Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen

By: Brad Warner

Narrated by: Brad Warner

The night Brad Warner learns that his childhood friend Marky has died, Warner is about to speak to a group of Zen students in Hamburg, Germany. It’s the last thing he feels like doing. What he wants to do instead is tell his friend everything he never said, to explain Zen and what he does for a living and why he spends his time “Sitting. Sitting. Sitting. Meditating my life away as it all passes by. Lighting candles and incense. Bowing to nothing.” So, as he continues his teaching tour through Europe, he writes to his friend all the things he wishes he had said. Simply and humorously, he reflects on why Zen provided him a lifeline in a difficult world. He explores grief, attachment, and the afterlife. He writes to Marky, “I’m not all that interested in Buddhism. I’m much more interested in what is true,” and then proceeds to poke and prod at that truth. The result for listeners is a singular and winning meditation on Zen - and a unique tribute to both a life lost and the one Warner has found.

©2019 Brad Warner (P)2019 Brad Warner

thanks

Thanks for writing this. it was very beneficial to me. I appreciate it a lot.

Awesome book!

This is a fantastic introduction to Zen Buddhism. I highly recommend it for beginners and long term practitioners alike.

A new favorite primer

Brilliant, thoughtful, humorous, and intimate introduction to Zen, Buddhism, koans, Dogen Zenji, and European travel on a budget.

An Introduction and and Extension to Earlier Works

Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen succeeds on two levels.

On one level it serves as a great introduction to Zen Buddhism for someone who is new to the subject. On another level, for long time readers of Brad's books it works as a synthesis and expansion of concepts that he has deals with elsewhere.

This is his best book to date. It is the work of someone who is a mature author with deep wisdom.

As an audio, it has the same rough at the edges personal feel that make his books unique in a medium that is increasingly dominated by fully mounted multi-actor plays.

Reading the chapters in front of live audiences adds to this effect. It is the natural extension of what he does given his background as a performer.

Touching

Having read/listened to a few of his books this is by far one of the best.