It's been a while since I first read the book, but looking back I can remember feeling how rich it was. I don't feel most books...but Roshi's teaching really touched me and seemed alive. I highly suggest that you read this book and if you like it you will probably love his audio series Breath Sweeps Mind...which I've listened to almost half a dozen times...it's fantastic.

If you ever find yourself around Northern California, do yourself a favor and visit the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center, it's a wonderful place to spend a day.

This warm little book by Jakusho Kwong-roshi of the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center is comprised of insightful, touching, affectionate and almost invariably humorous teisho collected by Kwong-roshi's students throughout the years.

Kwong, a disciple of Shunryu Suzuki (Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind) takes his master's teachings one (or more) steps beyond in NO BEGINNING, NO END. Each short essay is a lovely prose-poem.

The reader knows, just from perusing ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND that Suzuki was a truly enlightened master---so with Kwong. This book is greatly recommended just for its air of gentle bemusement, which is, after all, the intimate heart of Zen by definition.

I decided to buy this book after looking at the reviews and feeling I would be missing out on a classic if I didnt. I was right. The great things said about this book are more than well justified.

Jakusho Kwong is a student of Shunryu Suzuki roshi. I dont know wether I'm more impressed that Kwong had such a great teacher, or that Suzuki had such a great student. Jakusho Kwong is a teacher who embodies the ancient and modern in one blooming lotus. He doesnt stray from the ancient teachings and again and again reiterates the importance of beholding the mind. He reminds us time and again that nothing is outside the mind. Theres a theme throughout this book in wich he tells us, we cannot see or feel anything that is not already part of ourselves. Be it strength, compassion, wisdom, love or serentiy we can only know of it, cause we are it. Although this has been said before, he gives a fresh take on it that is easy to understand/digest.

He talks of age old teachings like renunciation, precepts and vow with a modern yet authentic voice. The often overlooked similarities of soto and rinzai, like the fact they are different ways of doing the same thing. One Samadhi. There are good amount of Suzuki roshi's teachings and sayings all throughout the book in wich master Kwong sheds more light on. A lot of good stories from other teachers as well as some outstanding metaphors. My only complaint is that some of the stories he tells I wish he would have talked about longer. Nothing another book couldnt solve...? Ok I'm getting greedy. This book manages to cover so much in a very useful way, and do it so smoothly I cant imagine anyone not regarding it as a classic.

Jakusho Kwong is an important Zen teacher in my mind. There are only a handful of modern masters (who write books and are therefore accessible to people without teachers) who dont stray from the true heart of the Zen teaching. He speaks with a clear and open voice from the sourceless source, about the sourceless source.

Thank you Master Kwong for writing this book.

I am a student of Soto Zen who is studying to become a Zen priest. My teacher gave me a copy of this excellent book. The book consists of insightful and often humorous talks given Jakusho Kwong-roshi to his students at his Sonoma Mountain Zen Monastery. Kwong-roshi was born in the United States and came to Buddhism through Shunryu Suzuki-roshi at the San Francisco Zen Center, and then spent many years studying Zen in Japan. His official qualifications as a Zen teacher are impeccable. Yet he wears his erudition and spiritual status lightly, without any pretension or ponderousness. If you know what to look for (especially in the casual mention he makes near the end of the book of certain experiences he has had) it becomes very clear that his achievement is extraordinary. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I have probably read too many books on Zen. Every time I pick up a great book by Dogen, Suzuki-roshi or Thich Nhat Hanh I get an anxious feeling that I'm going to read about something I'd be much better off demonstrating. Having said that, I'll say that Soto Zen Master Kwong-roshi's book No Beginning, No End is a rare and precious demonstration with words. This book is an intimate conversation that has no beginning, no end. Roshi himself is a living demontration. I have read his book and have the good fortune to be a student of the author. After years of meditating on the idea of meditation, Zen, in fact life itself has come alive in the presence of Kwong-roshi. He's light as a feather and heavy as a mountain; thoroughly modern, yet thoroughly grounded in the authentic lineage of Master Dogen and Suzuki-roshi. I invite you on your journey to stop at this book for a while and to come to the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center to sit and demonstrate your unborn orginal Buddha nature. I invite you to step into the living stream of buddhadharma.