| Title | Description |
| The Linji lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy: the Development of Chan's Records of Sayings Literature |
This book by Albert Welter has been reviewed Stuart Young and has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews Stuart Young, of St Lawrence University, gives a detailed review of this important monograph by respected Zen scholar Albert Welter |
| Stripping the Gurus: Sex, Violence, Abuse and Englightenment |
This book by Geoffrey D Falk has been added to
thezensite: Non-Zen Miscellaneous This free 534-page .pdf book by Geoffrey D Falk, author of The Science of the Soul: On Consciousness and the Structure of Reality; "Norman Einstein": The Dis-Integration of Ken Wilber; and Hip Like Me: Years in the Life of a "Person of Hair, covers a wide variety of 'gurus' and movements and cults and, as the title suggests, digs up the dirt. Zen is not the only group to be tainted by scandal and bizarre behaviour. A light-weight but entertaining read. |
| Particular and Universal: Problems posed by Shaku Soen's "Zen" |
This essay by John M Thompson has been added to
thezensite: Philosophical Page John Thompson of Christopher Newport University looks at Shaku Soen's Zen from a mystical viewpoint, pointing out that "it becomes evident that in ignoring him [Soen], scholars have overlooked a significant source of material for the academic study of mysticism." Thompson also briefly covers Soen Roshi's militarism. |
| If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life |
This book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed James Ishmeal Ford is a senior minister at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, Rhode Island, as well as Zen teacher with Boundless Way Zen. He received inka from John Tarrant and this is his second book. This book is full of anecedotes of his long years of Zen practice and offers much wisdom and laughter. A unique exposition of what it takes to practice Zen. Recommended. |
| This Truth Never Fails: a Zen memoir in four seasons |
This book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed David Rynick is one of the four leaders of the Boundless Way Zen Center in Worcester, Massachuesetts. This book is a collection of short anecdotes of his day-to-day life. |
| Poisoned Pen Letters? D.T. Suzuki's Communication of Zen to the West |
This critical essay by Dharmachāri Nāgapriya has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen D. T. Suzuki's reputation as a Zen teacher has been under attack for quite a while now. This essay is a part of that critique. Dharmachāri Nāgapriya is scathing of Suzuki's approach to Zen Buddhism, finding it is "both highly sectarian and fatally flawed". There are a number of other essays at thezensite: Critical Zen This issue is worth exploring further, given Suzuki's undoubted influence on Western Zen. |
| Koan, Hua-t'ou, and Kensho |
This writing by Amy Samy has been added to
thezensite: Commentaries and Teishos page Amy Samy has been teaching Zen for decades. He was authorized to teach by Yamada Ko'un of Sanbo Kyodan and carries on his teaching at Bodhi Zendo in Perumalmalai, India. Samy also travels regularly to Europe, the U. S. and Australia. In this essay he discusses some of the history of koan practice and focusses on two major problems with contemporary koan practice. Samy is crtical of the methods and techniques of Dahui as being "inadequate and wanting in authentic awakening and realization" as well as "the experience" many students have when engaging in koan practice. Samy believes the "pre-requisites for zen practice and awakening are ... Great Doubt, Great Faith and Great Effort". |
| The Ceasing of Notions |
This book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books ReviewedThis ancient text has been translated into English by Ven. Myokyo-Ni (irmgard Schloegl) and Michelle Bromley, published by Wisdom Publications, reviewed by Vladimir K. The text is an early dialogue between two obviously fictional characters, a teacher and student. This was a central text in the Ox-head School of early Ch'an. |
| A Response to Zen Has No Morals! |
This critical essay by Christopher Hamacher has been added to
thezensite: Critical ZenGregory Wonderwheel looks closely at Christopher Hamacher's article 'Zen Has No Morals!' and finds it lacking some essential elements. While Wonderwheel examines many aspects of Hammacher's article, he is most critical of Hamacher's assertion that it is "the structure and teaching of Zen Buddhism itself that lie at the root of the problem" of cultic behaviour in Zen sanghas. Wonderwheel disputes this, asserting that it is not Zen that is at fault here but "founder's syndrome" that can cause cultic tendencies as exmplified in Hamacher's two examples, Eido Shimano and Dr. Klaus Zernickow (Sotetsu Yuzen). Read both and make up your own mind. |
| Zen Has No Morals! |
This critical essay by Christopher Hamacher has been added to
thezensite: Critical ZenChristopher Hamacher examines at two scandals in Zen --- the Eido Shimano disgrace and the German teacher, Dr. Klaus Zernickow (Sotetsu Yuzen). While he briefly reviews these two cases, the focus of the essay is the eight signs that something is amiss with the teacher. The eight types of behaviour Hamacher believes are warning signs are agression upon being confronted, extreme formalism, blaming the student's ego, hypocrisy, groupthink, information control, self-aggrandisement or cult of personality, and autocratic institutional control. Hamacher shows how both Shimano and Zernickow exhibited these characteristics. |
| Tracking Bodhidharma |
This book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books ReviewedAndy Ferguson takes the reader on a journey through modern and ancient China searching for Bodhidharma. Weaving history, culture, Zen and the pitfalls of travel in today's China, Ferguson entertains as well as informs. A recommended read. |
| A Critical Analysis of Brian Victoria's Perspectives on Modern Japanese Buddhist History |
this critical analysis by Professor Daniel A. Metraux has been added to
thezensite:critical Zen essys Daniel A. Metraux, Professor of Asian Studies, Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Mary Baldwin College looks at Brian Victoria's two seminal works, Zen at War and Zen War Stories. Generally, Metraux is sympathetic to Victoria's agenda but he takes exception to Victoria's analysis of Makiguchi Tsunesaburo, one of founders of Soka Gakkai, as a war supporter. For readers not familiar with Victoria's work, this is a pretty good place to begin. |
| Critical Comments on Brian Victoria's "Engaged Buddhism: A Skeleton in the Closet?" |
this commentary has been added to
