A monk asked Joshu, a Chinese Zen master: "Has a dog Buddha-nature or not?" Joshu answered: "Mu." [Mu is the negative symbol in Chinese, meaning "No thing" or "Nay."] Mumon's comment: To realize Zen one has to pass through the barrier of the patriarchs. Enlightenment always comes after the road of thinking is blocked. If you do not pass the barrier of the patriarchs or if your thinking road is not blocked, whatever you think, whatever you do, is like a tangling ghost. You may ask: What is ...

This classic collection of Zen koans offers a profound gateway into the heart of Chan (Zen) Buddhist practice. Compiled by the 13th-century Chinese monk Ekai, known as Mu-mon, The Gateless Gate presents forty-eight enigmatic cases designed to jolt the practitioner beyond rational thought and into direct realization. Each koan, often paradoxical or disarmingly simple, functions not as a riddle to be solved but as a tool for spiritual awakening-challenging deeply held assumptions and disrupt...

In "Three Years in Tibet," Ekai Kawaguchi delivers an enthralling narrative of his transformative journey through the mystical landscapes and spiritual heart of Tibet. Writing in a lyrical yet straightforward style, Kawaguchi blends personal memoir with vivid descriptions of Tibetan culture, religious practices, and the profound encounters he has with its people. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century geopolitics, this work serves as both a travelogue and a philosophical reflection...

The Journal of Integral Buddhism presents papers given by esteemed scholars, monastics, and practitioners from various backgrounds within the Buddhist tradition and complimentary disciplines such as philosophy, psychology. The inaugural Vol. 1 edition's contributors include: Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism; Ekai Korematsu Roshi of the Soto Zen tradition; Kathleen Gregory, psychologist and academic, and Samuel Bercholz, Buddhist practitione...

In "Three Years in Tibet," Ekai Kawaguchi presents a compelling narrative of his transformative journey through the mystical landscapes and spiritual heart of Tibet. Written in a reflective and poetic style, Kawaguchi immerses readers in the rich tapestry of Tibetan culture, philosophy, and the profound impact of Buddhist monastic life. His observations are interwoven with personal anecdotes, illuminating the intricate relationship between traveler and land, while his vivid descriptions ev...

I was lately reading the Holy Text of the Saḍḍharma-Puṇdarīka (the Aphorisms of the White Lotus of the Wonderful or True Law) in a Samskṛṭ manuscript under a Boḍhi-tree near Mṛga-Ḍāva (Sāranāṭh), Benares. Here our Blessed Lord Buḍḍha Shākya-Muni taught His Holy Ḍharma just after the accomplishment of His Buḍḍhahood at Buḍḍhagayā. Whilst doing so, I was reminded of the time, eighteen years ago, when I had read the same text in Chinese at a great Monastery named Ohbakusang at Kyoto in Japan,...

There is a spirit winging over the new times of this tormented West, the spirit that always comes into play when dealing with the New Age, or when the devotees of different religions meet and are able to stop inventing proclamations for themselves, preferring to remain silent, absorbed in that Truth that underlies all dogma.Would you like to become better at sales, become a great mystic, enjoy great success, or learn to speak with the angels? First learn to meditate. Do you want to ...

In the month of May, 1897, I was ready to embark on my journey, which promised nought but danger and uncertainty. I went about taking leave of my friends and relatives in Tokyo. Endless were the kind and heartfelt words poured on me, and many were the presents offered me to wish me farewell; but the latter I uniformly declined to accept, save in the form of sincerely given pledges. From those noted for excessive use of intoxicants, I exacted a promise of absolute abstinence from “the madde...

How to realize Enlightenment Here & Now through anactive experience of Life?The Diamond Sutra bothcommented upon and noted in this book, as well asexplained with operative chapters, provides answers in apractical, usable way to this deep, intimate question.

I was lately reading the Holy Text of the Saḍḍharma-Puṇdarīka (the Aphorisms of the White Lotus of the Wonderful or True Law) in a Samskṛṭ manuscript under a Boḍhi-tree near Mṛga-Ḍāva (Sāranāṭh), Benares. Here our Blessed Lord Buḍḍha Shākya-Muni taught His Holy Ḍharma just after the accomplishment of His Buḍḍhahood at Buḍḍhagayā. Whilst doing so, I was reminded of the time, eighteen years ago, when I had read the same text in Chinese at a great Monastery named Ohbakusang at Kyoto in Japan,...