It's rare that I can't get through a book, but this one was just too lacking in any thoughtful vantage points. It's a series of letters between a Zen master and his students. There are countless stories but no story line. They mostly involve a student asking a question and a Zen master giving either a threat or confusing reply. There are also lessons like "The rocks in the stream and the tiles on the roof understand true emptiness" (so why don't you?). And there are some explanations about the nature of Zen masters. They could perform miracles of course, but they don't because that would remove peoples' opportunity for true understanding. I can only conclude people deem this content deep because it's novel and it gives open-ended scenario to contemplate and interpret. I found enough emptiness to last me for a while. ( )

Zen Master Seung Sahn is the founder of the Kwan Um School of Zen, the order to which my temple, Mountain Spirit Center, belongs. So I thought I should read some of his teachings.

Now, the thing is, I ended up a Zen Buddhist because that was what was available to me. I'm very lucky to have a temple to go to at all out here in the middle of nowhere. I love my temple, and I enjoy the weekly practice: the chanting, the bowing, the meditation, the delicious vegetarian lunches. But when it comes to Zen philosophy—well, that kind of breaks my brain.

One of the big reasons that Buddhism appeals to me is that it is not a faith-based religion. Buddhism is logical and based in the real world. Its teachings are explained step-by-step in a way that is supposed to make sense. The Buddha himself said, "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." I like that in a religion.

And then you get to Zen. Zen is not so much about logical thought. Zen is about not-thinking, not-knowing, about doing and experiencing. Zen tells you that understanding cannot be reached through words, only through practice. So... reading books about Zen can become an exercise in frustration.

For example, in response to a student's question, Zen Master Seung Sahn replies, "You asked why I use words to teach, if understanding through words is impossible. Words are not necessary. But they are very necessary. If you are attached to words, you cannot return to your true self. If you are not attached to words, soon you will attain enlightenment. So if you are thinking, words are very bad. But if you are not thinking, all words and all things that you can see or hear or smell or taste or touch will help you. So it is very important for you to cut off your thinking and your attachment to words."

"Here is a poem for you:

"Buddha said all things have Buddha-nature.
Jo-ju said the dog has no Buddha-nature.
Which one is correct?
If you open your mouth, you fall into hell.
Why?
KATZ!!!
Clouds float up into the sky.
Rain falls down to the ground."

... Yeah.

When I first started reading this book months ago, I kept waiting for things to make sense, for the questions to have answers, and I got very confused and frustrated, and I put it aside. When I picked it up again, I found that I was starting to get it, a little bit, and when I didn't, I was more amused than frustrated by the whole thing. I expect that's an improvement. ( )

Seung Sahn is unorthodox, even from a Zen perspective, but his teachings stand the test of time. Reading this book is like eating a fireball. There is truth here, but you will only find it in yourself. ( )

“Somebody comes into the Zen center with a lighted cigarette, walks up to the Buddha statue, blows smoke in its face, and drops ashes on its lap. You are standing there. What can you do?” This is a problem that Zen Master Seung Sahn is fond of posing to his American students who attend his Zen centers. Dropping Ashes on the Buddha is a delightful, irreverent, and often hilariously funny living record of the dialogue between Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn and his American students. Consisting of dialogues, stories, formal Zen interviews, Dharma speeches, and letters using the Zen Master’s actual words in spontaneous, living interaction with his students, this book is a fresh presentation of the Zen teaching method of “instant dialogue” between Master and student which, through the use of astonishment and paradox, leads to an understanding of ultimate reality.