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Book Review of Nothing Is Hidden : Essays on Zen Master Dogen's Instructions for the Cook

Nothing Is Hidden : Essays on Zen Master Dogen's Instructions for the Cook
canadianeh avatar reviewed Instructions for the cook on + 242 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


For me, this truly was an understandable explanation of Zen and how to live the Buddhist life and face the problems of the world.
The central text is a beautifully simple translation of Master Dogen's "Instructions for the Cook", written 800 years ago. It comes from key incident in Dogen's encounter with a Chinese monk in charge of a monastery kitchen, from whom he learned about the nature of practice. Practice extends throughout all one's life tasks. It's followed by several other essays about poverty, the nature of menial work and self-discipline, among other topics. A wonderful book about the transcendency of simple tasks.