A very driven and accomplished man. I note he had a punchy, clipped way of speaking and writing. He also looked rigid and stiff like Englishmen of his time. So my view is that he never acquired effortless flow and fluidity unlike zen masters. He seemed to thrive on excessive effort, making everything an ordeal to overcome. Perhaps he never unlearned his early conditioning. This is my view based on his books and limited videos of him. He exemplifies the western approach to eastern traditions. Breaking things down, analytic, trying hard to grasp/capture and simplify through writing. Like his taking all the secret koans and putting them into a book. Why? Perhaps they're secret for a reason, not for mass consumption. Never getting underneath the teaching. Not sure my comments will be understood, but these are subtle things to convey.
A very driven and accomplished man. I note he had a punchy, clipped way of speaking and writing. He also looked rigid and stiff like Englishmen of his time. So my view is that he never acquired effortless flow and fluidity unlike zen masters. He seemed to thrive on excessive effort, making everything an ordeal to overcome. Perhaps he never unlearned his early conditioning. This is my view based on his books and limited videos of him. He exemplifies the western approach to eastern traditions. Breaking things down, analytic, trying hard to grasp/capture and simplify through writing. Like his taking all the secret koans and putting them into a book. Why? Perhaps they're secret for a reason, not for mass consumption. Never getting underneath the teaching.
Not sure my comments will be understood, but these are subtle things to convey.