About SZ and James Curtis Smith

James Curtis Smith was born and raised as a Southern Baptist Christian complete with all of the ceremony, guilt, glory, fear, hope and multitude of religious accouterments that go along with such an upbringing.

He had charismatic uncles and cousins who traveled the nation performing Christian snake-handling rituals. There were several Ministers amongst his extended family. A favorite uncle hosted his own regional AM-radio show broadcasting into southern Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and other parts of Appalachia, in which he preached an old-fashioned Gospel message and played a unique hybrid of acoustic Americana Gospel music.

This hardcore religious tradition carried over into his early adolescence when he was exposed to the urban Holiness Christian tradition of the rust-belt city of Cleveland, Ohio. He regularly saw the good, the bad and the ugly of what organized religion can be. More often than not, he was left underwhelmed.

And yet, he never lost a strong sense of spiritual pull. No matter the ugliness he witnessed in the behaviors of these followers of Christ, he remained enthralled by the messages of hope and of personal and spiritual journey.

The next three decades of his life were spent in serious study and contemplation within a variety of religious, spiritual and philosophical schools of thought; various versions of Buddhism along with Theosophy, Taoism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Christian Science, Gurdjieff, and any number of other smaller movements and messages.

During that same span of time he began to work as a laboratory technician for a Midwest chemical company. In between his time there, he left for a thirteen-month “sabbatical” to work for an Internet and Brand Development company. He returned to the world of science with his former company, eventually being promoted into the ranks of scientist. He went on to develop several successful products and innovations for the construction chemicals market as well as contributing to numerous successful marketing campaigns. Additionally, James is an accomplished musician and photographer with six CD releases to his credit and an anthology of photographic works that is regularly featured in print and online anthologies.

Still, he never lost his desire for spiritual knowledge, growth and for the journey of self. In all of his studies he never strayed too far away from Buddhism. He liked bits and pieces of any number of doctrines, treatises, and ancient works. Yet, none of them hit home quite like the words and ruminations of Buddhism. Most importantly, unlike nearly all of the others, Buddhism did not demand one renounce all other thoughts and ideas in favor of one single, correct path. In fact, The Buddha instructed followers to question everything – even his very own teachings and writings.

It was not until James reached his early forties that he could comfortably claim himself to be “a Buddhist.” Even so, it was never something he felt compelled to offer unless asked, nor did he feel the need to “convert” those non-Buddhists around him. Like many Buddhists he encountered, he practiced quietly and tried to keep learning.

Over time, he began to notice clear rifts in the various schools of Buddhist teachings. His exposure to various meditation centers and teachers demonstrated a clear intolerance in many who felt as though their Way was the only Way. This seemed especially true for people like James who tended to be socially introverted and quiet. He retreated from these public schools and centers and chose, instead, to begin correspondence with a variety of open-minded spiritual seekers across a vast and wide-ranging swath of studies. Taking heed of the Buddha’s instruction to “find truth where it is given,” he felt his own love of Buddhist philosophy and instruction grow the more he became exposed to – and exchanged ideas with – this multi-disciplined band of free-thinkers. It was during this process that an idea began to form in his head.

About The Book

What comes to mind when you hear that a friend is studying Buddhism? What preconceived notions immediately populate your thoughts when, in the course of normal conversation, someone mentions they are a practicing Buddhist? How quickly does your brain recalibrate to this new information?

Pacifist.

Weird.

Celibate.

Incense.

Most likely, the thoughts filling your head are stereotypes and clichés. Despite thousands of years in practice, most descriptions of the modern Buddhist are largely based on imagery from hundreds of years ago or the shallow characters portrayed in modern media.

As erroneous as these representations may be from the perspective of the lay population, the simple truth is that the stereotypes are likely to be harder and faster within the Buddhist community. True, they may be based on a little more knowledge and experience – but they often stray just as far from reality as those with limited or no exposure to Buddhist teachings and traditions.

The Buddhist community can be amazingly fractured and divided; especially for a fellowship whose basic tenants suggest compassion, understanding and tolerance. Nowhere is this intolerance and harsh judgment more prevalent than in those of us who prefer to practice on our own – separate from established temples, teachers, meditation groups and precise schools of thought.

The idea for the book started as a means to concisely present thoughts and ideas from centuries of Buddhist thought and tradition along with the most up-to-date interpretations from our modern teachers. The book is tailored to people just beginning their exploration into Buddhist practice or for those who are struggling to find a footing and a resonance in their current practice.

Specifically, the book is targeted for people who have yet to find the strength, courage or necessity to venture into the greater world of groups, temples and similar organizations within the Buddhist community. My emphasis is on Zen Buddhism as it is not an intellectual discipline meant to be taken completely from books or historic texts. Instead, it’s a practice of studying the mind and seeing into one’s own nature. I find Zen Buddhism to be the most practical and rewarding of the many Buddhist disciplines. However, it is also among the least accepting of those of us who – rightly or wrongly – get tagged as being loners. My target date for publication is April 16, 2012.

Some of the exercises and ideas in Solitary Zen: Buddhism for Loners may even begin to help us become a little more comfortable in our interactions with people and allow us to see the benefit of joining with others in practice and study. Along the way I hope to impart a little knowledge, have a few laughs and gain further insight into my own study and practice.

You can also follow the Solitary Zen Twitter feed. As always, I encourage your questions, comments and feedback.