BRAD WARNER

A reader-friendly guide to Zen Buddhist ethics for modern times In the West, Zen Buddhism has a reputation for paradoxes that defy logic. In particular, the Buddhist concept of nonduality -- the realization that everything in the universe forms a single, integrated whole -- is especially difficult to grasp. In The Other Side of Nothing, Zen teacher Brad Warner untangles the mystery and explains nonduality in plain English. To Warner, this is not just a philosophical problem: nonduality forms the bedrock of Zen ethics, and once we comprehend it, many of the perplexing aspects of Zen suddenly make sense. Drawing on decades of Zen practice, he traces the interlocking relationship between Zen metaphysics and ethics, showing how a true understanding of reality -- and the ultimate unity of all things -- instills in us a sense of responsibility for the welfare of all beings. When we realize that our feeling of separateness from others is illusory, we have no desire to harm any creature. Warner ultimately presents an expansive overview of the Zen ethos that will give beginners and experts alike a deeper understanding of one of the world's enduring spiritual traditions.

Mitä yhteistä voi olla punkrockilla ja zenbuddhalaisuudella? Eivätkö ne ole pikemminkin toistensa vastakohtia? Onhan punk kovaäänistä, rosoista ja usein myös kantaaottavaa, kun taas zen itsetutkiskelua, meluisan mielen hiljentymistä. Mutta niin yllättävältä kuin se kuulostaakin, punk ja zen eivät ole toistensa ääripäät, vaan niistä löytyy paljonkin yhteistä, kuten halu kyseenalaistaa vallitsevat totuudet ja olla aidosti oma itsensä. Brad Warner tunnetaan paitsi pitkän linjan hardcore-punkkarina mutta myös arvostettuna zenmestarina, joka edustaa japanilaista 1200-luvulla perustettua Soto-koulukuntaa. Hänen alun perin vuonna 2003 ilmestynyt esikoisteoksensa Hardcore Zen ei ole todellakaan mikään ihan tavanomainen self help -opas, vaan viihdyttävä ja pohdiskeleva katsaus uskonnon ja populaarikulttuurin suhteeseen ja yksilön rooliin siinä. Jos kaipaat pysähdystä hektiseen elämääsi, mutta ajatus meditoinnista saa sinut haukottelemaan, Hardcore Zen herättää mielesi aivan uudella tavalla. Se haastaa perinteiset käsitykset henkisyydestä ja osoittaa, että zen sopii meille kaikille - myös hirviöelokuvista pitäville punkkareille.

The night Brad Warner learns that his childhood friend Marky has died, Warner is about to speak to a group of Zen students in Hamburg, Germany. It's the last thing he feels like doing. What he wants to do instead is tell his friend everything he never said, to explain Zen "to those who don't understand what I do for a living or why I care about this crazy philosophy and this weird meditation practice I do everyday." So, as he continues his teaching tour through Europe, he writes to his friend as he wishes he had spoken. Simply and humorously, he reflects on why Zen provided him a lifeline in a difficult world. He explores grief, attachment, and the afterlife. He tells Marky, "I'm not interested in Buddhism, I'm interested in what is true," and then proceeds to poke and prod at that truth. The result for readers is a singular and winning meditation on Zen, a unique tribute to both a life lost and to the one Warner has found.

Vol. 2 of Brad Warner's Radical but Reverent Paraphrasing of Dogen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye In Japan in 1253, one of the great thinkers of his time died -- and the world barely noticed. That man was the Zen monk Eihei Dogen. For centuries his main work, Shobogenzo, languished in obscurity, locked away in remote monasteries until scholars rediscovered it in the twentieth century. What took so long? In Brad Warner's view, Dogen was too ahead of his time to find an appreciative audience. To bring Dogen's work to a bigger readership, Warner began paraphrasing Shobogenzo, recasting it in simple, everyday language. The first part of this project resulted in Don't Be a Jerk, and now Warner presents this second volume, It Came from Beyond Zen Once again, Warner uses wry humor and incisive commentary to bridge the gap between past and present, making Dogen's words clearer and more relevant than ever before.

A Radical but Reverent Paraphrasing of Dogen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye "Even if the whole universe is nothing but a bunch of jerks doing all kinds of jerk-type things, there is still liberation in simply not being a jerk." -- Eihei Dogen (1200-1253 CE) The Shobogenzo (The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) is a revered eight-hundred-year-old Zen Buddhism classic written by the Japanese monk Eihei Dogen. Despite the timeless wisdom of his teachings, many consider the book difficult to understand and daunting to read. In Don't Be a Jerk, Zen priest and bestselling author Brad Warner, through accessible paraphrasing and incisive commentary, applies Dogen's teachings to modern times. While entertaining and sometimes irreverent, Warner is also an astute scholar who sees in Dogen very modern psychological concepts, as well as insights on such topics as feminism and reincarnation. Warner even shows that Dogen offered a "Middle Way" in the currently raging debate between science and religion. For curious readers worried that Dogen's teachings are too philosophically opaque, Don't Be a Jerk is hilarious, understandable, and wise.

Zen, plain and simple, with no BS. This is not your typical Zen book. Brad Warner, a young punk who grew up to be a Zen master, spares no one. This bold new approach to the "Why?" of Zen Buddhism is as strongly grounded in the tradition of Zen as it is utterly revolutionary. Warner's voice is hilarious, and he calls on the wisdom of everyone from punk and pop culture icons to the Buddha himself to make sure his points come through loud and clear. As it prods readers to question everything, Hardcore Zen is both an approach and a departure, leaving behind the soft and lyrical for the gritty and stark perspective of a new generation. This new edition will feature an afterword from the author.

Can you be an atheist and still believe in God? Can you be a true believer and still doubt? Can Zen give us a way past our constant fighting about God? Brad Warner was initially interested in Buddhism because he wanted to find God, but Buddhism is usually thought of as godless. In the three decades since Warner began studying Zen, he has grappled with paradoxical questions about God and managed to come up with some answers. In this fascinating search for a way beyond the usual arguments between fundamentalists and skeptics, Warner offers a profoundly engaging and idiosyncratic take on the ineffable power of the "ground of all being."