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#2226444 in Books 2013-04-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.40 x .70 x 5.20l, .45 #File Name: 1611720117176 pages | File size: 22.Mb

Gregory Shepherd : A Straight Road with 99 Curves: Coming of Age on the Path of Zen (NONE) before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised A Straight Road with 99 Curves: Coming of Age on the Path of Zen (NONE):

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. We must need the curves...By Danny ParkerI sat down to start this book on a short trip and could not put it down. It simply mirrored too many of my own experiences for me to stop before I found where this would all go. Yet, for those who might wish to read an inspiring Zen tale of endeavor, insight and enlightenment, be forewarned: this is not a "feel good" account, but rather an honest reckoning with the foibles of Zen masters and students.Greg Shephard has written a memorable tale of his journey with Zen practice stretching over decades. Not since "After Zen" by van de Wetering has there been as honest an account on this austere spiritual practice as this one.One teacher I respect once said that Zen practice, in spite of its darling status with media and trend, would never be big in America. Why? "Perhaps someone would sign up for a practice that was very hard if it was very short with a big payoff. Or maybe one that was easy, but long? But what about a practice that is very hard, very long and with an uncertain result. No promises, no promises at all. Who wants to go to that party?"Nevertheless, Greg Shepard takes us on his own personal journey where a student's verified insight, kensho, or the "the Big K" was all important. We find that the real thing may not be recognized, or that solving a , instead, may actually be a dry exercise with little utility for daily life. Even with years of study and disillusionment might we see at last that "the Big K" may not be all that important anyway. What is then?Shunryu Suzuki once related that enlightenment is not an experience or a mental state. He also said that we have just enough problems-- a maddening statement. Do we need all those curves in the straight road? But without spoiling your read, when Greg Shepard at last reaches the other shore he finds it nothing as advertised. Yet, it is real and comfortable. As the great Zen teacher, Ikkyu once pronounced to doubters: "It's good enough for me." And that in itself, is wonderful enough.A spiritual aspirant? Treat yourself to this book0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful !By IndyInAsiaPacificAbsolutely loved it. Completely captured being a Gaijin in in the 1970s. Write more, Greg, and NARRATE the Audiobook versions with your world-class voice !0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. spiritual righteousness into a reality where the by-products of Zen discipline yield a satisfying maturity at one’s beck and calBy DavidRelated with unguarded lucidity—a journey from the youthful supposition of enlightenment and the fantasy of cultured, spiritual righteousness into a reality where the by-products of Zen discipline yield a satisfying maturity at one’s beck and call…Thoroughly enjoyed the honesty; free of fluff and full of humor and answers…David Byrd "Deeply involving, instructive, and capable of touching any reader who cares about the search for meaning."—Mitch Horowitz, author of Occult America"In being so frank about his own struggles and fantasies, Greg's personal tale becomes something more universal."—David R. Loy, author of Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist RevolutionIn 1971, when Greg Shepherd was in his early twenties, he left New Jersey and joined the Koko An Zendo community in . What began as a quest for enlightenment became Greg's confrontation with his own inner demons: his need for approval, his distrust of authority, and his ego-driven fixation on achieving the profound spiritual breakthrough of kensho ("the Big K"). Later, in Japan, he struggled with prejudice and cultural rigidity and found his deeper meditations leading to actual panic attacks over fear of losing himself. Ultimately, he broke with Zen and his teachers to pursue a career in music.This frank memoir traces Greg Shepherd's meandering path from seeker to disillusionment, and, over a decade later, his way back to Zen and inner peace. We experience Zen practice in Japan and Hawaii and meet Zen masters Yamada Koun Roshi and Robert Aitken, the "dean of American " (who had once pegged Greg as his successor). And we understand why Zen was so appealing to the American counterculture and how its profound lessons of focus and detachment remain insightful and important.Gregory Shepherd has studied Zen since the early 1970s in Hawaii and Japan. He is associate professor of music at Kauai Community College.

"Dug your book, Greg. Dug your version of the '99 curves'. It's shone light on mine."—Jeff Bridges, actor"His portrayal of his brash younger self is a fresh and intensely human portrait compared to the perfect, innocuous paragons of peace ordinarily presented in Zen texts. . . . Shepherd's memoir transcends its subject matter and serves as a poignant reminder of something more fundamental to the human condition: the continual search for validity and meaning."?Publishers Weekly

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