Zen: Images, Texts, and Teachings - Hardcover

Stryk, Lucien; Levering, Mirian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1579651666 ISBN 13: 9781579651664

Publisher: Artisan, 2000

Synopsis

The simplicity, directness, wisdom, and humor of Zen have acted as a source of spiritual guidance to thousands of people for generations. It's no surprise, then, that Americans have embraced it wholeheartedly in recent years, establishing the need for a book like Zen.

A visually pleasing, gorgeously tactile gift book, it gathers together major Zen writings in one place. Soothing photographs accompany the poems and koans, revealing to beginners and experienced practitioners alike the enigma and harmony of this ancient tradition. An introduction helps readers approach the text, providing some history of the teachings as well as the philosophy behind them. A glossary and bibliography round out this unique anthology.

About this title

About the Authors

Lucien Stryk, whose translations figure prominently in Zen, is co-editor, with the late Takashi Ikemoto, of the Penguin Book of Zen Poetry. He lives in Dekalb, Illinois.

Dr. Miriam Levering is author of Buddhism in Sung Culture and The Zen of Women: Women Masters in Sung Zen. Currently an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Chinese Religions and on the steering committee of the Buddhism section of the American Academy of Religion.

From the Back Cover

ELOQUENT WRITINGS FROM THE ZEN SPIRITUAL TRADITION MAGNIFICENTLY ILLUSTRATED WITH SUPERB COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS THAT CAPTURE THE ESSENCE AND ATMOSPHERE OF ZEN

Includes an introduction to the history and key concepts of Zen, written by Zen scholar Dr. Miriam Levering

Presents the intriguing spiritual puzzles of the Gateless Gate koans as well as haiku and other poems rich in the beauty and paradox of Zen

From the Inside Flap

Zen offers a selection of appealing, insightful texts - from the complete koans of the Gateless Gate (a thirteenth-century collection of spiritual puzzles used in the practice of Zen) to more modern poems that are not only thought provoking and evocative but rich in beauty and paradox. The anthology includes works by the masters of the Golden Age of Zen and by the famous poets Basho and Ryokan as well as by contemporary Zen masters. Many of the translations are by Lucien Stryk, the esteemed poet and Zen practitioner, who has also contributed a forward to the book.

An illuminating and accessible introduction, written by Zen scholar Dr. Miriam Levering, places the writing in context and explores key concepts. The photographs, carefully selected to harmonize with the texts, provide a magnificent visual framework. Readers are invited to open their imaginations to the joining of text and image, and let the quiet wisdom of both seep into their beings.

A reference section at the back of the book includes a glossary and a bibliography for those who wish to explore the subject further.

Edition details

• Publisher: Artisan
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1579651666
• ISBN 13: 9781579651664
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160