DOCSLIB.ORG

Beating the Cloth Drum

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Beating the Cloth Drum “From Norman Waddell, the tireless translator of Hakuin, a new book: Beating the Cloth Drum. Containing letters, some of them only recently discovered, written by Hakuin to his disciples, both monks and lay believers, it covers topics ranging from the nature of enlightenment to the cost of getting a book printed in eighteenth-century Japan. A must-read for anyone interested in the life and teachings of this Master of Zen!” —Burton Watson, translator of The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry “Norman Waddell is far and away the finest translator of Hakuin’s writings, bringing to life many facets of the great Zen Master’s work. Amazingly, this is the first book in any language to gather together his letters. Supported here by thorough and helpful commentaries, they fully demonstrate the generosity of Hakuin’s spirit, the breadth of his knowledge, and the compassionate rigor of his teachings.” —Stephen Addiss, author of 77 Dances and The Art of Zen ABOUT THE BOOK Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1769) is one of the most influential figures in Zen Buddhism. He revitalized the Rinzai Zen tradition (which emphasizes the use of koans, or unanswerable questions, in meditation practice), and all masters of that school today trace their lineage back through him. He is responsible for the most famous of all koans: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" He is also famous for his striking and humorous art, which he also regarded as teaching. This book provides a rare, intimate look at Hakuin the man, through his personal correspondence. Beating the Cloth Drum contains twenty-eight of Hakuin’s letters to students, political figures, fellow teachers, laypeople, and friends. Each letter is accompanied by extensive commentary and notes. They showcase Hakuin’s formidable, thoughtful, and sometimes playful personality— and they show that the great master used every activity, including letter-writing, as an opportunity to impart the teachings that were so close to his heart. NORMAN WADDELL is a professor of international studies at Otani University in Kyoto, Japan. He is also the translator of The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin and Zen Words for the Heart: Hakuin's Commentary on the Heart Sutra. BEATING THE CLOTH DRUM THE LETTERS OF ZEN MASTER HAKUIN Translated by Norman Waddell SHAMBHALA Boston & London 2012 Shambhala Publications, Inc. Horticultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 www.shambhala.com © 2012 by Norman Waddell Cover art: Hotei Drumming. Facsimile of a figure from a painting by Hakuin, drawn by the well-known Kyoto artist Ōno Toshiaki. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hakuin, 1686–1769. [Correspondence. English. Selections] Beating the cloth drum: letters of Zen master Hakuin / translated by Norman Waddell.—First Edition. p. cm. Translated from Japanese. eISBN 978-0-8348-2792-9 ISBN 978-1-59030-948-3 (pbk.) 1. Monastic and religious life (Zen Buddhism)—Japan. 2. Buddhism—Japan—Discipline. I. Waddell, Norman, translator, writer of added commentary. II. Title. BQ9399.E593E5 2012 294.3′927092—dc23 2011046572 In the capital Lo-yang there was a gigantic drum at the Thunder Gate that produced a sound that could be heard for tens of thousands of leagues around. This gave rise to a saying, “Don’t carry a cloth drum past the Thunder Gate.” As a drum with a cloth drumhead can produce no sound whatever, the phrase “beating the cloth drum” is used to refer to someone who foolishly attempts something beyond his powers. In commenting on the phrase, Hakuin said, “Does it mean no sound is made? Does it mean doing something foolish? Or performing a worthless act? No, that’s not it. Find out what it means by going right to it and engaging it yourself.” For Ben and Rose Contents Introduction Chronology of Hakuin’s Career 1. To Watanabe Sukefusa Letter 1, 1714 2. To Zen Monks Kin and Koku Letter 2, 1729 3. To Layman Ishii Letter 3, 1734 4. To the Priest of Ryōtan-ji Letter 4, 1742 5. To Attendant Kō Letter 5, c. 1743–47 6. To the Rōshi at Ryōsen-ji Letter 6, c. 1746–56 7. To a Certain Layman Letter 7, 1748 8. To Senior Monk Gin Letter 8, c. 1752 9. To Murabayashi Koremitsu Letter 9, 1755 10. To Yoda Letter 10, 1755 11. Two Letters to Sakai Kantahaku Sensei Letters 11–12, c. 1755 12. Six Letters to Senior Priest Zenjo Letters 13–18, 1757–58 13. The Hakuin-Tōrei Letters Letters 19–24, 1757–60 14. To Daimyo Matsudaira Sadataka Letter 25, 1760 15. Two Letters to Katayama Shunnan Letters 26–27, 1761 16. To a Donor Letter 28, 1762–63 Glossary E-mail Sign-Up Publisher’s Note This book contains many diacritics and special characters. If you encounter difficulty displaying these characters, please set your e-reader device to publisher defaults (if available) or to an alternate font. Introduction