Transmission of Light: Zen in the Art of Enlightenment by Zen Master Keizan

by Thomas Cleary (Translator)

A translation of the classic Denkoroku by one of the premier translators of Buddhist and Taoist texts illustrates how to arrive at the epiphanic Zen awakening known as satori.

The essential initiatory experience of Zen, satori is believed to open up the direct perception of things as they are. "Even if you sit until your seat breaks through, even if you persevere mindless of fatigue, even if you are a person of lofty deeds and pure behavior, if you haven't reached this realm of satori, you still can't get out of the prison of the world." Deliberately cultivated and employed to awaken the dormant potency of the mind, satori is said to be accessible to all people, transcending time, history, culture, race, gender, and personality.

Attributed to the thirteenth-century Zen Master Keizan (1268–1325), Transmission of Light (along with The Blue Cliff Record and The Gateless Barrier ) is one of three essential koan texts used by Zen students. Techniques for reaching the enlightening experience of satori are revealed through fifty-three short tales about the awakenings of successive generations of masters, beginning with the twelfth-century Zen master Ejo, dharma heir to Dogen.

The translator's introduction establishes the context for Transmission of Light within the Zen canon and elucidates central themes of the work, including the essential idea that genuine satori "is not the end of Zen; it is more properly the true beginning."

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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

[David Easterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were to be jailed for LWB, or somehow trapped on an island for the rest of my life, this is the one book I would want to have.

[Rui Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luminous clarity: the mind permeates all of reality with a clear light, visible only to those with a clear mind, pure as water. The whole universe of form and formless being is imbued with this luminous clarity. Even and especially within our own minds this clear light is ever-present, before birth, after death, during life. All is luminous clarity, everything else is the mundane world of perception and sensation, cognition, intuition, intellect, and understanding. None of this matters until you see the world with a clear mind, with luminous clarity. Practice, as this life is the only chance you may get.

[Andrew Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good guide to zen, but as it talks about things that are going on inside your head, it's rather hard to understand.

[Bob Woodley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lineage is a big deal for Chan and Zen Buddhists. This book, written in 13th century Japan purports to trace an unbroken transmission of Satori from the Buddha through to Dogen and Ejo.

It is full of koan-like pronouncements and poems and not all of it made sense to me. But it was useful for understanding buddhist history and giving context to important stories that are repeated frequently.

But I have not finished it in over a year and I don't know if I ever will. I have read maybe half the stories and dip into it now and then. It is not a novel, or a philosophical text. Each 3 page chapter needs to be read, meditated on, and discussed. It would be great for a book club.

[Joe Visconti · Rating 2 out of 5]

not exactly light reading