The Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Joshu


Book Description

The first full English translation gives the odd, outrageous, and illuminating replies of this founding Zen (Ch'an) master from North China to the questions of 8th and 9th century Buddhist monks. It is said of Joshu that 'his lips emitted light, ' evoking clearly his own experience and enlightenment. His teachings are a keynote in the official koan of Zen




Radical Zen


Book Description

The old Zen master Joshu (Zhaozhou also Chao-chou is one of those prototypical figures in classical Zen literature, the unpredictable protagonist of many of the key cases in the major koan collections. Come to think of it, many of our standard stereotypes of the Zen Master can be traced to this figure--irascible and blunt, down-to-earth and practical, prone to answer religious questions with seemingly off-the wall non-sequiturs and paradoxes if not a good sharp smack in the face. Regardless of the now probably untraceable layers of historical fact and later legend swirled about within this image, then, it's of vital importance in understanding the Zen tradition and its development, not to mention its current sense of identity. And so the classic Zen text purporting to be Chao-chou's recorded sayings, wonderfully translated in this book by Yoel Hoffman, is as extremely significant as it is quizzically enjoyable and underhandedly inspiring.--Amazon.com.




The Sayings of Layman P'ang


Book Description

These wise and funny stories have been an inspiration to spiritual practice for more than twelve centuries, particularly for all those who follow the Buddhist path as laypeople. Layman P’ang (740–808) was a merchant and family man who one day put all his money and possessions in a boat and sunk it in a river, so that he could devote his life to the study of the dharma. His wife, son, and daughter joined him enthusiastically on his new path, taking up a joyfully itinerant life together as they traveled from temple to monastery across southern China. This collection of anecdotes and verses about the enlightened layman and his family has become an enduring Zen classic.




Zen Master Yunmen


Book Description

A modern Zen classic--reissued with new material: An introduction to the great tenth-century Chinese master, with translations of his key works. Yunmen Wenyan (c. 864–949) was a master of the Chinese Zen (Chan) tradition and one of the most influential teachers in its history, showing up in many famous koans—in one of which he’s credited with the famous line, “Every day is a good day.” His teachings are said to permeate heaven and earth, to address immediately and totally the state and conditions of his audience, and to cut off even the slightest trace of duality. In this classic study of Master Yunmen, historian and Buddhist scholar Urs App clearly elucidates the encompassing and penetrating nature of Yunmen’s teachings, provides pioneering translations of his numerous talks and dialogues, and includes a brief history of Chinese Zen, a biography of the master, and a wealth of resource materials.




Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record


Book Description

The Blue Cliff Record is a classic text of Zen Buddhism, designed to assist in the activation of dormant human potential. The core of this extraordinary work is a collection of one hundred traditional citations and stories, selected for their ability to bring about insight and enlightenment. These vignettes are known as gongan in Chinese and koan in Japanese. Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record is a fresh translation featuring newly translated commentary from two of the greatest Zen masters of early modern Japan, Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768) of the Rinzai sect of Zen and Tenkei Denson (1648–1735) of the Soto sect of Zen. This translation and commentary on The Blue Cliff Record sheds new light on the meaning of this central Zen text.




The Sayings of Layman P'ang


Book Description

These wise and funny stories have been an inspiration to spiritual practice for more than twelve centuries, particularly for all those who follow the Buddhist path as laypeople. Layman P’ang (740–808) was a merchant and family man who one day put all his money and possessions in a boat and sunk it in a river, so that he could devote his life to the study of the dharma. His wife, son, and daughter joined him enthusiastically on his new path, taking up a joyfully itinerant life together as they traveled from temple to monastery across southern China. This collection of anecdotes and verses about the enlightened layman and his family has become an enduring Zen classic.




Zen Sourcebook


Book Description

Introduction by Paula Arai. This is the first collection to offer selections from the foundational texts of the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Zen traditions in a single volume. Through representative selections from their poetry, letters, sermons, and visual arts, the most important Zen Masters provide students with an engaging, cohesive introduction to the first 1200 years of this rich -- and often misunderstood -- tradition. A general introduction and notes provide historical, biographical, and cultural context; a note on translation, and a glossary of terms are also included.




Mud and Water


Book Description

The fourteenth-century Zen master Bassui was recognized as one of the most important Zen teachers of his time. Accessible and eloquent, these teachings cut to the heart of the great matter of Zen, pointing directly to the importance of seeing our own original nature and recognizing it as Buddhahood itself. Bassui is taking familiar concepts in Buddhism and recasting them in an essential Zen light. Though he lived centuries ago in a culture vastly different from our own, Zen Master Bassui speaks with a voice that spans time and space to address our own modern challenges - in our lives and spiritual practice. Like the revered Master Dogen several generations before him, Bassui was dissatisfied with what passed for Zen training, and taught a radically reenergized form of Zen, emphasizing deep and direct penetration into one's own true nature. And also like Dogen, Bassui uses powerful and often poetic language to take familiar Buddhist concepts recast them in a radically non-dual Zen light, making ancient doctrines vividly relevant. This edition of Mud and Water contains several teachings never before translated.




Instant Zen


Book Description

Instant Zen presents the teachings of Foyan, a twelfth-century Chinese Zen master recognized as one of the greatest masters of the Song dynasty Zen renaissance in China. Returning to the uncomplicated genuineness of the original and classical Zen masters, Foyan offers many simple exercises in attention and thought designed to lead to the awakening of Zen insight into the real nature of the self. These succinct teachings emphasize independence and autonomy, and show us how to open our own eyes and stand on our own two feet, to see directly without delusion and act on truth without confusion. Translator Thomas Cleary provides an incisive introduction and extensive references from traditional Zen sources, placing the work in both historical and contemporary contexts. Newcomers to Zen will find this book a useful and sophisticated introduction to authentic inner Zen practices from an impeccable source, without cultural exoticism or religious cultism. Instant Zen sheds new light on this vital tradition, making available the immediacy of Zen practice and unveiling our innate potential for conscious awakening.




Master Ma's Ordinary Mind


Book Description

“Ordinary Mind is itself the Way,” said Mazu Daoyi. See what this master has to say—and discover the extraordinary nature of your own “ordinary” life. In Master Ma’s Ordinary Mind, you will learn the true nature of enlightenment from one of Zen’s great teachers. Master Mazu’s teachings help us to see how our own “ordinary mind,” just as it is, also functions as the mind of enlightenment—the very expression of buddhanature. Master Mazu’s classic sayings, with all their timeless insight, are here presented and unpacked for beginner and advanced practitioners alike. Each chapter offers John Bellando’s crystal-clear translation of one of Mazu’s classic dialogues and then follows it with Dr. Fumio Yamada’s gentle, encouraging commentary. Together, they guide us through the many layers of meaning in these koans, showing us what Mazu can mean for us today. Includes an appendix on Mazu's life by Andy Ferguson, author of Zen's Chinese Heritage.