Clear your head and relax. Replace annoyance with amusement. Enjoy calm, clarity, humor, and patience.

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

Modern American Zen is in a deplorable state: Zen Masters are now pseudo-celebrities; Dharma Transmission has been co-opted as a branding technique; and worst of all, Zen has degenerated into a lifestyle identity whose primary aim is no longer Buddhahood, but rather the perpetuation of the Zen institution itself. Zen is more interested in establishing orthodoxy and orthopraxy than it is in helping people realize their Buddha Nature. Western Zen has become just as consumer-driven and celebrity-obsessed as the rest of American culture. And the worst part is that no one in the Zen community even seems to notice. Or to care. Brand-Name Zen takes a bold and daring look at the current decadence of modern Western Zen. It poses very important questions regarding the entire Western Zen institution, such as what is the true function of Dharma Transmission? How has zazen become the signature Zen "pose"? How have koans been appropriated as a means to establish and maintain authoritarian power structures? Brand-Name Zen offers an invaluable mirror for Western Zen to evaluate itself. It is a must read for any serious Zen student.

What if Jesus showed up at your house one night, tapped you on the shoulder, and told you to wake up? Then you find out that he doesn't only want you to wake up from your bed but wake up to your life. Each chapter begins with an encounter with Jesus followed by simple steps to living life awake. In a style similar to "Conversations with God" and the works of Anthony De Mello, David Jones, the author of "The Psychology of Jesus," offers helpful ways to find enlightenment in every day activities.

Sokei-an translated the Record of Lin-chi (Lin-chi lu) from 1931 to 1933, in his first series of lectures. He felt that Americans needed original Chinese Zen source materials, translated and commented upon by a Zen master, and there were no such materials in those early days. Sokei-an was the first Zen master to translate the Record of Lin-chi and to give a commentary in English to Western students. The real historic value of Sokei-an's Lin-chi is in his commentary with its manifestation of Lin-chi's Zen.

2013 Reprint of 1955 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This collection of essays reprints seven articles or lectures written by Suzuki beginning in 1906. The are: The Zen Sect of Buddhism Zen Buddhism An Interpretation of Zen-Experience Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy Zen: A Reply to Dr. Hu Shih Mondo The Role of Nature in Zen Buddhism Index

Published originally as biweekly columns, the fifty essays in this collection bring the age-old practice of Zen to bear upon contemporary life. Whether their immediate subject be shoveling snow or baking bread, the virtues of solitude or the emotional dimension of social media, these lucid, graceful essays explore the manifold ways by which we might take the backward step, shifting our orientation from ego-centered thinking to selfless awareness. Wise and true, writes Roshi Joan Halifax of The Backward Step, this wonderful book transmits the essence of practice realization.

An exploration of the life of the Zen priest-poet Ryokan is interwoven with memoir of the author as she observes Ryokan's life during her own training as a Zen priest in Japan and encounters Ryokan in contemporary life as a model for learning and renewal. Ryokan loved the game Hide-and-go-Seek, Kakurenbo in Japanese, and this provides a metaphor as the author seeks to uncover the mysterious pathway of the hermit priest who seems to defy description. Ryokan had no plan to promote himself in any way or to encourage popularized stories about his life. He simply continued to live, not as a unique figure, but as someone authentic to his vow, living the Dharma somewhat hidden away as a hermit priest, as he climbed up and down the slope of his mountain refuge bearing the cold in winter and enduring the mosquitos in summer. Yet nearly 200 years after his death, Ryokan is known globally and we hold him in high esteem. Our wish to know him might suggest our hunger in these difficult times to touch a rare sainted life that is unabashedly simple. Perhaps we long to live fully in the courageous way that Ryokan did, to help us withstand with some grace the frictions and challenges that beset us. Translations of Ryokan's poems by the acclaimed Nobuyuki Yuasa highlight each chapter, and appear throughout the book; they serve to express Ryokan's teachings in the Dharma and his wisdom as a guide in the 21st Century. The memoir gives a personal glimpse into Zen training today where the author was the only woman and the first foreigner in the history of the 700-year-old temple. This creative medley-biography of Ryokan, author's memoir, poetry of Ryokan, and teachings in the Dharma-opens us to a new interpretation of Ryokan as a profound teacher, scholar, poet, hermit, and priest. The book includes an appendix with practice to honor Ryokan and to hold him throughout time as a true friend and guide in the Buddha Dharma. The book is for general readership as well as for seasoned meditators.

