Sit Down and Shut Up

The book can be funny, absurd, enlightening, confusing, sad, happy angering. But never dull. I felt Brad Warner comes at you with as little BS as possible. With no Illusions about the practice of zazen or the results obtained by practicing zazen. You really need to read and experience the book for yourself. Some folks are going to hate it. I personally loved it and plan on reading it at least several times more. But I felt one of the main points is no matter what happens, keep practicing and expect nothing. Enjoy!

I'm a geek for all things Zen literature. I've read way too many books by way too many people, all about "Zen". Some can be technical and boring, some can be funny and light hearted, some have depth and some are trash. Finding a book that cuts to the heart of Zen and does so in a palpable way is really difficult. I am continually impressed by how Mr. Warner navigates the topics he does and the style he has in doing so. While I don't always agree with his conclusions on some things, I still feel engaged with what he presents and glad to have read his thoughts against my own. This book, like all of his books, continues his unique, non pretentious, yet deeply knowledgeable approach. Its a fantastic read. Highly Recommend it.

I just started reading this so I'm not sure how well the entire book is but the first few chapters have been very easy to comprehend and he explains the principles in simple language for us.

The author moves into two 'different' worlds and this helps the reader pull together Zen concepts that seem foreign at first. The light hearted manner of writing keeps helps you keep 'the middle way' which is an important aspect of Buddhism. I have a better understanding of what meditation provides the practitioner.

First, a word about New World Library. It is a socially and environmentally aware company that "walks its talk," using soy-based ink, recycled paper, solar energy, and generous employment practices. It is dedicated to publishing that inspires and challenges us to improve our lives and the world.This book by Brad Warner is a fine followup to his 2003 Hardcore Zen. Warner is an unusual combination of punk-rock-band bass player, marketer for Japanese monster movies, and Zen priest. He brings his straight-talking, playful punk to his crystal clear explanation of Zen, in this instance the writings of ancient Zen master Dogen. When Warner explains Dogen's admonition to "practice wisdom," he notes that "Real wisdom is the ability to understand the incredible extent to which you bullshit yourself every single moment of every day. . . At some point, if your practice deepens enough, . . you'll discover that you were never, ever, not for even a nanosecond in your whole entire life the least bit unaware of the truth. And you'll see that you couldn't possibly be unaware of the truth because the truth is what sustains you. . . But just because you get this doesn't mean you're enlightened. You have to live it every moment of every day. And if you think that's effortless, think again." And one more admonition from Warner: "How many once-in-a-lifetime experiences have we missed completely because they were just ordinary once-in-a-lifetime experiences and not supercool kick-ass once-in-a-lifetime experiences? Everything you ever do, no matter what it is . . is always, always, always a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Don't miss your life."

Better than the first one. More meat. I just have to say this, I read a review by someone on one of Mr. Warner's books, and in their review they talked about type-o's. Isn't that the ultimate statement after reading a book about reality? Seems maybe this person should re-read...

Documents the voyage of just another guy becoming a student and teacher of Zen. It is very believable and easy to read. I recommend it to current practitioners and those who wonder what this world of Zen is all about.

Thought provoking and easy to read. A good read for thinking about life different. He makes Buddhism approvals for anyone.

Having already read 'Hardcore Zen' and given it a 5 star review, I doubted that this book could match up. I was wrong - it's a great book.A lot of Zen teachers I've encountered seem to engage in unnecessary esoteria and promote themselves as something greater than a mere human, but Zen is simply about things as they are. All you need is everyday life and the ability to see it through Zazen, and that's exactly how Brad Warner writes his books. His references to other aspects of his life - such as his punk rock interests - help to keep it all real and somehow keep the reader grounded. Whilst many Zen teachers come over as remote and distant, Brad Warner comes over as accessible and down to Earth.'Sit Down and Shut Up' will be of most interest to students of Zen but it also stands alone as a pretty good read in its own right. Highly recommended.

I'm not finished with the book yet but I am really enjoying Warner's book. He doesn't mince words. He lets his quirks, his flaws and opinions shine right through in his words. I don't agree with everything he says but that's ok. I still appreciate his DIY punk rock Zen Master attitude. Its actually really refreshing after reading so many mindfulness/Buddhist Studies books that are full of new agey language. He presents Zen (in particular Dogen's Shobogenzo) as just straight forward effort and change happens in tiny increments. Warner language can be brash, maybe even crude, but its real and there is poetic rhythm in his words. I'm loving it and looking forward to reading Hardcore Zen next. Yeah, I'm kind of going backwards then I'll go forward to read his latest book.

This is the only book on Zen I ever needed to read.And I have been "doing" zen for the past eighteen years and have read many books on Zen.And I never came close to finding Zen while reading these other books,yet it was in front of me all the time.There are a few words in this book that come close to distilling the essence of Zen.I won't tell you which words because this book isn't just about Zen.Mr Warner also puts something of his entertaining self into the book.I would recommend most of his other books as well.

Five star's as i'm biased.I love Brad Warner's book's,plain no b.s. writing about a subject that all too often get's the airy fairy syrupy treatment.Well done Mr Warner.

A great intro to some of the key budhist concepts. I'm no philosopher and a lot of this kind of stuff makes my head ache, but Brad Warner does have the knack of making this very accesible. If you're that way inclined this could change your life. I've also read Hardcore Zen and I thought this was just as good. Either would do if you're wondering which to read first.