Shozan Jack Haubner Knihy

A screenwriter and stand-up comic’s hilarious and profound account of his journey into Zen monkhood—featuring a foreword by Leonard Cohen Shozan Jack Haubner is the David Sedaris of Zen Buddhism: a brilliant humorist and analyst of human foibles, whose hilarity is informed by the profound insights that have dawned on him—as he's stumbled and fallen into spirituall practice. Raised in a truly strange family of Mel-Gibson-esque Catholic extremists, he went on to study philosophy (becoming very un-Catholic in the process) and to pursue a career as a screenwriter and stand-up comic in the clubs of L.A. How he went from life in the fast lane to life on the stationary meditation cushion is the subject of this laugh-out-loud funny account of his experiences. Whether he’s dealing with the pranks of a juvenile delinquent assistant in the monastery kitchen or experiencing profound compassion in the presence of his spiritual teacher, Haubner’s voice is one you'll be compelled to listen to. Not only because it’s highly entertaining, but because of its remarkable insight into the human condition.

Think the life of a Zen monk is all serenity, peace, and austerity? Think again. Here, Shozan Jack Haubner gives an often-hilarious, always-candid account of what it’s really like behind those monastery walls. Haubner’s adventures include memories of his dysfunctional Midwestern family that drove him ultimately to declare, “I think I should be a monk!” to a madcap account of the night he got stoned and snuck out of the monastery, alongside more sobering accounts such as his life-threatening brush with illness, the profound impact of a dear friend’s death, and reflections on the controversy that rocked his Zen community. That he finds timeless wisdom in both the tragic and the absurd is a tribute to Haubner's gifts as a writer and humorist, and to his clear insights into the nature of self and what the practice of Zen is all about.

Diese komischen und tiefgründigen, zuweilen schockierenden Essays über das Leben innerhalb und außerhalb des Zen-Klosters fügen sich zu der spirituellen Biografie eines Zen-Mönchs, der eigentlich nie einer sein wollte. Shozan Jack Haubner erzählt über Sex, Kloregeln im Kloster, Politik, Selbstmord, Drogen, Niederträchtigkeit, Ehe, Stand-up-Comedy, Las Vegas, Koans und einen über hundertjährigen Zen-Meister. Seine Erfahrungsberichte sind dabei wie Fenster in eine zauberhafte Welt, die vorgibt ganz gewöhnlich zu sein, und eine ganz gewöhnliche Welt, die zauberhaft ist. Haubner hat ebenso ein präzises Auge für die Lächerlichkeit wie auch für die Schönheit dieser Welt.