Awakening to Zen: The Teachings of Roshi Philip Kapleau

You could call him the first patriarch of Zen in America, and American he is. The beauty of Awakening to Zen is Philip Kapleau's attention to the concerns of a Western seeker. Using examples as diverse as Vladimir Horowitz, the Rocky Mountains, and a common wristwatch, Kapleau answers questions about Zen in a compassionate, readily accessible way. His decades as head of an American Zen monastery, not to mention his broad-reading and sharp intellect, yield an abundance of valuable guidance for a Westerner who struggles with Zen's foreignness.