Book Description
The tradition of Chan Buddhism--more popularly known as Zen--has been romanticized throughout its history. In this book, John R. McRae shows how modern critical techniques, supported by recent manuscript discoveries, make possible a more skeptical, accurate, and--ultimately--productive assessment of Chan lineages, teaching, fundraising practices, and social organization. Synthesizing twenty years of scholarship, Seeing through Zen offers new, accessible analytic models for the interpretation of Chan spiritual practices and religious history.
Writing in a lucid and engaging style, McRae traces the emergence of this Chinese spiritual tradition and its early figureheads, Bodhidharma and the "sixth patriarch" Huineng, through the development of Zen dialogue and koans. In addition to constructing a central narrative for the doctrinal and social evolution of the school, Seeing through Zen examines the religious dynamics behind Chan's use of iconoclastic stories and myths of patriarchal succession. McRae argues that Chinese Chan is fundamentally genealogical, both in its self-understanding as a school of Buddhism and in the very design of its practices of spiritual cultivation. Furthermore, by forgoing the standard idealization of Zen spontaneity, we can gain new insight into the religious vitality of the school as it came to dominate the Chinese religious scene, providing a model for all of East Asia--and the modern world. Ultimately, this book aims to change how we think about Chinese Chan by providing new ways of looking at the tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Beautiful Example of a Middle Way
As a Zen priest who is also an academic, I am frequently frustrated both by scholarly books on religion that dismiss practitioners' perspectives, and by religiously oriented books that accept religious claims uncritically. In Seeing Through Zen, John McRae synthesizes a great deal of recent scholarship on Ch'an (Zen) and shows that many of its central claims -- an unbroken lineage of patriarchs, the biographies of key figures such as Bodhidharma and the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, a "golden age" of iconoclastic masters during the Tang Dynasty -- are not "true" in the modern historical sense. At the same time, McRae's first rule of Zen studies is: "It's not true, therefore it's more important." His careful scholarship is balanced bysensitivity to the religious meanings and the institutional value of these myths for Ch'an/Zen practitioners. I highly recommend this book to academic students and religious practitioners of Zen.
The book opens with four axioms for Zen studies that can be applied usefully to almost any historical study. The subsequent analysis focuses on the Ch'an lineage and the literature of "encounter dialogue" (koans). McRae helps readers to understand the content of Ch'an myth and doctrine, the process by which it developed, and the ways it shaped the religious identities of institutions and individual practitioners.
He cautions readers not to accept portrayals of heroes or villains at face value, but to look beneath the rhetoric to what's at stake in their portrayals: whose interests are being served, and how? He also cautions against assuming that the more precise a Zen story is, in details of place and time, the earlier it is likely be. In fact, the opposite is more likely. The details of Bodhidharma's life, for example, accumulated gradually over a thousand years. His identity was continually reinvented by successive generations of practitioners, according to their religious identities and ideals. Likewise, the teachings of many great Tang Dynasty masters were attributed to them retrospectively by later generations of students. This does not mean, however, that the mytho-poetic accounts are worthless. They tell us about the concerns and aspirations of the people who developed them, and help us to think more carefully about the religious claims of our own era and institutions.
Western Zen is often built on misunderstandings of the tradition, in part because of the vast divide between our culture and that of Song Dynasty China, when many elements of Zen tradition took shape. For modern practitioners, it is not possible to do a careful and thoughtful job of interpreting Zen tradition for our own circumstances if we accept traditional stories unquestioningly in a literal, fundamentalist way. McRae offers helpful resources for re-thinking the tradition.
The book does have some limitations: it pays almost no attention to gender; and it focuses almost entirely on texts, rather than on, say, archaeology, religious objects, or art, all of which tell us something about how religious traditions were actually lived. The focus on texts is a bias of western Buddhist studies that has been critiqued in recent decades, because religious literature may tell us more about what elites thought practitioners should do and believe, than about what practitioners actually did. McRae also might have drawn more connections between Indian and Chinese traditions: the question-and-answer format of koan literature, for example, seems reminiscent of The Questions of King Milinda.
Despite these constraints, Seeing Through Zen is an engaging, accessible, highly informative book that demonstrates both rigorous scholarship and sympathy for the people he studies. This is a difficult balance, and McRae accomplishes it with flair.

