Big Mind Big Heart: Finding Your Way
by Dennis Genpo Merzel
|
List Price: Our Price: $10.50 You Save: $7.45 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.95 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Big Mind Big Heart: Finding Your Way
Book Review: The essence of Buddhism illuminated
Summary: 5 Stars
The teaching of the Dharma knows several phases, meeting the different needs of different times or different cultures in which Indian Buddhism was introduced. In India every new chapter in the teaching of the Dharma was called a "turning of the wheel." The first turning of the wheel, in the fifth century B.C., refers to the teaching of the historical Gautama Buddha. His words were not based on divine bestowal such as the Vedas, but on self-exploration and personal experience. The teaching of the Buddha was considered to be unconventional because, contrary to the prevailing beliefs of his time, it did not accept an unchanging absolute behind changing phenomena and instead emphasized impermanence itself. The Buddha tried to let the people of his time discover for themselves that there is nothing you can put your finger on. There is nothing to be found in this life that lasts or that exists independently. If that is true, what moves me?
The second turning of the wheel refers to the teachings of one of the greatest philosophers that India produced, Nagarjuna. He lived in the second century A.D. and was also called the `second Buddha." His philosophy of the Middle Way goes back to the Prajnaparamita Sutras, a corpus of eighteen scriptures of different lengths that deal with the "perfection of wisdom," the realization of openness or the indeterminacy of all phenomena: there is nothing that can be said about them. The subversive element of this second turning of the wheel was that it plainly contradicted the fundamentals of the ancient Buddhist teachings. One of the prominent scriptures of the Prajnaparamita literature, the Heart Sutra, relates to the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination and the very first teaching that the Buddha is thought to have delivered: his sermon on the four noble truths (there is suffering, this suffering has a cause, there is an ending of that cause, there is a path leading to that end):
'(So Shariputra, in openness there is) no ignorance and no end to ignorance ..., until no old age and death and no end to old age and death. No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinguishing, no path; no attaining and no non-attaining.'
The value of this teaching was that it inspired people to relinquish the words of the Buddha, leading them back to the self-exploration and personal experience from which the Buddha's realization originated.
The third turning of the wheel refers to the teachings of the Vasubandhu and Asanga brothers. They were the principal representatives of the Yogacara School that emerged in the fourth century A.D. They taught that in fact you can make a positive statement about phenomena: what appears before us is "mind only" or "Buddha-nature." This last term is the Buddhist expression for the mystery of our life. All the same it is again a word to express the ineffable.
Buddhism spread throughout the whole of Southeast and East Asia and, around the beginning of the Common Era, it entered the Chinese cultural area via the Silk Routes. In this culture, radically different from the one where Buddhism originated, it blended with Chinese Taoism and Confucianism. In the seventh century A.D., in the mountains at the Yangtze River, after a long and exceedingly complex process of assimilation, a distinctive Chinese Buddhism emerged that was named Ch'an (Zen in Japanese). This new form of Buddhism, which an Indian would not recognize as such, legitimized itself by the Platform Sutra. This sutra proclaimed the distinctive Chinese turning of the Dharma Wheel: just sitting in meditation is nothing but wisdom. There is nothing to do, nothing to develop and nothing to attain, you simply have to be present here and now in order to fully realize the mystery.
In the second half of the twentieth century, Buddhism was transmitted to the West from countries such as Japan, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand and Korea. At this point it arrives in a culture in which the word "Buddha" is given a completely different meaning than in Asia, if one is capable of doing that at all; in an age with a predominating skepticism and disenchantment on the one hand and unbridled materialism, also in spiritual respect, on the other hand. It is evident that, if Buddhism is to take root in our age and culture, it needs to undergo a metamorphosis as it did in China. It will have to get a distinctive Western character that most Asians will not recognize as being Buddhist. The heart of the matter is: how do you teach the Dharma in the West?
