Early in my Zen training, I sat in the Chozen-ji kitchen talking to Tanouye Roshi, my teacher.  At one point, I mentioned a book I had read. He looked at me, shook his head, and said, “You read too much.” Then, he surprised me handing me a book that he had been reading and saying, “Here, read this.” I got up to leave the room, thinking I’d read it later, but he told me to sit down and read it then and there. So, I sat down on the floor right in front of him and started reading. Now and then, he would check on my progress and say, “Hey, you’re reading too slow.” There were a lot of distractions in the room, but I knew better than to complain to him about that. But, with time, I was able to block out the distractions and became increasingly absorbed in the book (unfortunately, I can’t remember its name). I eventually finished the book, although it took multiple days of reading in front of him. 

Thinking about this interaction makes me reflect on the value of reading in Zen. On the one hand, Bodhidharma, the Indian monk traditionally seen as the founder of Zen, famously described Zen as “a transmission outside of the scriptures, not founded upon words or letters.”  This is often mistaken as a complete devaluation of the written word. This view may be reinforced by our tradition’s emphasis—especially in the early stages-- on the physical over the intellectual aspects of Zen training. But on the other hand, there is a voluminous literature Zen literature spanning many centuries. The book Tanouye Roshi handed me that day was not the last; he gave me many reading suggestions over the years (although I didn’t have to read them in front of him).  And I have carried on this tradition by recommending books to my students.

There are many reasons for trainees to read books about Zen. Books can help a student understand and articulate experiences that were, at the time, beyond words. Reading the sutras can provide that understanding. Another is to learn more about the fine points of training. Omori Sogen Roshi’s Introduction to Zen Training is an excellent example. I have read it many times and discovered new ways to deepen my training each time. A third reason is to receive inspiration to train harder through stories told by and about historical figures in Zen. The Art of a Zen Master, a biography of Omori Roshi, always has that effect on me, as does Eugen Herrigel’s Zen in the Art of Archery.

We started offering books on the Chosei Zen online store about a year ago. All of the books you’ll find there have particular significance for our tradition of Zen. Some are in-house publications that are not available elsewhere. All should advance your understanding of Zen, deepen your practice, and inspire you. But, remember, when you read them, read them seriously, as if you are doing zazen, as if you were sitting in front of your teacher.