Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japans Most Rigorous Zen Temple

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Never did come up with an answer. Maybe the fact that I'm not packing some meager belongings and heading to the nearest temple may be the answer. After reading about Nonomura's first year, it's hard not to get emotional at the end of the book. Carpenter's translation is excellent, as always. Especially the writings of D Sometimes it was painful to read about what ascetics have to endure during their training.

Especially the writings of Dogen, the founder of Eihei-ji where Nonomura trained. She made several trips to Eihei-ji during the course of the translation to discuss the Buddhist concepts with the monks for accuracy. And such dedication to her work shows in the finished product. This gorgeous book is less about the philosophy of Zen and more a recounting of the author's year at Eheiji, a Zen training monastery that was once the home of Dogen. It's a book brimming with love and respect for his time there, but also with a clear-eyed view of its impact on his life.

Apr 29, Hudson Gardner rated it it was amazing. As the river flows, so does life. This is the message that is given to us by Nonomura age 30 at the time in this short book of his year long stay at Eihei-ji, Japan's most rigorous Soto-Zen temple. With every page, the message 'without suffering and hardship in this moment, there cannot be peace and happiness in subsequent moments' flows out.

The message, however, is very subtle, and if you don't look closely, and really consider it, "Accept each moment as it comes. The message, however, is very subtle, and if you don't look closely, and really consider it, you'll miss it. This idea can be captured by another quote: The relation is very subtle in that the two are so intimately linked, it would be hard to imagine life in that setting without them.

With each new season, everything changes: Staying very present, the book explains many of the facets of that life, of the difficulties, and also of the rewards. It speaks of just living as a human being on the earth, about how to just be a person, without complicating the matter. In the afternote, the author mentions that for a long time before coming to Eihei-ji, he had lived in a single season: Coming to Eihei-ji allowed him to come back in touch with himself, and touch the peace within him, and in the world around him.

His afternote, written five years after Eihei-ji, has a dramatically different tone: It speaks of sadness and despair again. At last, it talks about his memory of life at Eihei-ji fading away. When I look back at my own childhood, at the golden summers spent growing up in California, I also see the peace and happiness that I had in them slipping away. Everything is subject to change, and nothing is completely satisfactory. If I live knowing these two things, I can truly accept each moment as it comes, and touch peace within and without. This is the message I was made aware of by "Eat, Sleep, Sit.

Jun 06, Robert rated it it was amazing. I read this book after spending nearly two years living and working in Nagoya Japan. The book helped to complete my quest for insight into what constitutes genuine "Japanese" culture - in the traditional sense. Nonomura-san could not have imagined the subtle doors that he opened for those who sympathize with his quest for real meaning in the cultural slurry of modern living, but lack the opportunity to commit, as he did, the time, the resources, or the fortitude to making the bold move to do it.

My own decision to move to Japan was an Eiheiji moment of sorts, but involved nowhere near the sacrifice of modern convenience and sensibility. Those who consider this book "boring", may similarly pass on, say, Ansel Adams' black and white renditions of Yosemite in winter. In my opinion, the book was equally stunning in its objective capture of nature, in the form of day-to-day life at a centuries old Zen temple, doing its slow work.

Sep 17, Bill Krieger rated it it was ok. This book is about a man's journey through the trials and tribulations required to become a Zen Buddhist monk. You read, and it quickly becomes apparent that the book itself was a kind a Zen Buddhist test. More on this in a second. I love the title of the book. Let me see if I can explain myself. In the monks' training, proper eating, sleeping and sitting is necessary and sufficient to attain monk-dom? You do n This book is about a man's journey through the trials and tribulations required to become a Zen Buddhist monk.

You do not need to fancy things up. You do not need to master difficult concepts. If you can properly sit and be still, then you are enlightened. If you are enlightened, then you can properly sit. You eat, sleep and sit on your mat, and that place is sacred. No more or less sacred than any place on Earth.

