A Guide to Zen by Katsuki Sekida

A Guide to Zen by Katsuki Sekida is a condensed version of the author’s work “Zen Training.” This version of the book was edited down by Marc Allen to include the Zen Master’s original teachings in a much shorter and condensed manner. If you wish to learn more about Zen, and how it can help the quality of your life, be sure to read this book!

Book Description

“Katsuki Sekida was both a great writer and a great Zen master, and his books on Zen are among the most comprehensive ever written in English. In these pages, his former student Marc Allen culls the finest pieces from the original works to create a beautifully readable, brilliantly illuminating guide to Zen meditation. It begins with a summary of Zen, continues with a complete course in Zen meditation, and ends with comments on a Zen classic, In Search of the Missing Ox. Specific practices are featured throughout, such as “One-Minute Zazen” and other gems that are the result of a lifetime of study. For students of Zen both new and old, Sekida’s teachings are an endless source of insight and wisdom.” – A Guide to Zen

My Thoughts

A Guide to Zen is a marvelous little book. It starts off with a summary of Zen that makes it simple enough for someone who knows nothing about it to understand. The Zen meditations included are a great tool for newcomers and practitioners to use.

For me though, I love the stories included, and the teachings of what Zen really is. Just reading this book makes me calmer, and in a highly stressful college major, that is truly amazing.

I love this guide. It is simple, to the point, and contains so much knowledge and help within the pages. It is a book that is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about understanding Zen, and can definitely impact the quality of one’s life who reads it. I highly recommend it.

* Thank you to the publisher of A Guide to Zen, New World Library, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.