Wonderland: The Zen of Alice

Wonderland: The Zen of Alice by Daniel Doen Silberberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Silberberg writes that after enlightenment, the Buddha did not think there was any way to teach the path to others, or even to put what he had experienced into words. Then he tried, anyway. Silberberg does much the same with this book on Zen. He admits there is no way to transmit his knowledge directly, like a how-to manual. Instead, he uses every method he can think of in a genuine attempt to spread the benefit of what he has learned. He uses personal anecdotes, Zen koans and stories, and, yes, even uses a little Alice in Wonderland to get his message across. As can be expected, some of these methods resonated with me more than others. Readers looking for a walk-through course on Buddhism organized around the adventures of Alice will be disappointed. But those familiar with Wonderland will see it used as one of several methods to describe something but can't be described. Silberberg does a good job of trying, anyway.



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