Helpful Score: 2
I really disliked this book. I have been meditating for awhile now, but I still consider myself a beginner. I also consider myself a beginner as a Buddhist. I have enjoyed several books about meditation, Buddhism, and related topics - books ranging in style, era, approach, and variety of tradition. This is the first I've come across that actually seemed to be trying to dissuade people from meditating. It also seemed very different from any Zen style I've been exposed to and did not seem to resemble Buddhism at all. I did not finish reading the entire book, but this is what I got from how far I read it (about halfway): Meditation can be very dangerous and has few or no benefits. Enlightenment is dangerous... and then the author expresses doubt that anyone has ever actually been enlightened or become awakened! She stops short of saying Buddha was not enlightened, but everyone else gets referred to as "hypothetically awakened". Her advice about anger seemed irresponsible. She seems to think that the only kind of anger that exists is the passive-aggressive kind. She does not acknowledge the other kinds of anger. She also says that everyone's life is perfect EXACTLY as it is. That is definitely not Buddhism, and if it's Zen, well, I don't want to know anymore about it. If everyone's life is perfect as it is, why become a Buddhist, why meditate, and why study anything with a Zen master? Does the author answer these questions? I couldn't tell! The author gave many "transcripts" of conversations and question & answer sessions with some of her students which are supposed to highlight the best examples of her teaching and only seem to come across as evasive, wishy-washy, contradictory and needlessly cryptic and obtuse.
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