This book is a collection of letters by the seventeenth-century Japanese Zen priest Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768), who is by any reckoning one of the most influential figures in the long history of the school as well as the history of Zen Buddhism altogether. At the turn of the seventeenth century, when Hakuin set out as a young novice on pilgrimage around Japan, the Zen school was in what he would later describe as “an advanced stage of spiritual stagnation.” By the time of his death sixty years later, Hakuin had employed the full force of his formidable personality to almost singlehandedly revitalize the Rinzai school’s traditions, reshape its teachings, and produce a group of gifted disciples that enabled the school to survive as a vital force to the present day. Remarkably, Hakuin carried out this formidable task while serving at a tiny provincial temple far from the centers of power in Kyoto and Edo (present-day Tokyo). By mustering his considerable talents as a teacher, writer, calligrapher, and painter, he created an extraordinary legacy, which includes a remarkable body of writings and paintings that has vastly enriched the Zen tradition. So strong and pervasive has the imprint of Hakuin’s distinctive style and teaching been on the Rinzai sect over the last two centuries that it is now commonplace to refer to Rinzai Zen simply as the school of Hakuin. His chief disciple Tōrei, who knew the real-life Hakuin as well as anyone, left some observations about Hakuin’s character that agree in many respects with the person who is disclosed through the letters in these pages: An extremely imposing man, he combined the fierce gaze of a tiger and the gait and movements of an ox, with a Zen activity so sharp and intense that it made him exceedingly difficult to approach. Virtually tireless, he brought the same degree of care and compassion to whatever he did. In settling troubles, in rectifying wrongs, he worked with silent persuasion, private discipline. His behavior, whether moving, standing, sitting, or lying, was such as to be unfathomable to non-Buddhists and demons alike. The manner in which his teaching activity prospered recalled the days of the great Chinese master Ma-tsu. The adversity under which he lived and taught was reminiscent of the great hardships faced by Zen Master Ta-hui. (Epilogue to The Chronological Biography of Zen Master Hakuin; Hakuin’s Precious Mirror Cave, 235) The idea for this book evolved as I was working on another project, a translation of Hakuin’s Zen records, titled Poison Blossoms from a Thicket of Thorn. In selecting the letters for that work, I noticed that in them Hakuin was disclosing a side of his character that did not come through in his other writings. In jotting down spontaneous thoughts and feelings to send to students and friends, he revealed fascinating glimpses, and often more than glimpses, of unknown areas of his life and personality. This revelation led me to a batch of newly discovered letters that had recently been published in Zen Master Hakuin’s Zen Painting and Calligraphy , and then to another group included in the Complete Works of Priest Hakuin, the modern edition of his works. In both groups of letters, I encountered many passages that enlarged, in sudden and unexpected ways, my understanding of Hakuin’s complex personality. They revealed, for example, the extraordinary efforts he made to get his writings into print, the details of the arduous trips he made in his final decades in order to fulfill his teaching obligations, the friendships he formed with lay followers in his home province as well as with eminent provincial Daimyo, and his quite detailed knowledge of the current Kabuki theatre in Edo. It was clear that these letters deserved a book of their own. So far, about ninety of Hakuin’s letters have been published, the earliest dating from his twenty- ninth year when he was still on the road pursuing his pilgrimage around the country. A few have survived from his forties, giving hints of the great adversity he faced as head priest of Shōin-ji, the temple in the village of Hara where he taught from his thirty-first year until his death at eighty-three. But the majority of his extant letters were composed between his late fifties and midseventies, a period when he was vigorously widening the scope of his teaching activity, and busily inventing new ways of taking his message outside the Zen community.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ZEN at WAR War and Peace Library SERIES EDITOR: MARK SELDEN
