"Ordinarily, we think we are alive because our brains are in control. This is a grave mistake. The range our brains control is pretty limited."
These are the words of Kosho Uchiyama, one of the most contemplative of Zen Buddhist teachers, who until his death in 1999 was also one of the most influential and who now, through this new edition of his most famous book, continues to enlighten our lives.
The "self" of Western philosophy, says Uchiyama, is Cartesian. "I think, therefore I am." But, actually, I am, whether I think so or not. And behind this conscious self my life continues even if I am unaware or even conscious. My whole self is not an abstract self made up of thoughts.