Zen Sand

Zen Sand PDF

Author: Victor Sogen Hori

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2003-02-28

Total Pages: 785

ISBN-13: 0824865677

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Zen Sand is a classic collection of verses aimed at aiding practitioners of kôan meditation to negotiate the difficult relationship between insight and language. As such it represents a major contribution to both Western Zen practice and English-language Zen scholarship. In Japan the traditional Rinzai Zen kôan curriculum includes the use of jakugo, or "capping phrases." Once a monk has successfully replied to a kôan, the Zen master orders the search for a classical verse to express the monk’s insight into the kôan. Special collections of these jakugo were compiled as handbooks to aid in that search. Until now, Zen students in the West, lacking this important resource, have been severely limited in carrying out this practice. Zen Sand combines and translates two standard jakugo handbooks and opens the way for incorporating this important tradition fully into Western Zen practice. For the scholar, Zen Sand provides a detailed description of the jakugo practice and its place in the overall kôan curriculum, as well as a brief history of the Zen phrase book. This volume also contributes to the understanding of East Asian culture in a broader sense.

Sand and Pebbles

Sand and Pebbles PDF

Author: Mujū Ichien

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1985-01-01

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 9780887060595

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Sand and Pebbles presents the first complete English rendering of Shasekishū--the classic, popular Buddhist "Tale Literature" (setsuwa). This collection of instructive, yet often humorous, anecdotes appeared in the late thirteenth century, within decades of the first stirrings of the revolutionary movements of Kamakura Buddhism. Shasekishū''s author, Mujū Ichien (1226-1312), lived in a rural temple apart from the centers of political and literary activity, and his stories reflect the customs, attitudes and lifestyles of the commoners. In Sand and Pebbles, complete translations of Book One and other significant narrative parts are supplemented by summaries of the remaining (especially didactic) material and by excerpts from Mujū's later work. Introduced by a historical sketch of the period, this work also contains a biography of Mujū. Illustrations, charts, a chronology, glossary of terms, notes, an extensive bibliography and an index guide the reader into a seldom seen corner of old Japan. Mujū and his writings will interest students of literature as well as scholars of Japanese religion, especially Buddhism. Anthropologists and sociologists will discover details of Kamakura life and thought unrecorded in the official chronicles of the age.

Zen Traces

Zen Traces PDF

Author: Kenneth Kraft

Publisher: Paul Dry Books

Published: 2018-06-05

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 1589881281

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As Zen takes root in the West, new forms arise. For centuries Zen masters have tested their students with “koans” and “capping phrases.” A koan is a spiritual paradox that must be solved intuitively. A capping phrase is a trenchant comment. Both are meditative practices that reveal deeper truths about the self and, ideally, lead to enlightenment. In Zen Traces, Buddhist scholar Kenneth Kraft plays off these practices in a new idiom. He selects passages from four sources: traditional Zen, present-day Zen, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. When a koan-like story about a contemporary Zen teacher is paired with a pithy comment by Mark Twain, something fresh emerges. “In this lovely book, Ken Kraft provides a unique opening for American Buddhism and American wisdom in general. The reader will come to fresh and spacious new insights and enjoyments… Cheers for Zen in America and a deep bow to Ken Kraft!”—POLLY YOUNG-EISENDRATH, Ph.D., author of The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery “I highly recommend this delightful book of East-West wisdom—full of surprise, insight, wit, and piercing beauty.”—KATY BUTLER, author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death

Zen Sand

Zen Sand PDF

Author: Victor Sogen Hori

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2003-02-28

Total Pages: 992

ISBN-13: 9780824822842

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Zen Sand is a classic collection of verses aimed at aiding practitioners of kôan meditation to negotiate the difficult relationship between insight and language. As such it represents a major contribution to both Western Zen practice and English-language Zen scholarship. In Japan the traditional Rinzai Zen kôan curriculum includes the use of jakugo, or "capping phrases." Once a monk has successfully replied to a kôan, the Zen master orders the search for a classical verse to express the monk’s insight into the kôan. Special collections of these jakugo were compiled as handbooks to aid in that search. Until now, Zen students in the West, lacking this important resource, have been severely limited in carrying out this practice. Zen Sand combines and translates two standard jakugo handbooks and opens the way for incorporating this important tradition fully into Western Zen practice. For the scholar, Zen Sand provides a detailed description of the jakugo practice and its place in the overall kôan curriculum, as well as a brief history of the Zen phrase book. This volume also contributes to the understanding of East Asian culture in a broader sense.