thezensite: critical Zen essys Miyata takes exception to Brian Victoria's portrayal of Sokka Gakkai founder, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, as a supporter of Japan's imperial war of aggression. Miyata argues that Victoria's claims rest on the highly selective use of quotes, and ignore key interpretative issues associated with Japanese imperial fascism and its underlying belief structures. He points out that Makiguchi was arrested and imprisoned under a law specifically aimed at opponents of the war efforts. |
| sitting |
a poem by Philip Porter has been added to
thezensite:miscellaneous essys This short poem by Philip Porter is, according to its author, "in response to DT Suzuki's work on "no mind"," |
| How to Reform a Serial Killer: The Buddhist Approach to Restorative Justice |
This essay by David Loy has been added to
thezensite: PhilosophicalDavid Loy looks at our justice system from a Buddhist point-of-view and finds it comes up short. He considers how Buddhist perspectives on crime and punishment support the contemporary movement toward restorative (in place of retributive) justice. He looks at two Pali suttas and the Vinaya for direction and also traditional Tibetan ideas of justice concluding with some reflections on why our present criminal justice systems serve the purposes of the state better than the needs of offenders and their victims. Recommended |
| Zen Past and Present |
Book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite:book reviews page This very short book by Eric Cunningham tries to give the history of Zen in 79 pages, with mixed success. |
| Empty Cloud, the Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu Yun |
This book translated by Lu Kuan Yu (Charles Luk) and revised and edited by Richard Hunn has been added to
thezensite:Translations and Sutras Empty Cloud, Master Xu Yun's(Hsu-Yun) autobiography is a fascinating read of one of the most important and remarkable Zen masters of the twentieth century. This is the stuff of legends! It is easy to imagine that in a few hundred years, Xu Yun could be as important in Zen history as any of the ancient Chinese masters. No longer in print. Recommended |
| Hua-t'ou: A Method of Zen Meditation |
This essay by Stuart Lachs has been added to
thezensite:Commentaries and Teishos page Stuart Lachs has been practising hua-t'ou for some thirty years and offers his knowledge and experiences about this method of Zen meditiation to anyone who wishes to try this form of meditation. Hua-t'ou, which can be translated as 'critical phrase', is similar to a koan but rather than being a story or dialogue, it is a stand-alone phrase such as "What is it?" or "Who Am I?" or even the single word, "Mu". The essay give some background material on the history of using hua-t'ou, some examples, some of the experiences one may undergo using this Zen method, Lachs' own personal experiences and how this method is relevent to the modern Zen student. |
| Master Hsu Yun's Discourses and Dharma Words |
This book Edited, Translated and Explained by Lu Kuan Yu (Charles Luk) has been added to
thezensite:Translations and Sutras Master Hsu-Yun was one of the most remarkable Ch'an masters of the twentieth century. Born in 1840, he achieved enlightenment at 56, made long, dangerous pilgrimages and passed away at 120 in 1959. He was noted not only as a teacher, but as a reviver and rebuilder as he restored numberous Buddhist temples, founded schools and hospitals and brought many to Ch'an Buddhist practices. Charles Luk's Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu Yun is a fascinating read. This book consists of an intruductory biography, discources on Ch'an training, and daily lectures during a two-week training session. This 135-page pdf document includes photos of the master. Recommended |
| Making Zen Your Own: Giving Life to Twelve Key Golden Age Ancestors |
This book by Janet Jiryu Abels has been reviewed by Vladimir K and added to
thezensite:Zen book reviewsJanet Jiryu Abels is the founder of Still Mind Zendo in New York City and she received Dharma transmission in the White Plum Lineage of Taizan Maezum Roshi. The book covers twelve important Zen ancients, from Bodhidharma to Fayan. Abels not only explains the lives of this masters but also contextualizes their lives in the history of China. Recommended |
| Dogen's Genjo Koan: Three Commentaries |
This book by Mel Weitsman, Michael Wenger and Shohaku Okamura has been reviewed by Vladimir K and added to
thezensite:Zen book reviewsThree Zen masters, Nishiari Bokusan, Shunryu Suzuki and Kosho Uchiyama each give a talk on Dogen's Genjokoan, arguably the most important essay in his Shobogenzo. Each teacher approaches the text slightly differently but the similarities outweigh the differences. |
| The Teachings of Master Wuzhu: Zen and Religion of No-Religion |
This book by Wendi L Adamek has been reviewed by Vladimir K and added to
thezensite:Zen book reviewsWuzhu was a long-forgotten Chan master contemporaneous with Matsu. The manuscript of his life, the Lidai fabao ji, was discovered in the Dunhuang caves along with the earliest version of the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. While the Platform Sutra ended up as one of the most popular Chan texts, the Lidai fabao ji vanished in time. Wendi Adamek gives a good account of this text, the teacher and a translation of the manuscript. |
| Beyond "East and West": Nishida's Universalism and Postcolonial Critique |
This essay by Yoko Arisaka has been added to
thezensite: Philosophical essays Abstract: During the 1930s and 1940s, many Japanese intellectuals resisted Western cultural imperialism. This theoretical movement was unfortunately complicit with wartime nationalism. Kitaro Nishida, the founder of modern Japanese philosophy and the leading figure of the Kyoto School, has been the focus of a controversy as to whether his philosophy was inherently nationalist or not. Nishida's defenders claim that his philosophical "universalism" was incompatible with the particularistic nationalism of Japan's imperialist state. From the standpoint of postcolonial critique, I argue that this defense is insufficient. Philosophical universalism is not in itself anti-imperialist, but can in fact contribute to imperialist ideology. |
| Bushidó or Bull? A Medieval Historian's Perspective on the Imperial Army and the Japanese Warrior Tradition |
This essay by Karl F Friday has been added to
thezensite: miscellaneous essays If you believe that the mistreatment of prisoners and the attrocities of the Japanese military during the Pacific War were due to the tradition of bushido and the samurai, think again. Friday delves into the true samurai spirit and looks at the history of bushido (did you know that the term was barely used until the late 19th Century?) and discovers that much of our idealisation of bushido and the samurai spirit is, well, to put it politely, bull. An essay well worth reading.
