Textbook - Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

As a wonderful accompaniment to my meditation class, or as a stand-alone study course we will explore together Shunryu Suzuki's classic. This has been my 'go to' book to support my Zen practice for many years, and I'm very familar with it.

How we study: Usually students will read a few pages ahead, while making some highlights or notes, then in the class we read together and discuss our highlights and thoughts on the text. Often, we'll reflect on the ideas we've read in relation to our own experiences, ans express them in our own ways. This class is also great for developing your English vocabulary, natural phrasing and pronunciation. For the class it helps to have your own copy of the book, so you might like to purchase one before your lesson. 

Suzuki’s book emphasizes the concept of "Beginner's Mind," which is the mind of the beginner that is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities. The book highlights the importance of Zen meditation, zazen, which is not about achieving something, but simply bringing awareness to your breath and observing without interference. The book also emphasizes the concept of non-duality, which is the idea that everything contains the same nature and nothing is separate. The book encourages readers to focus on breathing as a way to see their true nature and to be absolutely absorbed in what they are doing, flowing from one activity to the next, with their attention directed on what they are doing in the moment. The book teaches that failure can be success and vice versa, and that it's better to observe than to control.