Zen Wrapped In Karma Dipped In Chocolate
by Brad Warner
Tuesday Night Reading-Discussion Group
8:30 – 9:30 pm • Atlanta Soto Zen Center
Moderated by Shiho Gareth Young
Beginning Tuesday April 27, 2010
From Publishers Weekly
Zen monk and punk rocker Warner offers a "big snarly ball of
confessional vomit" in his third book, following Hardcore Zen and Sit
Down and Shut Up. The snarly ball is his own suffering, fodder for the
Zen cushion: his mother's and grandmother's deaths, the dissolution of
his marriage and lots of day-job insecurity when the Japanese
monster-movie company he works for downsizes and gets sold. As ever,
Warner is unafraid to smash idols, including his own celebrity status
as a Zen master. "Not only am I not that thing, but no one is," he
writes, and that means everybody from the Dalai Lama to fellow students
of his Japanese teacher who disliked his being picked as the teacher's
successor. Warner is honest—he would say his attitude is seeing things
as they are, a Zen bent. Those familiar with his previous work will
find this book exceptionally plainspoken and pungent, in keeping with
his idiosyncratic vow "to be an a**hole for the rest of my life."
That's a lot of honesty.
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Reading Group Format
The reading group is informal and readings serve as a point of departure for discussions. Sometimes we follow the text closely, other times discussion is wide-ranging. It is best to read the assigned chapter before attending but not required, but please feel free to drop in for the discussion even if you haven't read the text. Each participant is given the opportunity to raise phrases or topics from the assigned portion of the text which they wish to discuss. Tea and snacks are served. Since this is such a widely owned book we are not following our general practice of having copies of the text will be available by the door to the zendo, but if you do not own the book, you can share with others who have copies.
Schedule
| Date |
Chapters |
| April 27 |
1-4 |
| May 4 |
Telecast with Grace Shireson |
| May 11 |
5-7 |
| May 18 |
8-13 |
| May 25 |
14-19 |
| June 1 |
20-23 |
| June 8 |
24-27 |
| June 15 |
28-32 |
| June 22 |
33-37 |