I hope that makes sense. It does to me, and its a powerful construct, IMHO. For example, you are a positive cheerful person, if you are positive and cheerful. If you aren't positive, then you aren't positive. No this, that, intentions whatever greater powers that are holding you back blah blah. Also, if you run, then you are a runner. Two surprising things about the book: The basic training for a monk has a lot in common with the basic training of a Marine. It's very physically and emotionally demanding and abusive at times. The narrator is a wuss. OK, that may be a little strong.

Let me try again. The narrator is a very subservient Japanese male with a greatly exaggerated response to authority. Not an uncommon Japanese condition, I suppose. Back to the book as a Buddhist test itself. I didn't really enjoy the read much. It was very boring, most of it. I mean, there are pages and pages of text on properly going to the bathroom and taking a bath. And to redeem myself, the pages related to proper sitting were fascinating. The test is to get into the boredom and submit. Alas, I failed my test as a faux Buddhist monk.

Sure, I finished the book, but I totally white-knuckled it. The main character is very whiny and over-dramatic. I think I have an overly positive view of Buddhism as being somehow superior to western religions. I'm pretty sure that's not true. It sure seems there's a lot of overlap with the paternal society and the silly rules and the hierarchy and all that you find in western religions.

I don't think this is a spoiler. In the afterword, this is one of my favorite passages. I no longer eat more than necessary. I no longer think about things more deeply than necessary.

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I have become capable of tears. Once I told someone, "A man who can cry is a lucky man. I used to think what a relief it must be to let yourself go and cry, but I just couldn't. Now I can cry in great gulping sobs. That's about it, I think.

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Then again, I could be completely wrong. Jan 21, Ruby rated it it was amazing Shelves: The book is not the most beautiful piece of writing you will ever read or it lost it's grace in translation. But the content is electrifying, fascinating, horrifying, confounding and unique. I actually can't guarantee it's unique. Maybe somebody else has written a Tell all book about being a trainee monk at the most prestigious monastery in the Soto Zen tradition in Japan.

In it's simple, blunt way, the pain and exhilaration of training to be a Soto Zen monk is perfectly captured and commu Wow.

Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple

In it's simple, blunt way, the pain and exhilaration of training to be a Soto Zen monk is perfectly captured and communicated. Often, the author resorts to listing the methods for certain common tasks: At first I thought these lists of tasks, or sequences of activities was an odd way of communicating his point. But by the end of the book I realized it was Central to his life as a trainee monk, or any Soto Zen monk. It's all about the minutiae of living, codified a thousand years ago and not much changed since then. Just be glad one of the changes includes the introduction of toilet paper, as the original was, well, it sure surprised me.

I have to say it broke my heart to read about the awful conditions the trainees are subjected to. Surely there is a better way, but maybe not, especially if you are in a hurry to reach enlightenment if that's the way to say it -or at least, to be a monk. If you are curious about the topic - it's a great fast read. And it's very moving at times. I you never thought to read a book in the Buddhist world of books until now, this one would be a very difficult place to start! I don't know why so many words have gone missing in this review.

I assure you that my sentences start normally, rather than in the middle.

I can't see a way to make the missing words appear. I do apologize for the very awkward way this review reads as a result. Maybe I should find a librarian and ask what's going on.

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First, my thanks to the author, Mr. Nonomura, for sharing this intimate portrait of his year at Eiheiji monastery. It took courage to enter the Dragon's Gate, and even more courage to tell everyone about it with such honesty. For anyone curious about life inside Eiheiji, this book tells it like it is. What thought kept coming to me as I was reading it was, "Why would anyone put themselves through this willingly? Would the historical Buddha approve of such treatment? Is this what he had in mind? Is such strict discipline necessary for attaining enlightenment? Nonomura says what he learned at Eiheiji was to cherish and accept each and every moment of your life as it happens.

A very accessible and well written account of what it is like to go to Eiheiji and try to be a monk. I learned a lot from this book! I found this account of a year spent in monastic training at a Zen temple compulsive reading, although I tried to slow down to fully appreciate the philosophy and images that were unfolding. This is a detailed account of daily live at an extremely rigorous monastery, but it gives very little insight into the emotions and thoughts of the monks. The narrator doesn't seem to understand himself why he has entered the monastery, and doesn't give much account of the effects it has on his mental state.