Varvann er rent i en smaragdstrom manelyset hvitt pa Frostfjell tanker tier og anden blir klar tomhet i sikte og verden blir taus Diktene til Hanshan, Shih-te og Feng-kan kan leses pa mange ulike niva, som zen-refleksjoner over utfordringer langs Veien, som livet til en politisk flyktning som har forlatt alt til fordel for et liv i fjellheimen, eller som en menneskelig lengsel etter et enklere liv i harmoni med naturen. Hanshan ble kjent i Vesten gjennom beat-generasjonens skribenter. Gary Snyder oversatte et utvalg av diktene og pa engelsk ble Hanshan kjent som Cold Mountain. Videre dedikerte Jack Kerouacs Dharma Bums til denne hemmelighetsfulle dikterens minne. Siden etterkrigstiden har Cold Mountain eller Frostfjell fasinert og inspirert zennister, taoister, terapeuter, bohemer og fjellentusiaster i Europa og Amerika med sine gatefulle og innsiktsfulle dikt. I denne boken utgis alle diktene for forste gang pa norsk.

Buddhism is not Zen. Mindfulness is not Zen. Zazen meditation is not Zen. Zen is a name that began with Bodhidharma and includes the Zen Patriarchs of China and the Masters that followed him, such as Huang Po and Joshu and the others in the Mumonkan, and even Tung Shan. They taught no practices, no means and no attainment. As Joshu said, "We are all Patriarchs now that Bodhidharma has come." The Zen conversation is characterized by several memes, one of which is the Four Statements of Zen. These memes have largely been abandoned by those who claim to be Zen Buddhists today. Other memes include Negation (no teaching, no attainment, no wisdom), Zen Dialogue or Dharma Combat, Conceptual Thought, and of course Sudden Enlightenment. The Sudden Enlightenment meme is one of the most ignored memes in Zen. The majority of those claiming to teach Zen Buddhism are preaching the Buddhist religion. They preach a path to inner peace, they preach mindfulness, and they put their faith in a practice called zazen sitting meditation. They claim this is Zen. What Zen Masters taught any of this? In contrast, even a brief review of the Zen Masters that we all agree are the beginning of the lineage, Huang Po, Joshu, Mumon, these old men teach no sitting meditation, no inner peace, and only a sudden enlightenment that does not rely on any means and cannot be attained through any effort. This book contrasts the writings of the old Zen Masters with those today who claim to be Zen Buddhists, but are not Zen.

Author H. Grevemberg, a Senior Dharma Teacher in the Kwan Um School of Zen, gives a startling account of the path of Zen in a muscular prose in the tradition of Henry Miller and Hunter S. Thompson. "The American spirit of self-reliance goes hand in hand with the mystical tradition of Zen - yet it hasn't found its own bare wire. The best revolution, and the domain of the Zen adept, is an inner one." The Zen Revolution reads like a novel, each compelling chapter revealing another nuance; the whole gamut, from origin to fiery culmination. Delving into both the spiritual and worldly aspects with equal candor, The Zen Revolution takes on the basic question of existence, perhaps the most important question we face. There's a new adventure in every chapter, leading to an eventual breakthrough - something nearly unheard of in the Zen literature of the West.

