"Featuring a carefully selected collection of source documents, this tome includes traditional teaching tools from the Zen Buddhist traditions of China (Ch'an), Korea (Son), and Japan (Zen), including texts created by women. The selections provide both a good feel for the varieties of Zen and an experience of its common core. . . . The texts are experiential teachings and include storytelling, poetry, autobiographies, catechisms, calligraphy, paintings, and koans (paradoxical meditation questions that are intended to help aspirants transcend logical, linguistic limitations). Contextual commentary prefaces each text. Wade-Giles transliteration is used, although Pinyin, Korean, Japanese, and Sanskrit terms are linked in appendixes. An insightful introduction by Arai contributes a religious studies perspective. The bibliography references full translations of the selections. A thought-provoking discussion about the problems of translation is included. . . . Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels." -- Choice

Ruth Fuller Sasaki, who died in 1967, was a pivotal figure in the emergence and development of Zen Buddhism in the United States. She is the only Westerner--and the only woman--to be made a priest of a Daitoku-ji temple and was mentor to Burton Watson, Philip Yampolsky, and Gary Snyder, and mother-in-law of Alan Watts. This is the first biography of her remarkable life.
Few devoted their lives to Zen Buddhism as Ruth Fuller did. As a senior student of Sokei-an Sasaki in New York, Ruth helped him develop the infrastructure of what would eventually become The First Zen Institute in New York City. She married Sasaki in 1944, and it was her mission to maintain The First Zen Institute and later, to establish The First Zen Institute of America in Japan. Her legacy remains today in the Zen facilities she helped build in New York and abroad and in the many texts she saw through translation, published from the 1950s to the 1970s. For the first time in book form, three of her writings are included here--"Zen: A Religion", "Zen: A Method for Religious Awakening", and "Rinzai Zen Study for Foreigners in Japan".

The Universe for Breakfast chronicles a journey of transformation in verse. Joy Magezis has been ordained as a member of the Core Community of the Order of Interbeing, established by Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. She was part of his official delegation to Vietnam, when Thich Nhat Hanh returned after 39 years of exile. A series of poems about the trip appear in this collection, as well as poems about her experiences practicing with the Sangha community in Britain and in Plum Village. Joy is an Usui Reiki Master and a UK Reiki Federation Master Teacher Member. She documents her experiences learning, using and teaching Reiki through a number of poems in this book. An international author and college lecturer, Joy's classic Women's Studies text has been translated into various languages including Russian and Chinese. Her novels have been published in both English and German

Zen is famous for koans (called kong-ans in Korean, and in this book), those bizarre and seemingly unanswerable questions Zen masters pose to their students to check their realization (such as "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"). Fear of koans keeps some people from ever giving Zen practice a try. But here, through the experience of seeing a modern Zen master work with his students, you can see what koan training is really like: It's a skillful, lively practice for attaining wisdom.This book presents the system of ten koans that Zen Master Seung Sahn came to call the "Ten Gates." These koans represent the basic types one will encounter in any course of study. Each of the ten gates, or koans, is illuminated by actual interchanges between Zen Master Seung Sahn and his students that show what the practice is all about: it is above all a process of coming to trust one's own wisdom, and of manifesting that wisdom in every koan-like situation life presents us with.
For more information on the author, Zen Master Seung Sahn, visit his website at www.kwanumzen.com.

The classic thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans with one of the most accessible commentaries to date, from a Chinese Zen teacher.

For more than eight centuries the "Gateless Barrier" has been studied by Zen (or Chan) practitioners in order to bring about meditative realizations about the nature of ultimate reality. Compiled by Chan Master Wumen Huikai in the thirteenth century, the "Gateless Barrier" (Chinese: "Wumen guan"; Japanese: "Mumonkan") is a collection of forty-eight koans stories of the sayings and actions of Chan Masters in which they freely and directly express their enlightened experience. This fresh English translation by Guo Gu the first from a Chinese Chan teacher is one of the most accessible to date, and his commentary brings new life to these classic teachings."

