Zen Dust: The History of the Koan and Koan Study in Rinzai (Linji) Zen

by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, Ruth Fuller Sasaki

Originally published in Kyoto in 1966 by the First Zen Institute of America in Japan, and by Harcourt, Brace & World in New York in 1967, "Zen The History of the Koan and Koan Study in Rinzai (Linji) Zen" quickly established itself as the only major resource into Zen koan study available in any Western language. Long since out of print, this Quirin Pinyin Updated Editions (QPUE) Revised Edition offers the full original text with the following •Older Wade-Giles transliteration fully updated and revised to the current Pinyin standard. •Fully re-typeset and proofed for typographical errors and inconsistencies. •A fully searchable E-book edition of this title will be made available in PDF format. Not to be confused with the earlier title by the same authors on the Zen koan, which is a much shorter preliminary version of the present volume, Zen The History of the Koan and Koan Study in Rinzai (Linji) Zen is divided into five main • Part One is an extensive essay by Ruth Fuller Sasaki on the history of the koan in Chinese and Japanese Rinzai Zen and how it developed into a unique technique to aid the monk in quest of enlightenment. • Part Two is a translation of a series of lectures on koan study given by the Zen master Isshū Miura Rōshi • Part Three offers a selection of Zen phrases or capping phrases that were used as commentary and annotations to the often enigmatic koans. • The notes to the first two sections of Zen Dust offer a veritable treasure trove of background information on the monks and masters that forged the koan-study tradition of Rinzai Zen in China and Japan. • This is followed by an extensively descriptive bibliography that teases out the vast literature of Zen in particular and Buddhism in general by giving considerable background material not only on the content of the works but also the context in which they came to be put together. Along with the appendices, which include genealogical charts of Zen lines, and the extensive index, it is these last sections (totaling nearly 400 pages) that make Zen Dust an invaluable companion not only for students and Zen adepts seeking to delve in the unique spiritual training that koan study entails, but also for scholars and researchers of Zen Buddhism. Koan. | Zen Buddhism. | Rinzai Paperback xx + 531 pages | 6 x 9 in. / 234 x 156 mm. | 1.8 lb /816 gm For details and updates, including occasional extracts and special offers, visit our website quirinpress.com and follow us Twitter @QuirinPress

Genres: Buddhism, Zen

562 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2015

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because this book has so much

I was fortunate to have been gifted with the 1966 version of this book, and my comments relate to this version which contains the full text (574 pages). I understand that there was a subsequent edition that did not contain all the notes (and a 2015 edition which I think does). While the Initial sections: two chapters on the history of koan study in China and Japan; and seven chapters on koan study in Rinzai Zen, are great sources of both information and encouragement for a zen student; what is really striking about Zen Dust is the comprehensive notes (about 184 pages), Bibliography (143 pages) in addition to an anthology of capping phrases, drawings by Hakuin Ekaku, maps and lineage charts, in addition to a comprehensive index. I have been told that for many years these provided most of the information regarding many old masters and zen terms available in English.

A wonderful book which will continue to serve as an invaluable reference and source of inspiration.

Ask your library to purchase the 2015 edition so this resources is not lost.