Goodbye Mr. Zen: An informal wander through Zen via James Hilton’s “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”
Fiction & Literature, Essays & Letters, Essays
| Author: | Cameron Gordon | ISBN: | 9781310177446 |
| Publisher: | Cameron Gordon | Publication: | December 15, 2015 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
| Author: | Cameron Gordon |
| ISBN: | 9781310177446 |
| Publisher: | Cameron Gordon |
| Publication: | December 15, 2015 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
| Language: | English |
This little book is a short meander through Zen thought and practice intertwined with a discussion of the novella by James Hilton about an eccentric Oxford don titled "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," interwoven with a discussion of James Hilton's short but remarkable life and the durability of the "Chips" book in its various stage and screen incarnations. I, the author, am an amateur seeker. That sort may be the worst kind, or, as Zen might put it, the best kind. Or perhaps no kind at all which may be even better than the best. It is not meant to be a definitive or expert treatise on Zen, of which there are many (and I provide a few references, at the end, of some of my personal favorites). Neither is it a how-to guide. As the author, I'm not sure I can say exactly what it is at all except that I hope it might be a bit of an inspiration to readers to learn and search some more about Zen. For Zen asks that we find out for ourselves what it's all about.
This little book is a short meander through Zen thought and practice intertwined with a discussion of the novella by James Hilton about an eccentric Oxford don titled "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," interwoven with a discussion of James Hilton's short but remarkable life and the durability of the "Chips" book in its various stage and screen incarnations. I, the author, am an amateur seeker. That sort may be the worst kind, or, as Zen might put it, the best kind. Or perhaps no kind at all which may be even better than the best. It is not meant to be a definitive or expert treatise on Zen, of which there are many (and I provide a few references, at the end, of some of my personal favorites). Neither is it a how-to guide. As the author, I'm not sure I can say exactly what it is at all except that I hope it might be a bit of an inspiration to readers to learn and search some more about Zen. For Zen asks that we find out for ourselves what it's all about.
