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The Essential Dogen
- Writings of the Great Zen Master
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
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The Essential Dogen
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Publisher's Summary
Eihei Dogen (1200 - 1253), founder of the Soto School of Zen Buddhism, is one of the greatest religious, philosophical, and literary geniuses of Japan. His writings have been studied by Zen students for centuries, particularly his masterwork, Shobo Genzo or Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. This is the first book to offer the great master's incisive wisdom in short selections taken from the whole range of his voluminous works. The pithy and powerful readings, arranged according to theme, provide a perfect introduction to Dogen - and inspire spiritual practice in people of all traditions.
What listeners say about The Essential Dogen
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark Workman
- 24-04-2016
A great intro to Dogen
A treatment of Dogen's Zen that's straight forward, well researched and readily accessible to Westerners.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Flip B
- 17-04-2018
Why do they use this narrator?
What disappointed you about The Essential Dogen?
I wish I could have listened to this book. Unfortunately the narrator is so poor I just couldn't even get through the first chapter. I will be returning this book.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I wasn't able to listen, but I'm sure it would have been Dogen. I love his work and the way he's able to express Zen in such a clear manner. I plan to buy the book and read it instead.
What didn’t you like about Brian Nishii’s performance?
This is the second audio book that I've purchased with Nishii narrating and I returned that book too because I just couldn't listen to him. Unfortunately I hadn't realised it was the same narrator until after I'd made the purchase. I'm sure he's probably a nice guy, but narration just isn't his gig. Firstly, he doesn't seem to connect with the discourse, which makes it difficult for the reader to become absorbed. Secondly, his intonation is all over the place. He doesn't seem to know when to rise and when to fall, which makes it difficult to follow anything he's saying because you end up paying attention to his voice rather than the content. I'm guessing Nishii is from Japanese descent as he does pronounce Japanese words perfectly, however I don't think this is a reason to always use him to narrate books about Japanese culture and religion. I want to listen to a lot of the books that Nishii narrates, but I can't. There are so many brilliant narrators out there. I think listeners need another option.
Any additional comments?
A note to the publishers. Please redo this audio book with a better narrator (preferably an Englishman as they always seem to be more talented) and then I will purchase again.
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2 people found this helpful