Thomas Cleary (1949–2021)

Elusive and enigmatic, zen koans have long puzzled people with their surprise meanings hidden in simple tales. Now one of American's finest translators of Asian philosophy provides a brilliant new translation of the 12th century Wumenguan, the most popular of Chinese Zen koans.

In Unlocking The Zen Koan (originallly publised as No Boundary) Thomas Cleary translates directly from the Chinese and interprets Zen Master Wumen's text and commentaries in verse and prose on the inner meaning of the show more koans. Cleary then gives us other great Chinese Zen masters' comments in prose of verse on the same koan. Cleary's probing, analytic commentaries wrestle with meaning and shading, explaining principles and practices. Five different steps to folllow in reading the koan begin with its use as a single abrupt perception, and lead progressively to more intellectual readings, illustrating the fixations which stand in the way of a true Zen understanding.

Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Zhaozhou's dog
The wild fox
One finger
The foreigner has no whiskers
Up in a tree
Buddha picks up a flower
Wash your bowl
The wheelmaker
The Buddha capable of great penetrating knowledge
Alone and poor
Testing hermits
Calling the master
Deshan carrying his bowl
Killing a cat
Threescore blows
Putting on a formal vestment at the sound of a bell
The national teacher's three calls
Three pounds
The normal is the way
People of great power
Yunmen's turd
Kashyapa's flagpole
Not thinking of good or evil
Detachment from words
Sermon from the third seat
Two monks roll up a screen
It is not mind or Buddha
Long have I heard
Not the wind, not the banner
The very mind itself is Buddha
Zhaozhou checks a woman
An outsider questions Buddha
Not mind, not Buddha
Knowledge is not the way
A woman's split soul
Meeting adepts on the road
The cypress tree in the yard
The ox passing through the window screen
Trapped in words
Kicking over a water pitcher
Pacifying the mind
A woman comes out of absorption
The bamboo stick
The staff
Who is that?
Stepping forward atop a pole
Three barriers
One road show less

I Ching: The Book of Change is an ancient Chinese text on divination and cosmology. It is the basis of many traditional Taoist writings, including Tao Te Ching and The Art of War. The I Ching isn't exactly a sit-down and enjoy kind of book; instead, it functions as a reference guide for oracle reading. Traditionally, people used coins, yarrow sticks, and bones to cast lots. The resulting numbers then corresponded with hexagrams--mystic symbols that foretold different outcomes. I admit that show more I'm a skeptic when it comes to fortunetelling and other supernatural rituals. However, the I Ching is an important part of Chinese history, not just in its practice but also in its far-reaching influence over East Asian culture and philosophy. This edition of the book, published by Shambhala, is part of their pocketbook series on religion and philosophy. It includes an introduction and guide to using the I Ching as well as a handy consultation chart.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book through Goodreads. show less

I came into this book thinking it was going to be entirely about military battle tactics, such as, attacking from the high ground and things like that. While that was part of it, I was surprised at how much of the book was philosophical and even anti-violence. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't expect a book called The Art of War to preach against violence every chance it had. The philosophical aspect was the most interesting to me. There were plenty of things that you can apply to every day show more life as odd as it might sound. This translation also has input from historical figures such as Cao Cao, who I and some others may know from the video game series Dynasty Warriors which I thought added a very interesting aspect to the book. I am not sure if that can be said of other translations and versions of this book since this is the only one I've read. I usually feel like I don't have much to add with reviews that hasn't been already said plenty of times, but if anyone, like me, goes into this or is thinking about reading it and is expecting just straight military fighting strategy, know that there is much more to it than just that. show less

Elusive and enigmatic, zen koans have long puzzled people with their surprise meanings hidden in simple tales. Now one of America's finest translators of Asian philosophy provides a brillian new translation of the 12th century Wumenguan, the most popular of Chinese Zen koans. In Unlocking the Zen Koan (originally published as No Boundary), Thomas Cleary translates directly from the Chinese and interprets Zen Master Wumen's text and commentaries in verse and prose on the inner meaning of the show more koans. Cleary then gives us other great Chinese Zen masters' comments in prose or verse on the same koan. Cleary's probing, analytic commentaries wrestle with meaning and shading, explaining principles and practices. Five different steps to follow in reading the koan being with its use as a single abrupt perception, and lead progressively to more intellectual readings, illustrating the fixations which stand in the way of a true Zen understanding. show less