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Being Upright takes us beyond the conventional interpretation of ethical precepts to the ultimate meaning that informs them. Reb Anderson first introduces us to the fundamental ideas of Zen Buddhist practice. Who was Shakyamuni Buddha and what was his central teaching? What does it mean to be a bodhisattva and take the bodhisattva vow? Why should we confess and acknowledge our ancient twisted karma? What is the significance of taking refuge in Buddha, dharma, and sangha? The author explores the ten basic precepts, including not killing, not stealing, not lying, not misusing sexuality, and not using intoxicants. A gifted storyteller, Anderson takes us to the heart of situations, where moral judgments are not easy and we do not have all the answers. With wisdom and compassion, he teaches us how to confront the emotional and ethical turmoil of our lives.
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 great book from a great american zen master |
| Review Date: January 3, 2001 |
| Reviewer: matthew smolinsky, bridgewater, MA |
| "being upright" points directly to our daily lives and gives inspiration for practicing the all-important buddhist precepts. by expanding on each precept, anderson-roshi shows how they are not black-and-white rules, but not to be ignored either. he shows how our lives can truly be transformed to happiness if we keep mindfulness in our practice and our lives. anderson-roshi brings what many foreign masters of zen can't - an american upbringing. his stories touch home and his words rings true. i highly recommend this book for any student of life, and i thank anderson -roshi for his teaching. |
Could not disagree more...
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| Review Date: May 21, 2001 |
| Reviewer: , |
| I have to disagree with "turned me off Zen completely." This reader from California is exactly the kind of rookie amatuer that make my days so full of frustration! Which is exactly why, Being Upright by Reb Anderson, was such a welcome distraction in my everyday routine. The book offers up a comprehensive picture of the fundamental teachings of Zen Buddhism. The author turns a complex and perplexing subject into a relaxing, simple journey through the world of Zen. The author and publisher have given us a gem. |
Well written and very useful
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| Review Date: July 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: K. Tapscott, |
| I write to counter the 2 weirdly snarky reviews of this book previously published on this site. This book is a very well written and deeply considered discussion of an important Buddhist subject. The book comes out of decades of dedicated Zen practice and experience. As one reviewer noted here, it is perhaps not a beginner's book, however it is not "technical" in any difficult sense. The style of it is beautiful. The background information about Mr. Anderson's interactions with Suzuki Roshi are very interesting and much appreciated. I am grateful to Anderson for his having written this volume. There is not much writing on the precepts in English that is as useful as this. Someone considering whether to read or purchase this book would do well to read a few pages of it - and see very quickly and easily that the two snippy reviews are silly and somewhat beside the point. This from a person who has never set foot in the SFZC. |
"Enter the Buddha's Way."
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| Review Date: July 24, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. H. Minde, Boca Raton, Florida and Brooklyn, New York |
Tenshin Reb Anderson is one of the original exponents of American Zen. The Midwestern Anderson became a student of Shogaku Shunryu Suzuki in 1967, staying with him until Suzuki's death in 1971.
Having briefly met and received teisho from the dignified Anderson, a model of equanimity and rectitude, at a sesshin he conducted in 2007, BEING UPRIGHT took on a very direct and personal tone for me as I read through it. Although Anderson's personality imbues this book with a kind of "warm reserve," making it perhaps a bit less penetrable than Aitken Roshi's THE MIND OF CLOVER, which discusses the Bodhisattva Precepts as well, the differences in tone are only those as arise between different teachers. The lessons are equally as valid.
Reb Anderson's thesis is that the Bodhisattva Precepts are central, as central as, and perhaps even a shade more so, than zazen. Although zazen is considered by many to be the heart-mind ('shin') of Zen, the Precepts are the thoughts and feelings that imbue that heart-mind, an infinitely complex and organic set of principles that underlie each aware moment.
In their externals rather like the Ten Commandments, the Precepts arise from, and at the same time are, and also create, the way of right living. A self-perpetuating, closed, and yet infinitely open manner of addressing the world, to be a Bodhisattva, an awakened one who remains in the world but not of it pending the enlightenment of all beings, is to be totally, joyfully, human.
Reb Anderson uses traditional teachings, examples from his own tenure as a teacher and as a student, and examples from the life of Suzuki, to underscore the nature of the Precepts and their practical application to American life.
An important book for the Zen practitioner, BEING UPRIGHT asks us to be all that we are. |
Not An Introductory Zen Book
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| Review Date: July 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. D. White, Salem, OR USA |
If you are one who intends to "receive the precepts" by whatever ceremony or process your sangha follows, then this is definitely the book for you.
It does not presume to dictate precept practice to anyone. As the book makes clear: Practice arises out of one's realization while practice simultaneously fosters realization.
The author does discuss targets to aim for. However hard those targets may seem at this point in your life, shooting at a target with no bullseye won't improve anyone's aim. Ultimately, of course, we each set our own targets.
One caution: "Being Upright" says it is written for people already in Zen practice. It is for those who are considering making a public, formal statement of their personal dedicated intent to follow specific Buddhist precepts. As the author says, his title refers to "the integration of precept practice and meditation." He makes it clear that it is the Zen meditator who decides whether or when to make the vows to practice the precepts. He also says that while some, in his experience, might make their avowal after six months of meditation practice, most should have sat for three years or more (many, many more in his own case). Don't buy this book if you are looking for an introduction to Zen. |
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