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The Five Houses of Zen - Paperback
$24.95
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by Thomas Cleary (Translator)
For all its emphasis on the direct experience on insight without reliance on the products of the intellect, the Zen tradition has created a huge body of writings. Of this cast literature, the writings associated with the so-called Five Houses of Zen are widely considered to be preeminent. These Five Houses--which arose in China during the ninth and tenth centuries, often referred to as the Golden Age of Zen--were not schools or sects but styles of Zen teaching represented by some of the most outstanding masters in Zen history. The writing of these great Zen teachers are presented here, many translated for the first time. These include:
- The sayings of Pai-chang, famous for his Zen dictum "A day without work, a day without food."- Selections from Kuei-shan's collection of Zen admonitions, considered essential reading by numerous Buddhist teachers.
- Sun-chi's unique discussion of the inner meaning of the circular symbol in Zen teaching.
- Sayings of Huang-po from The Essential Method of Transmission of Mind.
- Excerpts from The Record of Lin-chi , a great classical text of Zen literature.
- Ts'ao-shan's presentation of the famous teaching device known as the Five Ranks.
- Selections of poetry from the Cascade Collection by Hsueh-tou, renowned for his poetic commentaries on the classic Blue Cliff Record.
- Yung-ming's teachings on how to balance the two basic aspects of meditation: concentration and insight.
Author Biography
Thomas Cleary holds a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. He is the translator of over fifty volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, and Arabic.
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Standard U.S. returns are accepted for eligible new, unopened items within 30 days of carrier delivery. Returns are by mail. Customers are responsible for standard return shipping, there is no restocking fee, and standard exchanges are not offered. Once an approved return is received and inspected, the refund is issued to the original payment method within 5 business days. Damaged, defective, or incorrect items are handled at no return-shipping cost to the customer.
Return eligibility is subject to the full policy. Opened, read, or unsealed books with broken seals or visible wear are final sale. Digital downloads, gift cards, and personalized products are non-refundable. Original shipping charges are not refunded for standard returns. Contact us within 7 days of delivery about damaged, defective, or incorrect items.
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