Robert Aitken’s Taking the Path of Zen is an introductory work on Zen Buddhism and how to actually practice it. It differs a bit from other works in that it focuses on actually practicing Zen rather than just discussing the ideas behind it. If you’re looking to practice Zen and don’t know where to start, this book will set you straight.
It’s a short work, but it’s dense. It’s not dense because of its writing unlike many philosophical works. Aitken explains things in depth and leaves you to ponder them and how to practice them. He also provides exercises and contemplations to get you going.
Contents
The book is about 110 pages for the principle content. It includes a version of the Heart Sutra and The Song of Zazen, a glossary, and some other reference bits. The principle content is divided into 9 chapters. Each chapter is about 10 pages give or take.
The first chapter gives the usual introduction to Buddhism, but also jumps right into the principles of Zazen. The second chapter digs further into Zazen and how to prepare yourself for it (as in, physically sitting). Chapter three rounds out the introduction to Zazen and delves into the basic rites and rituals of Zen.
Chapters four through seven talk about the philosophy and tenants underlying Zen Buddhism. The next chapter covers the principles of mentorship in Zen via the concept of a roshi. The last chapter is dedicated to koans.
Practicing Zen
This book is focused on this truly being a work for taking the path of Zen. Aitken gives you a bit of theory, then how to practice. As you progress through the book, your practice evolves as you read more about the how and why everything goes together.
This approach makes this work much more powerful than other introductory Zen works. It’s an introduction to the tenants of Zen Buddhism, but it puts everything in a working context. You aren’t left with tons of theory which you don’t know how to apply. Each piece of theory is either accompanied by an exercise, or naturally extends other theory to apply to practice.
Zazen is the first thing you read about after learning what Zen Buddhism is. The practice of zazen is completely inalienable from Zen Buddhism, and this book just further cements that fact with how it teaches. Koans, which most people new to Zen associate with it, are left until the very end. This organization makes the most sense, how can you meditate on something if you don’t know how to properly meditate?
Aitken never puts the cart before the horse or delves too deep into topics which don’t need to be delved in at this stage. You’re going to learn how to actually practice Zen when you read this work rather than passively reading philosophy. If you read this work right, it becomes an almost completely self-contained way to practice Zen until you can get more formal instruction.
Going Further
I read this work before I read D.T. Suzuki’s An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, but I’m glad I did. Taking the Path of Zen helped me begin practicing, and An Introduction to Zen Buddhism really helped me see why I was doing what I was. The philosophical addition of D.T. Suzuki’s works made my practice that much more meaningful.
Many people into mysticism, Buddhism, or any spiritual for that practice tend to suffer from a lack of practice. They focus on gathering knowledge rather than applying it. Spiritual matters can be completely unfulfilling if you don’t have success, and in the beginning, you won’t. Your first meditation is going to be minutes if you’re lucky. Cement the basics of practice so that the theory can actually mean something.
Set good practices with this book. Put practice before knowledge (though don’t just go through the motions), and slowly add knowledge as you begin to make your practice work for you and yield fruits. You can’t meditate on a koan without being able to handle zazen, so why would you even try? You’ll just get frustrated and less likely to continue. Add knowledge as you cement the skills to use said knowledge.
Considerations
Like most Buddhist works, this work pushes you hard to find a teacher or join the community in some way. While this is arguably a necessary “next step”, it really isn’t all that important to have drilled in if you’re just getting started. This is a bit of “the nature of the beast” when dealing with an introductory Buddhist work though. Misapplied knowledge is going to do more harm than not having it in the first place for certain things.
Another minor consideration is the fact that this book doesn’t have an index whatsoever. There’s a glossary for common terms, and some other reference bits, but if you are trying to look up a reference to something in another chapter, you have a lot of work to do. The book is clear and concise enough that it isn’t really a deal-breaker, but it’s a pain to go back and try to hunt down a specific reference.
Is This Book Right for You?
If you really want to practice Zen Buddhism, this book is an absolute treasure. It’s a short book, but it gives you all of the basic skills to really get going. You’ll be left with more questions than when you started, but in a good way.
If you apply the information in this book, you’ll get a lot out of your practice. It’s cheap enough that you can get a taste of what Zen Buddhism is all about without worrying about breaking the bank. I love this book and feel it’s a great first step for any aspiring Buddhist. Though many parts are specific to Zen, very little can’t be further applied to other forms of Buddhism.
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