In this guide, Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most renowned Zen meditation masters, explains the essence of Buddhist practice and demonstrates how mindfulness can transform lives by awakening individuals' spirits, healing their emotional wounds, and improving their relationships with others--in short, helping individuals break the chains that tie them to the circle of birth and death. The book also serves as a guided meditation, as the author describes practices for cultivating mindfulness, including awareness of walking and breathing, deep listening, and skillful speech. "En esta guia, Thich Nhat Hanh, uno de los maestros de meditacion Zen mas conocidos, explica la esencia de la practica budista y demuestra como la atencion plena puede transformar vidas al despertar los espiritus de los individuos, curar sus heridas emocionales y mejorar sus relaciones con los demas--en suma, al ayudar a las personas a romper las cadenas que las atan a la rueda del nacimiento y la muerte. El libro sirve tambien como una meditacion guiada, mientras el autor describe practicas para cultivar la atencion plena, incluyendo el caminar y respirar conscientemente, escuchar a profundidad y hablar diestramente."

Founded by Bodhidharma centuries ago in China, Zen and its teachings have since spread widely, exerting a tremendous cultural influence not only across Asia, but also the modern West. To this day, Zen inspires young and old, from all walks of life, to see the world with fresh eyes--beyond our usual assumptions and prejudices.
This compendium of a thousand years of Zen teaching presents the essence of the tradition through stories, sayings, talks, and records of heart-to-heart encounters with Zen masters. The great expositors of the tradition, whose voices are recounted here, encourage us to let go of our clinging and intellectual grasping, and to open ourselves to embrace reality exactly as it is.

Kensho is the transformative glimpse of the true nature of all things. It is an experience so crucial in Zen practice that it is sometimes compared to finding an inexhaustible treasure because it reveals the potential that exists in each moment for pure awareness free from the projections of the ego. Among the traditional Zen works are a number of important texts focusing on the profound subtleties of this essential Zen awakening and the methods used in its realization. The selections here are taken from: Straightforward Explanation of the True Mind, by Korean Zen teacher Chinul (1158-210), which provides the contextual balance needed to understand kensho by relating it to the broader teachings of the Buddhist scriptures and treatises; several works by Japanese Zen master Hakuin (1786-1769), whose teachings emphasize the techniques used in the cultivation and application of kensho and the importance of going beyond the experience itself to apply Zen insight to the full range of human endeavors; and The Book of Ease, a Chinese koan collection from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, with commentary showing the practical dimension of classical koan practice. The translator provides extensive introductory notes and detailed commentary on each of the selections to help the reader understand the inner meaning of this essential experience of Zen.