One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir

As honest a book as I’d ever expect to read. A long time since I’ve read a book from cover to cover happily and pleased that I did.

I’ve been lucky to discover memoirs by five different British writers in recent years: Helen Macdonald, Julian Barnes, Christopher Hitchens, Rory Stewart, and now Henry Shukman's One Blade of Grass.All possess that annoyingly British mastery of every scrap of the classical cannon. I say “annoying” but with respect; even awe. Despite obvious genius, all but Hitch 22 came off as unpretentious and personal. Dream-of-dreams to sit à table with all gathered together (albeit there'd be an empty place, and full glass in Hitch's memory).Blade of Grass is of the same lofty caliber, but it falls into a subclass of sorts since it’s focused on a quest. It calls to mind Thomas Merton, a writer from an era long passed. There are so many parallels in their personal narratives, and both succeed because they resonate with intellectual ferment and intensity yet are tempered with deep humility. It’s as honest and as lyrically written as The Seven Storey Mountain (now 70 years old!), but while Merton’s story would be hard to connect with for most students and philosophical explorers today, Blade of Grass takes on life's existential challenges in a thoroughly modern, relatable way. What’s more, Henry is easy to identify with. This book deserves to reach a wide audience and a wide audience needs to hear about it!Personally, the timing for this is impeccable. I am in the embryonic stage of zen practice and there is so much I don’t know and was not necessarily afraid to ask, but uncomfortable to ask about regarding basic mechanics of how one practices. And while this was hardly a focal point of the book, it was of collateral benefit. I’m guessing I’m not the only student, or prospective student, who will be grateful for this insight. But let me repeat that this book could and should appeal to a far wider audience. Stepping it up a level, the experience of reading Blade of Grass is deeply thought provoking and I expect that it will continue to germinate for most readers long after they've finished.

I read the entire thing and didn’t regret the purchase or time spent; and that’s high praise from me! If I had a wish list, it could have been a little more zen in the ratio but over all a good read.

Henry Shukman is the much-loved guiding teacher of the small, but growing, community of Zen Buddhist practitioners at the Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. An accomplished poet and writer, Shukman is an erudite and articulate guide to the heart of Buddhist, and especially Zen, practice. But moreso, Shukman's teaching draws deeply from the travails of his own life as a sensitive man dealing with illness, loss, ambition, expectations, and the yearning of a seeker. The stereotype of the Zen practitioner is of an austere Japanese monk, berobed and bareheaded. Shukman's widely traveled path put him into contact with those, and other, traditions, but ultimately lead him to the Sanbo Zen Kyodan, an international community of lay practitioners with deep roots in the rich soil of Japanese Zen. Shukman's Zen is an especially heartfelt and human endeavor that fiercely acknowledges the tremendous joy and terrible suffering of our time on this planet. In this memoir we move through Shukman's pained life as he finds his way to an ever more intimate and engaged relationship with it. His way is illuminated by profound experiences of life's infinite potential that lure him to serious practice as a Zen meditator, and eventually to a spiritual experience of such profundity that he is qualified to guide others. This is a moving, sometimes painful, and always fully exposed picture of a human trajectory from deep suffering to a landing in a field of true peace. Not a static peace, but a peace in action where life continues to mature in compassion and love. Shukman will say that Zen is really just becoming deeply intimate with our own lives and their profound potential. In this wonderful book he gives us a real example.

I thought this book was fascinating and beautifully written, but ultimately I found it unsatisfying, because it left me with the thought that Shukman has had lots of amazing spiritual experiences as a result of doing zazen and intensive Zen retreats for many years, so now he's on a much higher level than me. Also, he says that his teachers are on an even higher level than himself. The book suggests that in order to approach that lofty level, one needs to follow the arduous Zen path, i.e. zazen, intensive retreats and koans, for many years or decades.If you're into Zen and you accept the basic belief that you need to follow the Zen path for many years in order to make gradual progress towards enlightenment, then I guess this is a wonderful book. But I personally don't accept that belief. I prefer the approach of teachers like Papaji,, Gangaji, etc., who say that awakening is possible and available now, and no effort or striving is required. You just need to be quiet and still. As Papaji says, "Keep quiet for some time and it will reveal itself". This is a quote from Wake Up and Roar, which I highly recommend.

I have never read anything quite like this. Henry Shukman has sat on his bottom practising Zazen with astonishing commitment while being in all other respects just an ordinary guy but what has come out of it is anything but ordinary. Totally re-inspired my practice - just give me a bucket of big words and I will lay them out in various configurations in an attempt to convey the possibilities this book opens to. Best thing I have read for ages ....

Puts the “eff” in “ineffable” but does not put a foot wrong. Beautifully lean writing. Deft. Illuminating. Inspirational. As a reader very new to Zen this is of enormous practical help, a real mitzvah. Much appreciated.

This book contains a well-written and extensive description of Henry Shukman's path from being a sickly child in England to a travelling and highly respected writer to becoming a Zen Master in New Mexico.It may not be representative for the way most people find into and "progress" through Zen, and it does not describe in exact terms what "Zen" is (since that escapes definition). Also, it does not offer a one-size-fits-all path to being a Zen practitioner. But it definitely shows how lengthy, bumpy and windy the process can be (hence the heading of this article) and how important it is to find excellent groups and teachers with whom one gets along well.The book offers an informative inside look at how differently Zen is/was practised in various centers. Also, it contains some helpful background on the history and key personalities of Zen and of the lineage that Shukman belongs to.Definitely worth the read if you are looking for a more practical introduction besides the sometimes taciturn and austere introductions by the Masters.

An inspiring account of the author's journey from a difficult childhood to the peace he found through his Zen practice. While many Zen books can be, by their very nature, abstruse, this book describes the author's experiences with wondrous clarity.As someone who has practiced Zen for many years, it offers many guideposts and much encouragement.

It’s a relief to read this man’s very human and “western” journey into and through Zen, as he weaves a multitude of experiences through a narrative of everyday life and thus clarifies what Zen is and isn’t, and what someone may “find” if they choose to explore. I feel calmer for having read it and am curious to dive deeper.