Engaging Treatment of Chan
McRae is truly an engaging scholar.Not only are his topics intriguing, but his writing style is smooth, accessible, and clear.Seeing Though Zen was a solid treatment of commonly misunderstood aspects of Chan (chinese zen).He fills the reader in on important aspects of the development of Chan without an over-burdening assessment the factors involved (that's what the bibliography is for), but he also treats the major 20th-century scholarship on Zen which accounts for these misunderstandings.I would have liked more of a "step into the beyond" in the conclusion, but I guess I'll have to wait for the Shen-hui work.

"There is no wisdom and no gain. " Heart Sutra
Studies of this type were perhaps inevitable. Following in the footsteps of Dr.Hu Shih, John McRae questions the 'orthodox' in-terpretation of Ch'an (Zen) history. Like many others, however, I feel that he has made too much of certain arguments. Some things may be less than clear, about the early Ch'an tradition and its geneologies etc. However, the primary sources which shaped the Ch'an tradition - the T'ang masters, were very real people - and, for the most part - what has come down to us today - in their records, is a faithful reflection of what they had to teach.

John McRae makes much of 'sectarian' identities - but, did the T'ang masters encourage people to cling to such things? Masters like Ma-tsu and Shih-t'ou used to send their disciples back and forth, between each other's temples. Like Hu-shih, John McRae is keen to make it known that figures such as Hui-neng were made to bolster an 'ideological' position but, in actual fact, Hui-neng's Altar Sutra includes the story of his encounter with Yung-chia, a joint T'ien-tai/Ch'an master. Given John McRae's position, we should expect to find a 'triumphalist' account of Ch'an here - but, it actually acknowledges that Yung-chia was enlightened - and that he could hold his own - with Hui-neng. So - where's the obsession with 'sectarian' identities? The Ch'uan Teng Lu (Transmission of the Lamp) - technically a 'Ch'an-school' document, contains the records of several T'ien-tai masters.

John McRae dismisses almost everything about Hui-neng as a fiction- but, if he cares to visit to Pao-lin temple one day, not far from Canton, he will find Hui-neng's body, seated in the meditation posture. It has been there since 713, interestingly enough - in proximity to the body of an Indian master, who had predicted Hui-neng's birth and future career. Are the Buddhists who venerate this place - misguided fools? When it comes to it, the Ch'an school has not occupied the narrow horizons suggested in John McRae's account. You will find people practicing 'Pure Land meditation in Ch'an temples - and Master Yung-Ming wrote his monumental 'Tsung Ching Lu' (Record of the Source-Mirror), helping to explicate how all Buddhist teachings - as 'upaya' can be harmonised in the 'One Mind.' This affords a perspective quite different to that presented in John McRae's account. By default, perhaps, people now discriminate - and cling to sectarian identities. But is there a single T'ang master - on record, telling us to 'cling' to anything?

transforming Zen history
Separating fact from fiction in history is problematic at best. Religious history is especially difficult as there are many stakeholders propogating certain lines of belief and practice. McRae's book strips away much of the mythology of the development of Chan/Zen from the time of Bodhidharma through to the Song Dynasty (ca. 950-1300) in China. This demythologizing is sure to upset some Zen practioners and teachers whose faith in Zen Buddhism is intimately tied to an idealised version of Zen's history.
McRae not only presents a refreshing view of the Chan lineage charts and their role in the development of Zen's history, but also gives a detailed analysis of the Northern/Southern Schools split and the development of "encounter dialogues", which laid the foundation for koans.Along the way, he takes a swipe at Heinrich Dumoulin's interpretation of Zen history, the Platform Sutra as history (it never happened), and even the idea that Chan was a distinct and separate Buddhist school in ancient China. Forthose whose faith is based on these colourful but historically inaccurate myths, this book will be troubling and thought-provoking.
McRae and other academics in the field are providing a valuable service to Buddhism's migration from the East to the West and books such as this one should be required reading in Zen centres around the world. McRae tackles the issues with a light touch and even non-experts in the field should have little difficulty in reading this. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in Zen's true history.
(...)

