Hardcore Zen is an entertaining read. Once you get over its “Zen Buddhism as explained by your local groovy Youth Worker” style of language, and the deliberately “Hey Wow, I’m being really iconoclastic with my chapter headings” labeling, there’s a tidy heap of stuff just waiting to make itself more noticed amongst the other piles of stuff that seemed more important.

Mr Warner writes: “Your life is yours alone, and to miss your life is the most tragic thing that could happen.So sit down, shut up, and take a look at it”

Which on the surface appears to be yet another New Age homily, but seems to be (to me anyway) a rather cute li’l zazen nugget. It says a lot in a few short words.

Mr Warner is an ex-hardcore punk from Akron, Ohio, who now works in Tokyo for a film company that makes Monster Movies and in particular Ultraman which I personally feel culturally deprived of, and am seriously thinking of lodging a complaint with oh, whoever about um…whatever ….

...anywho he got caught up in punk and then Japanese culture and then ended up studying Zen and then received transmission to become a Zen master. One who says rude words and says it like it is. He’s more Henry Rollins than Yoda (allbeit a slender Henry).

So bravo Mr Brad Warner for reminding me that the shape of the snot in my nose is mine alone and nobody elses. He advises us to question authority, question ourselves, question everything.

Oh, and as for what he says about Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics. It’s not pretty.

I paged through it at the library and laughed out loud at some parts. I knew I had to buy it.

Possibly one of the best books I’ve read this year (or maybe in the past 5).

If you find yourself questioning, read this book. It doesn’t give you any answers, but it does provide you with the tools.