Book cover of Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth about Reality

Book description

Zen, plain and simple, with no BS.
 

This is not your typical Zen book. Brad Warner, a young punk who grew up to be a Zen master, spares no one. This bold new approach to the "Why?" of Zen Buddhism is as strongly grounded in the tradition of Zen as…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Hardcore Zen as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I can never get enough books on Zen, and Brad Warner has to be the most unique voice in the field. He's almost like a modern Chuang Tzu in terms of drawing our attention to false conceptions with humor, wit and much firmness of clarity that avoids the dogmatic.

Brad Warner is an interesting character, an American Zen master who’s also a punk guitarist and Godzilla fan. Brad studied with Gudo Nishijima Roshi for many years and received Dharma transmission from him. His books are written in a very accessible way that doesn’t take Zen too seriously and get their meaning across all the better for it. Below are the three books I’ve read – I imagine the rest are equally good:

From Goran's list on zen and martial arts.

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These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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