Dennis Genpo Merzel, a successor to Zen Master Taizan Maezumi, taught traditional Zen for more than 25 years until he developed the Big Mind process in 1999. Since then he has been presenting his work with great success to thousands of people from all religious and philosophical backgrounds throughout the United States and Europe. This self-awareness program blends Eastern and Western approaches to the mind and has been heralded by Ken Wilber as "the most important and original discovery in the last two centuries of Buddhism." Big Mind integrates the finite or dualistic selves with the Infinite or Non-dual Self. It has roots in Zen and in Voice Dialogue, a technique that has been used in Western psychology for years as a means of dealing with aspects of ourselves we have disowned.
According to Merzel, each of us has innumerable voices or aspects within us. Like Rumi, in his poem "The Guest House," we are challenged to welcome them and understand how they operate. The author begins with dialogues with the Voices of the Self, which include:
• The Protector
• The Controller
• The Skeptic
• Fear
• Anger
• The Damaged Self
• The Victim
• The Vulnerable and Innocent Child
• The Dualistic Mind
• Desire
• The Seeking Mind
• The Mind that Seeks the Way
• The Follower of the Way
As you can imagine, Merzel's exploration of these voices leads to an appreciation of the sub-personalities within us: their benefits, drawbacks, and challenges to the life of the self.
In his probe of the Non-Dual and Transcendent Voices — Big Mind, Big Heart, Yin or Feminine Compassion, Yang or Masculine Compassion, The Master, Great Joy, and others — the author deepens our understanding of compassion, joy, and gratitude. The process of finding our Big Mind and Big Heart opens us up to a shift of perspectives and makes us more tolerant of flexibility as a way of living. We also gain access to our inner wisdom and come to respect our shadow selves.
Merzel hits high stride in chapters on "The Ten Perfections of Excellence" (generosity, patience, skilfull means, and more) and "The Eight Awarenesses of the Awakened Mind (meditation, wisdom, mindful speech, and more). This paperback also includes a CD on ways to experience Big Mind and Big Heart.
