Sweet Zen: Dharma Talks from Cheri Huber

My experience with this book is that it presents the Core Teaching of the Soto Zen tradition in a clear and forthright manner. This is the book I give to folks that ask me "What is Zen all about?". If you get no other book on Zen, get this one; if you are going to delve into Zen, read this one first.

-------------------- ABOUT THE BOOK: -------------------- This book is a wonderful collection of (very) short [1-3 pages, each] "lessons" about the experience of the Soto Zen Buddhism path. Buddhism as in inspired by that guy, the Buddha; Zen as in the japanese flavor of this religion; and Soto as in the one of the two Zen schools of japanese buddhism. Each "lesson" is Cheri talking about the experience of seeing and living life through the Zen lense. One could say that the reader is left with a sense that this "religion" is more of a way of life than a religion. There are no beliefs; nothing to achieve; nothing to attain; nothing to fell guilty for. So, what is it? Exactly! And this book does a brilliant job of sketching a description of the answer. ---------------------------------------------------- HOW I USE THIS BOOK (AND WHAT I GET OUT OF IT): ---------------------------------------------------- I use this book as an integral part of my own sitting practice. I will sit for a few minutes, relaxing, watching my breath. Then, I'll pick this book up and start with the next essay. I take a breath and read for as far as that breath will take me. Then I pause and allow the words to flow over my heart as I take in the next breath. I chew these dharma talks. Once I finish that essay, I set the book down and complete my sitting meditation. I find that doing this is beneficial in many ways. First and foremost, just being around someone who points at reality and does so in an accessible way seems to massage my consciousness so that I'm more likely to come to center (i.e. a state of consciousness where I experience peace, sometimes bliss, and just a general good feeling). Second, I learn little tidbits about Buddhism. Before I read this book, I knew there were two schools of Zen, but didn't understand the difference between the two. Now, I have a better idea. I have come to see bits of the words attributed to the Buddha himself. In short, I learned a little bit more about Buddhism, in general. Finally, and really most valuable to me, there are precious drops of wisdom (dharma?!) contained within. I have had the repeated experience of making the peaceful, loving choice...often encouraged by these wisdoms. ------------------------ A CONCRETE EXAMPLE: ------------------------ How about a concrete example? :) A four page talk entitled "decisions" (pp. 140-3). In a nutshell, it is about seeing the difference between "noodling" and "awareness arising". In the first paragraph, the teacher says, "I would encourage you to look for it, because I am strongly suggesting that there is a difference -- and that difference is the source of suffering in life." Noodling is the mind muling over the options. Do I want this job or that job? Do I want this car or that car? Should I tell him that secret or keep it to myself? What are the pros and cons? Awareness arising is the subtle appearance of intelligence in the form of a soft but solid

"To me," Cheri Huber says, "Zen practice means going up against every way in which you are stuck in an identity as a separate self" (p. 177). Her SWEET ZEN is a 200-page collection of "dharma talks" delivered at retreats between 1996-1998. Only by interrupting our "inner drama" (p. 145) and "untying the knots" (p. 108) in our lives, Huber says, and "only through seeing life as it is, accepting and embracing it in compassion, are we freed from suffering" (p. 117).Huber teaches from the cushion with wisdom and clarity, encouraging us to see life as a "series of learning opportunities perfectly matched to what we need to find out" (p. 126). "We are one another's best spiritual opportunities" (p. 42). "Living from the heart," Huber observes, "there are no guarantees, no certainty--only moment-to-moment freedom" (p. 144).Huber's teachings will move you with compassion to turn inward. "When life gets rough enough," she says, "and you turn to your book and your cup of coffee and your phone calls and find they do not sustain you, then you realize that you have nothing to turn to. As in any relationship, if you have not put time and energy and effort into your spiritual practice, you cannot expect it to support you when you need it. You must work on that relationship when you do not need it . . . What will sustain you is your spiritual practice" (p. 184). Turning inward to find compassion, and "making that turn again and again develops a faith that is based on experience . . . a deep knowing from our life experience that everything that happens is our best opportunity to awaken and to end suffering" (p. 17).Huber's collection of trusted teachings will appeal to anyone interested in Zen meditation practice. Although I read it in a single sitting, I recommend savoring SWEET ZEN slowly.G. Merritt

Sweet Zen: Dharma Talks From Cheri Huber is an impressive compendium of clear and inspiring teachings showcasing Zen Buddhist approaches to spiritual practices. Trained in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism, Cheri Huber has taught meditation for more than twenty years, leading retreats around the country and authoring a number of books on Buddhism. An articulate and inspiring rebuttal to the notion that deprivation is good for the soul or that to be spiritual one must give up the things of the world for the sake of some imagined ideal of purity, Sweet Zen is a truly enlightened and enlightening invitation to participate fully and joyfully in life. Also highly recommended are Cheri Huber's early works: Suffering Is Optional: Three Keys To Joy and Freedom, and How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be.

Sweet Zen is an impressive compendium of clear and inspiring teachings showcasing Zen Buddhist approaches to spiritual practice. Trained in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism, Cheri Huber has taught meditation for more than 20 years. An articulate and inspiring rebuttal to the notion that deprivation is good for the soul or that to be spiritual one must give up the things of the world for the sake of some imagined ideal of purity, Sweet Zen is a truly enlightened and enlightening invitation to participate fully and joyfully in life.