An answer to that question is found by the American Zen Master Genpo Merzel Roshi, in the process that he describes in his book 'Big Mind / Big Heart: Finding Your Way'. Genpo Roshi developed a process that, in complete accordance with the Zen spirit, provides an immediate realization of the richness and depth of our mind. And he developed a distinctive Western form with this process, not just through combining a Western psychotherapeutic method with Buddhist notions and koan meditation, but also by using the "Socratic Dialogue" in which the teacher does not perform the role of authoritarian Zen Master and the student does not silently consume the teaching, but in which he explores himself by expressing himself.
In 'Big Mind / Big Heart: Finding Your Way' the reader makes a miraculous journey through some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence that, although sometimes manifesting to a larger degree and sometimes to a lesser degree, are always there and in the process are directly addressed to and explored. The reader do not read about these aspects; the aspects voice themselves and in our language, and this enables the reader to explore himself. This is the most profound expression of Zen master Dogen 'To study the Buddha-way, is to study the self' I have ever found in a book.
Big Mind / Big Heart not only sheds light on the various aspects of mind. In the journey from aspect to aspect, in that miraculous shift of perspective, a realization unfolds of the depth, the richness and the mystery of our life and, in a simple way, the essence of Buddhism is illuminated. What we read, and the way in which we acquire these insights, is almost too simple to be true and precisely this constitutes the new, subversive character of this Western turning of the wheel. After all, the highest spiritual truth can never be expressed in such a simple way without being violated, and it can never be realized so easily, can it? The answer to this question I gladly leave to the reader.
So, read this book!
Maurice Knegtel, university teacher on Buddhist philosophy and zen student, Holland.
Book Review: A thoughtful, critical and I hope balanced review.
Summary: 3 Stars
I noticed there is a long list of glowing reviews for this book and Ken Wilber wrote probably wrote the most glowing endorsement I've seen from him for any book. I wish I could say I share his enthusiasm, but after reading the book more than once, practicing the techniques and comparing it to other material I have to say this isn't anything particularly new, innovative or magical.
My guess is that this work made an excellent live workshop that didn't translate well to a written text. I also think that Hal and Sidra Stone did a MUCH better job of articulating the underlying principles of the psychological framework for this method of meditation. I found Merzel's treatment to be repetitive, verbose and not much of a value add. In other words, this book could have been much shorter and at the same time harder hitting.
Something I like about the book is that it comes with a CD. While this is a value-add, it is misleading to call the included meditation guided. Approximately, five percent of the content of this meditation is guided. It includes a few simple and largely unnecessary questions. However, the background music and sound is quite pleasant and relaxing. The short demonstration section of talking someone through an experience of Big Mind didn't impress me either. It seemed staged and didn't add anything of value that one couldn't get from the text.
With all of this said, the book does offer some basic meditation advice, I believe the author is sincere and it is a good value for the dollar given the inclusion of the CD. However, I think it is not comparable to Turning the Mind Into an Ally, Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation or other materials available by Pema Chodron, Jack Kornfield and others.
If you want a deeper coverage of the same ground with more direction, I would consider purchasing Embracing Your Inner Critic: Turning Self-Criticism into a Creative Asset along with one of the meditation books I mentioned above. For a more specifically Zen perspective, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library) and any of the very fine books by Cheri Huber would give you much more.
If you are specifically interested in a Ken Wilber Integral Psychology perspective, I would also consider No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth and A Brief History of Everything. This would provide an even broader perspective on the application of these types of techniques to a modern context.
With respect to background, I have an M.A. in Integral Psychology, have been meditating for 30 years and have given workshops in the S.F. Bay Area. I also do personal growth coaching and read just about everything I can get my hands on in this genre. While I have mixed feelings about writing a more critical review than most other people, I feel it was necessary to present a balanced and accurate picture. My suspicion is that the workshop is great and the halo effect extended to the book. I am also an admirer of Ken Wilber, but I came away scratching my head after reading his introduction and experiencing the book for myself.
