The Bodhisattva precepts are not commandments. They are descriptions of the world as it is. That we humans don’t see that, or don’t quite believe it, is why books like Being Upright need to be written. Reb Anderson, senior dharma teacher of San Francisco Zen Center, one of North America’s most venerable Buddhist institutions, does his level best to blow the smoke away from our eyes and minds. He is not the writer that Robert Aitken is—The Mind of Clover is one of the clearest and most loving expositions of Buddha’s message ever written—and that limits his effectiveness. There are passages in Being Upright that are too unsurprising, too close to standard American Buddhist self-help fare, to be useful. And there are also sections—read especially his chapter on sexuality: a notoriously difficult subject for religion to tackle, and Anderson does so with grace and compassion—that reflect the extraordinary teacher he is. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. That sounds as good a summary as any of human wisdom. 6
Anderson, Reb. Being Upright. Shambala, 2001. Reviewed June 6, 2025.