Zen Confidential: Confessions of a Wayward Monk

by Shozan Jack Haubner, Leonard Cohen (Foreword by)

Overview

“This punk of a monk, who should be tending to his own affairs, has decided to infect the real world with his tall tales, and worse, to let the cat out of the bag. And what a sly, dangerous, beautiful, foul-smelling, heart-warming beast it is.”—Leonard Cohen, from the foreword

These hilarious essays on life inside and outside a Zen monastery make up the spiritual memoir of Shozan Jack Haubner, a Zen monk who didn’t really start out to be one. Raised in a conservative Catholic family, Shozan went on to study philosophy (becoming  de-Catholicized in the process) and to pursue a career as a screenwriter and stand-up comic in the clubs of L.A. How he went from life in the fast lane to life on the stationary meditation cushion is the subject of this laugh-out-loud funny account of his experiences. Whether he's dealing with the pranks of a juvenile delinquent assistant in the monastery kitchen or defending himself against claims that he appeared in a porno movie under the name "Daniel Reed" (he didn't, really) or being surprised in the midst of it all by the compassion he experiences in the presence of his teacher, Haubner's voice is one you'll be compelled to listen to. Not only because it's highly entertaining, but because of its remarkable insight into the human condition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611800333
Publisher:	Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	05/14/2013
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Shozan Jack Haubner is the pen name of a Zen monk whose humorous essays have appeared in Tricycle, Buddhadharma, the Shambhala Sun, and The Sun, as well as in the Best Buddhist Writing series. He  is the winner of a 2012 Pushcart Prize. The events described in his book are true. Shozan’s  name has been changed to protect the innocent.

Read an Excerpt

By Way of a Foreword
This is the best account I have ever read of the education of a Zen monk in America.

I was ordained a long while ago. Shortly thereafter my teacher let me know that I was a “pretend monk.” That was true. I was in it for the robes.

Shozan Jack Haubner has trained for more than nine years with a teacher whom I love, on a mountain that I know. Difference is, he is the real deal. He stuck it out while (many years before he arrived) I escaped.

But now this punk of a monk, who should be tending to his own affairs, has decided to infect the real world with his tall tales, and worse, to let the cat out of the bag. And what a sly, dangerous, beautiful, foul-smelling, heartwarming beast it is. We can almost forgive him.

If you are interested in these matters, this is a book you will enjoy. If you want to go a little deeper, this is a book you will need.

—Jikan Leonard Cohen

Table of Contents

By Way of a Foreword Leonard Cohen xi

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Confessions of an Angry Young Monk on the Cusp of Curmudgeonhood: An Introduction/Afterword 1

2 Growing Ground 11

3 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Enlightenment 19

4 Shitty Monk 31

5 Spring-Loaded 41

6 Three Girlfriends, One Pregnancy Test 49

7 Son of a Gun 63

8 Surrender the Tender 75

9 A Zen Zealot Comes Home 97

10 Glorious Openings in the Windy City: A Monks Manifesto! 117

11 Mad Monk 163

12 Flinty McGee and Me 171

13 Hugging Whoooole World! 203

14 On the Road with Roshi 215

Epilogue: Mountains on the Move 265

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The best account I have ever read of the education of a Zen monk in America.”—Leonard Cohen

“This is the funniest, most genuine spiritual memoir I have ever read. It feels odd to call it a memoir, given how it is chock full of genuine Buddhist insight. A must-read, especially for those of us who have been accused of being in gay porn films.”—Lodro Rinzler, author of The Buddha Walks into a Bar…

“Zen Confidential has a virtue rare in spiritual books, it includes the whole of life. Here we have sex, bathroom customs of the monastery, politics, suicide, drugs, meanness, marriage, standup comedy, Las Vegas, koans and a 105-year-old Zen master.  It’s a window into a magical world that pretends to be ordinary and an ordinary world that is magical. Haubner has an acute eye for the ridiculousness of the world and a larger-than-life way of seeing. It’s a fresh, living account of this kind of Zen in America and of living well and serving the way.” —John Tarrant, author of Bring Me the Rhinoceros and Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life

Editorial Reviews

American Buddhist monk Haubner (a pseudonym) asks his readers to “lease be embarrassed for me” in provocative essays exploring his experiences of Zen. The author’s search to “grow into a true human being” is described with startling metaphors, acute insights, and humor (his seduction by the “lush, seething dharma” of American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron’s writing is priceless). Haubner writes of defecating in his robes rather than leave his post at a meditation session; musing on the abortion “koan” due to a pregnancy scare; tormenting his oddball kitchen assistant. Tender portraits emerge as Haubner brings hard-won Zen insights to the legacy of a sometimes violent, “radical conservative” father, and finds a beloved mentor in a hard-living former Zen monk. The collection is uneven: funny, self-deprecating essays about the hard realities of life as a Zen monk jostle against sometimes self-indulgent dissections of his nastier traits. Overall, Haubner’s unorthodox take on the spiritual search, marked by moments of grace, and his strength as an essayist will win over a specific audience willing to accept his dare. Some women readers may find it to be offensive lad lit. (May 14)

Publishers Weekly

The author’s search to ‘grow into a true human being’ is described with startling metaphors, acute insights, and humor. . . . Haubner’s unorthodox take on the spiritual search, marked by moments of grace, and his strength as an essayist will win over a specific audience willing to accept his dare.”—Publishers Weekly

“This punk of a monk, who should be tending to his own affairs, has decided to infect the real world with his tall tales, and worse, to let the cat out of the bag. And what a sly, dangerous, beautiful, foul-smelling, heart-warming beast it is.”—Leonard Cohen, from the foreword

“This is the funniest, most genuine spiritual memoir I have ever read. It feels odd to call it a memoir, given how it is chock full of genuine Buddhist insight. A must-read, especially for those of us who have been accused of being in gay porn films.”—Lodro Rinzler, author of The Buddha Walks into a Bar…

“Zen Confidential has a virtue rare in spiritual books, it includes the whole of life. Here we have sex, bathroom customs of the monastery, politics, suicide, drugs, meanness, marriage, standup comedy, Las Vegas, koans and a 105-year-old Zen master.  It’s a window into a magical world that pretends to be ordinary and an ordinary world that is magical. Haubner has an acute eye for the ridiculousness of the world and a larger-than-life way of seeing. It’s a fresh, living account of this kind of Zen in America and of living well and serving the way.” —John Tarrant, author of Bring Me the Rhinoceros and Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life

From the Publisher

09/01/2013
A good Zen monk needs determination, courage, and devotion—but above all, he needs a willing disposition. A ready wit and a clever comeback help as well. Shozan Haubner (a pseudonym) has all these characteristics. He surely got his start on them in his earlier life as a stand-up comic and Hollywood screenwriter. More recently he's been head monk at a Zen monastery in California. The head monk in the monastery does ordinary business such as scheduling and procurement, sees to monastic discipline, and serves as aide to the abbot. In these "personal vignettes" that Haubner began at the start of his Zen journey, he writes of finding the work challenging and at times exciting. His abbot (amazingly) is 105 years old and so requires the head monk's constant care. This author helps readers see that out of all this more or less ordinary work, coupled with constant meditation, can come the enlightenment a Zen monk seeks. VERDICT This refreshing book avoids the usual clichés. A strong choice for anyone trying to live an attentive and well-examined life.—James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

Library Journal