    ZEN AT WAR War and Peace Library SERIES EDITOR: MARK SELDEN Drugs, Oil, and War: The United States in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Indochina BY PETER DALE SCOTT War and State Terrorism: The United States, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific in the Long Twentieth Century EDITED BY MARK SELDEN AND ALVIN Y. So Bitter Flowers, Sweet Flowers: East Timor, Indonesia, and the World Community EDITED BY RICHARD TANTER, MARK SELDEN, AND STEPHEN R. SHALOM Politics and the Past: On Repairing Historical Injustices EDITED BY JOHN TORPEY Biological Warfare and Disarmament: New Problems/New Perspectives EDITED BY SUSAN WRIGHT BRIAN DAIZEN VICTORIA ZEN AT WAR Second Edition ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Oxford ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowmanlittlefield.com P.O. Box 317, Oxford OX2 9RU, UK Copyright © 2006 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Cover image: Zen monks at Eiheiji, one of the two head monasteries of the Sōtō Zen sect, undergoing mandatory military training shortly after the passage of the National Mobilization Law in March 1938. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Victoria, Brian Daizen, 1939– Zen at war / Brian Daizen Victoria.—2nd ed.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Studies Review
    JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW Volume Nineteen 2015 Interdisciplinary Studies of Modern Japan Steven Heine Editor Editorial Board John A. Tucker, East Carolina University Yumiko Hulvey, University of Florida Matthew Marr, Florida International University Ann Wehmeyer, University of Florida Hitomi Yoshio, Florida International University Copy and Production María Sol Echarren Rebecca Richko Ian Verhine Kimberly Zwez JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW VOLUME NINETEEN 2015 A publication of Florida International University and the Southern Japan Seminar CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction i Re: Subscriptions, Submissions, and Comments ii ARTICLES Going Postal: Empire Building through Miniature Messages on German and Japanese Stamps Fabian Bauwens 3 Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue: Hiroshi Senju’s Waterfall Paintings as Intersections of Innovation Peter L. Doebler 37 Delightfully Sauced: Wine Manga and the Japanese Sommelier’s Rise to the Top of the French Wine World Jason Christopher Jones 55 “Fairness” and Japanese Government Subsidies for Sickness Insurances Yoneyuki Sugita 85 ESSAYS A “Brief Era of Experimentation”: How the Early Meiji Political Debates Shaped Japanese Political Terminology Bradly Hammond 117 The Night Crane: Nun Abutsu’s Yoru No Tsuru Introduced, Translated, and Annotated Eric Esteban 135 BOOK REVIEWS Scream from the Shadows: The Women’s Liberation Movement in Japan By Setsu Shigematsu Reviewed by Julia C. Bullock 169 Critical Buddhism: Engaging with Modern Japanese Buddhist Thought By James Mark Shields Reviewed by Steven Heine 172 Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, & Assassination During the 1934 Tour of Japan By Robert K. Fitts Reviewed by Daniel A. Métraux 175 Supreme Commander: MacArther’s Triumph in Japan By Seymour Morris Reviewed by Daniel A. Métraux 177 CONTRIBUTORS/EDITORS i EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION Welcome to the nineteenth volume of the Japan Studies Review (JSR), an annual peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the Asian Studies Program at Florida International University Seminar.
    [Show full text]
  • Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei Mandara Talia J
    Mapping Sacred Spaces: Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei mandara Talia J. Andrei Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 2016 © 2016 Talia J.Andrei All rights reserved Abstract Mapping Sacred Spaces: Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei Mandara Talia J. Andrei This dissertation examines the historical and artistic circumstances behind the emergence in late medieval Japan of a short-lived genre of painting referred to as sankei mandara (pilgrimage mandalas). The paintings are large-scale topographical depictions of sacred sites and served as promotional material for temples and shrines in need of financial support to encourage pilgrimage, offering travelers worldly and spiritual benefits while inspiring them to donate liberally. Itinerant monks and nuns used the mandara in recitation performances (etoki) to lead audiences on virtual pilgrimages, decoding the pictorial clues and touting the benefits of the site shown. Addressing themselves to the newly risen commoner class following the collapse of the aristocratic order, sankei mandara depict commoners in the role of patron and pilgrim, the first instance of them being portrayed this way, alongside warriors and aristocrats as they make their way to the sites, enjoying the local delights, and worship on the sacred grounds. Together with the novel subject material, a new artistic language was created— schematic, colorful and bold. We begin by locating sankei mandara’s artistic roots and influences and then proceed to investigate the individual mandara devoted to three sacred sites: Mt. Fuji, Kiyomizudera and Ise Shrine (a sacred mountain, temple and shrine, respectively).
