Brad Warner - Hardcore Zen

[Myechtatel]

Has anyone read any of Brad Warner's books? He played bass for Zero Defex in Akron back in the 80's and grew up to be a 'zen master'. I got into buddhism a few years back but couldn't understand a word of the books I was trying to read. Being in a punk band myself I saw the book Hardcore Zen and knew that I had to have it. So I put it in my bag and walked out. I was so surprised how he can take these complex ideas and break them down so that any high school dropout can understand them. He puts a western/punk rock twist on everything so it doesn't seem so alien. Anyway, really great writer and really great books. He just released his third book which was amazing.

If you know of him/read his books, discuss.
If you haven't, I highly recommend it.

 

[tree hopper]

wow. i haven't heard this book mentioned in a long time. i completely forgot about it. i remember first reading it not knowing or hearing about it before after finding it at a swap meet for 50 cents. i really like reading almost anything about any topic just to learn or gain different perspective on things and after reading hardcore zen i had an appreciation for how brad approached zen- cos' it was totally different than any other book written (that i had read)..... like exactly what you said about it not being so "alien". i got that vibe for sure- and i liked reading something that made me "think" somewhat and his "question everything...including this book" vibe too. i didn't know he even had other books out, never thought to look- have you read his other books? how do they compare:cheers:

 

[Myechtatel]

Yeah the question everything comes from Buddha himself. When Buddha taught his students he said first do not take anything for truth, not even my teachings. you must find your own truth, always. You gotta be careful with buddhism. A lot of it gets into all kinds of spiritual bullshit and details of life after death. it's all crap though. zen buddhism is the only real buddhism because it focuses on reality and can be applied to anything. i could go on about the philosophy all day. it's really opened my eyes to a lot and is just so amazingly real compared to the crap they feed you growing up.

his other books are awesome. Sit Down And Shut Up, his second book, is a more in depth look at a lot of Zen concepts. Death, Sex, Drugs, God, etc. His 3rd book, just released, Zen Wrapped In Karma Dipped In Chocolate was exceptional. I will say he talked a lot about himself in this book but that was kinda the point. He lost his job, lost his wife and lost his mother all in the same year. The point of the book was his thoughts on how his practice affected these events and what he learned from it, etc. I really enjoyed it and I think it tied in with the first two perfectly. It really put the philosophy from the first two into practice.

 

[tree hopper]

yeah i get what you mean and agree and can also go on about philosophy all day or create some never-ending thread about it. i've always had some interest or "attraction" to zen and also have always been drawn to paganism/wicca, there are some similarities that resemble zen...... i dont know if you have ever looked into paganism/wicca but if you ever want to read great books on it read anything by Scott Cunningham (may have misspelled).
and good to know (in regards to what your opinions are of his other books), just gave me a new mission to go on and hunt them down.... thanks for that info.

 

[Myechtatel]

glad to help. enjoy the books. i've had some friends who claimed to be wicca/pagan and it kinda turned me away from it because they were total dumbasses and i feel like they only did it to be different. i know wicca is very much into nature and i like that but it seems like a lot of mysticism and spiritualism which im not fond of. but i'll look into it. i'm hoping to get a Kindle at some point so i'll be reading constantly.

 

[Mouse]

I read this book a few years ago. I wrote down a lot of notes from it. It's a very good read. I'd recommend it to anyone

 

[Mouse]

"If you want to believe in reincarnation, you have to believe that THIS LIFE, what you're living through right now, IS the afterlife. You're missing out on the afterlife you looked forward to in your last existence by worrying about your next life. THIS is what happens after you die. Take a look"

My favorite quote from the book. I still re-read it now and then to remind myself to live.

 

[Myechtatel]

^yeah i like that. his view on death(or buddha's really) really blew me away. he's right though; there is no beginning or end. birth and death are just events. and really we don't know the actual point of which they happen. they are just ideas we've come up with to try to understand but in reality they make it harder. he used a rock as an example. when the boulder becomes a rock it is the "death" of the boulder but the "birth" of the rock. when the rock ceases to be a rock it has "died" and a grain of sand is "born". anything can be used as the example but you will always find that it will continue to change infinitely and never really "die" or be "born". so why should humans be any different?

 

[tree hopper]

"If you want to believe in reincarnation, you have to believe that THIS LIFE, what you're living through right now, IS the afterlife. You're missing out on the afterlife you looked forward to in your last existence by worrying about your next life. THIS is what happens after you die. Take a look"

My favorite quote from the book. I still re-read it now and then to remind myself to live.

love that quote as well... too true

 

[Myechtatel]

bump>

 

[Deleted member 125]

i think i read salad days right before reading hardcore zen and that made more of a impression to me. im not realy into spiritual what nots so maybe i just liked the story telling in salad days better.

 

[Myechtatel]

what the hell is salad days?

 

[Deleted member 125]

what the hell is salad days?

Amazon.com: Salad Days (9780967923505): Charles Romalotti: Books

 

[Myechtatel]

cool. it's not about buddhism though is it?

 

[katbastard]

I have read the first 3 books by brad, and like them better then noah levines books, I have dharma punks tattooed on me, I just wish brad and noah could come together and do some joint retreats or groups. I found brads books more on my speed and level. I look forword to see more of the buddhism 3.0 as it grows

 

[theare]

This sounds like a really good read although I got into the Tao before delving into Buddhism and I'm still a bit hesitant with all the books I've found on Buddhism... they all seem to be watered down or just too much for me to handle/understand.

Onward to the frivolous search for this book! (Yes, I know I could find it online but I'd rather find it in a store first before I order something...just a weird peeve of mine)

 

[Myechtatel]

I have read the first 3 books by brad, and like them better then noah levines books, I have dharma punks tattooed on me, I just wish brad and noah could come together and do some joint retreats or groups. I found brads books more on my speed and level. I look forword to see more of the buddhism 3.0 as it grows

hell yeah, dharma punx!

This sounds like a really good read although I got into the Tao before delving into Buddhism and I'm still a bit hesitant with all the books I've found on Buddhism... they all seem to be watered down or just too much for me to handle/understand.

Onward to the frivolous search for this book! (Yes, I know I could find it online but I'd rather find it in a store first before I order something...just a weird peeve of mine)

sounds like it's just the book for you then. you should be able t find it in any bookstore chain(B&N, Borders, etc.)

 

[bastardmaker]

brad warner is a pretty good writer, he makes everything super understandable and keeps everything simple and accessible. I've read all of his books and read his blog from time to time. To the person who mentioned dabbling in tao'ism, check out the tao according to willie(nelson) it's pretty good. very off topic, but a good book.

 

[sons of vipers]

just read this a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it, despite being a Christian.