Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In his first book, Haycock draws on his years as a taxi driver in Austin, Texas for this "introduction to Zen practice for people who live in the real world." In his persona of cab driver he takes the reader into his former world of congested streets, rookie and veteran taxi drivers, and unpredictable passengers, punctuated by moments of grace. Haycock skillfully weaves into this story of 12- to 16-hour shifts some basic tenets of Buddhism-such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the paramitas (perfections)-with an emphasis on the Zen of Korean master Seung Sahn. Most importantly, he shows how Buddhism can inform choices about attitudes and behavior in daily life. This report from the mean streets is told with humor, self-deprecation, and an assured voice; by addressing the reader directly Haycock adds to the immediacy of his spare writing. Besides providing reassurance that monasteries and mountaintops aren't necessary for the practice of Buddhism, Haycock shows how Zen principles can be applied to even gritty and mundane jobs. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Do we really need another introduction to Zen? Yes, if it's well done and effective-and this one is. In each brief chapter, Haycock, who was a cabdriver in Austin, TX, for many years, considers one component of that experience and applies Zen teachings to it. For example, in "The Eightfold Freeway," he discusses how as a new cabby he gradually built up a detailed "map" of the city in his mind. "The Eightfold Path of Buddhism," likewise, is a kind of map for good behavior leading to enlightenment: a Zen meditator will elaborate on each of the eight steps just as one elaborates on a mental map of an area. Haycock's first book is both entertaining and shot through with the wisdom that comes from experience-and in some ways that is what Zen is really about, coping with the ups and downs of ordinary daily experiences and on the way becoming enlightened. As a cabdriver, of course, Haycock met (and coped with) all sorts of people in all manner of emotional states. -VERDICT This is a worthwhile and informative read for those interested in understanding Zen not in its historical religious perspective but as a life philosophy and system of meditation.-James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
