This little book was the first popular introduction to Zen in the English language, published by Hawai'ian/ Japanese publisher Tuttle in 1957, compiled from earlier booklets. The date gives the Introduction and the comments a quaint Beat Generation-ish flavour not without its charm.
This was the book that introduced me to Zen at the age of 15: I felt I had discovered a new world, I read and re-read it, carried it around with me, was delighted by the stories, baffled by the koans. Many years later I've lost count of how many copies I've gone through.

It consists of four parts. First, 101 Zen stories, including old favourites that I've since seen in so many other books. Then a translation of the "Mumonkan", the "simplest" of the classic koan anthologies. Then the wonderful "Ox-Herding Pictures", an allegory of the stages of spiritual life from the first inkling that "there must be something more to life" to complete realisation. This by itself is a comprehensive spiritual guide.

The last section is the most surprising: a translation of a brief mediaeval Tantric text called the "Vijñana Bhairava", 112 sentences of spiritual instruction supposedly spoken by the god Shiva to his "consort" Devî. (The introduction attributes a ridiculous antiquity to this text.) Each one of these sublime sentences is a concise spiritual method: you could reach Enlightenment through any one of them if you could develop that "Give me Liberation or give me Death" attitude. What it's doing in a book on Zen I haven't figured out, but it's worth the price of the book by itself.

Shame no-one these days prints cute little paperbacks like the old blue Pelican of this book, which you could stick so easily in your pocket. But it's great to know that it's still in print, still introducing teenagers to the delights and brick walls of Zen, to the suspicion that maybe doors open somewhere in the apparently solid façade of "real life". After fifty years and an avalanche of Zen publications this is still the best Beginners' Guide to Zen, and I recommend it with enthusiasm and huge affection.

Passing in the hot street
once and forever
we - knowingly - smile

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones is a beautiful work. There's no scholastic interference - just straight up Zen stories, koans, etc.

Unassuming and small, the size of the book betrays the depth of its message. Four books in one - 'Zen Stories' originally published in 1939, 'The Gateless Gate' originally published in 1934, '10 Bulls' originally published in 1935, and 'Centering' originally published in 1955.

'Centering' is the last work but of the most importance. It was born through Kasmir Saivism and, as Paul Reps and others feel, it is of the same spirit as Zen. It is a Tantric text, with 112 methods of meditation (which Paul Reps calls 'Centering'), otherwise known as Dharanas. The sanskrit word Dhyana, in its wandering, became Jhana in Pali, Ch'an in Chinese, and Zen in Japanese. Therefore, the last book of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones could be seen as a Zen manual for self-realization. Practicing its techniques while remaining mindful of the spirit of the Zen stories and koans elsewhere in the book will surely guide a sincere seeker home.

This book will stay by my side for years. Strongly recommended for those after a taste of Zen spirit.

It was over 40 years ago that I acquired this slim little book in an esoteric bookstore. I knew nothing about Buddhism or the Zen tradition at that time, and my own ignorance intrigued me. Little did I suspect that what I was holding in my hands was a peculiar, living virus--and I was about to become it's Host, in a lifelong symbiotic journey. Zen bones are Jellyfish bones. In the artifacts of Japanese culture, it is easy to recognize the influence of Zen, wherever you find it--yet, it may not be as ubiquitous as a Westerner might imagine.

Zen is not the only tradition by which essential memes are transmitted through the use of stories. The Sufis do it, too. The use of stories to impart life lessons and wisdom is as old as language--it's just that, aside from the discipline of Zazen, there are no Zen scriptures, per se, even though there are certainly traditions, and literature, handed down, from one virulent Zen Bastard to another. There simply is no useful analogy, in terms of scriptural literature, with say, the Upanishads, or the Koran, or the Dead Sea Scrolls.

It is difficult to boil Zen down into a succinct set of rules or principles. That is sort of like bringing a delicate sea creature up from great depths. It tends to fall apart. Lost in translation. That is why a collection of little stories is so valuable to the cultivation of intuition. The lessons of the Zen tradition must be transmitted directly, or they must be intuited. This is how the Zen virus become activated.

The thing is, the intuition of Zen realization is a slippery slope of no return. Once the soul is transformed by Zen, there is no way out of it. I call it the Lobster Pot syndrome. You go in, but you can't come back. So what's the problem with that, you ask? I don't know about Zen practice in Japan, but to practice mindfulness in America is to become a Stranger in a Strange Land. Experiential considerations like Suchness and law of interdependent causation, or the poise of dynamic equilibrium, have never really assimilated into modern American culture. So--be prepared to join a frame of reference with a tiny minority. You don't care. So be it.