A collection of inspiration and wisdom, seen through the tales of housewives and kings, monks and bandits, and the deep mountains of Korea.
In this new collection of thirty-three stories, one of Korea's foremost Seon(Zen) masters introduces the richness and depth of Korea's Buddhist tradition. With humor and insight, Seon Master Daehaeng shows us our inherent potential and demonstrates how we can face the challenges of life with wisdom and vigor.
Praise for Seon Master Daehaeng's "No River to Cross"
"No River to Cross" speaks directly and simply from the heart, much in the manner of Shunryu Suzuki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." Master Daehaeng's ability to penetrate the skin with plain and pointed words should give this work the same longevity.
-Francisca Cho, Georgetown University, translator of "Everything Yearned For"
"This first taste of a fresh female voice leaves you hungry for more." -Shambhala Sun

Seon Master Daehaeng was one of the most respected Buddhist teachers in Korea. She famously taught monks as well as nuns, and put a special emphasis on teaching laypeople how they too could practice spiritual cultivation and so awaken from the upside-down dreams that rule much of our lives.

The book is in two parts: The first, Body Mechanics, describes our body type, structure, systems, organs and canals, physical conditioning, and stress. The second, Concept, Principle and Technique, describes meditations and breathing, mind and body coordination, mental calm and strength, physical relaxation with power, extending energy of the mind, physical conditioning, mindset, self-defence, and massage. The techniques presented are equally suitable for men and women.A section concentrates on physical training. Detailed attention is given to dynamic and static contractions for strength and endurance, cardiovascular techniques for endurance and strength, and exercises for flexibility and strength. Physical training has the dual function of strengthening the body and strengthening the mind. An important section is on mindset; working on mindset is not only to learn the techniques for conditioning your intuition and develop desirables, such as confidence and awareness, but to feel complete within yourself and realize your value in society.The section on self-defence is not a reiteration of physical techniques frequently taught in self-defence classes or martial arts schools. It relates self-defence to mindset, and the power of mind and body coordination. Attention to these areas, the principles of which are described in other sections, comprises the essence of effective self-defence. Principles to which you should adhere when facing potentially dangerous conflict, and techniques you can use during physical engagement, are also discussed. The final section is on massage. The methods described are an effective way of treating someone who has an ailment and feels low on energy, or simply enjoys being massaged. Fundamental to the technique is the concentration of your intrinsic energy to regenerate or revitalize someone's life power.It is apparent from what can be seen of human effort, mental, physical, and of whatever form, that the motivating driver and the real source of power is the mind. It is also obvious to anyone who has had experience of western and eastern culture that the East is, from its own rich past, ahead of the West in giving concept, method and rationale to an understanding of the relationship between mind and body, mental strength, and the power of mind and body coordination. At the heart of this thinking is zen and it is best seen as the foundation of the Oriental spiritual disciplines, such as the budo, the martial arts of Japan.Intuition, the unconscious mind, or the state of no-mind is the zen mind, the mind that is the focus of the zen method. Intuition cannot be learned, but it can be conditioned, and the techniques for conditioning it can be learned. Zen has been, and is, to budo, an attempt to apply the accumulated knowledge of Confucius, Laotzu, and Buddha to the conditioning of intuition. In the case of budo, zen has been the unifying and driving force. Intuition penetrates the very soul of those who rely on it. It brings a general simplicity that appears to have an unrefined aspect but which is not unrefined. It has been said: The intellect can play with the concept; only the intuition can understand.

Much of the teaching many Buddhists receive doesn't really get to the core of our suffering. After years of practice, nothing much really changes. As the 17th century Zen Master Benkei said, "the feeling I get is that of scratching an itchy foot with my shoe on. The teachings don't strike home to the center, to the real marrow." Scratching the Itch: Getting to the Root of Our Suffering seeks to do just that. Scratching the Itch is based on teaching received from two Vietnamese Zen monks. They faced the power of our ego...the source of all our suffering...head on and urged us to surrender our ego to our true Buddha nature. Recognizing the difficulty of doing this, they developed a rigorous teaching, which I explain and expand upon in light of my personal practical experience of walking the path. The resulting teaching I call "The Fourfold Path to Freedom." While enlightenment may not be a very practical goal for most of us walking the Buddhist path, attaining a state in our practice that is close to enlightenment...and experiencing the peace and contentment that flows from that state...is a goal that every person committed to the path can attain.

