I've been returning to this book continuously since picking up a copy in 1987. Find a quiet time during the course of the day, and practice zazen with no expectations of anything special
This is a great book. I too read it obsessively for years, picking out one or two random talks per night to read before sleep. I think it's time for another read. "Not always so" is also another very good book by Suzuki. It also contains transcripts of talks.
I think the greatest testament to SS character was his tolerance of Chogyam Trunpa and Alan Watts behavioral issues. He knew how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Love the book and listen to the audio at night when falling asleep. First read the book in the early 70's. Another must read is The Art of Just Sitting: Essential Writings on the Zen Practice of Shikantaza by John Daido Loori
Obsese away, my brother! This book and practice changed everything for me 40 years ago. Truly peeled the veils away and informed me as to what was actually going on. Go lightly, traveller.🧚🙏🧚😘
You are a really good teacher Nikolaj 🙏🏼 you have explained the books core so well in a short video. Also you smile 😌 when you talk about this book - clearly it has impacted you deeply. Many thanks and I will be subscribing 👍
Thank you, Tenisha! ❤️ I hope you’ll like it as much as I do. I’m sitting on a ferry reading it again in this very moment I saw your comment hehe ⛴️ there’s a link in the description if you’re looking to get it physically ✌🏽
That’s the comment I was hoping to see down here haha ❤️ I’m glad you liked it! Please come back and let me know what you think of it when you’ve read it!
This book is amazing. Thank you for your explanation. I would add that if you want to "know" what the book is about, practice is needed. And in this case just understand that it isnt about words or any concept but simply the spontaneous fragrance of Silence which everything seems made of. Silence abiding in itself. Simplicity as its finest. ❤️🙏
Dear Niko, thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience! Here is some personal testimony on the beginners mind: I personally resonate with the value of staying curious, staying open, cultivating what you call the 'beginners mind'. I experience the attitude of being open to astonishment as a path open to the potential presence of happiness. When I watched this video, sat here listening to your wisdom, I caught myself experience thoughts saying: "Ah, I know this about the importance of openness and curiosity." And then I were blessed with a laughter! Because from my reflexive mindpoint I were able to realise that this very thinking of mine were not an instance of openness but a closed, predetermined mindset about openness. The non-beginners attitude towards the values of the beginners mind. A wonderful metastruggle my mind imposed itself with. Thank you!
I just came across this book a few weeks ago. I’ve read other zen stuff before but this one speaks to me more than others. I’ve been an atheist for the last few years and studied the hell out of western philosophy but found that the eastern stuff I studied a bit as a kid was more thoughtful and provided better insight for living in the modern world. I decided to dive back in and am really enjoying the swim.
That’s amazing! Thanks for writing this, Kirk! ❤️ I hope it serves you well! I’d love to discuss it if there’s something you stumble upon that catches your interest. As you can guess I find it quite interesting too 😎 Cheers!
@@NikolajBoesen the idea of keeping beginners mind in all endeavors is something I’ve always tried to do. Trying to forget preconceived notions and take in the information or experience as it is without judgment is an incredibly difficult thing to do all the time but in the moments where I feel like I’ve achieved that state I feel like I learn more fluidly, absorb more information about the experience or knowledge I am trying to gain and deepens my sense of gratitude for being able to learn with the ease that comes from beginner’s mind. I find it very hard to sit in lotus position or even half lotus. When I put my foot on my hip I can’t get my knee anywhere near the floor and I have no idea how to get from point a to point b on this. Any advice would be great or is it okay to do zazen sitting on a yoga block?
@@kirkmarshall2853 Thanks! Very interesting :D To the first point, I can totally agree. Even the most simple things can have quite the profound impact when experienced with a beginner's mind. My own approach to this is not to try and achieve the beginner's mind, but to approach it. There's a beautiful paragraph about this topic in the book also. For me that means to appreciate it, when that moment appears, rather than trying to have it when it's not there. I think by appreciating it when it appears, we gradually experience more and more of these moments. To the other point, then I can recognize the full lotus problems haha :D I used to play a lot of soccer, so my knees would go up in a 45 degree angle. Now I can do a full lotus, but barely comfortable. It's something you can practice (there's some different yoga poses like the butterfly and other) but it's also really important to think that zazen is limited to your physical posture. Everything is zazen. Sitting with your spine straight and your feet on your hips will have some benefits, but don't put too big emphasis on this. It's very much recommended to have some support under you, so you can keep your balance and have more flexibility with the legs. You can even go on multiple yoga blocks if you prefer, or sit against the wall to keep the spine straight without falling backwards. Even a chair works! :D
Chat gpt partially wrote this when prompted: "Describe zen in simple means without leaving anything out" It places great value on meditation, self-reflection, and experiencing life directly, rather than relying solely on thoughts, words, or concepts. The essence of Zen can be summed up in the idea that one should seek to experience reality directly and without any conceptual or mental filter.
Beginner mind is like baby mind which is only fully aware of the present moment as it is without mentally modifying the present , it simply ' be with what is ' without judgement , without reaction , without intention , without thinking , To return back to this simple babylike beginner mind is simple , just practice this simplest meditation, to help remember how to practice this simple meditation , just remember this formula : " Aware " & at the same time " mentally do nothing , " , simple explanation ; Be aware of the Present moment , Mentally do nothing , Do not thinks of anything , Simply relaxes as Awareness , Aware of yourself as Awareness , Awareness is naturally silent , not attached to anything , without ' wants ' , Empty , Open , Spacious , & Free , This is your underlying True Nature which you've forgotten during your first few months of growing up , & this simple meditation will help bring you back to your inborn original Nature which is so pure , so empty , so clear , so free , Start practice this simple meditation for one minute or 10 minutes per session , & many sessions throughout the day , even while waiting for tea , riding in public transport , or walking in the park , beside former sitting meditation session ,
For beginner learning meditation , I highly recommend learning it from the RUclips channel of Buddhist Monk ' Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche ' , because he teaches meditation in very direct manner with utter simplicity & straight to the point clarity ,
Yeah i love his teachings and I read one of his books too! His brother also regularly comes to Denmark to teach but I haven’t gotten a chance to check him out yet 😎✌🏽
I am an American living in Japan for the last 30 years. I became AZN monk about 10 years ago. I went through two years of training at the monastery. It was hell on earth! I hated every day of it, but because I went through that hell I am who I am today. Westerners and easterners alike. Think they understand Zen just because they read a couple of books. Well, you’re wrong! Zen is absolutely the opposite of what you think it is. Don’t bite off more than you can chew!
You seem upset about zen. If someone embraces but one concept and it helps them on their journey, that is a good thing and it's zen to embrace loving-kindness
Yes yes I remember this wonderful book. I discovered it perhaps 30 years ago and also found that it rang clear and true like a Tibetan singing bowl. Maybe the most useful thing that I could say would be that, over the intervening years of my life, whenever I strayed from Practice, and I was always straying - I would always ultimately come back to Zen when I needed to rest and reset and to ground my ego, always reminded of the truth of Shunyata the single unifying core principle of life, peace, psychology, spirit, mind, body, reality and being - every-thing is nothingness (not at all in the nihilistic sense but rather in the fullness of the unified one ) and the beginners mind, that is - beautifully empty. Zero and infinity are the poles of being and consciousness. Language, that is the problem - and the stories we tell. Our personalities, constantly shifting, constantly adjusting, constantly trying to convince our own selves as much as the other', the 'stranger, of things that are actually illusions - just stories that have been told a million times a billion different ways - algorithms that we try on and change out like the shirts in our closet. Right, left, Fascist, Communist, American, Russian, whatever