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At first glance it appears a little strange for a volume on Buddhism to be reviewed in the pages of this Journal. But a careful perusal of Jung's foreword and the book itself reveals quickly enough that the ramifications of an oriental religion deeply involve things psychological and even psychiatric.
The author is a professor of Buddhist philosophy at a Kyoto University. He is also one of the foremost authorities on the subject of Zen Buddhism, an offspring and modification of one of the great religions of the world. His previous books on the subject have been translated into English, some dating back to 1921. The volume offers some fascinating insights connecting an Eastern religion to phenomena of a psychology which is far removed from anything we usually come in contact with. Some of the chapters are entitled, “Is Zen Mihilistic?” “Practical Zen,” “Satori or Acquiring a New Point of View,” “The Meditation Hall and the Monk's Life,” etc.
The author is at great pains to indicate that Zen is not just another oriental mystical religion, although the reviewer finds it hard to accept his arguments. This is merely another indication of how far apart West and East really are. The author emphasizes that personal experience is strongly set against any authority in Zen. He claims for it a practical method for attaining the spiritual enlightment (or “Satori”) which is the central experience of Zen. According to Suzuki the meta-physical structure of Buddhism disappeared as it became modified into Zen—and as it became a practical discipline of life. Concerning “Satori” the author points out repeatedly that it does not consist of auto-suggestion through meditation but is a “sudden flashing into consciousness of a new truth hitherto undreamed of.” The reviewer feels that it is at this point that the question of a mystical experience or possibly the entrance of unconscious material of the personality can be raised to explain the phenomenon.