I would be interested in hearing others comments on my review after reading the book. I think this would also be helpful to other prospective readers. If you look on my listmania lists and profile, you can also find many other helpful resources in this genre.
Book Review: BIg MInd Small MInd
Summary: 4 Stars
Dennis Merzel (Genpo) roshi is an interesting "teacher", using the veneer of Buddhism to develop his own version of navel-gazing. Unlike, say, Tenshin Reb Anderson, Jiko Joan Halifax and Joan Sutherland who use Buddhism as a foundation for their teaching, Merzel is trying to develop a Westernized pseudo-Buddhist method that unifies experiential and imaginative opposites. The method's intention is to combine personal and transpersonal voices residing in our psyche and guide them to an "apex". as mentioned by others, the method approximates certain modern psychotherapeutic techniques yet it also transcends them due to the unique personal evolution of the roshi. At the risk of appearing a bit of a devil's advocate, i will list some potential problems.
To my mind :) one problem with BMBH (which applies to other American zen teachers as well) is that the main emphasis appears to be on "personal growth" rather than shikantaza or tradition. A traditional Japanese zennie would find this difficult to comprehend. The essence of Japanese zen is derived from honoring the patriarchs (Sekito Kisen, Rinzai and Obaku) and masters who preceded and followed them. This reverence brings with itself a magic which while perhaps intangible to the Western beginner is none the less real and profound and not to be dismissed lightly. Faith, that is needed to be able to "sit like a mountain" comes from a direct connection to the Budddha and the ancestors. By taking ancestors out of the equation, Merzel misses something deeply valuable. This probably reflects the influence of Tetsugen "The Cookie Monster", but certainly not that of Maezumi sensei who (amazingly) held transmissions from Soto, Rinzai and Yasutani schools ... and among whose 12 dharma successors are such illustrious names as Joko Beck, Daido Loori and Merzel himself.
Still more is lost by taking ritual out of the equation. Japanese zen is brimming with esoterica typically overlooked in the West, such as "opening of the eyes" (kaigen), dharma transmission, the role of statues and icons and ritualization described by Dogen in Shobogenzo and Eihei shingi and perhaps more recently Faure in his amazing book "Visions of Power". A benefit of this approach is that it takes the burden off the teacher's back. Suddenly, this is not a trademarked Big Mind Big Heart (TM) (haha) technique, but something impersonal and sacred. Suddenly, one is not doing zazen in order to 'grow as a person', but for much more profound and sacred, if inexpressible, "reason".
Finally, there is little emphasis on zazen in the book. Zen practice without daily zazen is like trying to play ball with a feather. Can't work. It takes at least ten years of sitting and sesshins to get the brain circuits rewired enough so that one gets tangible benefits from the practice. At least that was the case for this humble cayote. Until then, the practice engine is powered by faith and unpredictable yet organic insights that so often occur during sitting sesshin. No amount of imagination or speculation in terms of "apex searching" can compensate for the hard work of facing the wall. A good zen teacher never ever forgets to drive this point home.
The book has a lot of good stuff to offer. On the other hand, I've heard that Genpo encourages his students to write glowing reviews of his book. And discourages the arising of potential rivals and/or successors. That would point to a big ego in search of its apex :-)
But I could be wrong.
Book Review: Breath of fresh Dharma
Summary: 5 Stars
Genpo Roshi's "Big Mind, Big Heart" combines wild daring, light-touch humor, venerable pointing out of rare truths, raw voicing of parts of us that could care less about those truths, courageous embrace of all conditions as, no matter what, not other than ultimate nirvana, and a breaking open of numinous secrets for all to come and partake.