    [Show full text]
  • Iai – Naginata
    Editor: Well House, 13 Keere Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England No. 301 Summer 2012 Takami Taizō - A Remarkable Teacher (Part Three) by Roald Knutsen In the last Journal I described something of Takami-sensei’s ‘holiday’ with the old Shintō- ryū Kendō Dōjō down at Charmouth in West Dorset. The first week to ten days of that early June, in perfect weather, we all trained hard in the garden of our house and on both the beach and grassy slopes a few minutes away. The main photo above shows myself, in jōdan-no-kamae against Mick Greenslade, one of our early members, on the cliffs just east of the River Char. The time was 07.30. It is always interesting to train in the open on grass, especially if the ground slopes away! Lower down, we have a pic taken when the tide was out on Lyme Bay. Hakama had to be worn high or they became splashed and sodden very quickly. It is a pity that we haven’t more photos taken of these early practices. The following year, about the same date, four of us were again at Charmouth for a few days and I recall that we had just finished keiko on the sands at 06.30 when an older man, walking his dog, came along – and we were half Copyright © 2012 Eikoku Kendo Renmei Journal of the Eikoku Kendō Renmei No. 301 Summer 2012 a mile west towards the Black Ven (for those who know Charmouth and Lyme) – He paused to look at us then politely asked if we had been there the previous year? We answered in the affirmative, to which he raised his hat, saying: ‘One Sunday morning? I remember you well.
    [Show full text]
  • Omori Sogen the Art of a Zen Master
    Omori Sogen The Art of a Zen Master Omori Roshi and the ogane (large temple bell) at Daihonzan Chozen-ji, Honolulu, 1982. Omori Sogen The Art of a Zen Master Hosokawa Dogen First published in 1999 by Kegan Paul International This edition first published in 2011 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © The Institute of Zen Studies 1999 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 10: 0–7103–0588–5 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978–0–7103–0588–6 (hbk) Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. The publisher has made every effort to contact original copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace. Dedicated to my parents Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Part I - The Life of Omori Sogen Chapter 1 Shugyo: 1904–1934 Chapter 2 Renma: 1934–1945 Chapter 3 Gogo no Shugyo: 1945–1994 Part II - The Three Ways Chapter 4 Zen and Budo Chapter 5 Practical Zen Chapter 6 Teisho: The World of the Absolute Present Chapter 7 Zen and the Fine Arts Appendices Books by Omori Sogen Endnotes Index Acknowledgments Many people helped me to write this book, and I would like to thank them all.
    [Show full text]
  • Yuibutsu Yobutsu 唯佛與佛 – Six Translations
    Documento de estudo organizado por Fábio Rodrigues. Texto-base de Kazuaki Tanahashi em “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye – Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo” (2013) / Study document organized by Fábio Rodrigues. Main text by Kazuaki Tanahashi in “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye - Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo” (2013) 1. Kazuaki Tanahashi e Edward Brown (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye – Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo, 2013) 2. Kazuaki Tanahashi e Edward Brown (Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen, 1985) 3. Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross (Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-eye Treasury, 1999/2007) 4. Rev. Hubert Nearman (The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teaching, Shasta Abbey Press, 2007) 5. Kosen Nishiyama and John Stevens (1975) 6. 第三十八 唯佛與佛 (glasgowzengroup.com) 92 唯佛與佛 Yuibutsu yobutsu Eihei Dogen Only a buddha and a buddha Moon in a Dewdrop (1985): Only buddha and buddha 1 1. Undated. Not included in the primary or additional version of TTDE by Dogen. Together with "Birth and Death," this fascicle was included in an Eihei-ji manuscript called the "Secret Treasury of the True Dharma Eye." Kozen included it in the ninety-five-fascicle version. Other translation: Nishiyama and Stevens, vol. 3, pp. 129-35. Kosen Nishiyama and John Stevens (1975): Only a Buddha can transmit to a Buddha Shasta Abbey (2017): On ‘Each Buddha on His Own, Together with All Buddhas’ 1 Translator’s Introduction: The title of this text is a phrase that Dogen often employs. It is derived from a verse in the Lotus Scripture: “Each Buddha on His own,
    [Show full text]
  • The Japanese Samurai Code: Classic Strategies for Success Kindle
