The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans

I am studying koans for a few years now and find this book to be very clear with thoughtful commentary that gets at the point in a relatable way. Zen teacher Wick includes many personal stories that help you understand. I find this book to be one of the best interpretations of this koan collection

This interpretation of a classic collection of Zen koans is well worth reading for the serious Zen student. Wick goes out of his way to make the cultural references clear and to indicate some of the meatiness of these koans in a way accessible to the contemporary Western Zen practitioner.

The Book of Equanimity (aka The Book of Serenity): I ordered this book because I thought it included a certain koan. It didn't, but it's definitely a 4+. The writer is of the same Zen lineage as my teachers and shares his experiences with Maezumi Roshi, as well as providing the backgrounds of the teachers in the koans. This collection includes many of the koans in the other major collections, plus, some others, but I like Shishin Wick's version better. Even without the koans, his comments about practice and life are helpful.

This is a wonderfully thoughtful and ambitious book that interprets the classic koan collection "Book of Serenity". As a Zen student myself, just getting into the daunting original translation, I am so glad to have this book. It's like having a flashlight in a pitch dark haunted Zen temple. Where before there was only fear and loathing now there is a beam of light. Thank you Shishin! You are a great modern master. Your eyebrows brush eyebrows with old mendicants. Ask old teacher Wang of Nanquan - Each person just eats one stalk of vegetable.

There is only positive words for this book. The author do a very good job going in debt in the koans, and make the point easy to comprehend, in many cases adding even more clarity with own words. The explanations are rich and cover different ways of interpreting the material and make it easy to notice what is skillfull and what is unskillfull action and the karmic effect of the action. Im grateful for this book.

Excellent book with illuminating insights into timeless Zen koans.

Just what I was looking for...to mentally take me out of worries and hum drum days.Challenging and it will take me forever (slow reader)to record my favorite quotes...In essence,I'm a happy camper.

Great book but I would not recommend it as a first book on Zen. The book fell apart when I was at page 30.