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abarrera's review
3.0
Enjoyed the book and I found it quite useful as a reference for tea-related quotes. I felt though that as I advanced in the book, it started deflating. The first entries have plenty of research and I do tip my hat at Scott Wilson for his great work. However, as you progress, the last chapters seem a little bit sparse in comparison.
Also, I felt that while Scott Wilson does reference the tea world, it still feels a little disconnected from the chado world. He peppers the book with references to martial arts, which I understand as he's written several books on the matter (some which I've read and enjoyed immensely), but it kind of makes it feel less "cha" related and more generic. The Way is common to many disciplines, that's true, but chado has some peculiarities that I would have loved to see reflected here, especially when the book is titled Zen and the Art of Drinking Tea.
Overall, it's a valuable book to have as a source of reference, but it's not for beginners or people with no experience reading Zen texts.
Also, I felt that while Scott Wilson does reference the tea world, it still feels a little disconnected from the chado world. He peppers the book with references to martial arts, which I understand as he's written several books on the matter (some which I've read and enjoyed immensely), but it kind of makes it feel less "cha" related and more generic. The Way is common to many disciplines, that's true, but chado has some peculiarities that I would have loved to see reflected here, especially when the book is titled Zen and the Art of Drinking Tea.
Overall, it's a valuable book to have as a source of reference, but it's not for beginners or people with no experience reading Zen texts.
goblinghost_39's review
2.0
I got a little halfway through. I have very little background knowledge about eastern philosophy and this is not at all beginner friendly. It's a collection of quotes from classical Chinese and Japanese texts. And those quotes are expanded upon with translations of passages of Chinese and Japanese texts with little to no explanation beyond that. So I, a novice, have no clue what's happening.
night_owl's review
4.0
Took forever but finally finished. Good to read in small portions, to allow it to "digest"
lots of wisdom in these pages, but still feels like, "White guy explains Asian things for white people"
lots of wisdom in these pages, but still feels like, "White guy explains Asian things for white people"
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