labels make you feel like you are real (Toronto Maple Leaf's fan? NO, nobody is a Toronto Maple Leaf's fan) - all just stories that sadly, separate us from our true nature. They (the narratives) are false and I can't explain it in words, maybe that's why the monks chant OM :), I don't know. So much misunderstanding, so much suffering, so much fear and aggression - all which stems from the ego. In the New Testament, John says that 'in the beginning was the word' but Zen teaches that in the beginning there was silence. Words just cause problems; Catholic, protestant, blah blah - they all cancel each other out in the end. Oops, somebody may already be pissed off about this last statement but I'm not a fan of Western religion and their books, full of baloney, that they preach as absolute truth -LOL. Sorry, I like baloney actually. This book contains the most profound and beautiful teaching in human history. A treasure and a respite for those lucky enough to discover it. Right attitude, right mind and right practice are really all just manifestations of the same core principle. Nothing more to say. Empty your cup, wash your bowl and a mountain is still a mountain. No need for gods, religion, science or any other inventions. How can you be afraid to die, you don't really exist and didn't for billions of years before you were born either. You are just a temporary configuration of molecules in the Quantum Field that is conscious of the flow of energy that ebb and flow in that eternal field. Just sit and be still and quiet the mind and realize that the Buddha is always smiling for a reason. He sees it all playing out on the stage. The ultimate comedy and tragedy of it all. Zen also lines up quite nicely with everything from CBT to Quantum Mechanics and Kurt Gödel to Zeno, if you have an interest in philosophy (which is in my opinion a great and therapeutic method of unlearning when approached as a path towards critical thinking). Anyhow, so nice to see your exuberance over discovering this classic. Have a good life my friend and thanks for sharing. I was nice to meet a kindred spirit in cyber space. Time to stray.
heya man i really appreciate your efforts in this video, never read the book but got enough reasons to read the book from my perspective. subscribed! and if possible pls read bhagvadgita and make a video on in cuz i really wanna know how well you can understand and explain it philosophically… means a lot ❤
Hey Abhi! Thank you so much 🙏 I have been reading some of the Bhagavad Gita before but never from start to finish. I got it from a monk that I met on the street haha 😂 but I really love it! Maybe one day I’ll make a video on it 😉 Cheers ✌🏽
I can’t really tell from the index… but it’s like only 5 years old maybe. I bought it off Amazon. I’ve just had it on me all most every day since and I dropped in a foot bath once haha ❤️ that’s why I looks so ancient and mysterious, but it’s really not. It used to be a paperback but I just removed the cover ✌🏽
Hey! Thanks for asking! I I think there’s two things to it for me. First of all there’s a memory thing. It’s always nice to refresh some of it and often times it makes more sense in context with things that happen in my life so I only understand it later when I can relate to it. The bigger part though is that reading this particular book is quite different for me than reading anything else because the very sensation of reading (understanding or not) makes me very present. In some way it brings me back to the present moment just to read it. So it’s not so much to acquire a knowledge that I can know for good, it’s more a reminder of being present again and again. Did you read it yourself? ✌🏽
@@NikolajBoesen Thanks for your answer. Not yet. But, the book that I read 16 times is called The topmost yoga system by Bhaktivedanta Swami. I got interested in rereading when I heard that Anthony Hopkins reads his movie scripts 250 to 300 times and then he knows the written material so well that he doesn't need it anymore. It's like he downloaded it to his subconscious, that's why he understands the part and can improvise on it so well.
You people think Zen is just a bunch of rules, and principles written in the book. It’s totally different! When I was in a monastery, under training for two years, we barely spoke at all. We just ate, did chores, did ZAZEN and that’s about it. Two years of that! Do you think you know ZEN? You don’t!
Hey Afa! I actually read a bit of the Quran last year. Very interesting! I think there’s a lot of wisdom in it 🕌 I’d love to learn more about it. Yeah Buddhism is definitely not a religion. I think you need a god to be a religion 😀 🤷🏼 Thank you! ❤️
And those beliefs also protect you from misery, such as alcohol is haram in Islam that protects u from liver cancer and pain to others when you’re drunk
I read it properly 50 times and listened to audio version more than 500 times but still finding something new on every listening and reading.
I've been returning to this book continuously since picking up a copy in 1987. Find a quiet time during the course of the day, and practice zazen with no expectations of anything special
Yes!!
And with no expectations of anything ordinary either ❤️
Thank you for sharing!
