An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

5b  Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, The Eastern Buddhist Society: Kyoto, 1934,  First Edition  Notes Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870–1966) was a Japanese scholar, writer, and translator who was instrumental in introducing Zen Buddhism to the Western world. He presents Zen “as a wonderfully unthinkable way of being in the world, free of myth, ritual, rules, intuitions, hierarchy, language, [and] logic.” Born in Kanazawa, Japan, Suzuki studied classical Chinese, Buddhist philosophy, and Zen teachings under Rinzai Zen master Shaku Soen. His deep understanding of Zen, combined with his linguistic skill, allowed him to convey its profound yet often paradoxical concepts to a Western audience. This work grew out of essays Suzuki wrote during World War I and published in the Tokyo magazine New East. Suzuki became an international figure through his translations of Zen texts and his clear, insightful explanations of Zen practice and philosophy. Suzuki’s An Introduction to