Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
As Zen takes root in the West, new forms continue to arise. For centuries Zen masters have tested their students with "koans" and "capping phrases." A koan is a spiritual paradox that must be solved intuitively, a meditative practice that reveals deeper truths about the self and, ideally, leads to enlightenment. "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" asks a classic koan. Answers typically rely on demonstrations rather than explanations. After solving a koan to the master's satisfaction, the student chooses an insightful comment--a capping phrase--from a traditional source. The process is a strategy to transcend the limits of conventional language.
In Zen Traces, Buddhist scholar Kenneth Kraft transposes these time-honored practices in a new idiom. He selects passages from four sources: traditional Zen, present-day Zen, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. Traditional Zen is Asian; present-day Zen merges Asia and the West; Thoreau and Twain are, of course, Westerners. When a koan-like story about a contemporary Zen teacher is paired with a pithy comment by Mark Twain, something fresh emerges. The resulting juxtapositions, at once playful and serious, are surprising, delightful, and maybe even enlightening.
Kenneth Kraft, professor emeritus of religious studies at Lehigh University, is a scholar of Japanese Zen and socially engaged Buddhism.
Synopsis
As Zen takes root in the west, new forms arise. For centuries Zen masters have tested their students with "koans" and "capping phrases." A koan is a spiritual paradox that must be solved intuitively. A capping phrase is a trenchant comment. Both are meditative practices that reveal deeper truths about the self and, ideally, lead to enlightenment.
In Zen Traces, Buddhist scholar Kenneth Kraft plays off these practices in a new idiom. He selects passages from four sources: traditional Zen, present-day Zen, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. When a koan-like story about a contemporary Zen teacher is paired with a pithy comment by Mark Twain, something fresh emerges.
"In this lovely book, Ken Kraft provides a unique opening for American Buddhism and American wisdom in general. The reader will come to fresh and spacious new insights and enjoyments...Cheers for Zen in America and a deep bow to Ken Kraft "--Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D., author of The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery
"I highly recommend this delightful book of East-West wisdom--full of surprise, insight, wit, and piercing beauty."--Katy Butler, author of Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death
Kenneth Kraft, professor emeritus of religious studies at Lehigh University, is a scholar of Japanese Zen and socially engaged Buddhism. He is the author and editor of six books, including Eloquent Zen and Zen: Tradition and Transition.
Synopsis
"What is most interesting about the book is how it indicates the timelessness of writing, whether it is traditional Zen koans and capping phrases, 19th century literature, or contemporary capping phrases . . . It indicates the power of writing, the universal nature of being human, and the timeless aspiration to find answers to life's questions."--Reading Religion
As Zen takes root in the west, new forms arise. For centuries Zen masters have tested their students with "koans" and "capping phrases." A koan is a spiritual paradox that must be solved intuitively. A capping phrase is a trenchant comment. Both are meditative practices that reveal deeper truths about the self and, ideally, lead to enlightenment.
In Zen Traces, Buddhist scholar Kenneth Kraft plays off these practices in a new idiom. He selects passages from four sources: traditional Zen, present-day Zen, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. When a koan-like story about a contemporary Zen teacher is paired with a pithy comment by Mark Twain, something fresh emerges.
"In this lovely book, Ken Kraft provides a unique opening for American Buddhism and American wisdom in general. The reader will come to fresh and spacious new insights and enjoyments...Cheers for Zen in America and a deep bow to Ken Kraft "--Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D., author of The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery
"I highly recommend this delightful book of East-West wisdom--full of surprise, insight, wit, and piercing beauty."--Katy Butler, author of Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death
Kenneth Kraft, professor emeritus of religious studies at Lehigh University, is a scholar of Japanese Zen and socially engaged Buddhism. He is the author and editor of six books, including Eloquent Zen and Zen: Tradition and Transition.
Synopsis
"Kraft rubs together these pithy thoughts and phrases from traditional and present-day Zen with the sayings of Henry-David Thoreau and Mark Twain to come up with fresh portals of spiritual openness."--Spirituality & Practice
As Zen takes root in the west, new forms arise. For centuries Zen masters have tested their students with "koans" and "capping phrases." A koan is a spiritual paradox that must be solved intuitively. A capping phrase is a trenchant comment. Both are meditative practices that reveal deeper truths about the self and, ideally, lead to enlightenment.
In Zen Traces, Buddhist scholar Kenneth Kraft plays off these practices in a new idiom. He selects passages from four sources: traditional Zen, present-day Zen, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. When a koan-like story about a contemporary Zen teacher is paired with a pithy comment by Mark Twain, something fresh emerges.