Brad Warner
Brad Warner
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Full Name and Common Aliases
Brad Warner is a Zen Master, musician, writer, and filmmaker known by his alias "Punk Monk."
Birth and Death Dates
Born on June 17, 1964, in New York City.
Nationality and Profession(s)
American Zen Buddhist master, punk rock bassist, author, and filmmaker.
Early Life and Background
Brad Warner was born to a family of hippies. He grew up surrounded by the counterculture movement of the 1960s, which would later influence his musical career and spiritual pursuits. Warner's early life was marked by struggles with depression and addiction, but he found solace in punk rock music, particularly the Ramones.
Major Accomplishments
Warner has written several books on Zen Buddhism, including Hardcore Zen (2003), a memoir that explores his transition from punk rock to Buddhist monasticism. His other notable works include Don't Be a Yoko Ono (2007) and Sentient Beats: Impact of Buddhism on Western Popular Music (2011). As a filmmaker, Warner has produced several documentaries, including Hardcore Zen: The Movie (2004), which explores the intersection of punk rock and Buddhism.
Notable Works or Actions
Warner's most notable work is perhaps his blog, Hardcore Zen, where he offers humorous yet insightful commentary on Zen Buddhism and its applications in everyday life. His writing style blends humor with philosophical inquiry, making complex Buddhist concepts accessible to a wide audience. Warner has also been involved in various musical projects, including the punk rock band The Dir En Grey.
Impact and Legacy
Warner's unique blend of punk rock and Zen Buddhism has resonated with a diverse range of audiences. His writing and teaching have helped popularize Western interest in Zen Buddhism, particularly among young people disillusioned with mainstream spirituality. Warner's emphasis on practical applications of Buddhist principles, such as mindfulness and non-attachment, has made him a sought-after speaker at conferences and festivals.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Warner is widely quoted for his irreverent yet insightful commentary on Zen Buddhism. His writing style, which blends humor with philosophical inquiry, has influenced a generation of spiritual seekers. Warner's ability to bridge the gap between punk rock and Buddhism has made him a memorable figure in contemporary spirituality.
In conclusion, Brad Warner's life is a testament to the power of creativity, perseverance, and spiritual exploration. From his early days as a punk rock musician to his current status as a Zen master, Warner's unique journey has left an indelible mark on popular culture. His writing, teaching, and filmmaking continue to inspire audiences worldwide, cementing his place in the pantheon of influential thinkers and artists of our time.
Further reading:
Hardcore Zen (2003)
Don't Be a Yoko Ono (2007)
* Sentient Beats: Impact of Buddhism on Western Popular Music (2011)
Quotes by Brad Warner
Brad Warner's insights on:
People will come and give you sandwiches every six hours but you’re really of no use. A lot of people get excited about guys like that but I can’t get too excited about it because I think he’s sorta useless. He’s just sitting there in India under a blanket looking beautiful, so what.
The thing with the question of oneness or non-oneness is that you can literally discuss it forever. You can go into the philosophy section of any library and you’ll see people have been discussing it forever and will continue to do so.
The trick to not thinking is not adding energy to the equation in an effort to forcibly stop thinking from happening. It’s more a matter of subtracting energy from the equation in order not to barf the thoughts up and start chewing them over again.
Because a lot of our philosophical stances these days are kind of half-assed. We’re very bold in our proclamations of our own moral rectitude, but then we neglect to even keep our own toilets clean. You see a lot of that kind of thing. I used to see it all the time in my punk-rock days. Those guys were super-concerned with having the right political and philosophical views. But they never seemed to be able to keep their showers free from mold or.
It’s interesting to see what’s going on with physics these days because they’re starting to come out with stuff that sounds remarkably like Buddhism and even more specifically like the ancient Hindu Vedas. Physics isn’t necessarily saying the exact same thing but I think eventually it will merge.
It’s crazy to me how concerned people get with what it looks like and what you can do there. People may as well be talking about JRR Tolkien or Star Trek or something.
In the Japanese movie’s they’re throwing everything they have at him, every missile, but he keeps coming, he can’t be stopped and that represents death. There’s nothing you can do to stop it, to keep yourself from dying. You can try every trick in the book and it still won’t prevent it.
So that’s Godzilla, he’s ultimately going to get you regardless of what you do. Maybe the people who made the American Godzilla film were scared of that. They didn’t want him to represent that, to represent something we couldn’t deal with because, “We’re American’s, we can deal with anything”.
But people do the same thing with the Bible. They memorize all the fictional characters, the parameters and the rules of the game and think it’s important, but I can’t get excited about that myself.
Truly compassionate action arises spontaneously without thought and is carried out in real action with no anticipation of reward and, indeed, no concept of a doer of that action.