Not as good as the first one, themes were just too repetitive, it felt like a singular point was made at the start and just emphasised every single page. This might have been the point but just proved boring.

Buddhism is Not What You Think by Steve Hagen is an exploration into Buddhism’s universal application in our lives and in our personal development. He writes in a elegant, almost aphoristic style that I really enjoyed. His main point throughout the work is that when we constantly cling to beliefs, like those around being, learning, or worshipping, we ultimately get in the way of “seeing” what’s really in front of us, what we’re actually experiencing. Hagen encourages us to think beyond our own biases and hangups and look towards reality with as much clarity and openness as possible. It is only through this that we might achieve some level of personal development, peace, and wisdom. Hagen easily explains some of Buddhism essential teachings in an open, accessible way. If you’re new to learning about Buddhism this is a good book to start with.

If you are into understanding Zen Buddhism, then this book is a great read. It does explain a lot of things essential to Zen beliefs or fundamentals.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It presents a broad range of topics and discusses them from a Buddhist/Zen perspective.
However, I do not agree with the author that Buddhism is not a "belief system". It is, but couched in different terms, riddles, and obfuscation. It does not share the extensive dogma of the Judaeo-Christian model but does proffer a belief system regarding life and the cosmos.
While reading the book, I began to reflect upon the Seinfeld episodes that promoted the idea of selling network television a TV series that was about nothing.
Buddhism is apparently about nothing and "nowness". It is about teaching all of us who are already enlightened to realize that state of being and to tap into that enlightenment.
After reading this work, I find that I am better able to bring my "monkey mind" back to order and better monitor the incessant rambling thoughts that cloud the day.
Additionally, meditation is becoming less burdensome and more relaxed once certain preconceived notions of what meditation should be are discarded.
Lastly, I should note that I would not have read this book had it not been for the fact that I read, "Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart" which has led me a very illuminating journey.

This book absolutely blew my mind. It didn't make me become a buddhist but it changed the way I look at the world and the things that happen around me. The chapter that talks about the vibrations of atoms and how the past/present/future is literally all happening at once was the best thing I've ever read.

Buddhism is not what you think. It took me almost this entire book to realize the title is a pun. I can think of nothing so Buddhist as a title which holds a more fundamental truth than the obvious one. About the only think I can think of as more Buddhist is to abstain from rating the book because doing so is delusion and it obscures truth.

At its core, the book argues Buddhism holds that perception is truth and our conceptions of reality are delusion. Being awakened means perception unencumbered, or at least superseding, our conceptions. Accomplishing this need not be a complicated, elaborate process and achieving it is undefinable meaning many people may experience it, few will appreciate it, and many who pursue it will fail precisely because their purposefulness inhibits their perception.

Since perception is truth and conception delusion, and conception and thought are synonyms, then Buddhism is literally not what you think, it’s what you perceive.

One complaint I may level at this book is it is extremely repetitious. I have to make this complaint carefully though because without at least some of this repetition, I may well have missed the obvious significance of the book’s title. Apparently, seeing without preconception is a monumental task and repetition, paradoxically, can erode as well as reinforce preconception
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It goes without saying that people disinterested in Buddhism would be unlikely to appreciate this book. I suspect many people who are interested in this book may chafe at how approachable it is. Some aspiring Buddhist seem to relish the impenetrability of it, this book is maddeningly accessible. Somewhere in between is this book’s target audience, people like me that will find some insight in it, then having gotten that insight, find the remainder of the book a great soundtrack to some sort of meditative activity.

Another good book on zen.

Great book, could be a mind bender at times. Apart from that, it's really informative, thorough, and beneficial. Perhaps, Steve's other book "Buddhism Plain And Simple" is simpler and is a stepping stone to take before reading this one.

One of my all time favorite books. No words.

uhh...

This is easily one of the best books about Zen - and life in general - that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Steve Hagen is able to write about these topics in a way that makes it clear and easy to absorb what he's talking about. This is a life altering book, read it!

If there’s one thing Hagen has taught me, it’s that you can only get so far by reading. Perhaps the best thing you’ll get from his books is a sense that you’ve read enough, that you’ve read it all before and it’s time to just do it. That doesn’t speak well for his writing - or does it?