Hi All,
I have four book recommendations, although I have only read 1 1/2 of them so far! (The others have not arrived to me in Japan but, based on the authors and topic, I don't hesitate to make the recommendation). I mention some other older books in there as well. All are on our SUGGESTED BOOK & MEDIA LIST for TREELEAF SANGHA:
Pretty good for a "Way Beyond Words and Letters", and should keep you busy between all the sittings.
1 - Just This Is It: Dongshan and the Practice of Suchness by Taigen Dan Leighton
I am a bit more than halfway through, but have no hesitancy to recommend this. This is the kind of book, however, that I feel needs to be encountered slowly, in small bites (thus the reason I have not finished it yet). Each few pages is a wonderful Zen story or aspect of our ancestor, Dongshan, and not something to rush through cover to cover. As well, I probably would not recommend this for folks brand new to Zen, but would very much recommend it for more experienced folks looking for something with a bit of meat on the bone.
Taigen, by the way, has promised to come to Treeleaf as a guest teacher to lead Zazen in late July. Please join us then. He will be speaking from a portion of this book.
2 - Commentary on the Song of Awakening: [Master Kodo Sawaki's] Commentary on the Seventh Century Poem by the Chinese Ch'an Master Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh, translated by Tonen O'Connor
This is a series of talks by "Homeless" Kodo Sawaki, translated by Rev. O'Conner (who also led Zazenkai here a few months ago). I have not received it yet, but have seen portions. An excellent resource for those of us influenced by the Practice style and Teachings of Sawaki Roshi, such as here at Treeleaf.
At the same time, I will take this chance to recommend a 5th book: a recently updated version of the "Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo", compiled with commentary by Uchiyama Roshi, translated by Shohaku Okumura
3 - The Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana Buddhism by Kazuaki Tanahashi
UPDATE FROM JUNDO: NOW THAT I HAVE FINALLY READ TANAHASHI SENSEI'S BOOK
, I actually am hesitant to recommend this book to newer folks, and I even would hesitate to put it at the top of my list for Heart Sutra discussions for other folks (I will recommend the below books by Red Pine and Okumura ahead of it). Unfortunately, it is a very meandering, personal, sometimes too detailed (on linguistic matters and many historical tangents), frequently disjointed and poorly explained although wide ranging treatment that somehow never gets into much discussion of the heart of the Heart Sutra despite all its detail. His new translation is surprisingly a bit loose and free too. I will go back and reread it at some point, because there is much interesting material in there too, but one must be patient.
I am surprised at this book, given that Tanahashi is noted as one of the great modern translators of Dogen and other texts (although sometimes criticized for his loose and free translations there to). Ahead of this book, I recommend, on the Heart Sutra, two other explanations and commentaries:
LIVING BY VOW: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts [including the Heart Sutra], by Shohaku Okumura
The Heart Sutra by Red Pine
4 - My Christian Journey with Zen by Gustav Ericsson
This is by my Dharma Brother Gustav, fellow student of Nishijima Roshi, and Lutheran Priest. Gustav was also a guest teacher here at Treeleaf awhile back.
This one I have read, and I especially recommend it for those folks seeking to harmonize Zen Practice and Christianity. Here is Gustav's visit here to Treeleaf Tsukuba:
Gassho, Jundo
SatToday
I have four book recommendations, although I have only read 1 1/2 of them so far! (The others have not arrived to me in Japan but, based on the authors and topic, I don't hesitate to make the recommendation). I mention some other older books in there as well. All are on our SUGGESTED BOOK & MEDIA LIST for TREELEAF SANGHA:
Pretty good for a "Way Beyond Words and Letters", and should keep you busy between all the sittings.
1 - Just This Is It: Dongshan and the Practice of Suchness by Taigen Dan Leighton
I am a bit more than halfway through, but have no hesitancy to recommend this. This is the kind of book, however, that I feel needs to be encountered slowly, in small bites (thus the reason I have not finished it yet). Each few pages is a wonderful Zen story or aspect of our ancestor, Dongshan, and not something to rush through cover to cover. As well, I probably would not recommend this for folks brand new to Zen, but would very much recommend it for more experienced folks looking for something with a bit of meat on the bone.
The joy of “suchness”—the absolute and true nature inherent in all appearance—shines through the teachings attributed to Dongshan Liangjie (807–869), the legendary founder of the Caodong lineage of Chan Buddhism (the predecessor of Sōtō Zen). Taigen Dan Leighton looks at the teachings attributed to Dongshan—in his Recorded Sayings and in the numerous koans in which he is featured as a character—to reveal the subtlety and depth of the teaching on the nature of reality that Dongshan expresses. Included are an analysis of the well-known teaching poem “Jewel Mirror Samadhi” and of the understanding of particular and universal expressed in the teaching of the Five Degrees. “The teachings embedded in the stories about Dongshan provide a rich legacy that has been sustained in practice traditions,” says Taigen. “Dongshan’s subtle teachings about engagement with suchness remain vital today for Zen people and are available for all those who wish to find meaning amid the challenges to modern life.”
http://www.shambhala.com/just-this-is-it.html
http://www.shambhala.com/just-this-is-it.html
2 - Commentary on the Song of Awakening: [Master Kodo Sawaki's] Commentary on the Seventh Century Poem by the Chinese Ch'an Master Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh, translated by Tonen O'Connor
This is a series of talks by "Homeless" Kodo Sawaki, translated by Rev. O'Conner (who also led Zazenkai here a few months ago). I have not received it yet, but have seen portions. An excellent resource for those of us influenced by the Practice style and Teachings of Sawaki Roshi, such as here at Treeleaf.
