Search on Amazon, and you will get about 40,000 results for books on Zen. The first few page results are filled with book titles that begin with “Zen and the art of…”. Unfortunately, Zen is a marketing word for self-help advice, peace, love, and relaxation. Buried between the “5 Zen Habits to Help You Redefine Obstacles,” “How to Live Your Life The Zen Way,” and “Zen Golf” is a few old classics written by the likes of D.T Suzuki, Shunryu Suzuki, and Omori Sogen. The classic books are old gems written by pioneers of Zen training in the west. The books are rich, insightful and profound yet equally hard to understand and unfriendly to beginners.
Meido Moore’s The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice is the book I wish I had after I sat in Zazen for the first time. Chapters are short, 6-8 pages long for most. There is no need for excessive explanations or redundancy. He writes in simple terms and doesn’t wander in enlightening gibberish instead going straight to the point, clearly a skill developed on the cushion.
Moore’s book is not only a one of a kind accessible Zen introductory book, but it is also a gate into Rinzai Zen specifically. While many books on Zen are published, very few have been from a Rinzai perspective. There are two leading schools of Zen: Soto and Rinzai. For various reasons, Soto Zen is the most prominent in the west, while Rinzai has been somewhat left in the dark. I imagine because most who have, probably by mistake, tasted a bit of Rinzai practice fled in terror after experiencing long hours of sitting torture while being yelled not to move, and if lucky, were also hit with a stick on both shoulders. Moore explains what makes Rinzai Zen different from Soto Zen, but it’s clear that while the teaching methodology may differ, the end goal of Zen is the same no matter the lineage or school.
Chapter three, Zen and Abrahamic Faiths, is my favorite chapter in this book. To some extent, Moore follows the typical introduction to Zen book template. There is a bit of history, a few chapters to explain what Zen is, and detailed explanations (and illustrations) on how to meditate. He quickly touches on subjects such as chanting and koan training but unapologetically tells you that you need to find a reputable teacher if you not only want to learn proper chanting and participate in koan training but also to experience the profound realizations of Zen practice. However, I can’t think of any book that addresses the subject of Abrahamic faiths from a Zen Buddhism point of view. The fact this chapter is included in this book tells you this is a book written by a western Zen master for westerners. In my opinion, Moore articulated the best explanation of God from a Zen perspective and why the dualistic nature of Abrahamic faiths is the most significant obstacle to liberation and true happiness. This is the only chapter I wish it were longer.
If there is one redundant subject in this book is that Moore continually reminds us that to truly practice Zen one must train with a reputable teacher. He tells a few anecdotes of his own experience with his teachers to emphasize that it was because of this relationship that he was able to “get it.” I enjoyed reading the anecdotes although I wish there were more of them. Moore trained under three Zen masters, Toyoda Rokoji, Hosokawa Roshi, and Miller Roshi; all three stemmed from the Chozen-Ji lineage of Rinzai Zen. With such pedigree, no doubt Moore is full of enlightening stories from his own training. I hope he is saving those for a future book.
I first met Meido Moore in 1998 at Tenshinkan, Toyoda Shihan’s dojo, in Chicago, IL. He had just moved out of the dojo but was still in charge of the Uchideshi (live-in student) and Kenshusei (dedicated students who lived for short periods of time in the dojo). He made quite the impression on my teenage self back then, and even today, my Aikido channels movements straight out of Moore Sensei’s classes. While it’s been a while since I’ve trained or sat with Meido Moore Roshi, we’ve been able to stay connected thanks to social media. During the past few years, I’ve looked forward to the Facebook updates on the construction and opening of Korinji, a new Rinzai Zen monastery in Wisconsin where he is the Abbott.
The Rinzai Zen Way is better suited for folks who are interested in beginning Zen practice. The book provides a thorough overview of Zen, its role in traditional Buddhist practice and reveals, from the Rinzai point, of view the aim of enlightenment and the psychophysical nature of Zen training. In addition, Moore provides clear and concise instruction on how to meditate. His approach makes it possible for beginners to begin Zen practice on their own. However, Moore’s book is also an excellent resource for intermediate students as well. One can tell his writing is not only well researched but Moore’s wisdom is spread out over the book and it is quite a treat to have, from his insight, several Zen concepts I already knew being revealed in a new way.
The Rinzai Zen Way is now available from Shambhala publications, and you can pick up the paperback or Kindle version. Click here to check it on Amazon.