Dokusan usually refers to a private meeting between a student and the Zen master. "Zen Is Right Here" gave me the feeling that I was in dokusan with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. This is a wonderful collection of teaching stories and anecdotes that need no embellishment. They are short and sweet and to the point. Much like good haiku. A brief example:

A student asked in dokusan, "If a tree falls
in the forest and no one hears it, does it
make a sound?"
Suzuki Roshi answered, "It doesn't matter."

This is a delightful book that I will read again and again. I keep it on my night table. Indeed, Zen is right here!

If you already own To Shine One Corner of the World, this is the same book. This wonderful glimpse of the wisdom of Shunryu Suzuki is a collection of short stories and responses to questions, as retold by his students. Reading this book made me think I would have liked Suzuki as a teacher. He had the ability to get right to the point in a humorous way. You can feel his compassion and empathy for his student's questions in his responses.