Discovering the True Self

Praise for The Grass Flute Zen Master A lovely book and all credit to the author for writing it. -Diana St Ruth, author of Experience Beyond Thinking: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation A beautiful book about a beautiful subject, the life and music of the Grass Flute Master, Sodo Yokoyama. Like Braverman's other books, this one is bound to be a Zen classic for its sensitive exploration of the interior life of an inscrutable subject. -Richard Collins, author of No Fear Zen Praise for A Quiet Room I applaud Braverman's efforts to bring the Masters to life in the Western heart. -NAPRA Review Praise for Warrior of Zen Zen has often been saddled with the belief that only quiet contemplation and inactivity can lead the practitioner to enlightenment. This work is a welcome counterpoint to this belief. Suzuki Shosan, a samurai warrior under the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, became a Zen monk and brought to Zen an active philosophy. He believed that a warrior's life was well suited to Zen because both demanded vitality, active belief, courage, and what he called death energy -the readiness to confront death at any moment. This book contains selections of the Roankyo, talks given by Suzuki Shosan to his students. The editor/translator does a good job of maintaining the colloquial atmosphere of the original text; he allows the teachings to speak for themselves. This book is a good introduction for the English-reading world to a long-neglected variation of Zen philosophy. Recommended for both public and academic libraries. -Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu Praise for Mud and Water Bassui was one of Japanese Zen's most original, dynamic and accessible teachers. Braverman has given us a sparkling translation that fully captures Bassui's unique vigor and insight and throws new light on an often neglected period of Zen's history. -Peter Haskel, author of Bankei Zen How wonderful! Not only the words of Zen Master Bassui, but also his marrow. Wherever you go in this precious book you will find your life. -Joan Halifax Roshi, Head Teacher, Upaya Zen Center Bassui's standard of enlightenment is awe inspiring! For over 30 years of our own practice Bassui's talks have inspired us. No matter how often we read him, his teaching is always fresh and alive. No matter how far into the bottomless well of wisdom we go, Bassui is there coaxing us deeper. -Zen teachers Chozen and Hogen Bays, co-abbots of Great Vow Zen Monastery Step in anywhere and you sink deeper and deeper through the rich mud. Thank you, Arthur Braverman, for introducing us so graciously. -Robert Aitken This work fully displays the engaging teaching style of Bassui, an important medieval Japanese master. With his independent spirit and dedication to Buddha nature, Bassui managed to bridge and include several prominent strands of Zen and Japanese Buddhism. His teachings demonstrate persistent study of true self, right in the mud of phenomena. He drinks the water of diverse Dharma teachings, helpfully elucidating their metaphors for us. -Taigen Dan Leighton, author of Just This Is It