Dear All,
I wish to recommend one of the clearest, most well spoken and down to earth presentations of our Soto Zen ways that I have read in a long time. Maybe now one of my favorite Zen books of all time (beyond "likes" and "dislikes", of course!
In fact, I am going to recommend this for our next reading in Treeleaf's "Beyond Words and Letters" Book Club (I think we will take a little break from the Book of Equanimity as we come to Koan 50) ...
... and I am going to see if the author would be willing to come here as a Guest Teacher one day soon.
This is Inside the Grass Hut: Living Shitou's Classic Zen Poem by Ben Connelly.
Enter the mind and practice of Zen: apply the insights of one of Zen's classic poems to your life in the here and now. Shitou Xiqian (jp. Sekito Kisen, 700–790)'s Song of the Grass Roof Hermitage is a remarkably accessible work of profound depth, in thirty two lines Shitou expresses the breadth of the entire Buddhist tradition with simple, vivid imagery. Ben Connelly's Inside the Grass Hut unpacks the timeless poem and applies it to contemporary life. His book delivers a wealth of information on the context and content of this eighth century work, as well as directly evokes the poem's themes of simple living, calm, and a deep sense of connection to all things. Each pithy chapter focuses on a single line of the poem, letting the reader immerse himself thoroughly in each line and then come up for air before moving on to the next. Line by line, Connelly shows how the poem draws on and expresses elements from the thousand years of Buddhist thought that preceded it, expands on the poem's depiction of a life of simple practice in nature, and tells stories of the way these teachings manifest in modern life. Connelly, like Shitou before him, proves himself adept at taking profound and complex themes from Zen and laying them out in a practical and understandable way.
Eminently readable, thoroughly illuminating, Inside the Grass Hut shows the reader a path of wholehearted engagement - with the poem, and with the world.
BEN CONNELLY is a Soto Zen priest in the Katagiri lineage training with Tim Burkett at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. Connelly was ordained in 2009, was made shuso, or head monk, in 2012, and has been teaching at MZMC for seven years. Ben is also a professional musician and developed and leads Mindfulness in the Mountains backpacking/meditation retreats in northwest Montana. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Eminently readable, thoroughly illuminating, Inside the Grass Hut shows the reader a path of wholehearted engagement - with the poem, and with the world.
BEN CONNELLY is a Soto Zen priest in the Katagiri lineage training with Tim Burkett at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. Connelly was ordained in 2009, was made shuso, or head monk, in 2012, and has been teaching at MZMC for seven years. Ben is also a professional musician and developed and leads Mindfulness in the Mountains backpacking/meditation retreats in northwest Montana. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This review of the book on Amazon expresses my feelings ...
The simplicity of this title hides a depth that holds a vast expanse of knowledge. Each line of Shitou's poem is explained as if the author had been there discussing it with him. There is a peerless insight in this work that sees through the centuries and into the heart of a simple mountain monk. I would recommend Inside the Grass Hut to anyone who is interested in Buddhism, from beginners to experts and everyone in-between. The book speaks in a contemporary language that makes Shitou's teachings available and relevant to people in the 21st century. I loved it and plan on reading it again.
Gassho, J
SatToday!
PS - I wish to mention as well Taigu's more poetic and expressive take on Shitou (Sekito) from awhile back.
Thank you Jundo. =)
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