After reading enough books on Buddhism, Tao and Zen to thoroughly drive me nuts at times, it was nice to read a book about an almost average guy trying to live the way in an almost average world while continuing his practice one day at a time. It was a nice read with a bit of humor along with a lot of subtle, thought provoking ideas without the romanticizing of the Zen life. Life for me isn't about shaving my head, begging with a bowl and escaping the world into a monetary. It was nice to read a book from the other side of Zen, a modern view with the renegade style of some of the lesser glorified Zen masters. A good insightful read, it left me wanting more as opposed to being left bored by endless ritual descriptions and sutra quotes.

Just finished this great book. Two days pass, and I want to know more about this man. I tell my girlfriend to google him. As she was searching I started to ponder how old this guy must be. After all, he did write it in the 70's. I guess 70. Turns out he is 77. She continues to search on Wikipedia and says, "this can't be right, he just died two days ago." I was amazed. As I was finishing the last chapter, intriguingly named "Corpse" he was dying or had already passed. I hope he found the liberation he was looking for. Great read for someone interested in Zen, Buddhism or anyone on a search for the truth.

The pursuit of the unanswered koan continues in the zen experiences of van de Wetering. The book recounts linking up with his Zen mentor/nemesis "Peter" after a hiatus of 10 years. The author decides to leave Holland and join Peter at his zen community in New England so that the koan may be realized.

As in "The Empty Mirror" (see review), van de Wetering pursues the unlocking of his koan given him by the old master in Kyoto. And he eventually comes to an understanding:

"But when you find the koan's answer, as cryptic as the koan itself, the interpretation is still yours to find out. You may even go along a way which the master doesn't approve of, and he may terminate your training. But your insight will still be right and properly acknowledged".

After his insight, the author returns to his Amsterdam routines, changed and yet not changed. With humor and honesty, one man has chronicled his struggles on the path to enlightenment for us - the first step in liberation.

Highly recommended, as this is a seriously humorous book.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

The author resumes his search for the meaning of life in an American Zen commune. Less fumbling compared to his experience in "The Empty Mirror". One could almost sese the author has gained some insight. What this insight is, is not quite clear ~ as it should be. The master will pour you tea, but where is your cup?!

I picked this book up in a college town's bookstore while visiting my sister. Sometimes I will just pick up a handful of books in the Eastern Philosophy section, and see what I get when I take off my blindfold. On the car ride home I was unsure while glancing over it if I was going to like this one or not. The back speaks of "...Zen sages who were alcoholics, the two natured personality of Zen Masters who enjoy sex and cowboy movies..."-I personally found this description of the contents after having read it, frankly completely off base.

This book is about a Zen student's adventures from Japan, back to Amsterdam, to the United States-where this book takes place for the most part. It could be any Zen community really, it shows what it is like working with others in a very accurate manner. He writes with a direct simplicity-he is not wordy, just says it how it was. Now did I agree with everything he had to say about Zen? Not at all, but the important thing is I was asked a lot of questions while reading this book. And that's what any good book can do above all else, is ask questions-rather than saying, "here, agree with me."

A passage of his book that provided myself with a lot of insight goes as follows,

"A Chinese allegory tells how a monk sets off on a long pilgrimage to find the Buddha. He spends years and years on his quest and finally he comes to the country where the Buddha lives.

He crosses a river, it is a wide river, and he looks about him while the boatman rows him across. There is a corpse floating on the water and it is coming closer.

The monk looks. The corpse is so close he can touch it. He recognizes the corpse, it is his own.

The monk loses all self control and wails.

There he floats, dead.

Nothing remains.

Anything he has ever been, ever learned, ever owned, floats past him, still and without life, moved by the slow current of the wide river.

It is the first moment of his liberation."

This book is brilliant in all places, it shows some struggle with inner questioning. A wrestling with the author's own cleverness. It almost feels like a diary. One that just so happened to have been written while having a stay with a Zen community. I believe you will come to appreciate this book a lot.