SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Thank You and Ok!

An American Zen Failure in Japan

David Chadwick

$49.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Shambhala Publications Inc
15 July 2007
An American Zen Failure in Japan- The account of an American disciple's experiences inside and outside a Zen monastery.

David Chadwick began his Zen study under the legendary Japanese master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. Much later, Suzuki Roshi's successor said of Chadwick- 'Years of expensive Zen training gone to waste.' In 1988 Chadwick flew to Japan to begin a four-year period of voluntary exile and remedial education. In THANK YOU AND OKAY! he recounts his experiences both inside and outside the monastery and offers insightful portraits of the characters he encountered - the bickering monks, the patient abbot, the ominous insects, the bewildered bureaucrats, and his idiosyncratic fellow students - as they worked inexorably toward initiating him into the mysterious ways of Japan. No one interested in Zen Buddhism, Japan, or the workings of human nature will soon forget Chadwick's tale.
By:  
Imprint:   Shambhala Publications Inc
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 142mm,  Spine: 30mm
Weight:   558g
ISBN:   9781590304709
ISBN 10:   1590304705
Pages:   480
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

David Chadwick, a Texas-raised wanderer, college dropout, bumbling social activist, and hobbyhorse musician, began his Zen study under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. Chadwick now lives in Northern California where he reads, writes, walks, and continues to dabble in Buddhism and related matters.

Reviews for Thank You and Ok!: An American Zen Failure in Japan

Hats off to Chadwick. . . . His writer's skill is evident in everything from skin-crawling descriptions of mukade (dreaded scorpion-like insects) to a benevolent look at takuhatsu, formal monks' begging. -- Publishers Weekly Written down with good humor and keen observations. . . . This book is not a serious examination of Zen Buddhist practices nor a major study of East-West relations but a rollicking, anecdotal mishmash of incidents about the foibles of monks, abbots, ' housewives, ' and fellow students of the author' s. Read with this understanding, this book is good entertainment. -- Library Journal Vivid, lighthearted, and unself-consciously profound. -- Kirkus Reviews Hats off to Chadwick. . . . His writer's skill is evident in everything from skin-crawling descriptions of mukade (dreaded scorpion-like insects) to a benevolent look at takuhatsu, formal monks' begging. --Publishers Weekly Written down with good humor and keen observations. . . . This book is not a serious examination of Zen Buddhist practices nor a major study of East-West relations but a rollicking, anecdotal mishmash of incidents about the foibles of monks, abbots, 'housewives, ' and fellow students of the author's. Read with this understanding, this book is good entertainment. --Library Journal Vivid, lighthearted, and unself-consciously profound. --Kirkus Reviews The Catch-22 of Zen. --Daniel Leighton, author of Faces of Compassion Asked why Zen was brought from India to China, master Zhao Zhou replied, 'The oak tree in the garden.' This is exactly what Chadwick gives us here--no grand sweeping statements about the 'real' nature of Zen or Japan--just specific experience rendered with a peculiar intensity that lingers in your memory. The writing is excellent. The artistic integrity is the very finest. --Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Totally delightful--fantastic couch potato Zen. Chadwick saves you the trouble of going to Japan by making all the mistakes for you. --Jack Kornfield Hats off to Chadwick. . . . His writer's skill is evident in everything from skin-crawling descriptions of mukade (dreaded scorpion-like insects) to a benevolent look at takuhatsu, formal monks' begging. - Publishers Weekly Written down with good humor and keen observations. . . . This book is not a serious examination of Zen Buddhist practices nor a major study of East-West relations but a rollicking, anecdotal mishmash of incidents about the foibles of monks, abbots, 'housewives,' and fellow students of the author's. Read with this understanding, this book is good entertainment. - Library Journal Vivid, lighthearted, and unself-consciously profound. - Kirkus Reviews The Catch-22 of Zen. -Daniel Leighton, author of Faces of Compassion Asked why Zen was brought from India to China, master Zhao Zhou replied, 'The oak tree in the garden.' This is exac


See Also