The training he undergoes is incredibly harsh -- some might say abusive -- trainee monks are regularly kicked, hit and beaten for seemingly small infractions of complex rules. They are given no time to rest and very little to eat. They rise at 1. Though the narrator makes the physical impact of this clear, and the immediate emotional impact, i. I found this account very interesting in its detailed descriptions of training, and the insight this gives us into Zen as practiced by these monks, but it lacked depth.

Jun 03, Maya Man rated it it was amazing. Also the translation is amazing! Overall, I am concluded I could never enter a Japanese temple like this I would actually die. A good museum shop find!! Oct 14, Alex rated it it was amazing. I was first introduced to this book while staying at a benedictine monastery where it was the suppertime reading for the month. The book is - as described - a glimpse into the life of those undergoing training at Eiheiji. While much of the books is very bare bones descriptive narration, we get more of a glimpse of Kaoru's thoughts and feelings in the later chapters as he moves up the ranks and his decision to leave.

It was these last chapters that left me wondering about monastic virtue and whet I was first introduced to this book while staying at a benedictine monastery where it was the suppertime reading for the month. It was these last chapters that left me wondering about monastic virtue and whether there would be a benefit to me recovering some of those practices in my own life. May 05, Kay rated it it was amazing Shelves: Having been to Eiheiji Temple and having sat meditation in the mountains elsewhere, this book had a great appeal!

What life was like physically, but also what it felt like comes through so clearly. I did wonder, though, if anyone ever got sick--or did I miss that. A lot to think about in this book and I look forward to re-reading it! Aug 03, Stephan rated it liked it. Very much about the ins and outs of life at Eiheiji, with not as much about the author's growth in Buddhism and Zen as I was expecting.

Or, maybe that was the point, as he very succinctly sums up how he's changed towards the end. Still worth a read. Nov 13, Robin Friedman rated it it was amazing. The book tells of the rigorous, harsh, and all-consuming training that young male recruits undergo at Eiheji. Located in the mountains in a remote area of Japan, Eiheji Monastery was founded by Dogen in Eiheji remains the head temple of Soto Zen. It trains priests who serve in Zen temples throughout Japan. In this memoir, Kaoru Nonomura describes the year he spent in training at Eiheji.

As a young man of 30, Nonomura was a university graduate who had travelled throughout Asia and had a good job as a designer. He lived with his parents. Nonomura is vague about what led him to abandon his life for the rigors on training as a monk. He writes "I'd grown weary of my life, had come to feel the entanglements of society so burdensome and disagreable that I'd resolved to flee them by becoming a Zen Buddhist Monk --and yet now that society's hold on me was slipping.

I felt increasingly sad and sentimental. Nonomura's book details the harsh, rigorous training to which he had subjected himself at Eiheji. Designed to strip the recruits of their egos and concepts of self, the training subjected Nonomura, who as a monk received the name of Rosan, to beatings, kicks, and abuse, to long days beginning at 1: After a trainee has been at Eiheiji for a while, he is allowed more freedom.

Then the trainee faces a clear choice, whether to stretch out comfortably in his newfound freedom and idle around, or brace his spirits and stay committed to his initiual purpose. We sometimes have the odd idea that Zen means simply sitting around until satori happens. It is much more, as novice Nonomura discovered when he joined the beginners at Eijeiji, one of the most rigorous temples in Japan. Nonumura stood the strain.

He stayed a year. This painful route, then, is the true Zen path. Almost as painful must have been the translation of this book with its extraordinary width of styles — from the arcane Zen tracts of Dogen and others, to the diary-like grumbles of the clueless young Nonomura. Here, translator Juliet Carpenter not only stays the course, she defines it…. To begin with, Kaoru Nonomura is a great writer. The description of his experiences Is precise, detailed and unsparingly honest, yet giving sudden glimpses of the heart and soul of a poet and mystic. The translation is superb.