The first time I picked up the book I opened it right to the page where, in this 21st century Socratic dialogue, "Facilitator" invites "Dualistic Mind" to speak. Ready for some heresy, blasphemy, apostasy? Try this: after defending the life of desires -- anathema to so much of traditional Buddhist practice -- as essential for human survival, Dualistic Mind, as heartily voiced no-holds-barred by Genpo Roshi, says that people who think they're non-dual and have transcended something are "dangerous....Not only deluded, they're harmful. They're scary because if they can't see things dualistically, how do they distinguish between what's right and wrong, what's good and bad, what's healthy for themselves and for others, for their children and the world? They're a menace."
This from one of the most revered Zen Buddhist lineage holders and masters of non-dual transcendence of our age!
Genpo goes on to round out this voice with that of Non-Dual Mind and then, dialectically, with that of the True Self, beyond both Dual and Non-Dual. The whole book proceeds similarly. In that way it's an ultimate tantric text, in the larger sense of the word, meaning that it weaves what appear to be mutually exclusive opposites into a unity greater than both. For a Dharma successor bearing the mantle of so many austere Zen sages over multiple centuries, this book and the process it presents are an act of immense generosity to a bewildered, pained human species. That gift is so original and audacious, it's almost incomprehensible.
Thus, in the Foreword, Ken Wilber states in boldface type, "the Big Mind process founded by Zen Master Dennis Genpo Merzel is arguably the most important and original discovery in the last two centuries of Buddhism." Already a classic upon publication, "Big Mind, Big Heart" is destined to speak to human beings for generations, perhaps centuries to come. It's also a harbinger, an early portent of the new, humane, grounded spirituality and awakeness that are emerging in many other experimental gatherings as well.
Let it reveal to you your own true Mind, Big and little. Let it awaken your authentic Heart-Self, dual, non-dual, and beyond. If you let it touch you even a little, this book can confer a greater sanity and dignity upon all your days and nights than you have ever known before.
What more can we ask of a book?
Book Review: I prefer traditional Zen
Summary: 2 Stars
Gempo Roshi lives and teaches in Salt Lake City. I looked him up when I was there several years ago; he is a dharma brother of my teacher, who trained under the same Japanese master. So I know him a bit, and am very familiar with his brand of Zen. I thought highly of him when I met him.
However.... (isn't there always a "however?") I attended a three-day meditation retreat a few years ago that was led by one of Gempo's students, and on the third day, instead of continuing our traditional day of silent meditation with a traditional dharma talk in the afternoon, this monk asked if we wanted to try something new, and described the "Big Mind" process, which, as I understand it, is a cross between traditional Zen teachings and a type of group therapy developed by a psychologist husband-wife team with Eastern leanings. Of course since the monk was subtly pushing for it, everyone agreed to try it.
I, personally, wasn't wild about it. I felt that another day of silent meditation would have had a more profound effect on my practice, and that the whole thing was a little too new-age touchy-feely, but maybe I was just resistant to it because I wanted, and was expecting, something different and more traditional. Several years ago several fellow Zen students attended a Big Mind workshop with Gempo and enjoyed it and the general consensus was that the facilitator doing the workshop makes all the difference.
Another Zen teacher's take on it was that many Zen teachers get bored doing the same thing year after year after year, and feel the need to try something new, even coming up with their own new techniques, which are as much about making a living for the teacher by claiming to have a "new, improved" spiritual practice so as to attract people to the teacher's books and workshops. I find it telling that a recent promotional email for a Big Mind 2-day workshop claims "new insights." and promises "Profound Awakening in Minutes!"
If only it were so easy.
I'm reminds me of the Indian guru back in the 60's, who, when a hippie was extolling the virtues of LSD and how it promised instant insight and path to liberation, said to the hippie, "Show me a drug that can make someone a doctor or a lawyer of university professor just by taking a little pill, and then I'll believe that someone can become an enlightened guru just by taking a little pill." To paraphrase: Show me a two-day workshop or a book that can turn someone into a doctor or lawyer and then I'll believe that someone can become a profoundly awakened being in minutes.
Instant kharma is just as elusive as instant gratification.
Just sayin'....