"Longtime Zen abbot shares the wisdom of his teacher, who brought Zen to the West and wrote the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Les Kaye studied Zen with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in the 1960s and is now abbot emeritus of Kannon Do Zendo in Mountain View, California (where Norman Fischer is acting abbot). Born and raised in Manhattan, Kaye moved to what is now Silicon Valley in his twenties to work for IBM. While working full-time in the corporate world, he practiced Zen sitting and mindfulness, became an ordained disciple of Suzuki Roshi and the head of practice at what became Kannon Do. I Had a Good Teacher interweaves dharma talks with personal stories to reveal the subtleties of integrating Zen practice into a life of work and family. It includes fascinating memories of Suzuki Roshi and short writings about events at the zendo, including the time Steve Jobs visited Les for guidance integrating work and spiritual practice. Compiled and edited by Les's disciple Giuseppe Prisco, an Italian tech entrepreneur and Zen priest, I Had a Good Teacher is an introduction to Zen in daily life, a warm portrait of a great Zen teacher, and a reminder to meditators to return to basics, to keep their meditation real, and to practice awareness all day long"--
Longtime Zen abbot shares the wisdom of his teacher, who brought Zen to the West and wrote the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
I Had a Good Teacher interweaves Les Kayes Dharma talks with personal stories to reveal the subtleties of integrating Zen practice into a life of work and family. It includes fascinating memories of Suzuki Roshi and short writings about events at the zendo, including the time Steve Jobs visited Les for guidance integrating work and spiritual practice. I Had a Good Teacher is an excellent introduction to Zen in daily life, a warm portrait of a great Zen teacher, and a reminder to meditators to return to basics, keep their meditation real, and practice awareness all day long.
I Had a Good Teacher is a marvelous collection of Les Kayes talks and writings. I can feel his authenticity and deep understanding. Those who study with himin person or through this bookhave a good teacher. David Chadwick, author of Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki and Tassajara Stories
What a wonderful book.... direct and deep, real and rich, filled with down-to-earth wisdom. Enjoy reading about something that could change your life. Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, and author of Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet
In this lovely plainspoken book, Les offers the spirit of Suzuki Roshi Zen. Sometimes enigmatic, sometimes sweet, sometimes with stories of the past, sometimes timeless wisdom
.all passed on to you with a kind heart. Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
