Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi” as Want to Read:
Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi
by
First to articulate the meditation method known to contemporary Zen practitioners as shikantaza ("just sitting") Chinese Zen master Hongzhi is one of the most influential poets in all of Zen literature. This translation of HongzhiÆs poetry, the only such volume available in English, treats readers to his profound wisdom and beautiful literary gift. In addition to dozens of
...more
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Cultivating the Empty Field,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Cultivating the Empty Field
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Really amazingly well written discussion of Hongzhi's approach to enlightenment and the teaching and study of Buddhism. Leighton is both a believer and a scholar, so his interpretations of important documents both historically situate what's going on in the cultural and material context, but at the same time he gives a spiritual interpretation of the text and what Hongzhi (or whomever wrote the text under discussion) might have meant from their historical and cultural perspective. Really great,
...more
I've read a lot of zen texts, one hand clapping and all that, but none of the books I've read before were as lovely as this one. These koans are pure poetry to me. I will be reading and rereading this one for a long long time. Excellent.
A fascinating document of Zen's ancient traditions. Approach Hongzhi's words as a scholar would, rather than as a casual reader would, and they will reveal something new--and probably something different to each reader. Which is why Leighton packs in so many useful footnotes as well.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