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| Buddhism and Christianity: a multicultural history of their dialogue |
This book review by David R. Loy has been added to
thezensite: book reviews page This is a review by David R Loy of an abridged translation of Buddhismus und Christentum: Geschichte, Konfrontation, Dialog first published in 1997 by Verlag C. H. Beck in Munich.
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| Self-Awakening and Faith — Zen and Christianity |
This essay by Maseo Abe has been added to
thezensite: Philosophical Abe discusses some critical differences between Zen Buddhism and Christianity. One difference is the udnerstanding of God and Emptiness. While Emptiness denotes the radical interdependence of all things, God stands alone as the source for all things. Another critical difference, according to Abe, is faith and enlightenment. Faith is directed outwards while enlightenment is self-realization. This leads to the contrast between salvation and self-awakening. Self-awakening is a present reality that only needs to be acknowledged and realized; the Christian striving for salvation and the overcoming of good by evil is, from Abe's perspective, rooted necessarily and irredeemably in dualism. Abe also engages with a questioner about the concept of good and evil, pointing out that Christianity moves evil to a potentiality and from time to eternity but offers no definite solution.
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| Scandals in Emerging Western Buddhism |
This essay by Dr Sandra Bell has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen This paper examines two well-known scandals at two Buddhist centers --- the San Francisco Zen Center and Chogyam Trungpa's Vajradhatu center. If you are not familiar with either of these, this is as good a place as any to start.
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| Making Merit through Warfare and Torture According to the Ārya-Bodhisattva-gocara-upāyaviṣaya-vikurvaṇa-nirdeśa Sūtra |
This essay by Stephen Jenkins has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen This paper examines the seeming hopeless dilemma faced by Buddhist rulers: how to punish criminals and defend the kingdom from external attack and still abide by the values of ahiṃsā (nonviolence). The Ārya-Satyakaparivarta gives kings the theoretical background to permit punishment and war. As Jenkins notes, "Compassionate violence is at the very heart of the sensibility of this sūtra". This is a fascinating exploration of a little-known sutra. It should be read in conjunction with Only a Fool Becomes a King: Buddhist Stances on Punishment by Michael Zimmerman, who covers similar ground. Both essays give a good grounding in the basics of this important issue. Is Buddhism really as pacifist as many believe?
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| Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara |
Book review of Fire Monks by Colleen Morton Busch has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed This is the story of how five Zen monks, including the Abbot of the San Franscisco Zen Center, saved the Zen monastery, Tassajara, from California wildfires in 2008. A ripping tale of Zen in the face of fear and fire. Reviewed by Vladimir K |
| The Non-Modern Confronts The Modern: Dating The Buddha In Japan |
This essay by James E. Ketelaar has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen This paper examines the emergence of a distinctively "modern" style of history and some of its uses as applied to Buddhism by Buddhist scholars within the early Meiji Period in Japan. By showing the methods and accomplishments of modernist historians, and the concomitant slippage of non-modern categories in their work, this paper sketches a method of analysis particularly applicable to the intersection of religion and history. |
| Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics |
This book review by Michael Ziegler has been added to
thezensite: Book Reviews Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics, edited by Allan Hunt Badiner, Alex Grey, Chronicle Books. The use of psychedelic drugs is that dark little secret behind the popular origins of Eastern spirituality in America, but if they really open the mind in the same ways meditative experiences do, why shouldn't they be legitimated and brought out into the open? In Allan Hunt Badiner and Alex Grey's Zig Zag Zen authors, artists, priests, and scientists are brought together to discuss this question. (Publisher's description) |
| Wild Geese: Buddhism in Canada |
This book review by Jeff Wilson has been added to
thezensite: Book Reviews Wild Geese: Buddhism in Canada, edited by John S Harding, Victor Sogen Hori and Alexander Soucy, McGill-Queen's University Press. The most comprehensive study of Buddhism in Canada to date, "Wild Geese" offers a history of the religion's evolution in Canada, surveys the diverse communities and beliefs of Canadian Buddhists and presents biographies of Buddhist leaders. The essays cover a broad range of topics, including Chinese, Tibetan, Lao, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese Buddhisms, critical reflections on Buddhism in the West, census data on the growth of the religion and analysis of the global context for the growth of Buddhism in Canada. (Publisher's description) |
| Critical Buddhism the Debate Concerning the 75-fascicle and 12-fascicle Shōbōgenzō Texts |
This essay by Steven Heine has been added to
thezensite: Dogen Studies Critical Buddhism maintains that the 12-fascicle text of the Shobogenzo, written towards the end of Dogen's life, reflects a profound change in Dogen's outlook and expresses a highly critical view of original-enlightenment thought as a misguided absolutization and affirmation of natural existence. Therefore, according to Critical Buddhism, the longer, better-known 75-fascicle is but a preliminary, seconary text, and it is the 12-fascicle text which exemplifies Dogen's essential teaching based on dependent origination. Heine investigate. This essay is also linked from thezensite: Critical Zen |
| A Day in the Life: Two Recent Works on Dogen's Shobogenzo Gyoji [Sustained Practice] Fascicle |
This book review has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews Steven Heine reviews 2 books on Dogen's Gyoji; Ishi Shudo's Shobogenzo [Gyoji] ni manabu and Yasuraoka Kosaku's Shobogenzo [Gyoji] jo |
| Dogen's Shobogenzo |
This page updated
thezensite: Shobogenzeno The Shobogenzo Complete page has been updated with new links to The Soto Zen Text Project at Stanford University's translation of Dogen's Shobogenzo. Also, Volumes 2, 3, and 4 of Nishijima & Cross's translation of the Shobogenzo are also available from the Shobogenzo Complete page or the Dogen Teachings page |
| Literal Means and Hidden Meanings: a New Analysis of Skillful Means |
This essay by Asaf Federman has been added to
