Zen Is Right Here: Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki, Author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

These are short paragraphs of Shunryu Suzuki's encounters with people seeking his knowledge. A fast read that puts a smile on your face.

ZEN IS RIGHT HERE IS FUNNY AND PROFOUND AND JUST THE RIGHT LENGTH. IT BEARS READING OVER AND OVER AND THE QUOTES AND ENCOUNTERS GIVE THE REAL TEACHING OF ZEN BUDDHISM. THEY STICK EASILY IN THE MIND AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR USE WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM.

Dokusan usually refers to a private meeting between a student and the Zen master. "Zen Is Right Here" gave me the feeling that I was in dokusan with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. This is a wonderful collection of teaching stories and anecdotes that need no embellishment. They are short and sweet and to the point. Much like good haiku. A brief example: A student asked in dokusan, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" Suzuki Roshi answered, "It doesn't matter." This is a delightful book that I will read again and again. I keep it on my night table. Indeed, Zen is right here!

If you already own To Shine One Corner of the World, this is the same book. This wonderful glimpse of the wisdom of Shunryu Suzuki is a collection of short stories and responses to questions, as retold by his students. Reading this book made me think I would have liked Suzuki as a teacher. He had the ability to get right to the point in a humorous way. You can feel his compassion and empathy for his student's questions in his responses.