Rating: 
Summary: A long-time favorite
Review: This book is a compilation of four books. They are 101 Zen Stories, The Gateless Gate, 10 Bulls, & Centering. If readers are avid readers about Zen, you would have come across some of the stories in 101 Zen Stories. Truth to be told, there is another book offering in cartoon version which conveyed the stories mentioned here & I find them more accessible. At times, after we read the stories, our initial reaction would be huh? It takes time & much persistency, or intervention by unexpected people or incidents that we suddenly get it. Anyhow, by continuously reading those materials that those ideals can be reinforced within our mental state of mind. The Gateless Gate is a rendition of popular koans and again, it's quite difficult to understand especially when you are reading this by yourself. Anyhow, it's wonderful to read. 10 Bulls story is quite self-explanatory about find our source, our original thinking. The last book about Centering is derived from ancient Sanskrit manuscripts of Shiva answering Devi about Centering in 112 ways. Sorry about my ignorance but I reckon it's about sitting & breathing: as it is. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I've Owned A Dozen Copies During The Past 30 Years!
Review: Zen Flesh, Zen Bones came into print in the 1950s, when I was a child. I first discovered it in 1970, when I was a young man. One of my secretaries lent me her copy, and I kept it for myself. I bought this edition last year, as a middle-aged fart. I figure I've owned at least a dozen copies over the years. Some have been gifts from friends. Others, I've purchased for myself. I stole only the first copy, because I didn't want to run up against any karmic Repeat Offender Rule. It's the kind of book that seems to "walk away". Someone will see you reading Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, and they'll ask to borrow it. That's the last you'll see of it. Guaranteed. I've read it many times, often in a single sitting. I still remember the first time I sat down with it, and how it gave me a shimmering look into a world I had known little about--Zen Buddhism. At times, I still get back my "Beginner's Mind" when I re-read one of those Zen stories that I now know almost by heart. I cannot explain the why of that. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones contains perfect jewels of ancient stories that provide insight about life, about the world. Most of them are a half page in length--perhaps 100 words. The neat thing about this particular edition is that it's very compact. You can slip into into your pocket, say, when you're going fishing or hiking. It's inexpensive, too. So you won't be out a lot of money when a friend asks to "borrow" a copy and "forgets" to give it back.
| 
