For all its emphasis on the direct experience on insight without reliance on the products of the intellect, the Zen tradition has created a huge body of writings. Of this cast literature, the writings associated with the so-called Five Houses of Zen are widely considered to be preeminent. These Five Houses--which arose in China during the ninth and tenth centuries, often referred to as the Golden Age of Zen--were not schools or sects but styles of Zen teaching represented by some of the most outstanding masters in Zen history. The writing of these great Zen teachers are presented here, many...
For all its emphasis on the direct experience on insight without reliance on the products of the intellect, the Zen tradition has created a huge body ...
Zen Buddhism emerged in China some fifteen centuries ago and remained the most dynamic and influential spiritual movement in Asia for more than a millennium. Though the teachings of the first Zen masters are sometimes considered innovation, they were actually a return to the core of Buddhist teaching and to an understanding of the importance of the personal experience of enlightenment. This anthology presents talks, sayings, and records of heart-to-heart encounters to show the essence of Zen teaching through the words of the Zen masters themselves. The selections have been made from the...
Zen Buddhism emerged in China some fifteen centuries ago and remained the most dynamic and influential spiritual movement in Asia for more than a mill...
Taoist teachings have arisen in many forms: abstract aphorisms, philosophical discussions, legends, fables--even jokes. All are represented here, culled from the most popular Taoist classics: the Tao-te Ching, Chuang-tzu, Huai-nan-tzu, and Wen-tzu, stories from the -Tales of Inner Meaning, - and teachings of the Taoist patriarch Ancestor Lu. The spirit of the Tao manifests in myriad images, brought to life in this superb translation--from the ever-keen blade of a Taoist butcher to the mechanical miracles of inventor Ken Shiwa, from little boys baiting the great Confucius to...
Taoist teachings have arisen in many forms: abstract aphorisms, philosophical discussions, legends, fables--even jokes. All are represented here, cull...
The benefits of sexual bliss were not lost on the ancients, who knew well its powers to enhance health, concentration, and peace of mind. These ancient Chinese Taoist texts explain the transformative effects sex can have when properly and wisely practiced, demonstrating Taoism's emphasis on cultivating life's "three treasures"--vitality, energy, and spirit--in all the activities of daily life. The texts are part of the famous Mawangdui finds, Han Dynasty tombs that yielded the richest cache of ancient medical manuscripts ever found in China. The first three texts, Ten Questions, Joining Yin...
The benefits of sexual bliss were not lost on the ancients, who knew well its powers to enhance health, concentration, and peace of mind. These ancien...
The Prajnaparamita (-perfection of wisdom-) sutras are one of the great legacies of Mahayana Buddhism, giving eloquent expression to some of that school's central concerns: the perception of shunyata, the essential emptiness of all phenomena; and the ideal of the bodhisattva, one who postpones his or her own enlightenment in order to work for the salvation of all beings.
The Prajnaparamita literature consists of a number of texts composed in Buddhist India between 100 BCE and 100 CE. Originally written in Sanskrit, but surviving today mostly in their Chinese versions, the...
The Prajnaparamita (-perfection of wisdom-) sutras are one of the great legacies of Mahayana Buddhism, giving eloquent expression to some of that scho...
Drawn from the records of Chinese Zen masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, this collection may surprise some readers. In contrast to the popular image of Zen as an authoritarian, monastic tradition deeply rooted in Asian culture, these passages portray Zen as remarkably flexible, adaptive to contemporary and individual needs, and transcending cultural boundaries. The readings contained in Zen Essence emphasize that the practice of Zen requires consciousness alone and does not depend on a background in Zen Buddhism and Asian culture. The true essence of Zen resides in the relationship...
Drawn from the records of Chinese Zen masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, this collection may surprise some readers. In contrast to the popular im...
Rational Zen consists of selection from Dogen's two masterworks, Shobogenzo (the famed "Treasury of Eyes of True Teaching, " Japan's most sophisticated philosophical work) and Eihei Koruko ("Universal Book of Eternal Peace"), now in English for the first time. The translator's commentary and a compendium of authentic source materials enhance the reader's insight into Dogen's methods, linking them to the great classical traditions of Buddhism that ultimately flowered in Zen.
Thomas Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and is a former fellow...
Rational Zen consists of selection from Dogen's two masterworks, Shobogenzo (the famed "Treasury of Eyes of True Teaching, " Japan's most sophisticate...
"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,...
"Zen Letters " presents the teachings of the great Chinese master Yuanwu (1063-1135) in direct person-to-person lessons, intimately revealing the inne...
This guide to enlightened conduct for people in positions of authority is based on the teachings of several great Chinese Zen masters. Drawing on private records, letters, and long-lost documents of the Song dynasty (tenth to thirteenth centuries), Zen Lessons consists of short excerpts written in language that is accessible to the reader without any background in Eastern philosophy. This book serves as a guide to recognizing the qualities of a genuine Zen teacher; it also serves as a study of the character and conduct necessary for the mastery of any position of power and authority...
This guide to enlightened conduct for people in positions of authority is based on the teachings of several great Chinese Zen masters. Drawing on priv...
This collection of Taoist texts includes: The Taoist I Ching: The classic "Book of Change" illuminated by the commentary of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Taoist adept Liu I-ming. The first part of the book is the text of I Ching proper with Liu's commentary. The second part is Liu's commentary on two additional sections known as the Overall Image and the Mixed Hexagrams added to the I Ching by earlier commentators, believed to be members of the original Confucian school. In total, the book illuminates the Taoist inner teachings as practiced in the School...
This collection of Taoist texts includes: The Taoist I Ching: The classic "Book of Change" illuminated by the commentary of the eighteenth...