Nothing Holy about It - by Tim Burkett (Paperback)

About the Book

"Zen teachings--infused with elements of memoir--by a popular modern teacher who "grew up" at the feet of two of the great figures who brought Zen to America, Shunryu Suzuki and Dainin Katagiri. He employs his reminiscences of those two great masters as teaching anecdotes. Tim Burkett was twenty when he met Suzuki Roshi, and it was love at first sight. He immediately quit pursuing the career in law to which his illustrious family of jurists inclined him, and became a serious Zen student. He went on to become a licensed psychotherapist and then followed Katagiri Roshi to Minneapolis to become a founder of the Zen scene there. He never left. Now that he's himself a revered Zen teacher, he's decided to articulate his own view of Zen. He structures the teaching according to five not-necessarily sequential levels on the road to enlightenment: (1) commitment to the path, (2) studying the self, (3) cultivating compassion and equanimity, (4) perseverance, and (5) emptiness. This is an introduction to Zen teaching that reads like an intriguing memoir, as the author discovers the teaching in the people, places, and experiences he encounters in the course of his practice"--

Book Synopsis

When Bodhidharma, the legendary first ancestor of Zen, was asked about the main principle of his holy teaching, he's said to have replied: "A vast emptiness--with nothing holy about it!" A millennium-and-a-half later, Tim Burkett finds that the answer still applies: you don't need to go looking for something holy--buddha nature is right here in front of you. The concise summary of Zen teaching he presents in this book is expressed precisely in terms of what he found right in front of him: beginning with the delightful non-holiness he experienced in the presence of his original teacher, Shunyru Suzuki, and continuing through a lifetime of further teaching experiences.

Review Quotes

"Amidst Tim Burkett's insights into Buddhism and life, there emerges a wonderful, intimate picture of Shunryu Suzuki. I learned a lot from this book."--David Chadwick, author of Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki

"Fresh and personal and full of great stories culled from a life devoted to the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. A wonderful testament." --Red Pine, author of Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits

"I have long been aware of Tim Burkett's deep respect and appreciation for his teacher, Suzuki Roshi. Now I know why. Here's a touching account of how great an impact one life can have upon another." --Steve Hagen, author of Buddhism Is Not What You Think: Finding Freedom Beyond Beliefs

"Enjoy this wonderful, useful, profound yet modest book that expresses the true spirit of Zen. It and its warm-hearted author are blessings for the world, and I am honored and very pleased to introduce them to you."--from the foreword by Norman Fischer, author of Training in Compassion

About the Author

TIM BURKETT, PhD, is Guiding Teacher of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is also a licensed psychologist and director of a large mental health agency. He was a student of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and later of Dainin Katagiri Roshi, in whose lineage he is a dharma heir.