Sitting Zazen is good--but this whole 8 hrs a day Enlightenment or die approach is something I frankly feel is too extreme. It is not the middle way. It may be good for beginners who are attempting to condition the mind and develop good mental habits--but if Zen is anything it is adaptable. It is pragmatic. Like tea in a cup, when you shatter the cup there is no tea, there is no cup, but there is a big freaking mess to clean up. Learn to steal moments of stillness in the flow of life wherever you can--at stop lights, in the waiting room, in the checkout line. It is best to learn to practice meditation through action. Turn every waking minute into the practice of mindful attendence. Watch your breath. In the book there is a story called Every Minute Zen that addresses this point. If one loses their center, and their sense of self awareness, whether participating in the marketplace, or on the battlefield of life, then one's 'attainment' is very meager. For one's aim to be true, you have to rise above the occasion of drama, wherever, and whenever, it presents itself. Everything is an opportunity, for a quickening of awareness, after all. Zen is Nature's Hammer. Be the Nail. Only don't know. Be.

This is one of the earliest Zen books available in English. ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES is not "about" Zen, it "is" Zen. An omnibus of beloved Zen tales ("101 Zen Stories"), the classic ten "Oxherding Pictures," and the "Mumonkan" ("The Gateless Gate") a collection of those ironic, irreverent, and seemingly illogical Zen riddles known as Koans, this book is an excellent, one might say, indispensable, part of any Zen practitioner's library, whether beginner or Dharma Heir.

It's an excellent translation. Zen writings are essentially paradoxical, filled with sense impressions, and sometimes arcane (Koans descended from Chinese law cases of the Confucian period and are still called Cases today). ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES will not have you tearing your hair out trying to decipher the language of the Zen Masters (given the number of shaven-headed monks, you have to wonder), but it still gives the reader a great sense of the fluidity of thought that marks the material.

There are other books out there that "explain" Zen, or "teach" Zen, but ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES is the essence of the immediate experience that IS Zen. The recorded version, read by Peter Coyote, is a wonderful listening experience.

Sit with it.

I've read a number of books on Zen, which technically can't be written about. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Reps and Senzaki is a good example of the pithy stories and poems that teachers use to "point toward the moon" while helping students not to confuse the finger for the moon.

The selection of material and translation are very good.

I have the Shambhala edition. It is a shame that one of the few good-quality translations in Shambhala's Pocket Classics series is out of print. If you can find one you should buy it, because it really can be read again and again and it really does fit in your pocket.

For a different sort of introduction to Zen I recommend D. T. Suzuki's Introduction to Zen Buddhism (An Introduction to Zen Buddhism).

For a fuller treatment it is hard to beat D.T. Suzuki's Essays (Essays in Zen Buddhism: First Series).

What strikes me as I read many of the reviews here is that most of the reviewers have a truly fond feeling for this book and that many have also read and re-read it over the years. Both of these experiences are true for me too!

"Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" is a collection of Zen tales that touch the heart and mind in the true spirit of Zen.

It was the first book that I ever read about Zen and it is invaluable still. I purchased my first copy in my early college days and over 20 years later I bought this book again, because I had lost my taped up and worn out copy in a move. I simply had to have this book once more, which in a strange way is an Attachment, yet not... which sounds like some half-baked Koan or humorous Zen twist like those that are so wonderful in the stories in this book. ( "What is the sound of one page turning?" )

If I had to choose one book on Zen it would be this one.
There are many, many fine books that delve deeper into the subject of Zen, but "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" has the friendly essence and simplicity that is Zen. If you had no other introduction to Zen, somehow I think what is in this book would suffice.

The title of the book is no lie, it is telling the truth!

Peace

a great starter book. The parables are easy to read and simple to understand. I first read the book in larger size format 10 years ago. Today, I still appreciate every content of it. The best feature of the pocket size format is that you can carry them anywhere or leave it beside your bed when a bit of zen is needed in your life. I don't know why Shambhala Publishing stopped printing them.

I don't know why I find this book such a comfort. But it is one. I have read and reread it for over thirty years now. Zen is very foreign to American life. And it is hardly the answer to that life. But it is a partial answer -- if its influence on me is any indication.

I don't know why I find this book such a comfort. But it is one. I have read and reread it for over thirty years now. Zen is very foreign to American life. And it is hardly the answer to that life. But it is a partial answer -- if its influence on me is any indication.