Re-reading ( )

Don't know! ( )

There is so much to this book that it's hard to know how to accurately sum it up. Sahn casts his net wide: Hinayana, Mahayana, and finally Korean Zen. Like many books on the subject, "Compass" consists primarily of verbal talks given by its author which were later transcribed and edited into text format. His compilers have gone to great pains to transcribe the text accurately, right down to Sahn's laughter and even physical actions. You might think that this would be distracting, but it isn't; in fact, it adds a great deal to the text. I was surprised by how many kong-an Sahn actually explains during the course of the book (although it should be mentioned that knowing the explanation and knowing what the koan means do not go hand in hand). I found Sahn's insistance on and discussion of the mechanics of reincarnation somewhat dubious, but overall, this is one solid text, and I recommend it, especially because I can't do it justice here.

Seung Sahn gives a wonderful overview of Buddhism, and Zen. He was a mainstay in the Korean tradition (where I do most of my practicing) but treats other traditions fairly. This book is very readable, and while you cannot take the mystery out of Zen, he makes it as intelligible as it possibly can be. ( )