Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > Zen Buddhism
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Zen Koans (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R1,456
Discovery Miles 14 560
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Zen Koans (Hardcover)
Series: Dimensions of Asian Spirituality
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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"What is the sound of one hand clapping?" "Does a dog have
Buddha-nature?" These cryptic expressions are among the best-known
examples of koans, the confusing, often contradictory sayings that
form the centrepiece of Zen Buddhist learning and training. Viewed
as an ideal method for attaining and transmitting an unimpeded
experience of enlightenment, they became the main object of study
in Zen meditation, where their contemplation was meant to exhaust
the capacity of the rational mind and the expressiveness of speech.
Koan compilations, which include elegant poetic and eloquent prose
commentaries on cryptic dialogues, are part of a great literary
tradition in China, Japan, and Korea that appealed to intellectuals
who sought spiritual fulfilment through interpreting elaborate
rhetoric related to mysterious metaphysical exchanges. In this
compact volume, Steven Heine, who has written extensively on Zen
Buddhism and koans, introduces and analyses the classic background
of texts and rites and explores the contemporary significance of
koans to illuminate the full implications of this ongoing
tradition. He delves deeply into the inner structure of koan
literature to uncover and interpret profound levels of metaphorical
significance. At the same time, he takes the reader beyond the veil
of vagueness and inscrutability to an understanding of how koan
writings have been used in pre-modern East Asia and are coming to
be evoked and implemented in modern American practice of Zen. By
focusing on two main facets of the religious themes expressed in
koan records-individual religious attainment and the role dialogues
play in maintaining order in the monastic system-Zen Koans reveals
the distinct yet interlocking levels of meaning reflected in
different koan case records and helps make sense of the seemingly
nonsensical. It is a book for anyone interested in untangling the
web of words used in Zen exchanges and exploring their important
place in the vast creative wellspring of East Asian religion and
culture.
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