This is a great book. I too read it obsessively for years, picking out one or two random talks per night to read before sleep. I think it's time for another read.
"Not always so" is also another very good book by Suzuki. It also contains transcripts of talks.
I think the greatest testament to SS character was his tolerance of Chogyam Trunpa and Alan Watts behavioral issues. He knew how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Love the book and listen to the audio at night when falling asleep. First read the book in the early 70's.
Another must read is The Art of Just Sitting: Essential Writings on the Zen Practice of Shikantaza by John Daido Loori
Been reading this book for 30 years - impossible to describe how nourishing, life enhancing and beautiful this wonderful book is - Incredible 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Obsese away, my brother! This book and practice changed everything for me 40 years ago. Truly peeled the veils away and informed me as to what was actually going on. Go lightly, traveller.🧚🙏🧚😘
Thank you for your enthusiastic reminder. I read it in1998 and will now pull it off the shelf and re-read!
Thanks for the remarkable description.
My favorite book on zen together with everything from Dainin Katagiri. Great review. Thank you 😊
This book change my life
It is one of the most beautiful and important writings and accounts of ultimate reality ever produced.
You are a really good teacher Nikolaj 🙏🏼 you have explained the books core so well in a short video. Also you smile 😌 when you talk about this book - clearly it has impacted you deeply. Many thanks and I will be subscribing 👍
Thank you so much, Phoebe
Thank you very much for your incredible inspiration! I will definitely read this amazing book! Be happy 😊❤
Hey Anastasia! ✌🏽thank you so much ❤️ I hope you’ll like it! I’m excited to hear what you have to say about it 🌱
You definitely inspired me to read into this book! Thank you for sharing 😊
Thank you, Tenisha! ❤️ I hope you’ll like it as much as I do. I’m sitting on a ferry reading it again in this very moment I saw your comment hehe ⛴️ there’s a link in the description if you’re looking to get it physically ✌🏽
excelent video, i will start reading it. thank you
That’s the comment I was hoping to see down here haha ❤️ I’m glad you liked it! Please come back and let me know what you think of it when you’ve read it!
Excellent review of Zen mind... book to understand and also practice Zen meditation, the essence of Zen🧘♂
This book is amazing. Thank you for your explanation. I would add that if you want to "know" what the book is about, practice is needed. And in this case just understand that it isnt about words or any concept but simply the spontaneous fragrance of Silence which everything seems made of. Silence abiding in itself. Simplicity as its finest. ❤️🙏
It is an amazing book, I have listened to it a few times now, he helped me to remember a lot in this text, the original face.
Great Video, I can relate to feeling like an idiot while smiling in front of a camera mindful that there is no one in the room !😅
Thank you for the support! I hope you get inspired. There’s a link to the book in the description if you’d like to give it a read yourself ❤️💛🧡
Dear Niko, thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience! Here is some personal testimony on the beginners mind:
I personally resonate with the value of staying curious, staying open, cultivating what you call the 'beginners mind'. I experience the attitude of being open to astonishment as a path open to the potential presence of happiness. When I watched this video, sat here listening to your wisdom, I caught myself experience thoughts saying: "Ah, I know this about the importance of openness and curiosity." And then I were blessed with a laughter! Because from my reflexive mindpoint I were able to realise that this very thinking of mine were not an instance of openness but a closed, predetermined mindset about openness. The non-beginners attitude towards the values of the beginners mind. A wonderful metastruggle my mind imposed itself with. Thank you!
Hurray! ❤️🧡💛🙏
Truly amazing book! Life changing
Best book on zen ever written.
It’s a free audio book on RUclips and Spotify
Thank you
This and the Tao Te Ching are my favorite
Oh man! So true! I should totally make a video about Tao te Ching. I looove that book haha ❤️
I bought this book in 1986, nearly 40 years ago.
One of the best books about Soto-Zen.
