Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record: Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei

by Thomas Cleary (Translator)

The Blue Cliff Record is a classic text of Zen Buddhism, designed to assist in the activation of dormant human potential. The core of this extraordinary work is a collection of one hundred traditional citations and stories, selected for their ability to bring about insight and enlightenment. These vignettes are known as gongan in Chinese and koan in Japanese.

Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record is a fresh translation featuring newly translated commentary from two of the greatest Zen masters of early modern Japan, Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768) of the Rinzai sect of Zen and Tenkei Denson (1648–1735) of the Soto sect of Zen. This translation and commentary on The Blue Cliff Record sheds new light on the meaning of this central Zen text.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Religion, Spirituality

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1978

About the author

Dr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.

Reviews

[Chris Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, along with Sayings Of Layman P'ang, epitomizes for me the essence of Ch'an. Highly recommended.

[Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's better than the newer Blue Cliff Record by Cleary. The book is more understandable with Hakuin and Tenkei's commentary.

[Lori Shinkō Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great resource in support of passing koans.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think of this as an appendix or supplement to The Blue Cliff Record. The Blue Cliff Record is a central text of both Rinzai and Soto sects of [Japanese] Zen Buddhism, and the commentaries from these two perspectives shed light on these initially obscure and inscrutable writings.

[Jan van Leent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful as companion to your Zen koan study