WALK LIKE A MOUNTAIN is the definitive guide to walking as Buddhist practice, not just for the serious practitioner but for anyone who wants to bring more contemplative depth to their everyday walks. From kinhin during zazen sessions to pilgrimage and beyond, this handbook offers the "how-to" with clarity and insight. Posture, hand positions and foot mechanics are merely the beginning. Other topics that are addressed in this comprehensive book include: Preparations and aids Prayer walking Purification and dedication Kaihogyo (marathon contemplative walking) Leading a walking practice Walking for change Walking as daily life Walking the symbolic landscape Alms rounds Mandalas Circumambulation Labyrinths Walking Nembutsu Alternatives in contemplative walking. Innen Ray Parchelo has studied, taught and practiced Buddhism for more than 40 years and acts as both the Priest to the Red Maple Sangha and Director of Tendai Canada. He began his formal dharma practice in 1974 and has been a member of several Buddhist centres, first taking refuge in 1994. In 2008, he renewed his refuge- vows as a student of Ven. Monshin Paul Naamon, and, in 2010, was ordained a Tendai priest. Innen is has lived and worked as a clinical social worker in the Ottawa Valley since 1975. He regularly uses walking and mindfulness techniques in a social work setting. He has degrees in Comparative Religion and Social Work and has published general and scholarly articles on dharma and social work topics and is a popular conference speaker. He is the regular Buddhist contributor to the Ottawa Citizen's "Ask the Religion Experts" column. He and his wife, Judy, live with their three dogs in a old log schoolhouse, near Renfrew, Ontario.

2012 Reprint of 1956 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The "Book of Tea" by Okakura Kakuz is a long essay linking the role of tea (Teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English Tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese life. The book emphasizes how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuz argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the book with a chapter on Tea Masters. This edition contains a new forward and a biographical sketch augmenting the original 1906 edition.

"Extraordinary Zen Masters: A Maverick, a Master of Masters, and a Wandering Poet" tells the life stories of Ikkyu (1394-1481), Hakuin (1686-1768), and Ryokan (1758-1831). Each was an outstanding figure who manifested Zen in his own way. Ikkyu was unconventional and uncompromising, a relentless enemy of the sham and hypocrisy that pervaded the religious circles of his day. Hakuin underwent a lengthy and strenuous apprenticeship to become a Master Teacher of Zen, training hundreds of disciples and insisting that they endure the same trials and surmount the same massive barriers that he had. Ryokan, in contrast, was a gentle, self-effacing recluse who never became an abbot but lived in quiet hermitages, savoring nature and writing poetry. All three were artists of the highest order, employing brush, ink, and paper as a means of transmitting Zen teachings and creating unique works of art.

These are three of the greatest Zen masters in history-each unique, each an outstanding artist, and each a teacher of future generations. The biographies of these three men, in one volume, constitute an enlivening reading experience, full of insight on leading a meaningful life.

John Stevens lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a professor of Buddhist studies at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. Stevens is a widely respected translator, an ordained Buddhist priest, a curator of several major exhibitions of Zen art, and an aikido instructor. He has authored more than thirty books and is one of the foremost Western experts on aikido, holding a ranking of 7th dan Aikikai. Stevens has also studied calligraphy for decades, authoring the classic "Sacred Calligraphy of the East." Other John Stevens titles that are likely to be of interest include "The Philosophy of Aikido, " and "The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei.""

This classic Zen Buddhist collection of 49 koans with commentary by Mumon was originally published in 1934, and later included in Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki's popular anthology Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. Due to non-renewal it is currently in the public domain in the US (although other parts of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones are not).

The object of this little book is to show how the Mahayanistic view of life and of the world differs markedly from that of Hinayanism, which is generally taken as Buddhism by Westerners, to explain how the religion of Buddha has adapted itself to its environment in the Far East, and also to throw light on the existing state of the spiritual life of modern Japan.

