The goose is out

Zen Pilgrim's Progress.

by

English language

Published Feb. 18, 1972 by Buddhist Society.

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3 stars (1 review)

A book in two parts by a Western practitioner of Zen Buddhism. The first part, 'Beyond the Intellect', is a personal account of discovering and engaging in Zen practice. The second part, 'Tales of Tokuzan' is a collection of Zen stories and poetry by the author under the name Tokuzan.

(www.goodreads.com/book/show/62098102-the-goose-is-out)

1 edition

reviewed The goose is out by William John Gabb

Of it’s timelessness

3 stars

The book is part teaching, part story telling, part biography. I very much enjoyed the book, especially the stories of ‘Tokuzan’ at the end.

The more biographical pieces seemed a little self-indulgent at times, which was surprising given the emphasis on Zen. I was also surprised at the mention of God. In some ways it sounded as if written from a Hindu perspective. There is a sense of someone very sure of himself,with no teacher to challenge their perspective.

It may be a book very much ‘Of it’s time’ both in terms of the period in which it was written and the period of the development of Buddhism in the West.

I’m glad to have read it. I have always enjoyed the poem ‘The Lane’ which seems to have a sense of spaciousness and timelessness.