Intriguing encounters between Zen practitioners and samurai warriors are recaptured in this breviloquent collection of short stories drawn from the literature of feudal Japan. These encounters deal with the nature of immediacy and its role in understanding the essence of human existence. For the martial artist faced with a conflict, the Zen state of mind, without distractions and illusions, can determine the difference between life and death. The warrior experience, as revealed in these traditional stories, is retold in a style that is relevant and graspable to the contemporary American martial artist. No particular religious background is required to appreciate these stories, but rather a curiosity about what allows people to achieve extraordinary performance when faced with life and death circumstances. Zen ink paintings by John Hrabushi offer a meditative and intellectual "cross training" throughout the collection. Foreword by noted Aikido Shihan Lorraine DiAnne.

This translation, supported by the Japan Foundation, makes a strong claim to be the definitive translation of the 95 chapter edition of Shobogenzo, the essential Japanese Buddhist text, written in the 13th century by Zen Master Dogen. Shobogenzo Book 4, the final book in this four volume set, contains chapters 73 to 95, plus two additional chapters in the Appendices. Well-known chapters include Dai Shugyo (Great Practice); Shukke (Transcending Family Life); and Shoji (Life and Death). Book 4 maintains the highest standards of translation, with a clear style that rigorously follows the original words of Master Dogen.

Chan Buddhism has become paradigmatic of Buddhist spirituality. Known in Japan as Zen and in Korea as Son, it is one of the most strikingly iconoclastic spiritual traditions in the world. This succinct and lively work clearly expresses the meaning of Chan as it developed in China more than a thousand years ago and provides useful insights into the distinctive aims and forms of practice associated with the tradition, including its emphasis on the unity of wisdom and practice; the reality of "sudden awakening"; the importance of meditation; the use of "shock tactics"; the centrality of the teacher-student relationship; and the celebration of enlightenment narratives, or koans. Unlike many scholarly studies, which offer detailed perspectives on historical development, or guides for personal practice written by contemporary Buddhist teachers, this volume takes a middle path between these two approaches, weaving together both history and insight to convey to the general reader the conditions, energy, and creativity that characterize Chan. Following a survey of the birth and development of Chan, its practices and spirituality are fleshed out through stories and teachings drawn from the lives of four masters: Bodhidharma, Huineng, Mazu, and Linji. Finally, the meaning of Chan as a living spiritual tradition is addressed through a philosophical reading of its practice as the realization of wisdom, attentive mastery, and moral clarity.

For many of us, the return of Zen conjures up images of rock gardens and gently flowing waterfalls. We think of mindfulness and meditation, immersion in a state of being where meaning is found through simplicity. Zen lore has been absorbed by Western practitioners and pop culture alike, yet there is a specific area of this ancient tradition that hasn't been fully explored in the West. Now, in "The" "Zen of Creativity, " American Zen master John Daido Loori presents a book that taps the principles of the Zen arts and aesthetic as a means to unlock creativity and find freedom in the various dimensions of our existence. Loori dissolves the barriers between art and spirituality, opening up the possibility of meeting life with spontaneity, grace, and peace.
Zen Buddhism is steeped in the arts. In spiritual ways, calligraphy, poetry, painting, the tea ceremony, and flower arranging can point us toward our essential, boundless nature. Brilliantly interpreting the teachings of the artless arts, Loori illuminates various elements that awaken our creativity, among them "still point," the center of each moment that focuses on the tranquility within; "simplicity," in which the creative process is uncluttered and unlimited, like a cloudless sky; "spontaneity," a way to navigate through life without preconceptions, with a freshness in which everything becomes new;" mystery, "a sense of trust in the unknown;" creative feedback, " the systematic use of an audience to receive noncritical input about our art;" art koans, " exercises based on paradoxical questions that can be resolved only through artistic expression. Loori shows how these elements interpenetrate and function not only in art, but in all our endeavors.
Beautifully illustrated and punctuated with poems and reflections from Loori's own spiritual journey, "The" "Zen of Creativity" presents a multilayered, bottomless source of insight into our creativity. Appealing equally to spiritual seekers, artists, and veteran Buddhist practitioners, this book is perfect for those wishing to discover new means of self-awareness and expression--and to restore equanimity and freedom amid the vicissitudes of our lives.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki's "The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk" invites you to step inside the mysterious world of the Zendo, where monks live their lives in simplicity. Suzuki, best known as the man who brought Zen classics to the West, sheds light on all phases of a monk's experience, from being refused admittance at the door to finally understanding the meaning of one's "koan." Suzuki explains the initiation ceremony, the act of begging, and the life of prayers, meditation, and service.

