Synopsis
If Zen had such things as scriptures, this collection of Zen and pre-Zen writings might claim to constitute them
Here in one volume are gathered the experiences of Zen, the mind problems and the stages of awareness, together with similar teachings which are centuries older than Zen. These passages take the reader deep into everyday living towards the very source of being.
The first book, "101 Zen Stories", shadows the experience of Zen masters and students during the past seven hundred years in their search for satori or enlightenments. The second book, "The Gateless Gate", is the famous Mumonkon, a collection of problems used by Zen teachers to guide their students towards release, while "Ten Bulls", which is illustrated by one of Japan's leading woodblock artists, contains a commentary on the stages of awareness along the path to enlightenment. "Centering", the fourth book, is a transcription from Sanskrit of an ancient teaching which still survives in Kashmir and may well be the origin of Zen.
About the Author
Paul Reps, the compiler, was an American who lived in many countries, including India, Norway, and Japan and studied many of man's efforts to find and realize his true spiritual stature. He was the author of several books of poems and prose. He once said that he felt "the equal of each grass blade and pebble and believe that it is possible to be happy though human and grown up."
Nyogen Senzaki, a Buddhist scholar of an international character to whom Reps acknowledged a deep debt of gratitude, was born in Japan. Early in life, he became a "homeless monk," wandering the land and studying from Buddhist monastery to monastery. His wanderings eventually took him to America, where for over 50 years he lived in California, with no connection with any sect, denomination, or cathedral, radiating the free and creative spirit of Zen upon all who cared to share his study, meditation, wisdom, and loving kindness.
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