Unknown's avatar

My words are not my own, but of the universe and as freely as I have received I give on to you.

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Once the word was out that I was collecting sayings and koans, friends, well wishes, relatives, neighbors, lovers, acquaintances, and other writers and artists sent me their favorite writings. With some I was able to ascertain the general source and have listed it in the bibliography.  I apologize for any expressions that were gleaned without permission. But it is a daunting and impossible task to research the immense number of sayings, adages, proverbs, treatises, aphorisms, sutras, dictums, and maxims used throughout this book, taught over years and decades, in use in thousands of commentaries, articles, books and in the ancient and general lexicon.

As a teacher, Zen advocate, and life long student, even though I believe in intellectual copyrights, I must allow anyone who wishes to take limited quotes from my book to do so.

How can we change the world for the better if we do not share our learning and give of our intellect and ourselves?

Satoru
www.samuraizen.com

Unknown's avatar

You cannot get too much of a good thing.

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Samurai Zen combines aspects of all three categories with the added caveat of stressing the practical.  It is not a “pure” book in the sense that it makes no attempt to adhere to a strict philosophy and it eclectically uses many different sources and attempts to incorporate these wisdom’s into overlapping categories, chapters, and aphorisms while still attempting to be true to the proprieties of Zen Buddhism.

Since many of the expressions, statements and maxims throughout this book are gleaned from a myriad of difference sources, many appear in slightly divergence forms and variations on a theme. This book is also an amalgam of riddles and paradoxes that may transcend the illusions of logic, adages, proverbs, truisms, maxims, gongans, mottoes, aphorisms, self-evident truths, humor, Mondos (Zen tales,) opinions and advice, written emphatically, collected from the wisdom of many different sources, traditions, and cultures. Sometimes thoughts are repeated with only slight variations because this difference can make comprehension and retention significant.

Much of the information that is presented is not necessarily in sequential order. This is an intentional Zen method that forces you to think and perhaps alter your attitude.

Some truisms can be applied to very contrasted situations and applications are therefore repeated.  This is intentional since you cannot get too much of a good thing.

Satoru
www.samuraizen.com

Unknown's avatar

Wisdom cannot be compartmentalized.

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Wisdom cannot be compartmentalized.

Most of the books about Buddhism that I have read over a long duration fall into three distinct categories. The first is the complex scholarly thesis that delves into the esoteric origins and workings of the Buddhist philosophies. Many terms in foreign languages are used and practical application is generally overlooked. The other category is the simplistic, one saying on a badly illustrated page, containing an almost cliché’ adage. Very few of the sayings can be applied or utilized in today’s societies. The third category are the texts known as Sutras which were written by the followers of Siddhartha as he became known as the Buddha, the enlightened one. The sutras were collections of the Buddha’s lectures and dialogues and are chanted by Buddhists worldwide because they embody wisdom.

Satoru
www.samuraizen.com

Unknown's avatar

All I have, since I am old, is the wisdom of a lifetime.

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All I have, since I am old, is the wisdom of a lifetime.

I do not presume to tell you how to read or learn but simply convey my master’s instructions. The life force and primal knowledge is always present within you. So you can use these books any way you want but to gain more insight into yourself do not read the book as a novel. When after just a few pages or adages some idea or words strike you as significant, close the book and savor the thoughts. You might even take the time to memorize the words and internalize the lesson. Pick the book up some other day and repeat the process. You will find that the wisdom within takes time to incubate and it can be enough for a stage of life. All knowledge is integrated and there is no sequence or priority of expressions in this book. Therefore the linked chapters and numbers are put there only for your convenience.

Satoru