"how to control a cow - give it a large pasture" 😉
I just came across this book a few weeks ago. I’ve read other zen stuff before but this one speaks to me more than others. I’ve been an atheist for the last few years and studied the hell out of western philosophy but found that the eastern stuff I studied a bit as a kid was more thoughtful and provided better insight for living in the modern world. I decided to dive back in and am really enjoying the swim.
That’s amazing! Thanks for writing this, Kirk! ❤️
I hope it serves you well! I’d love to discuss it if there’s something you stumble upon that catches your interest. As you can guess I find it quite interesting too 😎
Cheers!
@@NikolajBoesen the idea of keeping beginners mind in all endeavors is something I’ve always tried to do. Trying to forget preconceived notions and take in the information or experience as it is without judgment is an incredibly difficult thing to do all the time but in the moments where I feel like I’ve achieved that state I feel like I learn more fluidly, absorb more information about the experience or knowledge I am trying to gain and deepens my sense of gratitude for being able to learn with the ease that comes from beginner’s mind.
I find it very hard to sit in lotus position or even half lotus. When I put my foot on my hip I can’t get my knee anywhere near the floor and I have no idea how to get from point a to point b on this. Any advice would be great or is it okay to do zazen sitting on a yoga block?
@@kirkmarshall2853 Thanks! Very interesting :D To the first point, I can totally agree. Even the most simple things can have quite the profound impact when experienced with a beginner's mind. My own approach to this is not to try and achieve the beginner's mind, but to approach it. There's a beautiful paragraph about this topic in the book also. For me that means to appreciate it, when that moment appears, rather than trying to have it when it's not there. I think by appreciating it when it appears, we gradually experience more and more of these moments.
To the other point, then I can recognize the full lotus problems haha :D I used to play a lot of soccer, so my knees would go up in a 45 degree angle. Now I can do a full lotus, but barely comfortable. It's something you can practice (there's some different yoga poses like the butterfly and other) but it's also really important to think that zazen is limited to your physical posture. Everything is zazen. Sitting with your spine straight and your feet on your hips will have some benefits, but don't put too big emphasis on this. It's very much recommended to have some support under you, so you can keep your balance and have more flexibility with the legs. You can even go on multiple yoga blocks if you prefer, or sit against the wall to keep the spine straight without falling backwards. Even a chair works! :D
Clicked this looking for inspiration only to find the book I've read dozens of times over the years good stuff good stuff
I mean I’m one for rereads 😎 maybe you’ll find something new the next time ❤️
😀well done, relevant message
Thank you 🙏
Chat gpt partially wrote this when prompted:
"Describe zen in simple means without leaving anything out"
It places great value on meditation, self-reflection, and experiencing life directly, rather than relying solely on thoughts, words, or concepts. The essence of Zen can be summed up in the idea that one should seek to experience reality directly and without any conceptual or mental filter.
Haha amazing! I should have ai write my scripts then I guess 😎😜
The bottom line in the best-selling book: The Untethered Soup by Michael Singer
By, Chat gpt
Beginner mind is like baby mind which is only fully aware of the present moment as it is without mentally modifying the present , it simply ' be with what is ' without judgement , without reaction , without intention , without thinking ,
To return back to this simple babylike beginner mind is simple , just practice this simplest meditation, to help remember how to practice this simple meditation , just remember this formula :
" Aware " & at the same time " mentally do nothing ,
" ,
simple explanation ;
Be aware of the Present moment ,
Mentally do nothing ,
Do not thinks of anything ,
Simply relaxes as Awareness ,
Aware of yourself as Awareness ,
Awareness is naturally silent , not attached to anything , without ' wants ' , Empty , Open , Spacious , & Free ,
This is your underlying True Nature which you've forgotten during your first few months of growing up , & this simple meditation will help bring you back to your inborn original Nature which is so pure , so empty , so clear , so free ,
Start practice this simple meditation for one minute or 10 minutes per session , & many sessions throughout the day , even while waiting for tea , riding in public transport , or walking in the park , beside former sitting meditation session ,
This is realy great book. It grouds you, every time you read it. It should be red once a few years.
