No Beginning. No End. - Jakusho Kwong

When the sun first comes up and shines on you, he said, your shadow is big behind you.  But as you continue to sit, your shadow gets smaller and smaller, until finally it's just Buddha sitting there.

This book, made up of many short chapters, reads like lectures to students of Zen.  At times it is basic and quite understandable to someone who is not a practioner of Zen, while at other times it addresses complex issues addressed more to students than casual readers interested in Zen.  I was surprised that all 18 reviews of this book on Amazon.com gave the book the top ranking, five stars.  In looking over the reviewers, however, it appeared that most were students of Zen.

I liked the book and it was a worthwhile read.  I have read other books on Zen and with that basic understanding, I could follow most of the writings.  Like most other Zen books, this one contains many quotes and anecdotes from both historical and present day Zen masters.   Janusho Kwong is the successor in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki who wrote the famous Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.  He is co-founder and abbot of the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center.