To Shine One Corner of the World Moments With Shunryu Suzuki by David Chadwick   Hardback 144 pages (March 6, 2001) Broadway Books ISBN: 0767906519 Bookshelf Categories Buddhism

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We say, to shine one corner of the worldthat is enough. Not the whole world. Just make it clear where you are.

Synopsis:

Shunryu Suzukis extraordinary gift for bringing to life traditional Zen teaching in ordinary language is known to countless readers of Zen Mind, Beginners Mind. But what was it like to practice Zen with Suzuki Roshi? How did he actually teach? To Shine One Corner of the World illuminates these questions by presenting quintessential stories and moments...

Reviews:

To Shine One Corner of the World	3/29/2001
Reviewer: Ruth Berkeley, CA
Reading this book feels like sitting down for story time with your wise old grandfather on a Sunday afternoon. It's full of questions and full of answers to be excavated and then interpreted by the beholder. There's no dogma here - only stories and moments. If you read with a light heart you'll discover many pearls. Some of the stories will stick to you like honey. David Chadwick's selection of anecdotes beautifully pieces together a portrait of Shunryu Suzuki, a Soto Zen priest who meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. Through the sharing of these individual experiences with Suzuki, a teaching as well as a sweet story of an unusual man emerges. An added bonus is getting a peek into this spiritual side of San Franciso in the 1960's. The simplicity of structure works well with this book. You can open up to any page and dig in. You needn't be a Buddhist or a former student of Suzuki's to appreciate what's between the covers. Chadwick's introduction provides enough information about Suzuki to whet your appetite for the stories he shares. He also includes a glossary of Buddhist terms in the back of the book which I found helpful. For those who did know Shunryu Suzuki and his teachings I can imagine this book would be a treasure to keep right next to your family photo albums and personal journals. I recommend this book to anyone seeking a little pleasure and understanding about everyday life. It's a book I'll keep on my nightstand for a bit of morning inspiration or as a last thought before drifting off at night. It's also a book I plan to share with friends.