Nancy Wilson Ross (1901–1986)

The first book on Buddhism I read, long ago, describing the Buddha’s life, general precepts of Buddhism, and three of its branches – Hinayana, Tibetan, and Zen. It’s illustrated and I found it to be a great introduction then, and a great refresher now.

Quotes:
On death, quoting Evans-Wentz:
“To die in a hospital, probably while under the mind-benumbing influence of some opiate, or else under the stimulation of some drug injected into the body to enable the dying to cling to life as long show more as possible, cannot but be productive of a very undesirable death, as undesirable as that of a shell-shocked soldier on a battlefield.”

On enlightenment, and the symbol of the yab-yum (actually quoting Fosco Maraini):
“What fantastic imagination, what metaphysical daring, to represent the most abstract possible concept, a concept definable only by negatives, like mathematical infinity, by the most concrete, the most carnal picture that it is possible to imagine; to symbolize that which is without beginning and without end by that which is par excellence ephemeral and fugitive; to identify extreme serenity with extreme passion, the crystal light of the stars with the fire of love, the invisible and the intangible with the intoxication of the senses; and to recall the oneness of the universe, to awareness of which the mind only rarely attains, as a result of supreme effort, in a flash of illumination, by a representation of the moment in which all thought is lost in the most complete annihilation.”

On nature:
“..in the annals of Chinese Zen, the anecdote of the Ch’an Master Huen Sha, who was about to begin a talk to his pupils when a bird on a nearby bough burst into song. After listening raptly to the bird until it flew away, Huen Sha dutifully ascended his dais, only to descend again with the dry remark that the sermon for the day had already been given.”

On opinions:
“Emptiness is a positive rather than a negative concept. The early stages of Zen training stress ‘Empty the Mind.’ Sometimes the aspirant is advised to ‘Take as thought the thought of No-thought.’ Or it may be suggested that he not seek so hard after the ‘truth,’ but simply begin by ‘ceasing to cherish opinions.’” Damn, such profound words, and so hard to practice. show less

In the early 15th century, France was in turmoil. The country had been at war for years, and it had no king. Out of the chaos came Joan of Arc. No one knows how Joan, a poor farm girl, was able to command armies and win battles, but she did all that and more. Some called Joan a heroine. Others called her a witch. But with her determination and unwavering faith, she would go down in history as Saint Joan of Arc.

'Nancy Wilson Ross has performed a valuble service in making available to us the insights and reflections of those who have understood Zen...Our education has trained us to be at home in the world of notions; it is time that we discovered how to be equally at home in The World of Zen.-Aldous Huxley

'This is a book we have been waiting for-one that would gather into a single comprehensive voume the main features of an Eastern philosophy that is becoming a creative force in the Western world. show more Zen is a way of life, of universal relevance, and this volume, which makes it so acccessible, is likely to have a wide influence on our culture. It is a book to live with.'-Sir Herbert Read

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
I What is Zen?
1 Introduction Nancy Wilson Ross
2 Zen: A method for religious awakening Ruth Fuller Sasaki
3 A few statements about Zen D.T. Suzuki
4 The religion of tranquility
The three types of religious method Sokei-an
II The essence of Zen
1 The sense of Zen D.T. Suzuki
2 Satori, or acquiring a new viewpoint
Suzuki on satori
Alan Watts on satori
Hubert Benoit on satori
Hisamatsu on satori
Christmas Humphreys on satori
3 The koan D.T. Suzuki
4 Two from twenty five koans
Repose of mind
The clatter of a broken tile-Sokei-an
5 The Zen teaching of Huang Po on the transmission of mind
Translated, and with an introduction, by John Blofeld
6 Some Zen sttories
Translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps
III Zen and the arts
1 Painting
Foreword
Zen and the art of painting D.T. Suzuki
The Tao of painting Mai-mai Sze
2 Gardens
Foreword
Gardens Langdon Warner
Stone garden Will Petersen
3 Poetry
Foreword
Haiku Alan Watts
4 Ceremonial tea
Foreword
Tea Langdon Warner
5 Architecture-The tea-room Okakura Kakuzo
6 The No drama
Foreword
Sotoba Komachi Translated by Arthur Waley
IV Humor in Zen
1 Foreword
2 Excerpt from Monkey Translated by Arthur Waley
3 Three old Chinese Zen stories Chang Chen-chi
V Zen in psychology and everyday life
1 Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism Erich Fromm
2 Zen in psychotherapy: The virtue of sitting Akihisa Kondo
3 On the general sense of Zen thought Hubert Benoit
4 Practicing Zen through observing one's mind in tranquility Chang Chen-chi
5 Zen Buddhism and everyday life Robert Linssen
6 The awakening of a new consciousness in Zen D.T. Suzuki
VI Universal Zen
1 who am I?
2 Non-attachment
3 'Is-ness'
4 'Now-ness'
5 'One-ness'
6 The Zen eye
7 The archer, the judoka, puppets, swords, and a tame bear
Excerpt from zen in the art of archery Eugen Herrigel
Judo and psycho-physical unity Robert Linssen
Excerpt from an essay on the psychology of swordplay Takano Shigeyoshi
The marionette theatre, a story Heinrich von Kleist
The expert, a story Nakashima Ton (translated by Ivan Morris)
8 Zen and science-'No-knowledge,' from The Tao of Science R.G.H. Siu
9 Lao-tsu: Poems Translated by Witter Bynner
VII Zen and the West
1 Spring sesshin at Shokoku-ji Gary Snyder
2 Beat Zen, square Zen, and Zen Alan Watts
3 Zen for the West William Barrett show less

This is a fantastic book on Buddhism. My copy is full of paperclips, which I used to mark really great stuff I'd want to be able to reference again quickly.