Sex, Sin and Zen
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A very welcome addition to practical Buddhism and how to live your practice in the crazy modern world
16 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback
This is an important but controversial book. Whilst there are a lot of books about Buddhist thought and philosophy, there are not so many books which deal with the practicalities of how to live your Buddhist practice in the modern world. One of the particular areas which are not often properly addressed is the question of sex and relationships. The traditional Pali Canon is pretty negative about the question of sex generally and whilst there is the third precept which asks practitioners "to refrain from sexual misconduct" there is little guidance on how to actually do this (especially if you are a single person out there dating in the modern world).
Brad Warner tries to address this gap in this book. In the course of the book, he takes on a whole load of subjects which are almost never dealt with in a lot of Buddhist books and importantly deals with them in a very practical way. So you'll find discussion of celibacy (and not in the monastic sense), monogamy, dating, being gay, open relationships, masturbation, pornography and how to deal with the end of relationships and the heart break that can often follow. A lot of the subjects are controversial, for example, can being a stripper or prostitute be "right livelihood"? Can meditation be used to support and assist someone with a history of being sexually abused? What about swinging or sado-masochistic sex - is that wrong from a Buddhist perspective? How does a lay Buddhist deal with the normal sexual desire that we all have? Is abortion acceptable?
Not every Buddhist is going to agree or approve of every suggestion and viewpoint that Brad Warner expresses (but it isn't a dogmatic book and repeatedly emphasises that ultimately we all have to find our own way through the difficult cirucmstances of our own individual lives).
This is also a very funny book. As with all his books, Brad Warner writes in a jokey and humourous way and this might make some Buddhists uncomfortable (if you are put off by a chapter heading about the concept of no-self titled "How can I play with myself if I don't have a Self?" you might find this book a bit challenging!). Some of the humour in the footnotes is verging on Beavis and Butthead but even here I think Brad Warner is trying to make a point, namely why are we as Buddhists so uncomfortable with the idea of acknowledging and accepting our natural sexual desire?
A really good book and one which should help to start a very useful and much-needed debate on the topic.
Brad Warner tries to address this gap in this book. In the course of the book, he takes on a whole load of subjects which are almost never dealt with in a lot of Buddhist books and importantly deals with them in a very practical way. So you'll find discussion of celibacy (and not in the monastic sense), monogamy, dating, being gay, open relationships, masturbation, pornography and how to deal with the end of relationships and the heart break that can often follow. A lot of the subjects are controversial, for example, can being a stripper or prostitute be "right livelihood"? Can meditation be used to support and assist someone with a history of being sexually abused? What about swinging or sado-masochistic sex - is that wrong from a Buddhist perspective? How does a lay Buddhist deal with the normal sexual desire that we all have? Is abortion acceptable?
Not every Buddhist is going to agree or approve of every suggestion and viewpoint that Brad Warner expresses (but it isn't a dogmatic book and repeatedly emphasises that ultimately we all have to find our own way through the difficult cirucmstances of our own individual lives).
This is also a very funny book. As with all his books, Brad Warner writes in a jokey and humourous way and this might make some Buddhists uncomfortable (if you are put off by a chapter heading about the concept of no-self titled "How can I play with myself if I don't have a Self?" you might find this book a bit challenging!). Some of the humour in the footnotes is verging on Beavis and Butthead but even here I think Brad Warner is trying to make a point, namely why are we as Buddhists so uncomfortable with the idea of acknowledging and accepting our natural sexual desire?
A really good book and one which should help to start a very useful and much-needed debate on the topic.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is not only one of the very best books I've read, it is also probably one of the very best expositions on spirituality from a true Buddhist perspective. Although sex & sin are primarily discussed in the course of its contents, they are discussed in the light of Zen Buddhism and Buddha's Buddhism. This text is probably currently the most comprehensive available, from a Western Buddhist's perspective, on Western culture's confused, Christian-dominated understanding of sexual desires. Supposedly "spiritual" readers with Catholic upbringing will find the "naked" truths unbearable. :-))
The book is a lot more than about sex, and its title and chapter headings belie the conceptual depth of its contents. The only disappointment is that there are too many silly, puerile puns in the numerous footnotes. If the front cover had a different ("more respectable") image, and those particular footnotes were omitted, it would probably attract a wider audience, and give a better reflection of its contents. The author, perhaps in an attempt to be more humorous than he is already, is also a little too self-belittling. His maverick approach to understanding life's existence has certainly helped enlighten him and, in turn, his readership in a most humorous way.
