Edward Espe Brown: Sincere and Wholehearted

Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

Tami Simon

Religion, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2019

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Edward Espe Brown is a Zen priest and the former head cook at Tassajara Mountain Zen Mountain Center who helped found Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. He is the author of No Recipe and the classic Tassajara Bread Book. With Sounds True, he is publishing The Most Important Point: Zen Teachings of Edward Espe Brown. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Edward about the origin of his newest book: a quote from his teacher Suzuki Roshi, who said, "The most important point is to find out what the most important point is." Edward describes his discipleship with Suzuki Roshi and why Zen practice can sometimes be like feeling your way through pitch darkness. Tami and Edward talk about the tradition of "taking the backward step" and moments of realization that transcend your expected practice. Finally, they talk about Edward's path away from extremely low self-esteem and the role of difficult emotions in Zen contemplative practice. (77 minutes)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Insights at the Edge, produced by Sounds True.
0:04.0	My name is Tammy Simon. I'm the founder of Sounds True.
0:08.0	And I'd love to take a moment to introduce you to the new Sounds True Foundation.
0:12.0	The Sounds True Foundation is dedicated to creating a wiser and kinder world by making transformational education widely available. We want everyone to have access to
0:26.8	transformational tools such as mindfulness, emotional awareness, and self-compassion, regardless of financial, social, or physical challenges.
0:39.3	The Sounds True Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to providing these transformational tools to communities
0:46.9	in need, including at-risk youth, prisoners, veterans, and those in developing countries.
0:54.0	If you'd like to learn more or feel inspired to become a supporter,
0:58.4	please visit sounds true foundation.org. Or.
1:04.0	You're listening to Insights at the Edge.
1:10.0	Today my guest is Edward S.B. Brown was the first head cook at
1:17.2	Tasahara Zen Mountain Center in the late 1960s, and later he helped found Green's Restaurant in San Francisco.
1:26.0	He's the author of several best-selling cookbooks, a new book with sounds true called
1:32.0	No Recipe, Cooking As Spiritual Practice.
1:36.8	Also there's a new book that has been created by one of his students, Danny S. Parker, called The Most Important Point, and Ed is also the subject of the
1:48.3	2007 film How to Cook Your Life. I feel such a warmth of spirit, a warmth of being talking to
1:59.2	Edward S. B. Brown. He even introduced me to one of his childhood nicknames. Here's my conversation with Eddie
2:10.2	Bear. We're talking today in celebration of the publication of a new book called The Most Important Point,
2:27.8	Zen teachings of Edward Espy Brown.
2:32.2	And in preparation for this conversation,
2:34.3	Edward S. B. B. B.
2:35.9	And I said, can I call you Ed?
	...

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