This book is to be highly recommended for all beginners starting out in Zen. Roshi Kapleau addresses the problems of westerners eager to practice Zen but who have no access to a Zen master to guide and teach them. A full explanation of zazen and instruction of how to practice it is given. Also included are many case histories of students of Zen and the difficulties they experienced and overcome. Personally, I found this book to be invaluable to me when I first started with Zen and it greatly inspired me when I felt downhearted and ready to give up during the early years of my Zen practice.