Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

50th Anniversary Edition

About the Book

Named one of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century (Spirituality & Practice)

A 50th Anniversary edition of the bestselling Zen classic on meditation, maintaining a curious and open mind, and living with simplicity.

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
So begins this most beloved of all American Zen books. Seldom has such a small handful of words provided a teaching as rich as has this famous opening line. In a single stroke, the simple sentence cuts through the pervasive tendency students have of getting so close to Zen as to completely miss what it's all about. It is an instant teaching on the first page--and that's just the beginning.

In the fifty years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind has become one of the great modern spiritual classics, much beloved, much reread, and much recommended as the best first book to read on Zen. Suzuki Roshi presents the basics--from the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nonduality--in a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the last page.
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Praise for Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

“One of the best and most succinct introductions to Zen practice.”—Library Journal

“Though covering Zen basics like zazen posture, bowing, intention, and so on, Suzuki Roshi’s masterwork is hardly just for Zen people—or just for beginners, for that matter. It skillfully introduces important Buddhist concepts like non-attachment, emptiness, and enlightenment.”—Lion’s Roar

"This is one of the top five Buddhist books, ever."—Elephant Journal
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Shambhala Library Series

The Book of Five Rings
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Cold Mountain Poems
Bushido
Haiku
The Art of War
Sailing Alone around the World

About the Author

Shunryu Suzuki
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