The Song of Awakening (chin. Cheng-tao ke, jap. Shōdōka), is a seminal text within early Chinese Chan (jap. Zen). Written in the seventh century by the Chinese master Yung-chia Hsüan-chüeh (Jap. Yōka Genkaku, known familiarly as Yōka Daishi), this superb poem resonates with Yōka Daishi’s great awakening to the truth of reality. As such, it has had a deep influence on the understanding and practice of a long line of Chinese and Japanese Zen masters and practitioners.
Kōdō Sawaki uses the poetic expression of Shōdōka as a springboard for a wide-ranging commentary that not only elucidates the poem, but adds a rich background of Buddhist teachings and emphasizes Sawaki Roshi’s focus on upright sitting in the zazen posture as the seat of realization. Filled with humor, Japanese folk history, and sometimes a no-holds barred critique of academic and priestly posturing, Sawaki’s commentary is a pleasure to encounter.
http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-9188-9781937385613.aspx
Kōdō Sawaki uses the poetic expression of Shōdōka as a springboard for a wide-ranging commentary that not only elucidates the poem, but adds a rich background of Buddhist teachings and emphasizes Sawaki Roshi’s focus on upright sitting in the zazen posture as the seat of realization. Filled with humor, Japanese folk history, and sometimes a no-holds barred critique of academic and priestly posturing, Sawaki’s commentary is a pleasure to encounter.
http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-9188-9781937385613.aspx
Eschewing the entrapments of vanity, power, and money, "Homeless" Kodo Sawaki Roshi refused to accept a permanent position as a temple abbot, despite repeated offers. Instead, he lived a traveling, "homeless" life, going from temple to temple, student to student, teaching and instructing and never allowing himself to stray from his chosen path. He is responsible for making Soto Zen available to the common people outside of monasteries.
His teachings are short, sharp, and powerful. Always clear, often funny, and sometimes uncomfortably close to home, they jolt us into awakening.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Zen-Teachi.../dp/1614290482
His teachings are short, sharp, and powerful. Always clear, often funny, and sometimes uncomfortably close to home, they jolt us into awakening.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Zen-Teachi.../dp/1614290482
UPDATE FROM JUNDO: NOW THAT I HAVE FINALLY READ TANAHASHI SENSEI'S BOOK
, I actually am hesitant to recommend this book to newer folks, and I even would hesitate to put it at the top of my list for Heart Sutra discussions for other folks (I will recommend the below books by Red Pine and Okumura ahead of it). Unfortunately, it is a very meandering, personal, sometimes too detailed (on linguistic matters and many historical tangents), frequently disjointed and poorly explained although wide ranging treatment that somehow never gets into much discussion of the heart of the Heart Sutra despite all its detail. His new translation is surprisingly a bit loose and free too. I will go back and reread it at some point, because there is much interesting material in there too, but one must be patient.
The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen students ... In just thirty-five lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release from suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi’s guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the nonspecialist—yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. It includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Zen-Teachi.../dp/1614290482
http://www.amazon.com/The-Zen-Teachi.../dp/1614290482
LIVING BY VOW: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts [including the Heart Sutra], by Shohaku Okumura
Exploring eight of Zen’s most essential and universal liturgical texts, Living by Vow is a handbook to walking the Zen path, and Shohaku Okumura guides us like an old friend, speaking clearly and directly of the personal meaning and implications of these chants, generously using his experiences to illustrate their practical significance. A scholar of Buddhist literature, he masterfully uncovers the subtle, intricate web of culture and history that permeate these great texts. Esoteric or challenging terms take on vivid, personal meaning, and old familiar phrases gain new poetic resonance.
4 - My Christian Journey with Zen by Gustav Ericsson
This is by my Dharma Brother Gustav, fellow student of Nishijima Roshi, and Lutheran Priest. Gustav was also a guest teacher here at Treeleaf awhile back.
In this spiritual memoir chronicling the journey of a man who became both an ordained Zen meditation teacher and an ordained priest in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, Gustav Ericsson shares reflections and glimpses into the story of how he learned to stop and sit down, be still and listen.
Artfully crafted around a travel journal from a deeply reflective trip to Japan, My Christian Journey with Zen is an expression of the author’s spiritual path, focusing on how his meditation practice has grown in both his life and in his service as a parish priest and hospital chaplain.
http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Jour.../dp/1503226786
Artfully crafted around a travel journal from a deeply reflective trip to Japan, My Christian Journey with Zen is an expression of the author’s spiritual path, focusing on how his meditation practice has grown in both his life and in his service as a parish priest and hospital chaplain.
http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Jour.../dp/1503226786
Gassho, Jundo
SatToday
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