Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice

Kosho Uchiyama

Dec 2022 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Sean Runnette

About this audiobook

For over thirty years, Opening the Hand of Thought has offered an introduction to Zen Buddhism and meditation unmatched in clarity and power. This is the revised edition of Kosho Uchiyama's singularly incisive classic. This new edition contains even more useful material: new prefaces, an index, and extended endnotes, in addition to a revised glossary. As Jisho Warner writes in her preface, Opening the Hand of Thought "goes directly to the heart of Zen practice . . . showing how Zen Buddhism can be a deep and life-sustaining activity." She goes on to say, "Uchiyama looks at what a person is, what a self is, how to develop a true self not separate from all things, one that can settle in peace in the midst of life." By turns humorous, philosophical, and personal, Opening the Hand of Thought is above all a great book for the Buddhist practitioner. It's a perfect follow-up for the listener who has heard Zen Meditation in Plain English and is especially useful for those who have not yet encountered a Zen teacher.

About the author

Kosho Uchiyama was a preeminent Japanese Zen master, instrumental in bringing Zen to America. The author of over twenty books, including Refining Your Life, he died in 1999.

Sean Runnette, a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award winner, has also produced several Audie Award-winning audiobooks. His film and television appearances include Two If by Sea, Copland, Sex and the City, Law & Order, Third Watch, and lots and lots of commercials.

Daitsu Tom Wright, born and raised in Wisconsin, lived in Japan for over forty years. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he taught as a professor in the English Language and Culture Program at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. Retiring from the university in 2010, he now lives with his wife in Hilo, Hawaii.

Jisho Warner is a Soto Zen priest and guiding teacher of Stone Creek Zen Center, which she founded. A former president of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, Warner trained both in Japan and the United States. Having graduated from Harvard University in 1965, she was also a longtime student of Dainin Katagiri.

Shohaku Okumura is a Soto Zen priest and Dharma successor of Kosho Uchiyama Roshi. He is the former director of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center in San Francisco. He is the founding teacher of the Sanshin Zen Community, based in Bloomington, Indiana, where he lives with his family.