Zen is not a destination, but rather a state of mind, an attitude,
a way of approaching and experiencing everyday life.
Many people are familiar with the
philosophical and aesthetic aspects of Zen.
Few have been taught the actual way of zazen:
The simple meditation practiced by Zen students and masters alike.
Becoming more and more silent, more and more aware
through regular practice of zazen
is the real Zen secret.
"When Zen Flesh, Zen Bones was published in 1957 it became an instant sensation with an entire generation of readers who were just beginning to experiment with Zen. Over the years it has inspired leading American Zen teachers, students, and practitioners. Its popularity is as high today as ever.
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones is a book that offers a collection of accessible, primary Zen sources so that readers can struggle over the meaning of Zen for themselves. It includes 101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries; The Gateless Gate, the famous thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans; Ten Bulls, a twelfth century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment; and Centering, a 4,000 year-old teaching from India that some consider to be the roots of Zen".
www.amazon.com/Zen-Flesh-Bones-Collection-Writings/dp/0804831866
That's pretty much how Gary Snyder looked when I met him in the Fall of 1968 when I was a freshman at Michigan State University and he came to the library to do a poetry reading and give a talk to about 150 fans and English majors. Obviously he became a role model and hero to me.
Here is link to a long form essay written by Snyder a while back that gives you a feeling for his life and work (although most of his writing is not as bawdy as the examples offered).
My favorite line from an early poem that I can no longer locate reminds me of my own pre-dawn experience being awakened from sleep during sesshin at the Rochester Zen Center, winter of 1972:
Distant bell
comes closer . . .
Just a fragment, but it sets up a powerfully warm and vibrant nostalgia whenever I repeat it.
If you want more, he is all over the internet, and well worth looking into. Here is how he looks closer to now, around 90:
