Opening a Mountain

Opening a Mountain
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Total Pages : 217
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780190291730
ISBN-13 : 0190291737
Rating : 4/5 (737 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Opening a Mountain by : Steven Heine

Download or read book Opening a Mountain written by Steven Heine and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2004-02-26 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the growing popularity of Zen Buddhism in the West, virtually everyone knows, or thinks they know, what a koan is: a brief and baffling question or statement that cannot be solved by the logical mind and which, after sustained concentration, can lead to sudden enlightenment. But the truth about koans is both simpler--and more complicated--than this. In Opening a Mountain, Steven Heine shows that koans, and the questions we associate with them--such as "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"--are embedded in larger narratives and belong to an ancient Buddhist tradition of "encounter dialogues." These dialogues feature dramatic and often inscrutable contests between masters and disciples, or between masters and an array of natural and supernatural forces: rouge priests, "wild foxes," hermits, wizards, shapeshifters, magical animals, and dangerous women. To establish a new monastery, "to open a mountain," the Zen master had to tame these wild forces in regions most remote from civilization. In these extraordinary encounters, fingers and arms are cut off, pitchers are kicked over, masters appear in and interpret each other's dreams, and seemingly absurd statements are shown to reveal the deepest insights. Heine restores these koans to their original traditions, allowing readers to see both the complex elements of Chinese culture and religion that they reflect and the role they played in Zen's transformation of local superstitions into its own teachings. Offering a fresh approach to one of the most crucial elements of Zen Buddhism, Opening a Mountain is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the full story behind koans and the mysterious worlds they come from.


Opening a Mountain Related Books

Opening a Mountain
Language: en
Pages: 217
Authors: Steven Heine
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2004-02-26 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

GET EBOOK

With the growing popularity of Zen Buddhism in the West, virtually everyone knows, or thinks they know, what a koan is: a brief and baffling question or stateme
The Master from Mountains and Fields
Language: en
Pages: 265
Authors:
Categories: Philosophy
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-11-30 - Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

GET EBOOK

The Master from Mountains and Fields is a fully annotated translation of the prose texts from the “collected works” of Sŏ Kyŏngdŏk (1489–1546), an infl
A War of Souls Book I: Mountain's Master
Language: en
Pages: 464
Authors: The REAL Zack Folks
Categories:
Type: BOOK - Published: - Publisher: Lulu.com

GET EBOOK

Hearings
Language: en
Pages: 2944
Authors: United States. Congress. House
Categories:
Type: BOOK - Published: 1956 - Publisher:

GET EBOOK

Songs of Nature
Language: en
Pages: 116
Authors: John Sallis
Categories: Philosophy
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-02-04 - Publisher: Indiana University Press

GET EBOOK

This latest philosophical text by John Sallis is inspired by the work of contemporary Chinese painter Cao Jun. It carries out a series of philosophical reflecti