Few of us have the opportunity to retreat into a genuine monastic way of life, for years at a time, in order to delve into the phenomenology of Zen experience. Therefore, many branches of Zen, with their emphasis on reclusive monastic methods, are often somewhat anachronistic amid the busy modern world. Primitive man, in his hypnagogic struggle, overwhelmed by forests, deserts, and savannas, and quite likely confused as to where her or his phenomenology ended and where the reality external to him began, was also bombarded by the basic needs of life, which have to be met lest she or he go extinct. Therefore, many ancient or contemporary humans have claimed that the needs and demands of the body create a psyche that is troubled, short-sighted, or even tormented--regardless of which epoch one happens to be living in. Therefore, for ancient and modern human alike, a method is needed that can be used amid any utopia or dystopia, that can reasonably give one an oriented and non-troubled mental life, and a way of seeing that is clear, and not clouded by errors in logic, reason, and by the limits of human perception. 

Hubert Benoit, in his books (especially Zen and the Psychology of , formerly entitled The Supreme Doctrine), goes back to the impetus of Zen philosophy, in order to seek such a way of life. Zen's impetus is a philosophy called Ch'an, which derived from Taoism in China, via an illiterate philosopher and monastery cook named Hui Neng. Benoit puts the techniques of this movement into a contemporary context in order to offer a picture of Zen that is quite reasonable and workable amid the struggle of life, whether primitive, modern, or postmodern. Ch'an is not centered in sitting meditation, or traditional sitting zazen techniques, but in rather in a restful type of introspection that leads one directly to the nucleus of Zen experience. Benoit details the mechanics of this introspective life in poetic and technical form, and in a way that leaves one with a clear and simple understanding of how one is to live according to Zen's earliest form.

Jeffrey Grupp, 2003

Comparative Religion, Western Michigan University