The story is riveting. Born in , Kaoru Nonomura traveled widely in Asia as a university student, and upon graduation began to work as a designer in Tokyo. At the age of thirty, he decided to put his career on hold to spend a year as a trainee monk at Eiheiji, a monastery famed for its rigid discipline. Twelve months later, he returned to his design job, and it was during his daily commute on a crowded train that he began to jot down his recollections of his Eiheiji experience.

These notes eventually became Eat Sleep Sit , the author's only book. Would you like to tell us about a lower price?

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If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Learn more about Amazon Prime. At the age of thirty, Kaoru Nonomura left his family, his girlfriend, and his job as a designer in Tokyo to undertake a year of ascetic training at Eiheiji, one of the most rigorous Zen training temples in Japan. This book is Nonomura's recollection of his experiences. He skillfully describes every aspect of training, including how to meditate, how to eat, how to wash, even how to use the toilet, in a way that is easy to understand no matter how familiar a reader is with Zen Buddhism.

This first-person account also describes Nonomura's struggles in the face of beatings, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and loneliness, the comfort he draws from his friendships with the other trainees, and his quiet determination to give his life spiritual meaning. After writing Eat Sleep Sit , Kaoru Nonomura returned to his normal life as a designer, but his book has maintained its popularity in Japan, selling more than , copies since its first printing in Beautifully written, and offering fascinating insight into a culture of hardships that few people could endure, this is a deeply personal story that will appeal to all those with an interest in Zen Buddhism, as well as to anyone seeking spiritual growth.

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A History of Samurai Suicide. Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment. Discussion Guide for Eat Sleep Sit: Did Kaoru ultimately find what he was looking for at Eiheiji? Review "Here is an unusually fine translation of a most unusual best-seller. Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention nonomura training monks monk eiheiji monastery kaoru buddhism buddhist japanese detail learn sitting discipline insight interested rituals monastic spent harsh.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. After reading this excellent book, you will probably not want to become a Zen Buddhist monk at Eiheiji in Japan. It is eye-opening to read all the difficult situations that the monks are put in. The monks have no time to think about their selves at all. It made me wonder if Dougen, the founder of Eiheiji really would be happy with the way the monastery is run today.

Dougen brought Zen Buddhism from China to Japan in the year If you have a good idea of what Zen Buddhism is, this great book will give you pause.

I highly reccommend this book. Think of the minute details of the tea ceremony None before took the reader inside the novices learning experience. And the emotionally rigorous demands Basic training on steroids comes to mind. I'm a Zen priest in the Vietnamese Lam Te lineage, practicing at a temple where our Roshi is ordained in both Soto Zen and Lam Te We've consumed this book like a Halloween candy grab - highly enjoyable and, at least for us, an addictive read.

The author is very honest, looking back at his year in training at Eiheji Monastery. I'm not sure I read the same edition that the reviewer who was displeased not to know why the author chose this path; there's a preface to the paperback edition found in the back of my book that gives the context of the decision. But his past and "future" are only frames; it's really about the immediate experience as a trainee. The discipline is brutal - both figurative and literal, but the author makes clear the path, his journey and his understanding of the destination.

It does sound like relentless repetition and "tedium" lead to his decision to leave after a year - a valid, if somewhat disappointing choice. I didn't find the descriptions of the daily life at various stages to be boring, in the least. The writing was clear and, seemed to me, quite accessible. It's not a self-help or how-to book, but a unique memoir. I suspect that an understanding of Japanese Buddhist culture or at least knowing about the hereditary temple system and, in general, not idealizing Zen or the Zen practitioner of whatever stripe may help to avoid disappointments.

Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. A very easy, mostly uneventful read regardless of your Zen Buddhism knowledge. The book expressed as a lay mind all the experience to enter gradually in the Zen universe. Wonderfully insightful and honest. Truly a glimpse of the spirituality and depth and vigor of the zen tradition which is too often overlooked or oversimplified in the West. I love this book thank you. I expected to like this book, but I did not expect to gain any enlightenment from it.

But I was surprised.

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