Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains: Dharma Talks on Zen Meditation

By Reb Anderson

Book Overview

A collection of dharma talks, Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains explores the life of passionate commitment that lies at the heart of the formal practice of Zen meditation. Reb Anderson draws on over thirty years of experience as a Zen priest, exploring Buddhist yoga and psychology and the relationship of wisdom and compassion to the personal, social, and ecological crises of our time. At once inspirational and practical, he bows to an ancient tradition as he helps us to forge a modern-day Buddhism that urges us "to sit still in the middle of all living beings."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930485107
• ISBN13: 9781930485105
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Subtle talks, just like the practice

Having done retreats with the author, I thoroughly enjoyed having these printed words to read or re read at my own pace. Reb is a teacher and master with few peers; his command of the dharma and penetrating insights never fail to amaze this listener. This text may not be for someone completely new to the practice. We're all beginners, but if you've sat for a while and done a sesshin or two, this is a terrific book.

A book to help you live better.

I would like to start off by saying that you must read this book. Anyone who practices meditation will find this book rewarding--both seasoned practitioners and newcomers to the Buddhist path. The author has a special gift for relating the insights of traditional Zen teaching stories in a refreshingly contemporary manner. I felt like I was actually at the retreats as I read the stories. As mentioned elsewhere; Anderson, who teaches in the tradition of the great Zen master Suzuki Roshi, shows himself to be a worthy inheritor of this lineage and a powerful teacher in his own right.

Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains is exactly that.

There comes a point in some people's lives when they get a sense of their place in the universe. Sometimes it comes mystically, intuitively. Sometimes it comes from an accumulation of scientific data. In either case, it might well be mistaken. But we're building a picture here.Reb Anderson presents an intuitive view of the universe, largely based on Buddhist tradition. He talks about what sitting (zazen) really is. He talks about the value of studying the paradoxical koans. He does, in fact, bring a broad and ancient tradition into the present. This is always a perplexing perspective, since Buddha himself pointed out that the essential realization would have to come outside of dogma or scripture. Still, if it were'nt for accumulated knowledge, what new would be possible?For a just-the-facts ma'am approach to both views, you could, maybe should, read this book in conjunction with the recent The Elegant Universe-a popularization of String Theory that threatens at spots to get rather difficult-and you would truly have the Theory of Everything. From physics to zazen, we're looking for a way to adapt, to fit. The more we look, the more we see. It is a large, large universe. Reb Anderson shows us how to deal with it in terms of Zen; he is gentle, insightful, radical, and brilliant.How do you come back from view of the universe that actually couldn't care less to some sort of ethical system? Why would you need or want to? I think Reb Anderson comes close to making this clear. I think he appreciates how vast the energy is and what kind of liberation is involved. (I don't really think it matters that he is a westerner with a life of Zen behind him.) As a starting point a reader might consider Anderson's statement: "I put quite a bit of effort into order, and I try to put almost no effort into control."

An essential contribution to American Buddhist Literature

Reb Anderson's presentation of Zen Buddhist teachings is illuminating and fascinating reading. Anyone who practices meditation will find this book rewarding--both seasoned practitioners and newcomers to the Buddhist path. The author has a special gift for relating the insights of traditional Zen teaching stories in a refreshingly contemporary manner. Above all, this book inspires the reader to "sit upright," to practice meditation and to discover deep silence in everyday life. Anderson, who teaches in the tradition of the great Zen master Suzuki Roshi, shows himself to be a worthy inheritor of this lineage and a powerful teacher in his own right. I strongly recommend this book, which I consider a must-read, an original and essential contribution to American Buddhist literature.

Inspiration for living a full life

Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains was a page-turner for me. I especially enjoyed the way the teachings were offered with a personal tone, and in fact I found that the "ordinariness" of the incidents from Mr. Anderson's life melded perfectly with the ancient teachings of Zen. This book is an inspiration; I look forward to reading it again and again.