Zen: Tradition and Transition: A Sourcebook by Contemporary Zen Masters and Scholars

By Kenneth Kraft

Book Overview

Zen: Tradition and Transition brings together some of the foremost Zen masters and scholars to create a unique sourcebook for anyone interested in understanding this rich tradition, its history, and its current practice. The wide-ranging original contributions include Chinese master Shen-yen on the essential techniques of meditation; Philip Kapleau on the master-disciple relationship; and Philip Yampolsky on the historical evolution of Japanese Zen. Burton Watson explores Zen poetry using classics from China and Japan, while Albert Low demonstrates the spirited style of Zen commentary in his essay on one of the tradition's best-known texts. Other fascinating pieces include Morinaga Sato's memoir, "My Struggle to Become a Zen Monk," and T. Griffith Foulk's portrait of the daily life of modern Zen monks in Japan. Both accessible to beginners and challenging to the serious student of Zen, this is an authoritative and complete perspective on a philosophical tradition that has flourished for a thousand years.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080213162X
• ISBN13: 9780802131621
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An excellent collection

Kenneth Kraft did a great job compiling several original essays. Some of them, written by Buddhist scholars, cover an early history of Ch'an in China, the development of Japanese Zen, Zen poetry, Zen in America, and so on. Some, written by Zen masters and practitioners, offer an internal perspective on Zen, including chapters on zazen (Zen meditation), private meetings with a master, Zen Koans, and so on. The book has a broad scope and essays are very accessible. Highly recommended.