Brad - not because he writes to my generation (which he does not) but...
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