thezensite: Philosophical Zen Federman explores what is meant by "skillful means". "Skillful means is ... not a mere pedagogical device of matching the right simile to the right person. It is also not exactly the idea that the teachings should be abandoned after a person reaches a goal. It is rather a sophisticated explanatory tool that enables a new religious movement to claim that what has been widely accepted as true is actually not true, and that truth is, and has always been, something else. " from Philosophy East & West Volume 59, Number 2 April 2009 125-141 |
| Is Critical Buddhism Really Critical? |
This essay by Peter N Gregory has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen While Gregory agrees that Matsumoto Shiro and Hakamaya Noriaki have raised an interestng question about whether the tathagata-garbha thought and "original enlightenment" are true Buddhism, he is more interested in noting the differences between Eastern and Western scholarship on such issues. While he does not agree with their analyses, he does applaud their spirit of critique, which he sees as most relevant for Buddhists today. His criticism comes down to critical Buddhism being "not yet fully critical". For a summary of Matsumoto and Noriaki's argument see Paul Swanson's Why They Say Zen is Not Buddhism: Recent Japanese Critiques of Buddha-Nature |
| Is Zen Buddhism? |
This essay by David R Loy has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen How is it that Zen Buddhism has been used in Japan to promote Japanese militarism and nationalism and the Zen samurai spirit which sacralizes death, killing and war? Teachers such as Shaku Soen and Harada Sogaku, among many others, have used Zen Buddhism and the so-called samurai spirit to justify and promote war. David Loy looks at these contradictions and questions whether Zen can still be called Buddhism. Unfortunately, he never really answers his own question. Since its publication in 1995, this question, the role of Zen in militarism and war, has become one of the most contentious in contemporary Zen studies. |
| Apology for What the Founder of the Sanbô Kyôdan, Yasutani Haku'un Roshi, Said and Did During World War II |
This apology by Kubota Jiun The 3rd Abbot of the Religious Foundation Sanbô Kyôdan has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen Abbot Kubota Jiun offers his apologies for the racist and anti-Semetic ideology of the founder of the Sanbô Kyôdan, Yasutani Haku'un Roshi. I shall leave it up to the reader to judge the sincerity of this apology. |
| The "Negative Side" of D. T. Suzuki's Relationship to War |
This essay by Brian Victoria has been added to
thezensite:Critical Zen Brian Victoria has recently been criticized for painting an unduly harsh assessment of D. T. Suzuki and his relationship with Japanese militarism; see, for example, Setting the Record Straight on D.T. Suzuki by Gary Snyder and Nelson Foster in Trycycle Magazine. Victoria answers his critics by delving deeper into this controversial issue. Kemmyō Taira Satō offers a rebuttal to Victoria's article in Brian Victoria and the Question of Scholarship, claiming that Victoria has compromised his academic credentials by the use of selective quotations taken out of context. It does not appear that this robust academic controversy is yet finished. |
| Tracing The Rhetoric Of Contemporary Zen: Dogen Sangha And The Modernization Of Japanese Zen Buddhism In The Light Of A Rhetorical Analysis Of A Weblog |
This essay by Johannes Cairns has been added to
thezensite: Dogen Studies Cairns looks at the rhetoric of an international Zen sangha, the Dogen Sangha, founded by Gudo Nishijima. As all the leading figures of the sangha have weblogs, the author uses this device to analyze the rhetoric of the sangha, focussing on the weblog of the Finnish leader, Markus Laitinen. Cairns concludes that the Dogen Sangha "views the field of Zen through the terministic screen of being a philosophy of action, realized through the practice of shikantaza", rejecting the commercialization of Zen and the institutionalization of Zen Buddhism as a religion. |
| Karma, War and Inequality in Twentieth Century Japan |
This essay by Brian Victoria has been added to
thezensite:Critical Zen While “karma” is used so often in the West today that it has become almost a household word, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the socio-political role played by karma in Asian societies, past or present. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the very idea of karma having a socio-political role will come as a surprise to many. That is to say, how could an ethical concept like karma, commonly associated with the good or bad effects of an individual’s acts, play a role in collective entities like society and politics? |
| When the Saints Go Marching In: Modern Day Zen Hagiography |
This essay by Stuart Lachs has been added to
thezensite:Critical Zen Stuart continues his ongoing investigation into modern American Zen. He looks at two recently published biographies of contemporary American Zen masters, Sheng Yen and Walter Nowick, two masters he has had considerable experience with, and discovers a number of flaws in the accounts of the lives of these two masters. It appears that modern Zen biographies continue the tradition of hagiography, of idealisation, of the Zen master. As Stuart points out, "Zen is trapped by its own legitimating fantasy," but we have to question whether this appropriate in the twenty-first century. Isn't Zen supposed to eliminate our illusions, not create new ones? |
| The Problem with Karma |
This essay by David R Loy has been added to
thezensite: Commentaries & Teishos For modern, Western, educated Zen Buddhists, the concepts of karma and rebirth are problematic. If we accept anatta (non-self) and paticca-samuppada (interdepent origination) then we have to ask 'What is reborn?'; 'Who is there to suffer the karmic consequences in some other lifetime?' These are questions seldom tackled by teachers or books but they go to the core of the Buddha's teaching. David Loy makes a good case. Highly recommended if these questions have been bothering you. |
| Sex, Sin and Buddhism:A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything in Between |
This book review by Bhikkhu Cintita Dinsmore has been added to
thezensite: book reviews Bhikkhu Dinsmore looks at the issue of sin in Buddhism. This is less a book review (he uses Brad Warner's book as a jumping off point) and more of a discourse on Buddhism, sin and sex. |
| Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness |
This essay by T. P. Kasulis has been added to
thezensite: Zen Philosophy When discussing religious ethics, we should consider not only the specific religion involved, but also its cultural setting. When analyzing traditional Zen Buddhist ethics, therefore, we need to consider it as not only a Buddhist but also an East Asian movement. For discussing Zen ethics today, furthermore, we should also examine factors arising from its new North American or Western European cultural settings. As a preliminary consideration, this paper briefly addresses some philosophical problems in bringing an East Asian Buddhist ethic as a system into dialogue with Western traditions. In fact, I will try to show that even if we were to embrace an ethic based in traditional East Asian Zen Buddhism, we might not be able to bring that ethic directly into an American context. Some intercultural confrontation or significant adjustment might be necessary. |
