"When westerners begin to practice Theravada or Vajrayana Buddhism, they have a pretty good idea of the Buddhist context. However often when people in the west begin to practice Zen, they may know very little about Buddhism, and may not even think of Zen as a Buddhist practice. This book situates Zen practice and history in the larger context of Buddhism, and is based on more than 100 interviews with Zen teachers and senior students in Canada, the United States, and Mexico."-- Provided by publisher.