Review: “Zen Master Raven”

We review “Zen Master Raven: The Teachings of a Wise Old Bird” by Robert Aitken.

Lion’s Roar Staff26 September 2017

Zen Master Raven

The Teachings of a Wise Old Bird

By Robert Aitken
Wisdom Publications, 2017; 248 pp., $19.95 (cloth)

In this new edition of the Buddhist classic, Zen Master Raven and his group of fellow travelers—Zen beginners like Mole and Mallard and venerable teachers like Porcupine and Moose Roshi—have set out to search for the path to enlightenment. Along the way, they discuss serious subjects: death, karma, ego, essential nature, suffering, and the importance of Buddhist practice. Robert Aitken Roshi was one of the first and most important American Zen teachers and a founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. He died in 2010, but the short dialogues, which are insightful as well as playful, have won the book a devoted audience. Nelson Foster, a dharma heir to Aitken, says this new edition will allow Aitken’s Raven to “stay aloft for generations to come.”

Lion s Roar Staff

Lion’s Roar Staff

Lion’s Roar is the website of Lion’s Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun) and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, with exclusive Buddhist news, teachings, art, and commentary. Sign up for the Lion’s Roar weekly newsletter and follow Lion’s Roar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.