This updated landmark volume makes available for the first time in decades the teachings that were formative to a whole generation of American Zen teachers and students. Conceived as an overarching primer on the practice of Zen, chapters in this volume address every aspect of practice: beginning practice, shikantaza, chanting, sesshin, working with Mu, and the nature of koans.

In the intervening years since the publication of the earlier edition, countless books have appeared on Zen. Few, if any, have approached the strengths of On Zen Practice as a reference or teaching tool, and the book retains a lively, immediate quality that will appeal to today''s readers.

PRAISE
"A compact collection of dharma talks and commentaries by many of the greatest teachers of Zen. It functions as an all-in-one sampler, an excellent companion for the serious Zen student, new or old. If you could only have one book from which to build a Zen practice, this one could do it for you."
—New Perspectives

"On these pages of On Zen Practice, the timeless nature of the Dharma as wisdom/compassion is vividly presented. Of course, someone with a dangerous bit of learning may say the same truth is expressed in raising a cup of tea of talking on the telephone. True enough, but without the burning focus of the polished glass we find here, and therefore with no power to save anyone."
—from the introduction by Robert Aitken, author of Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics

"On Zen Practice is a rich weave of wisdom, practicality, context and heart of practice. The great treasure of the White Plum Asanga is in this beautiful basket of a book."
—Joan Halifax Roshi,Head Teacher, Upaya Zen Center

"The spirit of Maezumi Roshi pervades every page of this remarkable collection of essays. Open and graceful, Maezumi invites us into the depths of our lives. This book is a classic of an emergingwestern Zen."
—James Ishmael Ford Sensei, author of This Very Moment

"This book offers a vital service to us all. It clears away our fantasies about Zen and redirects us to the simple unadorned essence of Zen practice: harmony and clarity in this very life we are living, right now. This is an intimate manual for contemporary Zen Practice. It teaches forms and formlessness. I recommend it to beginners and advanced Zen practitioners. It is challenging, wise, and encouraging. "
—Sensei Pat Enkyo O'Hara, founding teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order

"For over thirty years Maezumi Roshi, a master in both the Rinzai and Soto Zen schools, demanded that the Dharma be found right where you stand. In this volume, he and his teachers present a dazzling display of wisdom about how to use spiritual practices to enlighten our everyday life."
—Zen teachers Chozen and Hogen Bays, co-abbots of Great Vow Zen Monastery

"On Zen Practice is not just a manual on Zen training but an invaluable guide to personal transformation."
—John Daido Loori Roshi, abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery and editor of The Art of Just Sitting

"An American Zen treasure of nourishing spirit food to enrich our practice, with additional teachings by Koun Yamada Roshi and Maezumi Roshi's commentary on Genjokoan for desert."
—Taigen Dan Leighton, author, Faces of Compassion and translator, Cultivating the Empty Field

"A solid and seasoned handbook. It includes topics such as beginning practice, sitting, chanting, bowing and working with koans, and also expounds on various texts."
—Publishers Weekly

"We will use this book as textbook in teaching at the Zen Center of Los Angeles."
—Sensei Wendy Egyoku Nakao, Abbot of ZCLA

"Practical and informative, this is the teaching of a modern Zen master whose voice in print is not often available. I will recommend it to my students."
—Janet Jiryu Abels, Sensei, Still Mind Zendo, NYC

"A collection of talks and commentaries on classic Zen texts which revolve around the central themes of sitting, sesshin, bowing, receiving the precepts, koan study, and the sayings of the great master Dogen Zenji. Maezumi and others make it clear that practice is an integral part of Zen; their talks shed light on dealing with the body, breath, and mind."
—Spirituality and Health