Zen Poetry

Why practice Zen? What sets Zen apart from religion? What are its different practices? These questions, and more, are examined and answered by Zen Master Koun Yamada, whose Dharma heirs include Robert Aitken, Ruben Habito, and David Loy. Through compelling stories and a systematic approach, he guides the listener through creating and sustaining a lifelong practice. Warm and ecumenical in tone, Koun uses the insights of Zen to bring a deeper understanding of faith.

Zen monk Santoka Taneda (1882 - 1940) is one of Japan's most beloved modern poets, famous for his "free-verse" haiku, the dominant style today. This book tells the fascinating story of his life, liberally sprinkled with more than 300 of his poems and extracts from his essays and journals - compiled by his best friend and biographer Sumita Oyama and elegantly translated by William Scott Wilson.

Zen master Julian Daizan Skinner guides the listener through a sequence of meditation techniques that can safely lead even a complete novice through to advanced levels. Based on his own long experience of the Rinzai Zen tradition, as taught by the great 17th-century masters Hakuin and Bankei, Daizan highlights the key points for success and addresses the pitfalls. Structured around a traditional teaching framework called 'the two wings of a bird', Daizan clearly lays-out how these methods build and combine to create a transformative and sustaining practice.

On the 50th anniversary of Robert Pirsig’s classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, John Zdanowski, a six-time $100 million business builder, applies the Metaphysics of Quality to inspire and empower the entrepreneur in each of us to create something from nothing. Blending personal anecdotes, business case studies, simple diagrams, and philosophical poetry to convey the deep meaning of complicated subjects …so you get it.

In this deeply honest and often hilarious collection, anxiety isn’t a villain to conquer—it’s a character we get to know, laugh with, and eventually walk beside. With 180 original rhyming poems, this book invites you into a journey of breath, bravery, and beautifully imperfect healing. Some poems will make you laugh out loud. Some will sit quietly beside you in your most anxious moments. All are written to remind you: You are not broken. You are becoming.

This is a collection of poetry celebrating the darker side of love and other topics. The poems mix humor, idealism, and cynicism and strive to make you laugh think and feel.

Lo Zen non si può descrivere con le parole, lo zen si può solo vivere. Le storie zen sono un mezzo per cogliere, da un'ombra proiettata su un muro, qualcosa del fiore dello zen. Queste 54 storie sono state tradotte dalla collezione che John Suler ha fatto di storie zen o taoiste già pubblicate o che gli sono state raccontate o inviate sul suo sito "Zen Stories to tell your neighbors".

One Essence is a modern commentary on the nondual teachings of a classical Zen text.

It is also a collection of Zen wisdom and poetry, containing the 67 stanzas of the Hsin Hsin Ming (with multiple alternative translations), plus many other succinct spiritual verses from ancient and contemporary Zen sources.