The Mirror of Zen

The Mirror of Zen
Author: Boep Joeng
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2006-12-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834826410

The sacred radiance of our original nature never darkens. It has shined forth since beginningless time. Do you wish to enter the gate that leads to this? Simply do not give rise to conceptual thinking. Zen Master So Sahn (1520–1604) is a towering figure in the history of Korean Zen. In this treasure-text, he presents in simple yet beautiful language the core principles and teachings of Zen. Each section opens with a quotation—drawn from classical scriptures, teachings, and anecdotes—followed by the author’s commentary and verse. Originally written in Chinese, the text was translated into Korean in the mid-twentieth century by the celebrated Korean monk Boep Joeng. An American Zen monk, Hyon Gak, has translated it into English.

The Mirror of Zen

The Mirror of Zen
Author: Zen Master So Sahn
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2006-12-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1590303849

The sacred radiance of our original nature never darkens. It has shined forth since beginningless time. Do you wish to enter the gate that leads to this? Simply do not give rise to conceptual thinking. Zen Master So Sahn (1520–1604) is a towering figure in the history of Korean Zen. In this treasure-text, he presents in simple yet beautiful language the core principles and teachings of Zen. Each section opens with a quotation—drawn from classical scriptures, teachings, and anecdotes—followed by the author’s commentary and verse. Originally written in Chinese, the text was translated into Korean in the mid-twentieth century by the celebrated Korean monk Boep Joeng. An American Zen monk, Hyon Gak, has translated it into English.

The Dark Side of the Mirror

The Dark Side of the Mirror
Author: David Brazier
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2019-03-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1911407260

This new commentary by Buddhist teacher and author David Brazier draws back the curtain revealing the deeper meaning of the text in language that will be as transparent to the general reader as it is informative to the specialist.

A Handbook of Korean Zen Practice

A Handbook of Korean Zen Practice
Author: John Jorgensen
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2015-02-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0824840976

Sŏn (Japanese Zen) has been the dominant form of Buddhism in Korea from medieval times to the present. A Handbook of Korean Zen Practice: A Mirror on the Sŏn School of Buddhism (Sŏn'ga kwigam) was the most popular guide for Sŏn practice and life ever published in Korea and helped restore Buddhism to popularity after its lowest point in Korean history. It was compiled before 1569 by Sŏsan Hyujŏng (1520–1604), later famed as the leader of a monk army that helped defend Korea against a massive Japanese invasion in 1592. In addition to succinct quotations from sutras, the text also contained quotations from selected Chinese and Korean works together with Hyujŏng's explanations. Because of its brevity and organization, the work proved popular and was reprinted many times in Korea and Japan before 1909. A Handbook of Korean Zen Practice commences with the ineffability of the enlightened state, and after a tour through doctrine and practice it returns to its starting point. The doctrinal rationale for practice that leads to enlightenment is based on the Mahayana Awakening of Faith, but the practice Hyujŏng enjoins readers to undertake is very different: a method of meditation derived from the kongan (Japanese koan) called hwadu (Chinese huatou), or "point of the story," the story being the kongan. This method was developed by Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163) and was imported into Korea by Chinul (1158–1210). The most famous hwadu is the mu (no) answer by Zhaozhou to the question, "Does a dog have a buddha-nature?" Hyujŏng warns of pitfalls in this practice, such as the delusion that one is already enlightened. A proper understanding of doctrine is required before practicing hwadu. Practice also requires faith and an experienced teacher. Hyujŏng outlines the specifics of practice, such as rules of conduct and chanting and mindfulness of the Buddha, and stresses the requirements for living the life of a monk. At the end of the text he returns to the hwadu, the need for a teacher, and hence the importance of lineage. He sketches out the distinctive methods of practice of the chief Sŏn (Chinese Chan) lineages. His final warning is not to be attached to the text. The version of the text translated here is the earliest and the longest extant. It was "translated" into Korean from Chinese by one of Hyujŏng's students to aid Korean readers. The present volume contains a brief history of hwadu practice and theory, a life of Hyujŏng, and a summary of the text, plus a detailed, annotated translation. It should be of interest to practitioners of meditation and students of East Asian Buddhism and Korean history.

The Empty Mirror

The Empty Mirror
Author: Janwillem van de Wetering
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2014-07-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 146687466X

Seen by many as a contemporary classic, Janwillem van de Wetering's small and admirable memoir records the experiences of a young Dutch student—later a widely celebrated mystery writer—who spent a year and a half as a novice monk in a Japanese Zen Buddhist monastery. As Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, author of Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, has written, The Empty Mirror "should be very encouraging for other Western seekers." It is the first book in a trilogy that continues with A Glimpse of Nothingness and Afterzen.

Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave

Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave
Author: Norman Waddell
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
Total Pages: 522
Release: 2010-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1458759393

Having devoted a large part of his life to translating and publishing work by and about Hakuin, Buddhism's original ambassador to the West, Waddell presents us with this collection of six diverse and independent works that contains five pieces never translated into English before, some of which have been - until quite recently - unknown, even in Japan.

The Face

The Face
Author: Ruth Ozeki
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2016-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1632060523

A revelatory short memoir from the author and Zen Buddhist priest Ruth Ozeki about how her face has shaped and been shaped by her life

Polishing the Mirror

Polishing the Mirror
Author: Ram Dass
Publisher: Sounds True
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-08-01
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1622031679

Sometimes illumination occurs spontaneously or, as Ram Dass experienced, in a heart-wrenching moment of opening. More commonly, it happens when we polish the mirror of the heart with daily practice—and see beyond the illusion of our transient thoughts and emotions to the vast and luminous landscape of our true nature. For five decades, Ram Dass has explored the depths of consciousness and love and brought them to life as service to others. With Polishing the Mirror, he gathers together his essential teachings for living in the eternal present, here and now. Readers will find within these pages a rich combination of perennial wisdom, humor, teaching stories, and detailed guidance on Ram Dass' own spiritual practices, including: Bhakti Yoga—opening our hearts to unconditional lovePractices for living, aging, dying, and embracing the natural flow of lifeKarma Yoga—how selfless service can profoundly transform usWorking with fear and suffering as a path to grace and freedomStep-by-step guidance in devotional chant, meditation and mantra practice, and much more For those new to Ram Dass' teachings, and for those to whom they are old friends, here is this vanguard spiritual explorer's complete guide to discovering who we are and why we are here, and how to become beacons of unconditional love.

The Compass of Zen

The Compass of Zen
Author: Seung Sahn
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 418
Release: 1997-10-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834823713

A simple, exhaustive—and often hilarious—presentation of the essence of Zen by a modern Zen Master of considerable renown In 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 that is wonderfully accessible for beginners—yet so rich with stories, insights, and personal experiences that long-time meditation students will also find it a source of inspiration and a resource for study.

Afterzen

Afterzen
Author: Janwillem van de Wetering
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2001-03-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780312272616

In Afterzen, van de Wetering provides unorthodox solutions to a collection of classical koans found in Walter Nowick's The Wisteria Triangle. Van de Wetering gives them his own distinctive touch of humor, down to earth reality, and tough spirituality in the context of meeting and adventures with personalities "collaged from bits and pieces of teachers and fellow students who kindly came my way." In this third book of the trilogy, van de Wetering is at his accessible, honest, funny, and genuinely spiritual best.