The Face: A Time Code
Product ID: 42782549
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“Ruth Ozeki, a Zen Buddhist priest, sets herself the task of staring at her face in a mirror for three full, uninterrupted hours; her ruminations ripple out from personal and familial memories to wise and honest meditations on families and aging, race and the body.” ― Minneapolis Star Tribune What did your face look like before your parents were born? In The Face: A Time Code , bestselling author and Zen Buddhist priest Ruth Ozeki recounts, in moment-to-moment detail, a profound encounter with memory and the mirror. According to ancient Zen tradition, “your face before your parents were born” is your true face. Who are you? What is your true self? What is your identity before or beyond the dualistic distinctions, like father/mother and good/evil, that define us? With these questions in mind, Ozeki challenges herself to spend three hours gazing into her own reflection, recording her thoughts, and noticing every possible detail. Those solitary hours open up a lifetime's worth of meditations on race, aging, family, death, the body, self doubt, and, finally, acceptance. In this lyrical short memoir, Ozeki calls on her experience of growing up in the wake of World War II as a half-Japanese, half-Caucasian American; of having a public face as an author; of studying the intricate art of the Japanese Noh mask; of being ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest; and of her own and her parents’ aging, to paint a rich and utterly unique portrait of a life as told through a face. Alternately philosophical, funny, personal, political, and poetic, the short memoirs in The Face series offer unique perspectives from some of our favorite writers. Find out more at www.restlessbooks.com/the-face. Review: Good quality, pocket sized - I purchased this book for my college English class. Easy to carry around. Does bend quite easily but it’s to be expected of such a small book. I’m somewhat of a slow reader (I like to take my time) but it only took me 2 hours to finish the entire book. Great message and story, definitely recommend. Review: What more do you want? - Amusing, honest and a very quirky idea for a story. Quick read and full of what makes Ruth such fun to read. It didn't change my life and I won't do it, but glad she did and shared.
| Best Sellers Rank | #144,640 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #106 in Asian & Asian American Biographies #165 in Zen Spirituality #3,995 in Memoirs (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 476 Reviews |
M**L
Good quality, pocket sized
I purchased this book for my college English class. Easy to carry around. Does bend quite easily but it’s to be expected of such a small book. I’m somewhat of a slow reader (I like to take my time) but it only took me 2 hours to finish the entire book. Great message and story, definitely recommend.
C**S
What more do you want?
Amusing, honest and a very quirky idea for a story. Quick read and full of what makes Ruth such fun to read. It didn't change my life and I won't do it, but glad she did and shared.
N**E
Autonarrative meditation
A 3-hour meditation on her own face results in a kind of stream-of-conscious autobiography with insights into Buddhism and Noh Drama.
C**X
Insights into Ruth Ozeki and the art of Noh masks
This is a written account of a (more or less) three-hour meditation, in which the author contemplates her own face. It is an uncomfortable experience for her, especially initially, seeing clearly all the changes from age and focusing on flaws. The sections of the book alternate between descriptions of her thoughts with time stamps, and sections about her parents, her past, becoming a Zen priest, and making Noh masks. It is an interesting format that raises some questions about how she executed it. For me, this was an informative glimpse into the personal life and past of an author whose work I have enjoyed a great deal. The Noh mask sections were especially fascinating, providing insight into an art form with which I have little familiarity. I always enjoy books that teach me something entirely new.
A**R
What you see in your face.
This is not read as a normal book, but is more of a personal interview, that each one of us has with one self. Can you see your father's eyes when you look in the mirror? What do they say? This is a very short introduction to what it means to be human. It is only three hours long as a fiction, but maybe not even an hour and a half as something real and so very true. Brilliant prose, wonderful thoughts. Who are we?
K**R
Highlighted the heck out of this book
So many ideas and passages that struck a chord. So many thoughts that I wanted to linger over. I'll be coming back to this book to go over it again.
H**D
meditative
In this report on a several hour meditation gazing into a mirror, Ozeki invites us to share several insights based on her experiences as a woman with an Asian mother and Caucasian father. Her musings illuminate many facets of what it means to be ambiguous.
K**R
Beautiful
Completely faceless..... An elegy of time and awareness Of time and time being Zaza zen The washing of the spirit
A**R
great read
I’m digesting it at the moment, such a great read, and such a great ending! Loved it, totally recommend it
D**N
Simple yet real
When one is curious about ' what's it all about', this is a good one. Not sure I could or want to look at myself for 3 hours, grateful she did and write about it.
G**O
Very interesting
This was a very interesting read. I read it within a day of purchase. The idea of studying your face to know yourself better was an intriguing idea. It also made me take an interest in Noh theatre and the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. I am looking forward this author's novel a time being for now.
S**A
Facing Your Self
An intelligent & thought provoking book. Most of us look in the mirror at least once every day looking casting a critical eye at our superficial & physical imperfections. Ruth goes beneath the surface & I promise you that after reading this you will view your reflection differently.
M**I
Another time being
Good to get an insight into one woman's moments sitting contemplating her face and its place in spacetime. Thank you.
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