For beginner learning meditation , I highly recommend learning it from the RUclips channel of Buddhist Monk ' Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche ' , because he teaches meditation in very direct manner with utter simplicity & straight to the point clarity ,
Yeah i love his teachings and I read one of his books too! His brother also regularly comes to Denmark to teach but I haven’t gotten a chance to check him out yet 😎✌🏽
I am an American living in Japan for the last 30 years. I became AZN monk about 10 years ago. I went through two years of training at the monastery. It was hell on earth! I hated every day of it, but because I went through that hell I am who I am today. Westerners and easterners alike. Think they understand Zen just because they read a couple of books. Well, you’re wrong! Zen is absolutely the opposite of what you think it is. Don’t bite off more than you can chew!
Ok, it's helping people through and your experience is your own
You seem upset about zen. If someone embraces but one concept and it helps them on their journey, that is a good thing and it's zen to embrace loving-kindness
I never read the whole book, only a few chapters, and it changed my life.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing ❤️🧡💛
It is a great book. It will always be relevant. You are obsessing. 🙏
Yes yes I remember this wonderful book. I discovered it perhaps 30 years ago and also found that it rang clear and true like a Tibetan singing bowl. Maybe the most useful thing that I could say would be that, over the intervening years of my life, whenever I strayed from Practice, and I was always straying - I would always ultimately come back to Zen when I needed to rest and reset and to ground my ego, always reminded of the truth of Shunyata the single unifying core principle of life, peace, psychology, spirit, mind, body, reality and being - every-thing is nothingness (not at all in the nihilistic sense but rather in the fullness of the unified one ) and the beginners mind, that is - beautifully empty.
Zero and infinity are the poles of being and consciousness. Language, that is the problem - and the stories we tell. Our personalities, constantly shifting, constantly adjusting, constantly trying to convince our own selves as much as the other', the 'stranger, of things that are actually illusions - just stories that have been told a million times a billion different ways - algorithms that we try on and change out like the shirts in our closet. Right, left, Fascist, Communist, American, Russian, whatever labels make you feel like you are real (Toronto Maple Leaf's fan? NO, nobody is a Toronto Maple Leaf's fan) - all just stories that sadly, separate us from our true nature. They (the narratives) are false and I can't explain it in words, maybe that's why the monks chant OM :), I don't know. So much misunderstanding, so much suffering, so much fear and aggression - all which stems from the ego.
In the New Testament, John says that 'in the beginning was the word' but Zen teaches that in the beginning there was silence. Words just cause problems; Catholic, protestant, blah blah - they all cancel each other out in the end. Oops, somebody may already be pissed off about this last statement but I'm not a fan of Western religion and their books, full of baloney, that they preach as absolute truth -LOL. Sorry, I like baloney actually.
This book contains the most profound and beautiful teaching in human history. A treasure and a respite for those lucky enough to discover it. Right attitude, right mind and right practice are really all just manifestations of the same core principle. Nothing more to say. Empty your cup, wash your bowl and a mountain is still a mountain. No need for gods, religion, science or any other inventions. How can you be afraid to die, you don't really exist and didn't for billions of years before you were born either. You are just a temporary configuration of molecules in the Quantum Field that is conscious of the flow of energy that ebb and flow in that eternal field. Just sit and be still and quiet the mind and realize that the Buddha is always smiling for a reason. He sees it all playing out on the stage. The ultimate comedy and tragedy of it all.
Zen also lines up quite nicely with everything from CBT to Quantum Mechanics and Kurt Gödel to Zeno, if you have an interest in philosophy (which is in my opinion a great and therapeutic method of unlearning when approached as a path towards critical thinking). Anyhow, so nice to see your exuberance over discovering this classic. Have a good life my friend and thanks for sharing. I was nice to meet a kindred spirit in cyber space. Time to stray.
Amazing, Daniel ❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! Wild and lunatic - the zen spirit ✌🏽
I loved "Zen Mind Beginner's mind" and read it many times. These days my new favorite is "Nisshitsu"
Great book
heya man i really appreciate your efforts in this video, never read the book but got enough reasons to read the book from my perspective.
subscribed! and if possible pls read bhagvadgita and make a video on in cuz i really wanna know how well you can understand and explain it philosophically…
means a lot ❤
Hey Abhi!