ZEN PSYCHOLOGY In A Nutshell
Enlightening Insights & Perspectives For Living Mindfully
This book considers key insights and realizations found in the tradition and practice of Zen. These are timeless penetrating perspectives on the nature of being and reality... which have been discovered and re-discovered by great seminal thinkers, teachers and open-minded individuals in the East and the West, throughout all of recorded history. The work endeavors to distill the essence of Zen into succinct statements... which can point the way and be useful for living mindfully.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
A Preface
On The Nature of Zen Knowing
Zen Psychology
Insights & Realizations
Zen Mindfulness
On The Art &Technique Of
Living Mindfully
A Zen Ode
Uplifting Perspectives
Addendum
Golden Guidelines
For Life & Living
EXCERPTS:
ON THE NATURE OF ZEN KNOWING
For Those That Understand...
No Explanation Is Necessary.
For Those That Don't...
None Is Possible.
ZEN PSYCHOLOGY - Insights & Realizations
Much of our understanding, and many of our life experiences, are at a level which is beyond the intellect's abilities to explain or to communicate (ranging from simple experiences like riding a bike and swimming - to profound insight into the nature of being and reality). This deeply intuitive knowing is often overlooked, undervalued and doubted - yet it is far more crucial and powerful than our limited mental and verbal abilities.
Truth, beauty, joy and peace are immediately available in the real world. There is no special place to go, and nothing out of the ordinary to do - to acquire access to these merits - other than to get real, come to your senses and pay attention.
Preoccupation and consumption by the past and the future (e.g. drivenness and hurry sickness) are human foibles that rob one of being fully present to savor and participate in life. Realization of the ultimate magnitude of the moment enhances enjoyment and effectiveness.
ON THE ART & TECHNIQUE OF LIVING MINDFULLY
The following considers the art and technique of living mindfully and mindfulness - which can be described as a mental state of clear minded awareness that is unencumbered, unfettered and unhurried. The art of living mindfully entails being fully present to experience and savor being alive, awake and aware. The technique of mindfulness involves consciously focusing one's attention on thoughts, feelings, actions and experiences - many of which can at times be self-defeating and toxic.
A ZEN ODE - Uplifting Perspectives
Let us joyfully stand in awe and wonder...
Being mindful of the marvels and mysteries in life and nature...
Finding peace and serenity in the power and wisdom of the universe...
Gracefully accepting and courageously trusting
That which is beyond our understanding and comprehension...
Allaying unfounded fears and speculations.
(c) Copyright 2012 - Dr. Dan Matzke, Ph.D.
KeyWords: Zen, enlightenment, awakening, satori, insights, mindfulness, psychology, self help, personal growth & development, emotional intelligence

Dogen's great spiritual teachings are the foundation of Soto Zen. For the first time, contemporary American women Zen masters in the Soto tradition, join together to reach within Dogen's mind to make his masterpieces accessible and practical for those seeking deeper realization and understanding.

Modern man has found that material achievements are failing him, but in his escape from despair, he has become an easy prey for the deceptive cult of "Zen-Existentialism." There has emerged a mode of radical "New Humanism" with its emphasis on "human autonomy." In place of the God-man appears the "man-god." There is a search for the "world within," the "limitless inner space," the "expansion of consciousness," and the transcendental experience of "Satori." First published in 1969, this book prophetically anticipated the growth of New Age developments in the decades to follow. Lit-sen Chang directly spoke to the Hippie movement of his day, which was then seeking various means of transcendence through drugs and eastern mysticism.This book also reflects fifty years of bitter experiences of the author's spiritual pilgrimage and shows how he was miraculously delivered by the grace and power of God from his "cul-de-sac." Chang writes of the utter futility of the fantasy of the East, analyzes the root causes of the crises in the West, and points out the doom of auto-soterism after his careful diagnosis of the human problem in cultural, philosophical, religious, and theological terms.