Building My Zen Garden

Building My Zen Garden PDF

Author: Kieran Egan

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 9780618063789

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"The adventures and occasional mayhem of a Western gardener seeking to create a peaceful place that calms the soul".

京都禅の庭

京都禅の庭 PDF

Author: Thomas Wright

Publisher: Books Nippan

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13:

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A full-color introduction to the serene world of Kyoto's Zen gardens. Each garden's location, visiting hours and admission policies are noted.

Zen Garden Litter Box

Zen Garden Litter Box PDF

Author: Sarah Royal

Publisher: RP Minis

Published: 2019-04-02

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9780762464128

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Zen meets cats -- and kitty litter -- in this calming Zen garden kit that includes everything you need to reach ultimate enlightenment. For any cat lover looking for peace and mindfulness, this kit includes: 3-inch "Litter box" tray Two 3/4-inch cats Bag of sand 5 decorative rocks 2-1/2-inch wooden rake 32-page book on the Zen of litter box gardening

Japanese Stone Gardens

Japanese Stone Gardens PDF

Author: Stephen Mansfield

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

Published: 2012-03-13

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1462905986

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Gain some new ideas along with the principles and history of Japanese stone gardening with this useful and beautiful garden design book. Japanese Stone Gardens provides a comprehensive introduction to the powerful mystique and dynamism of the Japanese stone garden—from their earliest use as props in animistic rituals, to their appropriation by Zen monks and priests to create settings conducive to contemplation and finally to their contemporary uses and meaning. With insightful text and abundant imagery, this book reveals the hidden order of stone gardens and in the process heightens the enthusiast's appreciation of them. The Japanese stone garden is an art form recognized around the globe. These meditative gardens provide tranquil settings, where visitors can shed the burdens and stresses of modern existence, satisfy an age-old yearning for solitude and repose, and experience the restorative power of art and nature. For this reason, the value of the Japanese stone garden today is arguably even greater than when many of them were created. Fifteen gardens are featured in this book: some well known, such as the famous temple gardens of Kyoto, others less so, among them gardens spread through the south of Honshu Island and the southern islands of Shikoku and Kyushu and in faraway Okinawa.

Zen Gardening

Zen Gardening PDF

Author: Sunniva Harte

Publisher: Pavilion Books, Limited

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9781862054585

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Reflects the increasing interest in Eastern philosophies on the creation of natural balance in the garden; Provides detailed practical examples showing how to imbue your garden with the elements of harmony and peace; Gardens inspired by Zen are the ideal antidote to today's busy lifestyle - an oasis of calm and tranquillity - and require very little maintenance; Zen gardens are for contemplation, reflecting the beauty of nature and the aesthetic sense of the gardener. Originally created in Japanese monasteries around the twelfth century, their beauty comes from their simplicity and the precise arrangement of rocks, gravel, water and plants. Using as few or as many plants as required, Zen gardens also provide an eco-friendly alternative to the old-fashioned lawn, often requiring little or no water. For those with a limited area, Zen gardens create the illusion of space and freedom. Zen Gardening simplifies the principles of this art and reveals the meaning of the different elements, putting every aspect of creating a Zen garden at the hands of today's gardeners. Zen gardening need not mean ripping up your garden and starting from scratch. Nor need it involve replacing your lawn with

The Mini Zen Gardening Kit

The Mini Zen Gardening Kit PDF

Author: Abd Al-hayy Moore

Publisher: RP Minis

Published: 2000-09-04

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780762408283

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This carry-along version of our enormously popular Zen Gardening Kit provides a touch of tranquility on the go. Packaged with a 32page introduction to the aesthetic enlightenment of Zen gardening, it includes a tray, fine sand, decorative rocks, and miniature wooden rake.