To Meet the Real Dragon

I find myself returning to this book again and again. On a difficult day, it is a balm to my troubled mind. Bluntly, it is not evident why this book would have a soothing effect. It is, overtly, a bit tedious. Yet for some reason, when I begin reading, it is a balm; more so than other books on the subject; at least to me. I tentatively attribute the soothing effect to the author's insight, his plain and humble concerns, and to the translator's lucid mastery of the English language.The book is structured as a series of short talks; each talk is usually followed by questions and answers. Overall, the questions strike me as quite astute, and greatly illuminate the subject. The questions are sometimes incredulous, rather than trite or fawningly indulgent (as a cynic might expect).In this book, Nishijima introduces us to a few of the key persons in Buddhist lore, and elaborates Buddhist ideas. The book is perhaps unfashionably intellectual for a Zen treatise aimed at the common man, but the book is not frivolously intellectual. The author goes on some dubious philosophical diversions so that he can subsequently explain his understanding of Dogen's teachings and the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. This is most audacious! Nishijima offers his own re-articulation and re-construction of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. As a layman, I find his modest proposal to be useful, and loosely consistent with traditional dogma. Nishijima is not pushy, but offers his alternative re-construction for those who find it to have merit. He also explains why and how he came to his conclusions; and his arguments resonate with me. Even if I choose to reject Nishijima's re-construction of the Four Noble Truths, his writing made traditional elaborations of them more accessible to me. Admittedly, much of this book is merely Nishijima's own musing and supposition. But that is the circumstance in which we find ourselves: thousands of years removed from Buddhist inception; from which teaching occurred largely via oral transmission through the centuries.Readers who wither when afflicted with intellectual discussion may, ultimately, prefer other books.Despite this book's subtle virtues, it is not my favorite when it comes to explaining technical aspects of how to practice Zazen (sitting meditation). For learning to practice zazen, I currently favor Katsuki Sekida's book, Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy. That was the book that really helped me grok sitting meditation for the first time. Your mileage may vary.I advise against reading dogmatically. The goal is merely to point you in the correct direction so that your own practice and experience will be fruitful.

A great book for a beginner and practicer alike, this gives you a good history behind Buddhism and Zazen it also has many quotes on Dogen and a very extensive instruction in the back of the book. This was a nice refresher and revisits a lot of commonly misinterpreted concepts That offers good alternative explanation it’s a sad thing that the author is no longer with us physically but this book is a great way to experience his teachings. Like I said before even if you have been practicing and studying zen for a while it’s still a great read with lots of inspirational information.

The chief virtues of this book are the author's intriguing perspective on Western thought, his alternative slants on traditional Buddhist doctrine, and the generally welcoming tone of his teachings. In one chapter, the author conducts an impressive survey of philosophy from Plato forward, with comments on how Western thought diverges or intersects with Buddhist philosophy. It's of necessity a broad brush discussion, and may well draw scorn from scholars, but it's an interesting exercise nevertheless.Another chapter contains a novel (to me at least) interpetation of the Four Noble Truths, based upon Gudo's readings of the Sutras and the writings of Dogen. He unabashadley reveres Dogen. Whether his interpretations of Dogen's writings is right or wrong is up for grabs, but it's thought-provoking nonetheless.Those looking for another guidebook on practicing Zen might find this a disappointing read. Gudo is interested in the place of Zen in the world of thought, not just cheerleading for those who need inspiration for their practice. There's enough of that, as well, but what makes this book stand out is Gudo's willingness to examine Zen's broader implications. He might be right or he might be wrong, but you'll be forced to grapple with a new look at Zen.

This was a great read on Zen Buddhism. I read  Zen And the Art of Happiness  and it changed my life, so I looked for another book on Zen. While the former changed my life, it still left me slightly puzzled on what Zen actually was (did not detract from the impact of the book). This book however made things much more clear. What I realized is that Zen is so simple and easy that our mind has trouble understanding it. Humans are incredibly adept at making things more complex, and that is why many people struggle with Zen. I think that the value of this book lies in its ability to make Zen complex enough to understand (sounds ridiculous but its true). Gudo Nishijima explains Zen with enough intellectual adeptness that our mind will not immediately reject the basic premise on the grounds that it is too simple or easy. However, I believe the greatest achievement of this book is that it gives enough for our minds to latch on to, but at the end, you can let it all go and live truly in the moment and have a real understanding of Zen.

In To Meet the Real Dragon, Gudo Nishijima, Zen priest and translator of Master Dogen's Shobogenzo, writes a deceptively simple guide for the Western student of Buddhism. Composed in short lectures with Q&A followup to each, he goes very slowly but not so predictably. His self-effacing manner and questioning spirit seem innocent enough. Then, in chapter 8, he comes out with a most radical interpretation of the Four Noble Truths, no less. This simple man rewrites the whole of Buddhist theory based on his reading of Master Dogen's teachings. Reading that chapter, alone, makes one want to (re)read the Shobogenzo right away.

Um livro legal, que mescla um pouco da filosofia budista com a ocidental, e história. Uma abordagem interessante, e bem gostoso de ler.

Nishijima presenta un enfoque claro y bastante original del budismo Zen de Dogen

In einfachen Englisch geschrieben, leicht verständlich. Ich bin voll zufrieden.