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Martin Allerby
25th March 2002, 17:46
Hello!


I’m interested to learn more about Kongo Zen. I would like to find information more detailed described then in Fukudoku-hon. Information regarding where I can learn more about the basics in traditional Zen is also of great interest.


Grateful for any information that could help me to learn more!


Best Regards,


Martin Allerby, Shorinji Kempo Gothenburg Branch, Sweden

Robert Liljeblad
29th March 2002, 11:29
Hi Martin,

It is difficult for us that can’t read the Kyohan to get more extensive information of Kongo Zen. Except for the Fukudoku-hon I think that the WSKO Newsletters has been a valuable source of information. Some of them exist on the WSKO homepage in pdf format. Even more old copies exist in paper format. One advice could be to find those. The predecessor to the Newsletter was a paper called Gassho. I have some old copies of those as well and there is some good information in those.

When it comes to general books about Zen, there is a lot. I will give you some thoughts of good books I have read and I guess people here could give you even more.

“Zen and the martial arts” (Zen och kampkonsterna) by Taisen Deshimaru
This is an interesting book and easy to read. There is one more book by Taisen Deshimaru called “Talks with a Zen master” (Samtal med en Zen mästare) wich is also a good and easy book to read.

Personally a enjoy “Zen flesh, Zen bones” by Paul Reps a lot. It includes 101 short short Zen stories, 50 or something koans and the classical Zen stories of the bull. It is not more than 150p in total and you can read small parts when you want.

“Zen Mind, Beginners Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki is a very good introduction to Zen and easy to read.

“Zen in the martial art” by Joe Hyams is a funny book with his reflections of what his teachers really taught him. Very easy to read.

Fore something more extensive on Zen read “Three pillars of Zen” by Roshi Philip Kapleau. This exists in Swedish as well “Zens tre pelare”.

Another good Swedish Zen book is “Zen en zenbuddhistisk antologi”

Then if you like to read budo classics there is some musts like: Go Rin No Sho by Miyamoto Musashi, The Art of War by Sun Tzu and Tao te Ching.

Hope you find what you are looking for,