| Aquinas and Dōgen on Poverty and the Religious Life |
This essay by Douglas K. Mikkelson has been added to
thezensite: Zen Philosophy Recent efforts to articulate Buddhist ethics have increasingly focused on “Western” ethical systems that possess a “family resemblance” sufficient to serve as a bridge. One promising avenue is the employment of Aristotelian-Thomistic thinking in seeking to understand certain manifestations of Buddhism. More specifically, we can explore how the thinking of Thomas Aquinas may serve to illuminate the moral vision of the Zen Master Dōgen on specific topics, such as that of “poverty and the religious life.” Employing Aquinas as a bridge to understanding Dōgen's views on poverty and the religious life reveals several points of similarity, while at the same time uncovering distinctive differences. Given the sheer volume of their respective collective works, we can anticipate that they share many other concerns worthy of our attention. Perhaps the modus operandi of this article could also contribute to further Western explorations of Dōgen's ethics. |
| Transmission and Enlightenment in Chan Buddhism Seen Through the Platform Sūtra |
This essay by Morten Schlütter has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen pageThis paper discusses developments in the conceptualization of transmission and enlightenment in the Platform Sutra's main line of development, beginning with the earliest version found at Dunhuang leading down to the orthodox version included in the Taishō canon. from Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, no. 20, pp. 379～410 (2007) |
| Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers |
This book review by Vladimir K. has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed Written by Perle Besserman and Manfred Steger, the book brings together six Zen eccentrics and notable Zen masters and one Zen family to highlight that pursuing a religious life often means rebelling against the established orthodoxy of not only society, but religion itself. Two of Zen’s most radical and important Zen masters are included in this collection, Linji Yixuan (d. 866) (J. Rinzai Gigen), founder of the school that bears his name, and the Japanese master, Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768), who reformed Rinzai Zen in Japan after it had fallen into disrepute and rote learning. All modern Rinzai teachers trace their lineage back to Hakuin. Zen Radicals, Rebels and Reformers discusses only two Chinese masters, including Layman P'ang, before moving to Japan and covering Bassui Tokushō(1327-1387), Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481), Bankei Yotaku (1622-1693), Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1769), and the modern masters Nyogen Senzaki (1876- 1958)and Soen Nakagawa (1907-1984). |
| Continuity and Change in the Economic Ethics of Buddhism Evidence From the History of Buddhism in India, China and Japan |
This essay by Gregory K. Ornatowski has been added to
thezensite: Zen Essays Miscellaneous Buddhist economic ethics for monks and laity historically shared a common principle of nonattachment to wealth. At the same time, while lay economic ethics have consistently stressed merchant-type values and the importance of giving to the sangha (dàna), monastic ethics underwent major changes....an analysis of Buddhist soteriologies and major concepts such as anàtman, karma, pratãtyasamutpàda, dàna and karuõà, reveals that issues of economic equality and justice in Buddhism are dealt with less by attempting to change the existing distribution of wealth than by cultivating the proper ethical attitudes toward wealth and giving. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Volume 3 1996:198-240 |
| Not Buying into Words and Letters: Zen, Ideology, and Prophetic Critique |
This essay by Christopher Ives has been added to
thezensite: Zen Philosophy Judging from the active participation of Zen leaders and institutions in modern Japanese imperialism, one might conclude that by its very nature Zen succumbs easily to ideological co-optation. Several facets of Zen epistemology and institutional history support this conclusion. At the same time, a close examination of Zen theory and praxis indicates that the tradition does possess resources for resisting dominant ideologies and engaging in ideology critique. Despite the historical record, Zen and the larger Buddhist tradition of which it is part do offer resources for avoiding co-optation and responding to dominant ideologies, and in recent decades Buddhist ethicists have started drawing from these resources to engage in ideology critique. Arguably, the criticism of those ideologies and Zen entanglement in them is the prolegomenon to the construction of a rigorous Zen social ethic. |
| Satori and the Moral Dimension of Enlightenment |
This essay by Dale S Wright has been added to
thezensite: Zen Philosophy This essay addresses the question posed by Brian Victoria's description of
"moral blindness" in twentieth-century Japanese Zen masters by claiming that since Zen monastic training does not include practices of reflection that cultivate the moral dimension of life, skill in this dimension of human character was not considered a fundamental or necessary component of Zen enlightenment. The essay asks what an enlightened moral sensitivity might
require, and concludes in challenging the Zen tradition to consider reengaging the Mahāyāna Buddhist practices of reflection out of which Zen originated in order to assess the possible role of morality in its thought and practice of enlightenment. |
| Realizing Genjokoan: the key to dogen's shobogenzo |
This book review by Vladimir K. has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed Okumura is not just an expert on Dogen, he is also an excellent teacher and both novices and seasoned practitioners would benefit by reading this book. While Genjokoan is, as the subtitle of this book notes, the key to Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Okumura provides us with a key to unlocking much of Dogen’s teaching. I heartily recommend this book. |
| Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen and the West |
This book review by Victor Soren Hori has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed Shoji Yamada's book focuses on two cultural icons, Eugen Herrigel's book Zen in the Art of Archery and the sand garden of the Zen temple Ryōanji in Kyoto. Yamada's book intends to bust the myth of Herrigel's book Zen in the Art of Archery and deflate the mystery of the Zen garden of Ryōanji. |
| The World is Made of Stories |
This book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite: Zen Books Reviewed David R Loy's book, The World is Made of Stores has been reviewed by Vladimir K |
| Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters |
This book review by Vladimir K has been added to
thezensite:Zen Books Reviewed Grace Schireson's book, Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters has been reviewed by Vladimir K |
| D. T. Suzuki and the Question of War |
This essay by Kemmyō Taira Sato has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen Brian Victoria's Zen at War created quite a stir in Western Zen circles when the book was released in 1997. Victoria criticised D. T. Suzuki for being a supporter of the Japanese military during WWII. While Satō acknowledges that Victoria's book is significant for the history of Zen, he has taken another look at Victoria's sources about Suzuki and comes to quite a different conclusion regarding Suzuki's position on Japanese militarism. This is an important rebuttle of Victoria's accusations about Suzuki. Well worth reading. from The Eastern Buddhist 39/1: 61–120 |
| Chinese Buddhism and the Anti-Japan War |
This essay by Sueki Fumihiko has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen While authors such as Brian Victoria have focussed on the actions of Japanese Zen leaders during the war, Fumihiko looks at two Chinese Buddhist leaders, Taixu and Leguan, to see how they viewed the Japanese imperialists and Japanese Buddhism. Taixu attempted to radically change Chinese Buddhism and establish a humanistic Buddhism. Leguan at first had a positive view of Japanese Buddhism and saw it as a possible model for modernizing Buddhism in China, but later became very critical of Japanese Buddhism and encouraged taking action against the Japanese invasion. Both struggled with the difficult problem of whether it was proper for a Buddhist to actively take up arms and fight in a war for their nation. |
| Social Ethics of New Buddhists at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: A comparataive Study of Suzuki Daisetsu and Inoue Shuten |
This essay by Moriya Tomoe has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen Tomoe does a comparative study of Suzuki Daisetsu (D T Suzuki) and Inoue Shuten and looks at how these two prominent Buddhists responded to the rising nationalism and militarism in pre-WW1 Japan. Tomoe looks specifically at the journal Shin Bukkyo to examine how the two Buddhists presented Buddhism and how their international contacts influenced their religious ideals. |
| Book review by Vladimir K of Steven Heine's Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up? |
This book review by Vladimir has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews Heine’s goal in this book is to find a middle path between the two extremes of the Traditional Zen Narrative, which sees Zen Buddhism as an idealized vision of non-duality standing beyond words and letters, a religious practice using heuristic devices to express the inexpressible leading to the ultimate truth of silence and the Historical and Cultural Criticism approach which argues that Zen deliberately cloaks itself “in a shield of opaqueness” to avoid historical scrutiny which would reveal Zen’s inconsistencies, flaws of character and “what is often the cynical obfuscation and hypocrisy inherent in traditional Zen”. Heine hopes to reveal a better, perhaps more accurate, understanding of “real Zen Buddhism”. He tackles the problem with wit and humour in the titles of the three main chapters of his book: Zen Writes, Zen Rites and Zen Rights. Word play is a characteristic of Zen kōans and Heine gleefully takes up the form to delve into the arguments of both sides. |
| Book review by Larry Smith of Robert Aitken's The Practice of Perfection: The Paramitas from a Zen Buddhist Perspective |
This book review by Larry Smith has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews This is not a book about perfection so much as it is about practice, about clothing yourself and being at home. Robert Aitken Roshi weaves together the declarations of the Ten Paramitas with careful explanations, quotes, applications, questions and answers, all in a dialogue of learning rather than a lecture or a sermon from on high. |
| Book review by Victor Forte of Steven Heine's Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up? |
This book review by Victor Forte has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews The latest work from Steven Heine, Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up? resulted from a recent combative encounter he witnessed while presiding on an East Asian ethics panel at a national academic conference. The confrontation took place between certain panelists who had presented the possibilities of traditional Zen as a viable response to ethical challenges of the contemporary world and audience members who declared the moral failings of Zen based on evidence taken from critical studies of its institutional history. |
| Book review by Helen J Baroni of Steven Heine's Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up? |
This book review by Helen J Baroni has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews Zen Skin, Zen Marrow represents a departure from Steven Heine's usual style of Zen scholarship. Its first four substantive chapters offer up Heine's usual brand of carefully crafted and evenhanded scholarship on the Zen tradition. Here, the author focuses his attention as much on the field of Zen studies as on the religious and philosophical tradition of Zen, seeking a middle ground between apologetics and excessive criticism. Recommended |
| Approaching the Language of Zen:Clarke, Heidegger, and the Meaning of Articulation in Zen Koans by Anton Sevilla |
This essay by Anton Sevilla has been added to
thezensite: Philosophical Through a number of koans, Sevilla explores the notion of Zen articulation as 'unsaying,' and poetic speech, and through the Martin Heidegger theory of language and the notions of logos and aletheia, Sevilla attempts to clarify and expound on the meaning of unsaying and poetic speech. |
| Book review of Daishin Morgan's Buddha Recognizes Buddha |
This book review by Vladimir K. has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews Daishin Morgan is the abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey. This book is based on the Soto teachings of Dogen Zenji. Recommended |
| Links added to Zen Centers and Commentaries and Teishos pages. See Update page |
Links to the Rochester Zen Center have been added to
thezensite: Zen Centers page and a link to the teachings of Kankan Roshi to the commentaries and teisho page. |
| The Pragmatics of ‘Never Tell Too Plainly’: indirect communication in Chan Buddhism |
This essay by Youru Wang has been added to
thezensite: Philosophy page This is a philosophical investigation of the linguistic strategy of Chinese Chan Buddhism. It examines the underlying structure of Chan communication, which determines the Chan pragmatics of never tell too plainly revealing what the Chan special transmission means. This essay also investigates the different types of the Chan strategies of indirect communication, such as the use of paradoxical, tautological and poetic language, which best demonstrate the principle of never tell too plainly. |
| Koan Zen and Wittgenstein’s Only Correct Method in Philosophy |
This essay by Carl Hooper has been added to
thezensite: Philosophy page Koan Zen is a philosophical practice that bears a strong family resemblance to Wittgenstein’s approach to philosophy.Both koan Zen and Wittgenstein’s method set limits to the reach of philosophical discourse. Each rules metaphysical speculation out of bounds. Neither, however, represents a rejection of the metaphysical. Where Wittgenstein enjoins silence in the face of the unsayable, a silence that allows the metaphysical to show itself, koan Zen calls for concrete demonstrations of that which cannot be captured in rational discourse. |
| When a White Horse Is Not a Horse |
This article by Kirill Ole Thompson has been added to
thezensite: Philosophy page Thompson looks at the paradox that a white horse is not a horse (pai-ma fei ma) and the Treatise on the White Horse (Pai-ma lun) attributed to Master Kung-sun Lung (fl. 284-259 B.C.) [which] have alternatively astonished and perplexed readers for over two millennia. |
| Liberating Language in Linji and Wittgenstein |
This essay by James D. Sellmann & Hans Julius Schneider has been added to
thezensite: Philosophy page The aim of this paper is to explicate some unexpected and striking similarities and equally important differences between Wittgenstein methodology and the approach of Chinese Chan or Japanese Zen Buddhism. The Zen approach to life most definitely sheds some light on what Ludwig Wittgenstein was pointing at or trying to show through his kōanic or koan-like use of philosophical problems. Wittgenstein s analysis provides a way for understanding what the Zen master is doing. |
| A dharma talk by Harada Tangen Roshi |
This talk by Harada Tangen Roshi has been added to
thezensite: Commentaries and Teishos Teachings page Harada Tangen is the abbot of the Japanese Zen temple, Bukkokuji, and is a dharma heir of Daiun Sogaku Harada, who some consider the grandfather of the Sanbo Kyodan which was founded by another Sogaku heir, Haku'un Yasutani. This teisho by Harada Tangen urges Zen students to realize their own Buddha-nature and never give up their practice. A typical teisho from this much-loved master. |
| A Note On Dharma Transmission And The Institutions Of Zen |
This article by James Myoun Ford, Dharma heir in the Harada-Yasutani Zen lineage (from John Tarrant Roshi), has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen page Although Zen transmission sometimes brings its own problems, Ford argues that it is essential to know where your teacher came from and who authorized that person to teach. Ford also gives suggestions on what to look for when chosing a teacher. The essay attempts to address some of the issues concerning our emerging western Zen sangha, in particular the relationship between awakening, Dharma transmission and the institutions of Zen. It is Ford's thesis that each of these things, our individual awakening, the confirmation of our experience by our teachers and the institutions that support this work are wound up together as tightly as a well woven cord. |
| Emptiness and the Institutional Suicide of Chinese Buddhism |
This article by Neal Donner has been added to
thezensite: Nagarjuna page Donner argues that the Mahayana philosophy of emptiness, or sunyata, led to the inevitable decline and destruction of Mahayana Buddhism in China. After all, if, as the Mahayana claimed, all teachings and doctrines were empty, without substance, and all objects of faith are phantasms, then what room is there for Buddhism itself? This is an interesting argument, well worth reading. |
| Keeping It Real: Chan and The Pursuit of Experience |
This article by Matthew Gindin has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen page Gidin looks at how Tang and Song Dynasty Chan strove for "authenticity", moving away from any intellectualization and Confucian and Buddhist sicknesses, side effects of its own success. |
| The Aitken-Shimano Letters |
This article by Vladimir K. and Stuart Lachs has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen page Based on letters spanning some 20 years from the Robert Aitken Archive held at the University of Hawaii, this is an extraordinary story of how a Zen master, Eido Shimano Roshi, can be accused of sexual impropriety with female sangha members and still maintain the position of abbot and teacher at the first Rinzai monastery outside of Japan. |
| Yasutani Hakuun Roshi - a biographical note |
This short piece by Paul David Jaffe has been added to
thezensite: History page This is an excerpt of a MA theis in Asian Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, June, 1979. It offers a brief outline of Yasutani Roshi, founder of the Sambokyodan group, first teacher of Robert Aitken, teacher also of Phillip Kapleau and Maezumi Taizan Roshi of Los Angeles. An important figure in Western Zen. |
| On Responsibility |
This short talk by Robert Aitken Roshi has been added to
thezensite: Miscellaneous Teachings page This is a talk given to Buddhist Peace Fellowship Membership Gathering on June 23, 2006, when Aitken Roshi, founder of the Diamond Sangha, was 89 years old. He ranges over a number of contemporary issues: politics, scandals, Buddhist activism and lay practice. |
| A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms Being an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his Travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline |
This translation by Trevor Legge of the journals of FaHien (A.D. 399-414) has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen Essays page Fa Hien (also known as Faxian; Fa-Hsien) was one of the earliest Chinese Buddhists to make the perilous journey to India to bring the Dharma back to China. This is a translation was first published in 1886. |
| The Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves |
This essay by Stuart Lachs has been added to
thezensite: Critical Zen Essays page Lachs continues to delve into the underbelly of American Zen and questions whether the traditional image of the perfect Zen master is even possible let alone a reality. Lachs' essays are always interesting reads. |
| Zen in Europe: A Survey of the Territory |
This essay by Alioune Koné has been added to
thezensite: Miscellaneous Essays page Kone gives an overview of the development of Zen in Europe going from the earliest times to the present. He also discusses issues such as sustainability, legitimacy and authority in European Zen centers. |
| Zen: its origins and its signficance |
This short essay by John C. Wu is the first chapter of The Golden Age of Zen: Zen Masters of the Tang Dynasty by John Wu. This has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen Wu looks at the similarities between Taoism and Chan. |
| Book review of Heinrich Dumoulin's Zen Englightenment: Origins and Meaning |
This book review by Vladimir K. has been added to
thezensite: Zen Book Reviews Dumoulin's book is a basic introduction to Zen history rather than enlightenment but it has some flaws making it suitable only for beginners. |
| Introduction by Victor Sogen Hori to Heinrich Dumoulin's Zen Buddhism: A History Vol. 2 |
This Introduction by Victor Sogen Hori has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen Hori is a little more gentle towards Dumoulin than McRae is. The two different Introductions are well work reading. |
| Introduction by John McRae to Heinrich Dumoulin's Zen Buddhism: A History Vol. 1 |
This Introduction by John McRae has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen This interesting essay by McRae discusses Dumoulin's approach to Zen Buddhist studies and although McRae doesn't necessarily agree with much of Dumoulin, he does acknowledge Dumoulin's contribution to Zen studies. |
| Overview of Chinese Commentaries of the Lotus Sutra |
This outline by Kanno Hiroshi has been added to
thezensite: Translations and Sutras page This 1994 overview of commentaries on the Lotus Sutra may be of interest to anyone studying this sutra. |
| A belated response to Hu Shih and D.T. Suzuki. (debate on Ch'an and Zen Buddhism in Philosophy East and West, vol. 3, p. 3 an p. 25, April 1953) |
This essay by James Sellman has been added to
thezensite: Miscellaneous Essays page This is over half a century old and I add it thezensite just for historical purposes. As the contribution made by D. T. Suzuki is re-evaluated today, it is worth looking back to see what was going on when Suzuki was beginning his mission. |
| The Emptiness of Christ: A Mahayana Christology |
This essay by John Keenan has been added to
thezensite: Philosophy page Keenan argues that by applying Mahayana concepts of emptiness and dependent co-arising, the conflicting duality between Jesus the man and Jesus the divine can be overcome. An interesting essay that Christian Zennists may enjoy. |
| Manual of Zen Buddhism by D. T. Suzuki |
This short book, first published in 1935, by Zen scholar D. T. Suzuki has been added to
thezensite: Miscellaneous Essays page There are better books available but I've put this up for historical purposes only. |
| Shobogenzo Volume 2 |
This free download of the second volume of Nishijima and Cross translation of the Shobogenzo has been added to
thezensite: Dogen Teachings page Volume 1 is also available at the same location. |
| book review of Michael Downing's Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center |
This book review by Vladimir K. has been added to
thezensite: Zen books reviewed page This is the story of Richard Baker-roshi, the development of the San Francisco Zen Center and how and why Baker-roshi was forced to resign as abbot of the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside of Asia. |
| The Modern Significance of the Lotus Sūtra |
This essay by Hiroshi Kanno has been added to
thezensite: Zen Philosophy page |
| The problem with orthodoxy in Zen Buddhism: Yongming Yanshou’s notion of zong in the Zongjin lu (Records of the Source Mirror) |
This essay by Albert Welter has been added to
thezensite: Zen History page |
| The Discovery of Buddha's Birthplace |
This article from the 1897 Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland by G. Buhler has been added to
thezensite Historical Zen page. |
| thezensite Zen Books Reading List |
This is thezensite's own extensive reading list of interesting, informative or entertaining Zen books. A good place to visit if you're not sure where to start or follow up your reading. Many of the books have reviews so you can read the review before making a decision about buying the book. |
| book review: Dream Conversations on Buddhism and Zen by Muso Kokushi, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. |
Book review by Fred H Martinson added to
thezensite: Zen Books Review page |
| The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch |
Part of the BDK English TripiPaka Series conducted by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, this volume has been added to
thezensite: Translations_and_Sutras page This translation of the Platform Sutra is by John R McRae and includes notes, bibliography, glossary and index. 172 pages pdf |
| Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations |
Part of the BDK English TripiPaka Series conducted by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, this volume has been added to
thezensite: Translations_and_Sutras page This translation includes a Glossary of Sanskrit Terms, a Bibliography and an Index. Warning: this document is 426 pages long |
| Volume 1 translation of the Shobogenzo by Nishijima and Cross |
The Nishijima and Cross translation of Volumbe 1 of Dogens Shobogenzo, 21 chapters, has been added to
thezensite: Dogen Teachings page This translation includes 6 Appendix sections as well as a Glossary of Sanskrit Terms and a Bibliography. Warning: this document is 514 pages of pdf |
| Hungarian translation Hsin-hsin Ming |
A Hungarian translation of this much loved poem attributed to Seng Tsan, the Third Patriarch has been added to
thezensite: Translations and Sutras page |
| Dereification in Zen Buddhism |
The goal of this article is to develop the concept of "dereification" in religion and to explain certain aspects of Zen Buddhism. To this end, Moore argues that conversion to Zen Buddhism is actually a resocialization process characterized by the acquisition of dereifying perception. While earlier accounts of dereification in religion have remained at a very general theoretical level, Moore tries to give a more empirical account of dereification by showing (1) that it corresponds to a concept used by religious practitioners themselves, emptiness, (2) that it is developed through particular religious practices, meditation, and (3) that it is involved in actual forms of religious interaction, koan training. This essay has been added to
thezensite: Zen Essays: Philosophical page |
| The Kasaya Robe of the Past Buddha Kasyapa in the Miraculous Instruction Given to the Vinaya Master Daoxuan (596-667) |
Koichi Shinohara examines the passages on the robe Kaa`syapa Buddha handed over to `Saakyamuni in Daoxuans visionary experience as written up in the Daoxuan lushi gantonglu and the Zhong Tianzhu Sheweiguo Zhihuansi tujing and discusses the soteriological discourses on the robe. He concludes with comments on the possible significance of this discussion in the light of the prominent role that the account of the transmission of the robe of Bodhidharma played in early Chan. This essay has been added to
thezensite: Historical Zen page |
| The Mumonkan: The Gateless Checkpoint |
link to translation of the Mumonkan, The Gateless Checkpoint, by Gregory Wonderwheel added to thezensite: Koan Studies page |
| Zen Ancestors in China Lineage Chart |
Andy Ferguson's Zen Ancestors in China Lineage Chart added to thezensite: Historical Zen page The author of Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings includes this lineage chart of the 5 Houses of Chinese Zen in his book. |
