The Wisdom of the Knife: Zen in the Art of Surgery

SURGERY, like any other physical or performance art, and life itself, is more mental than physical. It doesn't matter how talented you are. If you can't control you mind, you really won't be a good surgeon. The best surgeons learn to use their mind as a tool. This collection of stories is a reflection on the art of surgery and what goes on in a surgeon's mind.

How you stand, how you breathe, how you think, all of these affect performance not only in the operating room but in every aspect of life. How good are you at making decisions? What's your attitude toward mistakes? How do you deal with complications? With uncertainty? What does karma have to do with surgery? What is karma? Are you a buddha in the OR?

There is a certain zen to doing surgery well. This book, like a good meditation, is meant to make you pause and reflect, to look at the art of surgery in another way. That's what Zen is all about. The effort of stepping back - beyond habits, beyond preconceptions, beyond what you think you know - is a means of transcending the self and, in this case, a different, if not deeper, understanding of surgery.