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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > Zen Buddhism
This volume continues the work of a recent collection published in
2012 by Oxford University Press, Dogen: Textual and Historical
Studies. It features some of the same outstanding authors as well
as some new experts who explore diverse aspects of the life and
teachings of Zen master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Soto
Zen sect (or Sotoshu) in early Kamakura-era Japan. The contributors
examine the ritual and institutional history of the Soto school,
including the role of the Eiheji monastery established by Dogen as
well as various kinds of rites and precepts performed there and at
other temples. Dogen and Soto Zen builds upon and further refines a
continuing wave of enthusiastic popular interest and scholarly
developments in Western appropriations of Zen. In the last few
decades, research in English and European languages on Dogen and
Soto Zen has grown, aided by an increasing awareness on both sides
of the Pacific of the important influence of the religious movement
and its founder. The school has flourished throughout the medieval
and early modern periods of Japanese history, and it is still
spreading and reshaping itself in the current age of globalization.
This book provides an in-depth textual and literary analysis of the
Blue Cliff Record (Chinese Biyanlu, Japanese Hekiganroku), a
seminal Chan/Zen Buddhist collection of commentaries on one hundred
gongan/koan cases, considered in light of historical, cultural, and
intellectual trends from the Song dynasty (960-1279). Compiled by
Yuanwu Keqin in 1128, the Blue Cliff Record is considered a classic
of East Asian literature for its creative integration of prose and
verse as well as hybrid or capping-phrase interpretations of
perplexing cases. The collection employs a variety of rhetorical
devices culled from both classic and vernacular literary sources
and styles and is particularly notable for its use of indirection,
allusiveness, irony, paradox, and wordplay, all characteristic of
the approach of literary or lettered Chan. However, as instrumental
and influential as it is considered to be, the Blue Cliff Record
has long been shrouded in controversy. The collection is probably
best known today for having been destroyed in the 1130s at the dawn
of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) by Dahui Zonggao, Yuanwu's
main disciple and harshest critic. It was out of circulation for
nearly two centuries before being revived and partially
reconstructed in the early 1300s. In this book, Steven Heine
examines the diverse ideological connections and disconnections
behind subsequent commentaries and translations of the Blue Cliff
Record, thereby shedding light on the broad range of gongan
literature produced in the eleventh to thirteenth centuries and
beyond.
In 1654 Zen Master Yinyuan traveled from China to Japan. Seven
years later his monastery, Manpukuji, was built and he had founded
his own tradition called Obaku. The sequel to Jiang Wu's 2008 book
Enlightenment in Dispute: The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in
Seventeenth-Century China, Leaving for the Rising Sun tells the
story of the tremendous obstacles Yinyuan faced, drawing parallels
between his experiences and the broader political and cultural
context in which he lived. Yinyuan claimed to have inherited the
"Authentic Transmission of the Linji Sect" and, after arriving in
Japan, was able to persuade the Shogun to build a new Ming-style
monastery for the establishment of his Obaku school. His arrival in
Japan coincided with a series of historical developments including
the Ming-Qing transition, the consolidation of early Tokugawa
power, the growth of Nagasaki trade, and rising Japanese interest
in Chinese learning and artistic pursuits. While Yinyuan's travel
has been noted, the significance of his journey within East Asian
history has not yet been fully explored. Jiang Wu's thorough study
of Yinyuan provides a unique opportunity to reexamine the crisis in
the continent and responses from other parts of East Asia. Using
Yinyuan's story to bridge China and Japan, Wu demonstrates that the
monk's significance is far greater than the temporary success of a
religious sect. Rather, Yinyuan imported to Japan a new discourse
of authenticity that gave rise to indigenous movements that
challenged a China-centered world order. Such indigenous movements,
however, although appearing independent from Chinese influence, in
fact largely relied on redefining the traditional Chinese discourse
of authenticity. Chinese monks such as Yinyuan, though situated at
the edge of the political and social arenas, actively participated
in the formation of a new discourse on authenticity, which
eventually led to the breakup of a China-centered world order.
"All that I am, I am because of my mind."
Paavo Nurmi, Olympic runner with nine gold medals in track &
field
All runners strive to get in the ?zone, ? but here they?ll learn
to enter the ZEN ?zone?! By adopting Buddha's mindful approach, you
will discover you can run longer, faster, and harder. This book
shows how to align body and mind for success on?and off?the track!
Iron Man triathlete and philosophy professor Larry Shapiro coaches
you to:
- Walk the talk: Get out and run
- Practice mindfulness: Train harder
- Visualize success: Race the Zen way
- Accept and let go: Cope peacefully with injuries and aging
Complete with case studies, testimonials, and training techniques,
this guide inspires seasoned runners and first timers alike to
pound the path to enlightenment?one stride at a time!
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