The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training - Softcover

Loori, John Daido

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1570629528 ISBN 13: 9781570629525

Publisher: Shambhala, 2002

Synopsis

This accessible introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism includes a program of study that encompasses practically every aspect of life. The American Zen teacher John Daido Loori shows us that Zen practice should include not only meditation, the study of Zen literature and liturgy, and moral and ethical action, but should also manifest in work, artistic, and everyday activities. The Eight Gates are:

   1.  Zazen, a type of meditation described as "sitting Zen"
   2.  Face-to-face meetings between teacher and student
   3.  Academic study of the sutras related to Zen training, other schools of Buddhism, Buddhist history, psychology, and philosophy
   4.  Zen rites and rituals and their meaning
   5.  The moral and ethical requirements set in the Buddhist Precepts
   6.  Art practice as an extension of Zen practice
   7.  Body practice as an extension of Zen practice
   8.  Work as an active function of zazen
Beautifully illustrated with Loori's own photographs, this edition also includes a new introduction and an updated reading list.

About this title

About the Author

John Daido Loori (1931–2009) was one of the West's leading Zen masters. He was the founder and spiritual leader of the Mountains and Rivers Order and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. His work has been most noted for its unique adaptation of traditional Asian Buddhism into an American context, particularly with regard to the arts, the environment, social action, and the use of modern media as a vehicle of spiritual training and social change. Loori was an award-winning photographer and videographer. His art and wildlife photography formed the core of a unique teaching program that integrated art and wilderness training by cultivating a deep appreciation of the relationship of Zen to our natural environment. He was a dharma heir of the influential Japanese Zen master Taizan Maezumi Roshi and he authored many books.

From Publishers Weekly

Loori (Riding the Ox Home: Stages on the Path of Enlightenment) is the abbot of the Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskills, a former photographer and a writer for mainstream Buddhist publications such as Tricycle and Shambhala Sun. As such he is perfectly suited to produce this in-depth Zen training text specifically tailored to the needs of Americans. This volume part map, part manual and part philosophical essay is especially useful for those within a Buddhist community, though a special chapter, "Lotus in the Fire," extends insights toward solo practitioners. Sensitive to Western needs for progress measurement, Loori delineates 10 stages of practice, moving from novice to teacher. The eight "gates" of the title are sitting meditation (zazen); face-to-face meetings between teacher and student; academic study; rituals; morality and ethics as reflected in the Buddhist precepts of behavior; art; the body; and work all extensions and functions of Zen practice. Sufficiently deep, yet clear and easy to read, this has the potential to become a fundamental handbook broadening practice in this country beyond basic zazen and sutra study. It has illustrations, a practical appendix, glossary and a solid reading list geared to the various stages of practice. Ultimately and rightly, Loori paraphrases Gary Snyder, concluding, "Zen is not Japanese and it's not Chinese. It is American. It didn't come from Asia; it has always been here. It is a way of using your mind and living your life and doing it with other people."
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Shambhala
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1570629528
• ISBN 13: 9781570629525
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304