In this text from a lecture originally given in 1981, Norbu Rinpoche discusses the relationship between Zen Buddhism and the various forms of Buddhism that developed in Tibet. Both are direct, non-gradual approaches to Buddhist teaching that continue to be practiced in the West. "The principle of the Dzog-chen teaching is the self-perfectedness, the already-being-perfect of every individual. Self-perfectedness means that the so-called objective is nothing else than the manifestation of the energy of the primordial state of the individual himself. An individual who practices Dzog-chen must possess clear knowledge of the principle of energy and what it means." Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama, who from 1964 to 1994, taught at the University of Naples, Italy. He has done extensive research into the historical origins of Tibetan culture and has conducted teaching retreats throughout Europe, the United States, and South America, giving instruction in Dzog-chen practices in a non-sectarian format.

We are, each man and woman, as a unique, glistening leaf. We spring from, we are the Tree which is this World. The Tree is wild, ever changing, the source of all that is. In life's twists and turns. rarely does it go, grow just as we might wish.

We are, each man and woman, as a unique, glistening leaf. We spring from, we are the Tree which is this World. The Tree is wild, ever changing, the source of all that is. In life's twists and turns. rarely does it go, grow just as we might wish.

This little work is a collection of some of the lectures delivered by the Right Reverend Soyen Shaku during his sojourn in Japan. He lectured on the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters, and naturally chose the texts for his sermons from this most popular among the canonical books. Partial Contents: Sutra of forty-two chapters; God conception; assertions and denials; immortality; Buddhist faith and ethics; What is Buddhism? middle way; wheel of the good law; reply to a Christian critic; ignorance and enlightenment; practice of Dhyana; Buddhism and oriental culture; sacrifice for a stanza; Buddhist view of war.

"The Way of the Living Sword" is the final installment in D.E. Tarver's popular "Warrior Series," It stands beside "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi as one of the greatest writings of the warrior mind.

In "The Way of the Living Sword," Munenori gives an in-depth explanation of the connection between physical martial arts and the mental process of Zen. While Munenori and Musashi were both avid students of Zen, Munenori was more fascinated by the academic aspects of the philosophy.

Munenori stretches the consciousness of even the most enlightened martial artist. Martial arts devotees will experience many flashes of revelation as Tarver explores the various aspects of Munenori's approach.

Read and grow!

The Record of Linji stands as one of the great classics of the Zen tradition, and modern Zen master and reformer Hisamatsu Shin'ichi offers a lively and penetrating exploration of the religious essence of the text. The Record is a compilation of the sayings of Linji, the Chinese founder of Rinzai Zen. Several decades ago, Hisamatsu gave the twenty-two talks translated here. This book features a preface by renowned Zen philosopher ABE Masao and an introduction by Yanagida Seizan, the foremost scholar of classical Zen texts. The translators have added annotation for technical terms and textual references.

Under its unique abbot Kosho Uchiyama, the small Zen temple of Antaji in Kyoto becamne a magnet for serious non-Japanese practitioners, and played a crucial role in the transmission of Zen to America in particular. This book combines the life stories and teaching of five teachers - Sawaki Kodo, Yokoyama Sodo, Kato Kosho, Ikebe Motoko and Uchiyama - associated with Antaiji and the story of the author and other western students coming to grips with Zen, Japanese culture and themselves. The deification of Zen teachers by their followers has been a serious problem in American Zen; this book provides a healthy antidote, presenting four men and one woman who have lived and died in Zazen within the rich context of their personal lives and their culture, so that we can fully understand what makes a Zen master in Japan.

Ernest Wood has taken an interest in Zen since writing his first article on the subject for a Shanghai magazine when he was in Japan in 1920. This book gives a clear picture of Zen ideas, history, and biography of the growth of Zen in China and Japan. Professor Ernest Egerton Wood (* 18 August 1883 in Manchester, England; + 17 September 1965 in Houston, United States) was a noted yogi, theosophist and author of numerous books, including Concentration - An Approach to Meditation and Yoga. He was also a Sanskrit scholar. Wood received his education at the Manchester College of Technology, where he studied chemistry, physics and geology. Because of an early interest in Buddhism and Yoga, he also started to learn the Sanskrit language.

