Brash, irreverent member of punk rockband Zero Defects, a Zen master who speaks Japanese and was trained in Japan, interprets Dogen's 95-chapter Shobogenzo, written in the 13th century. Warner considers it the single most reliable written interpretation of Buddhism, and he delivers it to young Americans in a most up-front manner: zazen is supposed to be boring, enlightenment is impossible (especially if you are searching for it), and the present moment is all there is. Fantastic. ( )

Brad Warner's first effort, "Hardcore Zen" easily makes my top five books on Buddhism. The guy does an excellent job of both explaining Buddhism and its relevance to everyday life, and doing it in decidedly modern (read: post-Simpsons generation) language. Another fun fact: we're from the same place in Ohio, and he was an ALT in the same middle-of-nowhere town in Japan where I went on JET, none of which I knew until well after I'd read his first book. Anyway, "Sit Down And Shut Up" is another excellent volume, this time discussing Dogen's "Shobogenzo." Granted, Warner's attempts at humor feel forced at times, and I believe much of the material was available in rougher form on his old blog, but these faults by no means detract from the overall worth of the book. As a final caveat, I did read it during the height of a bout with the flu, so I'm going to have to reread it before I can give you my definitive, not-loopy-on-meds opinion, but as things stand now: read this book.