Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

Thich Nhat Hanh is a true Zen master, utilizing his ability of skillful means to reach a variety of audiences. His books such as "Love" and "Living Buddha, Living Christ" are examples of his skillful means to an audience that needs an "easier" way to understand (not that those books aren't wonderful). Zen Keys can be considered a medium level book, with a good amount of philosophy from Zen and other Buddhist schools as well as history, a lot of Vietnamese names and terms, as well as 30+ koans translated by Hanh.As a college student studying religion, I found this book to be extremely wonderful- Hanh can express in fewer words the essence of Zen than other sources can do in pages, with dense and overdone writing. Also see Alan Watts (Spirit of Zen) for more of this same kind of material.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Zen, Buddhism, or 'enlightenment'. You will find yourself surprised to realize how simple it can be to reach Nirvana... that is, if your mind is ripe.

I purchased this book as a source of inspiration for my practice, however it turned out to be a summary of the Zen tradition from Vietnam. By all means it is a good book, just did not fit the current needs of my practice. Nevertheless, the 43 koans (translated to english for the first time by Thay) are a true piece of art, which make this book a good addition to any Zen practitioner's library.I feel the book "Meet the Real Dragon" by Gudo Wafu Nishijima goes deeper into the essence of Zen practice, and therefore into the essence of life itself.

In a world where tons of junky "zen" products are poured into the North American marketplace, Nhat Hanh remains the 'real deal." Even though it is a book, he evades the trap of over-theorizing and keeps the focus on practice. Short, simple, direct -- can be read again and again to remind us that being "mindful" is a practice, not a thought.

This book has a lot of terms which I find educational, and a "must know" if one is serious about studying Buddhism.

Thich Nhat Hanh's books are always brilliant and this one is no exception. He presents a concise, easy to understand way to understand Zen. It is because of Thich Nhat Hanh's books that I became interested in Zen in the first place. He truly is brilliant!

The descriptions are clearly written for easy understanding. The book builds from history of the spread of Zen from India and China and how it is translated and adopted into other cultures. I am just getting to the part discussing how our western culture needs to do that now.

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the best Buddhist writers. The clarity, and depth of his writing me it a joy to read. I also appreciate his openness to other religions. Zen Keys, is clear, and deep, and easy to read.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a great teacher. This is a well written book with a good message. I have read it and recommend it to my students.

This book is about Zen practice. It covers a wide range, from novice practice through tea, Buddhist philosophy, to Ko-ans. This book is unusual. Thich Nhat Hanh, is both a practitioner and a Zen Master. So every word he writes is crafted from experience. It makes the book both special and valuable. The book helps us see the Zen Buddhist experience as a woven tapestry.Another interesting point is that Vietnamese Zen exists separately from the more common Japanese Zen. They both owe a common origin to Chinese Ch'an. This means that Thich Nhat Hanh avoids the sectarian divisions between Soto and Rinzai schools, happily referring to both in the course of the book. To me this is refreshing. Also the ideas of the Madhyamika School of Nagarjuna. 'The eight negations of Nagarjuna,' are simply explained within the context of the Zen. Here wider Buddhist philosophy often associated with Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, is shown to have a place within Zen too. Finally the selection of koans comes from a Vietnamese source, which is unusual for those more used to the traditional collections. A useful little gem of a book.

THIS BOOK IS SO FULL I WILL BE READING IT FOR A LONG TIME.I UNDERSTOOD SOMETHING I HAD STRUGGLED WITH FOR YEARS FROM READING THIS WONDERFUL BOOK. I THINK IT IS FOR THOSE WITH SOME SMALL EXPERIENCE OF DHARMA NOT ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS.HE EXPLAINED HOW WE HAVE TO ABANDON LOGIC AT SOME POINT AND PRESENTS A SIMPLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE VERSION OF HOW CAN A SEED BE IN A SPROUT ETC.WHICH IS I BELIEVE NAGARJUNAS AND SHANTIDEVAS WAY OF WAKING US UP.BUT IT WAS SO EASY TO READ THE PRESENTATION FROM THIS WONDERFUL ZEN MASTER WHO MAKES US SEE THAT WE DONT HAVE TO STRUGGLE WITH COMPLICATED EXPLANATIONS AND WE CAN LET GO OF OUR IDEAS.

Is reading about Zen a paradox? Will these words bring you enlightenment? Maybe.

Postage and packaging as expected.Found it difficult to understand , more a phlosophical book than a zen handbook as I thought at first when I purchased it.

excellent