The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan)
by Robert Aitken
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"The gateless barrier" is generally acknowledged to be the fundamental koan collection in the literature of Zen. Gathered together by Wu-men (Mumon), a thirteenth-century master of the Lin-chi (Rinzai) school, it is composed of forty-eight koans, or cases, each accompanied by a brief comment and poem by Wu-men. Robert Aitken, one of the premier American Zen masters, has translated Wu-men's text, supplementing the original with his own commentary - the first such commentary by a Western show more master - making the profound truths of Zen Buddhism accessible to serious contemporary students and relevant to current social concerns. show lessTags
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The Gateless Barrier is generally acknowledged to be the fundamental koan collection in the literature of Zen. Gathered together by Wu-men (Mumon), a thirteenth-century master of the Lin-chi (Rinzai) school, it is composed of forty-eight koans, or cases, each accompanied by a brief comment and poem by Wu-men.
Robert Aitken, one of the premier American Zen masters, has translated Wu-men's text, supplementing the original with his own commentary -- the first such commentary by a Western master -- making the profound truths of Zen Buddhism accessible to serious contemporary students and relevant to current social concerns.
Robert Aitken, one of the premier American Zen masters, has translated Wu-men's text, supplementing the original with his own commentary -- the first such commentary by a Western master -- making the profound truths of Zen Buddhism accessible to serious contemporary students and relevant to current social concerns.
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22+ Works 1,973 Members
Robert Aitken was the author of more than a dozen books about Buddhism, including A Zen Wave, Encouraging Words, and Taking the Path of Zen. A dedicated Buddhist for most of his life, he was an abbot and roshi of the Honolulu Diamond Sangha in Hawaii, which he co-founded with his late wife Anne Hopkins Aitken in 1959. He died in 2010.
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan) (Mumonkan)
- Original title
- 無門關
- Original publication date
- 13th c.
- People/Characters
- Robert Aitken; Mumon; Mumonkan; Sanbo Kyodan; Wu-men; Lin-Chi
- Important places
- China; Asia
- Epigraph
- Bamboo shadows sweep the stairs
but no dust is stirred;
moonlight reaches to the bottom of the pond
but no trace is left in the water.
--Zenrinkushu - Dedication
- To the living presence of Yamada Koun-Ken Rodaishi
- First words
- For the practice of Zen it is imperative that you pass through the barrier set up by the Ancestral Teachers.
Preface:The Buddha mind and words point the way; the Gateless Barrier is the Dharma entry.
Introduction: The Gateless Barrier is a collection of stories and verses that present fundamental perspectives on life and no-life, the nature of the self, the relationship of the self to the earth--and how these interweave. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Use your anxiety. It is precious energy.
- Blurbers
- Beck, Joko; Maezumi, Hakuyu T.; Weitsman, Sojun Mel
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Statistics
- Members
- 157
- Popularity
- 207,914
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.14)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
