The influence of Zen Master Ikkyū (1394-1481) permeates the full field of medieval Japanese aesthetics. Though best known as a poet, he was central to the shaping and reshaping of practices in calligraphy, Noh theater, tea ceremony, and rock gardening, all of which now define Japan’s sense of its cultural tradition. Ikkyū is unique in Zen for letting his love of all appearance occupy him until it destroys any possibility for safety or seclusion. In his poetry, he turns the eye of enlighten...

Hung Lou Meng is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was written in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty. It is considered a masterpiece of Chinese literature and is generally acknowledged to be the pinnacle of Chinese fiction. "Redology" is the field of study devoted exclusively to this work.Red Chamber is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the rise and decay of author Cao Xueqin's own family and, by extension, of the Qing Dynasty. As the ...

This easily accessible translation and commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh on the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way To Live Alone, is the earliest teaching of the Buddha on living fully in the present moment. "To live alone" doesn’t mean to isolate oneself from society. It means to live in mindfulness: to let go of the past and the future, and to look deeply and discover the true nature of all that is taking place in the present moment. To fully realize this is to meet our appointment with life an...

In 2003 Brad Warner blew the top off the Buddhist book world with his irreverent autobiography/manifesto Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock Monster Movies and the Truth about Reality. Now in his second book Sit Down and Shut Up Brad tackles one of the great works of Zen literature the Shobogenzo by thirteenth-century Zen master Dogen. Illuminating Dogens enigmatic teachings in plain language Brad intertwines musings on sex meditation death God sin and happiness with an exploration of the punk rock et...

According to Zen teacher Cheri Huber, we are conditioned to think that if we were only a little better in some way, we would be happy: "Life isn't the way it should be and it's my fault!" But, Huber says, no amount of self-punishment will ever make us happy or bring us control over life’s problems.The help we are looking for is really found in self-acceptance and kindness toward ourselves. By simply allowing ourselves to be guided by our innate intelligence and generosity, which ar...

The word "mu" is one ancient Zen teacher's response to the earnest question of whether even a dog has "buddha nature". Discovering for ourselves the meaning of the master's response is the urgent work of each of us who yearns to be free and at peace. "Practicing Mu" is synonymous with practicing Zen, "sitting with Mu" is an apt description for all Zen meditation, and it is said that all the thousands and thousands of koans in the Zen tradition are just further elaborations of Mu.Th...

Spiritual practice is not some kind of striving to produce enlightenment, but an expression of the enlightenment already inherent in all things: Such is the Zen teaching of Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) whose profound writings have been studied and revered for more than seven hundred years, influencing practitioners far beyond his native Japan and the Soto school he is credited with founding. In focusing on Dogen's most practical words of instruction and encouragement for Zen students, ...

A simple, exhaustive—and often hilarious—presentation of the essence of Zen by a modern Zen Master of considerable renownIn his many years of teaching throughout the world, the Korean-born Zen Master Seung Sahn has become known for his ability to cut to the heart of Buddhist teaching in a way that is strikingly clear, yet free of esoteric and academic language. In this book, based largely on his talks, he presents the basic teachings of Buddhism and Zen in a way th...

This remarkable Zen book is of great importance not only for the variety of the 365 kong-ans, but for Zen Master Seung Sahn's own questions and commentary which accompany each kong-an. This prodding and guidance serve as guideposts along a difficult road to enlightenment. The kong-ans themselves and practice for life-practice for life-practice for answering the questions which are profound and practical arising everyday.One of the distinctive qualities of The Whole World Is a S...

"The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences."—Seng-ts'anThe Hsin-Hsin Ming, Verses on the Faith-Mind by Seng-ts'an, the third Chinese patriarch of Zen, is considered to be the first Chinese Zen document. Lucidly translated here by Richard B. Clark, it remains one of the most widely-admired and elegant of Zen writings, and is as relevant today as it was when it was written. In a world where stress seems unavoidable, Seng-ts'an's words show us how to ...

This collection of Zen koans with extensive commentary will be of great interests to followers of Zen Buddhism.People around the world value the mind-cleansing, spiritually uplifting benefit to be gained through the practice of Cha'an (Zen) Buddhism. Central to Zen is the enigmatic koan (kung-an), a kind of riddle used by masters to shock their students into greater awareness. In this timeless collection from Chinese masters, translations of 100 of these q...

The premise of The Tao of Zen is that Zen is really Taoism in the disguise of Buddhism-an assumption being made by more and more Zen scholars.This is the first Zen book that links the long-noted philosophical similarities of Taoism and Zen. The author traces the evolution of Ch'anThe The Tao of Zen is a fascinating book that will be read and discussed by anyone interested in both Taoism and Zen