Included in the 30 chapter titles are -
- Sex & the Four Noble Truths
- Sex & the Bodhisattva Vow
- Attached to Non-attachment
- Sex & Mindfulness
- Is Orgasm the highest form of Meditation?
- Zen & Porn
- Sex & Emptiness
- Women, Evolution, & Buddhism
- Sex & Non-self
- What's Love got to do with it?
- Sex & Metta (Compassion)
- Hug is the drug
- Is Zazen dangerous?
- God knew my soul before I was born
- Sex & Karma
- Zen dating & marriage advice
- When good spiritual Masters go really, really bad
- Sex & Enlightenment
- Happy ending, Buddhist style.
This is a book well worth reading.
_________________________________
The book is a lot more than about sex, and its title and chapter headings belie the conceptual depth of its contents. The only disappointment is that there are too many silly, puerile puns in the numerous footnotes. If the front cover had a different ("more respectable") image, and those particular footnotes were omitted, it would probably attract a wider audience, and give a better reflection of its contents. The author, perhaps in an attempt to be more humorous than he is already, is also a little too self-belittling. His maverick approach to understanding life's existence has certainly helped enlighten him and, in turn, his readership in a most humorous way.
Included in the 30 chapter titles are -
- Sex & the Four Noble Truths
- Sex & the Bodhisattva Vow
- Attached to Non-attachment
- Sex & Mindfulness
- Is Orgasm the highest form of Meditation?
- Zen & Porn
- Sex & Emptiness
- Women, Evolution, & Buddhism
- Sex & Non-self
- What's Love got to do with it?
- Sex & Metta (Compassion)
- Hug is the drug
- Is Zazen dangerous?
- God knew my soul before I was born
- Sex & Karma
- Zen dating & marriage advice
- When good spiritual Masters go really, really bad
- Sex & Enlightenment
- Happy ending, Buddhist style.
This is a book well worth reading.
_________________________________
Format:Paperback
This author-Zen master possesses a remarkable understanding and FEELING of Zen, which is unbelievably seldom to be found in the western civilisation. Every page is a surprise even for persons like me, who got involved with Zen 40 years ago. Using humorous language even for very important matters the author "reveals" parts of the hard core of Zen: a phrases like
"A lot of what gets written about Zen is based on abstractions and idealism. Too many people who write about it don't have a clue", are not arrogant at all, they simply and perfectly show the really problem for the understanding of Buddhism.
Or, "But Buddhism is not a form of spirituality": I really feel high seeing that phrase, I know there are people outthere, especially teachers, they know what it is about.
Or "real Buddhism isn't pessimistic at all": The first noble truth, " All life is suffering", says only that the world WE HUMANS have created is full of suffering! Buddhism WANTS to change that, but it must be realistic, to see what the reason for that is.
Or this: "Nonattachment is not something you can cultivate. In fact, Zen is never about cultivating anything. It's about seeing what's already there and moving on from that."
A deeply great Book!
"A lot of what gets written about Zen is based on abstractions and idealism. Too many people who write about it don't have a clue", are not arrogant at all, they simply and perfectly show the really problem for the understanding of Buddhism.
Or, "But Buddhism is not a form of spirituality": I really feel high seeing that phrase, I know there are people outthere, especially teachers, they know what it is about.
Or "real Buddhism isn't pessimistic at all": The first noble truth, " All life is suffering", says only that the world WE HUMANS have created is full of suffering! Buddhism WANTS to change that, but it must be realistic, to see what the reason for that is.
Or this: "Nonattachment is not something you can cultivate. In fact, Zen is never about cultivating anything. It's about seeing what's already there and moving on from that."
A deeply great Book!
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