"Shoes Outside the Door is a not only a fine history of the San Francisco Zen Center and Zen in the United States, it is a cautionary tale, valuable to anyone embarked on a spiritual practice." --San Jose Mercury News. Eastern tradition collides with Western individualism in this provocative and compulsively readable investigation of Buddhism, American-style. A genuine spiritual movement becomes strangely entangled with elitist aesthetics, the culture of celebrity, multi-million-dollar investment portfolios, sex scandals, and an unsolved crime.Told Rashomon-fashion by a singular mix of hippies, millionaires, intellectuals, and lost souls whose lives are almost unbelievably intertwined, Shoes Outside the Door is the first book to examine the inner workings of the profoundly influential San Francisco Zen Center. In exploring the history of the most important institution in American Buddhism, author Michael Downing provocatively captures the profound ambivalence of people who earnestly seek both inner peace and worldly satisfaction.

A translation of the classic "Denkoroku" by one of the premier translators of Buddhist and Taoist texts illustrates how to arrive at the epiphanic Zen awakening known as "satori." The essential initiatory experience of Zen, satori is believed to open up the direct perception of things as they are. "Even if you sit until your seat breaks through, even if you persevere mindless of fatigue, even if you are a person of lofty deeds and pure behavior, if you haven't reached this realm of satori, you still can't get out of the prison of the world." Deliberately cultivated and employed to awaken the dormant potency of the mind, satori is said to be accessible to all people, transcending time, history, culture, race, gender, and personality. Attributed to the thirteenth-century Zen Master Keizan (1268-1325), "Transmission of Light" (along with "The Blue Cliff Record" and "The Gateless Barrier ")" "is one of three essential koan texts used by Zen students. Techniques for reaching the enlightening experience of satori are revealed through fifty-three short tales about the awakenings of successive generations of masters, beginning with the twelfth-century Zen master Ejo, dharma heir to Dogen. The translator's introduction establishes the context for "Transmission of Light" within the Zen canon and elucidates central themes of the work, including the essential idea that genuine satori "is not the end of Zen; it is more properly the true beginning."

Of the many eccentric figures in Japanese Zen, the Soto Zen master Tosui Unkei is surely among the most colourful and extreme. Variously compared to Ryokan and Francis of Assisi, Tosui has been called ""the original hippie."" After many grueling years of Zen study and the sanction of a distinguished teacher, Tosui abandoned the religious establishment and became a drifter. The arresting details of Tosui's life were recorded in the ""Tribute"" (""Tosui osho densan""), a lively and colloquial account written by the celebrated scholar and Soto Zen master Menzan Zuiho. Menzan concentrates on Tosui's years as a beggar and labourer, recounting episodes from an unorthodox life while at the same time opening a new window on 17th-century Japan. The ""Tribute""is translated here for the first time, accompanied by woodblock prints commissioned for the original 1768 edition. Peter Haskel's introduction places Tosui in the context of the Japanese Zen of his period - a time when the identities of early modern Zen schools were still being formed and a period of spiritual crisis for many distinguished monks who believed that the authentic Zen transmission had long ceased to exist. A biographical addendum offers a detailed overview of Tosui's life in light of surviving premodern sources.

"Zen Letters " presents the teachings of the great Chinese master Yuanwu (1063-1135) in direct person-to-person lessons, intimately revealing the inner workings of the psychology of enlightenment. These teachings are drawn from letters written by Yuanwu to various fellow teachers, disciples, and lay students--to women as well as men, to people with families and worldly careers as well as monks and nuns, to advanced adepts as well as beginning students. A key figure of Zen history, Yuanwu is best known as the author of "The Blue Cliff Record. " His letters, here in English for the first time, are among the treasures of Zen literature.

This important book brings together three long-lost texts, the earliest known writings on Zen.
- "Records of the Teachers and Students of the Lanka " presents a complete set of biographies of the Zen patriarchs.
- "Bodhidharma's Treatise on Contemplating Mind-- "written in the form of a dialogue between the first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma, and his successor, Huke--views all the various practices of the Bodhisattva path from the perspective of cultivating mind.
- "Treatise on Sudden Enlightenment "presents a series of questions and answers illuminating the true nature of "sudden enlightenment" as pure, undifferentiated mind.

Dating from the first half of the eighth century, and only recently rediscovered in Tun Huang, China, these books offer the best information currently available on the early meditation techniques of the "northern school" of Zen Buddhism.