    THE JAPANESE SAMURAI CODE: CLASSIC STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Boye Lafayette De Mente | 192 pages | 01 Jun 2005 | Tuttle Publishing | 9780804836524 | English | Boston, United States The Japanese Samurai Code: Classic Strategies for Success PDF Book Patrick Mehr on May 4, pm. The culture and tradition of Japan, so different from that of Europe, never ceases to enchant and intrigue people from the West. Hideyoshi was made daimyo of part of Omi Province now Shiga Prefecture after he helped take the region from the Azai Clan, and in , Nobunaga sent him to Himeji Castle to face the Mori Clan and conquer western Japan. It is an idea taken from Confucianism. Ieyasu was too late to take revenge on Akechi Mitsuhide for his betrayal of Nobunaga—Hideyoshi beat him to it. Son of a common foot soldier in Owari Province now western Aichi Prefecture , he joined the Oda Clan as a foot soldier himself in After Imagawa leader Yoshimoto was killed in a surprise attack by Nobunaga, Ieyasu decided to switch sides and joined the Oda. See our price match guarantee. He built up his capital at Edo now Tokyo in the lands he had won from the Hojo, thus beginning the Edo Period of Japanese history. It emphasised loyalty, modesty, war skills and honour. About this item. Installing Yoshiaki as the new shogun, Nobunaga hoped to use him as a puppet leader. Whether this was out of disrespect for a "beast," as Mitsuhide put it, or cover for an act of mercy remains a matter of debate. While Miyamoto Musashi may be the best-known "samurai" internationally, Oda Nobunaga claims the most respect within Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Engendering Faith: Women and Buddhism in Premodern Japan'
    H-Buddhism Yusa on Ruch, 'Engendering Faith: Women and Buddhism in Premodern Japan' Review published on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Barbara Ruch, ed. Engendering Faith: Women and Buddhism in Premodern Japan. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. Illustrations, charts, maps. lxxviii + 706 pp. $69.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-929280-15-5. Reviewed by Michiko Yusa (University of Western Washington) Published on H-Buddhism (August, 2009) Commissioned by A. Charles Muller Women and Japanese Buddhism This book marks a clear departure from the male-oriented foci of traditional scholarship on Japanese Buddhism and ventures to reconstruct its history by incorporating women's voices.[1] All of the essays address, from diverse angles, women's roles in the history of Japanese Buddhism. The volume begins with a foreword and preface, followed by twenty-three weighty essays, interspersed with ninety-five illustrations, charts, and maps, many of which are in full color; a list of characters; a selected bibliography; an index; and information about the contributors. One of the distinctive features of this book is that it contains a substantial number of essays by a younger generation of Japanese scholars, all translated into English. These essays are the fruit of a scholarly movement that has been taking place in Japan for the last two decades. The emergence of women's studies in Japanese academia began with the women's liberation movement of the early 1970s--trailing that of North America by a decade or so. The public's consciousness was awakened to gender issues in this process, and feminist scholarship, too, made its contribution.
    [Show full text]
  • Visual and Material Culture at Hōkyōji Imperial Convent: the Significance of “Women’S Art” in Early Modern Japan
    Visual and Material Culture at Hōkyōji Imperial Convent: The Significance of “Women’s Art” in Early Modern Japan by Sharon Mitsuko Yamamoto A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History of Art in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Gregory P. A. Levine, Chair Professor Patricia Berger Professor H. Mack Horton Fall 2010 Copyright by Sharon Mitsuko Yamamoto 2010. All rights reserved. Abstract Visual and Material Culture at Hōkyōji Imperial Convent: The Significance of “Women’s Art” in Early Modern Japan by Sharon Mitsuko Yamamoto Doctor of Philosophy in History of Art University of California, Berkeley Professor Gregory Levine, Chair This dissertation focuses on the visual and material culture of Hōkyōji Imperial Buddhist Convent (Hōkyōji ama monzeki jiin) during the Edo period (1600-1868). Situated in Kyoto and in operation since the mid-fourteenth century, Hōkyōji has been the home for women from the highest echelons of society—the nobility and military aristocracy—since its foundation. The objects associated with women in the rarefied position of princess-nun offer an invaluable look into the role of visual and material culture in the lives of elite women in early modern Japan. Art associated with nuns reflects aristocratic upbringing, religious devotion, and individual expression. As such, it defies easy classification: court, convent, sacred, secular, elite, and female are shown to be inadequate labels to identify art associated with women. This study examines visual and material culture through the intersecting factors that inspired, affected, and defined the lives of princess-nuns, broadening the understanding of the significance of art associated with women in Japanese art history.