Thank you so much 🙏
I have been reading some of the Bhagavad Gita before but never from start to finish. I got it from a monk that I met on the street haha 😂 but I really love it! Maybe one day I’ll make a video on it 😉
Cheers ✌🏽
Elsker den intro! Er det ikke den bog du altid render rundt med?😆❤️
Jo lige præcis haha ✌🏽
yes I've read it too
Amazing! Did you like it?
Hi, Just wondering what copy do you hold in your hand.
I can’t really tell from the index… but it’s like only 5 years old maybe. I bought it off Amazon. I’ve just had it on me all most every day since and I dropped in a foot bath once haha ❤️ that’s why I looks so ancient and mysterious, but it’s really not. It used to be a paperback but I just removed the cover ✌🏽
bought it cashing cashing 💲💲
How did reading it 15 improve your understanding of it?
Was there an improvement on retention?
Hey! Thanks for asking!
I I think there’s two things to it for me. First of all there’s a memory thing. It’s always nice to refresh some of it and often times it makes more sense in context with things that happen in my life so I only understand it later when I can relate to it.
The bigger part though is that reading this particular book is quite different for me than reading anything else because the very sensation of reading (understanding or not) makes me very present. In some way it brings me back to the present moment just to read it. So it’s not so much to acquire a knowledge that I can know for good, it’s more a reminder of being present again and again.
Did you read it yourself? ✌🏽
@@NikolajBoesen Thanks for your answer. Not yet. But, the book that I read 16 times is called The topmost yoga system by Bhaktivedanta Swami. I got interested in rereading when I heard that Anthony Hopkins reads his movie scripts 250 to 300 times and then he knows the written material so well that he doesn't need it anymore. It's like he downloaded it to his subconscious, that's why he understands the part and can improvise on it so well.
Wauw i didn’t know that! Sounds cool haha 😆 interesting. I’ll check that one out!
You should read the Upanishads also 🧙♂
Thank you! I’ll check it out 🙏
@@NikolajBoesen Let's have a chat together. I believe we both could teach each other many interesting things from the wisdom literature of the world.
@@NikolajBoesen ruclips.net/video/Pk439LnOJ_4/видео.html
Definitely!
I couldn't even make it through this ten minute video, so I struggle to imagine how painful the actual book is 😴😴😴😴
Lol i love that you took your time to write this haha 🙏 bless you
The apple and the orange discussing what the banana is doing wrong..
My favorite book about Zen is
The Empty Mirror
By Willhelm van de Watering
It's funny, a little melancholic, very honest.
Ten out of ten!
Janwillelm van de Wetering
You people think Zen is just a bunch of rules, and principles written in the book. It’s totally different! When I was in a monastery, under training for two years, we barely spoke at all. We just ate, did chores, did ZAZEN and that’s about it. Two years of that! Do you think you know ZEN? You don’t!
these people who read these books are just atheists looking to be more productive in their corporate job. they dont believe in the buddhas
Which people are you talking too?
@@bruce4130 the general western zen audience
I which monastery did you live in?
Why are you so angry?
All I heard was think about, quote about, talk about.
Be a spiritual messenger
I am moved
Cause
You’re not Asian
Haha Amazing! Thank you
Was this supposed to be a haiku, or did it happen by accident? ❤️
Read the Quran, read things more closely as well, u chose a perfect book but Buddhism is more of a way of life than a religion
Hey Afa!
I actually read a bit of the Quran last year. Very interesting! I think there’s a lot of wisdom in it 🕌 I’d love to learn more about it.
Yeah Buddhism is definitely not a religion. I think you need a god to be a religion 😀
🤷🏼
Thank you! ❤️
To be religious is not to be free, it is to be bound within its beliefs.
All religion is a way of life.
And those beliefs also protect you from misery, such as alcohol is haram in Islam that protects u from liver cancer and pain to others when you’re drunk