Is it possible to impart the wisdom of Zen through words? Or are the lessons of mindful living communicable through action? Perhaps both. Like a temple bell that strikes through air to the heart of sound, the anecdotes and quotes in "To Shine One Corner of the World" offer humor, wisdom, enlightenment and the perfect example of a Zen life: that of Soto Zen priest Shunryu Suzuki, who helped introduce thousands of Americans to Zen.
Suzuki arrived in San Francisco in 1959, and quickly attracted many students throughout the Bay Area. In 1967, "Suzuki Roshi" (Teacher Suzuki) moved to the Zen Mountain Center in Tassajara Springs, Monterey County, the first Buddhist monastery for Westerners and the first mixed-sex facility anywhere. That's where many of the anonymous encounters of this book, collected and edited by Suzuki student and biographer David Chadwick, took place.
Suzuki founded the City Zen Center in San Francisco, where he served as abbot until he died in 1971. He's also well known for the book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," which introduced thousands of Westerners to Zen meditation in the 1960s. But, as Chadwick states, "Suzuki's main teaching was silent -- the way he picked up a teacup or met someone walking on a path or in a hallway, or how he joined with his students in work, meals and meditations." But when he spoke, he made a definite impression: Flip through the book at random and you will find one of Suzuki's gems on every page.