    [Show full text]
  • BEYOND THINKING a Guide to Zen Meditation
    ABOUT THE BOOK Spiritual practice is not some kind of striving to produce enlightenment, but an expression of the enlightenment already inherent in all things: Such is the Zen teaching of Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) whose profound writings have been studied and revered for more than seven hundred years, influencing practitioners far beyond his native Japan and the Soto school he is credited with founding. In focusing on Dogen’s most practical words of instruction and encouragement for Zen students, this new collection highlights the timelessness of his teaching and shows it to be as applicable to anyone today as it was in the great teacher’s own time. Selections include Dogen’s famous meditation instructions; his advice on the practice of zazen, or sitting meditation; guidelines for community life; and some of his most inspirational talks. Also included are a bibliography and an extensive glossary. DOGEN (1200–1253) is known as the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen sect. Sign up to learn more about our books and receive special offers from Shambhala Publications. Or visit us online to sign up at shambhala.com/eshambhala. Translators Reb Anderson Edward Brown Norman Fischer Blanche Hartman Taigen Dan Leighton Alan Senauke Kazuaki Tanahashi Katherine Thanas Mel Weitsman Dan Welch Michael Wenger Contributing Translator Philip Whalen BEYOND THINKING A Guide to Zen Meditation Zen Master Dogen Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi Introduction by Norman Fischer SHAMBHALA Boston & London 2012 SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS, INC. Horticultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue
    [Show full text]
  • Download File
    On A Snowy Night: Yishan Yining (1247-1317) and the Development of Zen Calligraphy in Medieval Japan Xiaohan Du Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2021 © 2021 Xiaohan Du All Rights Reserved Abstract On A Snowy Night: Yishan Yining (1247-1317) and the Development of Zen Calligraphy in Medieval Japan Xiaohan Du This dissertation is the first monographic study of the monk-calligrapher Yishan Yining (1247- 1317), who was sent to Japan in 1299 as an imperial envoy by Emperor Chengzong (Temur, 1265-1307. r. 1294-1307), and achieved unprecedented success there. Through careful visual analysis of his extant oeuvre, this study situates Yishan’s calligraphy synchronically in the context of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy at the turn of the 14th century and diachronically in the history of the relationship between calligraphy and Buddhism. This study also examines Yishan’s prolific inscriptional practice, in particular the relationship between text and image, and its connection to the rise of ink monochrome landscape painting genre in 14th century Japan. This study fills a gap in the history of Chinese calligraphy, from which monk- calligraphers and their practices have received little attention. It also contributes to existing Japanese scholarship on bokuseki by relating Zen calligraphy to religious and political currents in Kamakura Japan. Furthermore, this study questions the validity of the “China influences Japan” model in the history of calligraphy and proposes a more fluid and nuanced model of synthesis between the wa and the kan (Japanese and Chinese) in examining cultural practices in East Asian culture.
    [Show full text]
  • ZEN BUDDHISM TODAY -ANNUAL REPORT of the KYOTO ZEN SYMPOSIUM­ No
    Monastic Tradition and Lay Practice from the Perspective of Nantenb6 A Response of Japanese Zen Buddhism to Modernity MICHEL MOHR A !though the political transformations and conflicts that marked the Meiji ..fiRestoration have received much attention, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge of the evolution that affected Japanese Zen Buddhism dur­ ing the nineteenth century. Simultaneously, from a historical perspective, the current debate about the significance of modernity and modernization shows that the very idea of "modernity" implies often ideologically charged presup­ positions, which must be taken into account in our review of the Zen Buddhist milieu. Moreover, before we attempt to draw conclusions on the nature of modernization as a whole, it would seem imperative to survey a wider field, especially other religious movements. The purpose of this paper is to provide selected samples of the thought of a Meiji Zen Buddhist leader and to analyze them in terms of the evolution of the Rinzai school from the Tokugawa period to the present. I shall first situ­ ate Nantenb6 lff:Rtf by looking at his biography, and then examine a reform project he proposed in 1893. This is followed by a considerarion of the nationalist dimension of Nantenb6's thought and his view of lay practice. Owing to space limitations, this study is confined to the example provided by Nantenb6 and his acquaintances and disciples. I must specify that, at this stage, I do not pretend to present new information on this priest. I rely on the published sources, although a lot remains to be done at the level of fun­ damental research and the gathering of documents.
    [Show full text]