This is not your typical Zen book. Brad Warner, a young punk who grew up to be a Zen master, spares no one. This bold new approach to the "Why?" of Zen Buddhism is as strongly grounded in the tradition of Zen as it is utterly revolutionary. Warner's voice is hilarious, and he calls on the wisdom of everyone from punk and pop culture icons to the Buddha himself to make sure his points come through loud and clear. As it prods readers to question everything, Hardcore Zen is both an approach and a departure, leaving behind the soft and lyrical for the gritty and stark perspective of a new generation.

Prologue -- Gimme Some Truth -- Dork-Boy and the Godhead -- Inner Anarchy -- Zen and the Art of Making Monster Movies -- Small and Stupid Dreams -- If Only ... -- The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra -- "Don't Worry, It Will Come ... With Enlightenment!" -- Why Gene Simmons Is Not a Zen Master -- The World of Demons -- In My Next Life I Want to Come Back as a Pair of Lucy Liu's Panties -- That's Zen Master Know-It-All to You, Buddy! -- No Sex with Cantaloupes -- Revenge of the Pod People -- Pass Me the Ecstasy, Rainbow, I'm Going to Nirvana on a Stretcher! -- Eating a Tangerine Is Real Enlightenment -- Hardcore Zen -- Epilogue -- Afterword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Author.