Zen Students Beware
I didn't get too far into this book before getting pissed off. And that's a GOOD thing! John McRae , as a zen student, has taken on the task of looking at the history and hagiography of zen and tried to sort out fact from fiction, uses of the fiction, implications for practice, and much more. As you read this book, if you are a zen student like I am, you will find some of your most cherished beliefs challenged in regard to zen. I find this a refreshing book. The early part on lineage is particularly interesting as most zen groups I am aware of place heavy emphasis on lineage and "proving" how they are descendant from Shakyamuni himself. This was a very rewarding read and I look forward to reading more by this author on Northern school of Zen. ... Read more

Book Description

The Encyclopedia of Buddhism provides a comprehensive overview of one of Asia's most important religious and social forces, describing the Buddhist worldview, basic teachings and practices, history, and the different schools and sects. This intriguing set illuminates a religion that is a mystery to most Westerners by exploring Buddhist scriptures, art, architecture, saints, demons, monastic orders, festivals, rites and ceremonies, as well as the different forms Buddhism has taken in different parts of the world, and how it has blended with other religions like Shinto, Confucianism, Daoism and Christianity.

Product Description
CD/ DVD and hardcover book concerning Origin, Concept, Key POints, movements, medical effects, visualization, basic principles of Simi Active Chan Tai Chi practice. ... Read more

Book Description

The Encyclopedia of Buddhism provides a comprehensive overview of one of Asia's most important religious and social forces, describing the Buddhist worldview, basic teachings and practices, history, and the different schools and sects. This intriguing set illuminates a religion that is a mystery to most Westerners by exploring Buddhist scriptures, art, architecture, saints, demons, monastic orders, festivals, rites and ceremonies, as well as the different forms Buddhism has taken in different parts of the world, and how it has blended with other religions like Shinto, Confucianism, Daoism and Christianity.

Book Description
Regionalism and Globalization is a study in systems of patterned regularities. Whether it’s the continuation and persistence of poverty in the Appalachian region or rapid technological or cultural change in the global arena, author Joseph J. Matvey III seeks to provide a framework for understanding these social phenomenons.

Book Description
Learning True Love is a unique autobiography that tells the gripping story of Sr. Chan Khong, who has for more than four decades worked closely with Thich Nhat Hanh. It reflects her spiritual growth against the backdrop of a war-torn Vietnam, and offers many examples of how to resolve difficulties and celebrate the joy of a life in service. Khong's single-minded dedication to humanity and courageous integrity can serve as an inspiration for all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Beautiful book
I had the amazing pleasure to meet Sr. Chan Khong and her prescence and life has definitely been an inspiration to me.
The book is highly recommneded!!!

Wonderful!
I totally disagree with the "library journal" review. Not only was this book inspiring, heartwarming, and unique, it told a tale of a woman who defied so many odds by transforming her suffering into the desire to help others move forward into peace. I have read many books by Buddhist scholars before, but none as simple and biographical as this. It was heartbreaking at times; hearing about killings, learning about lost loved ones, learning true love, all of this is conveyed in such a way that you feel you're actually there.

There is no broken English in this book, I don't know what the review is talking about. There's only one typo that I found in the entire book, and it was typing error, not a grammatical one. This book should be on your priority list: if you give it a try, you'll find that you want to keep it in your collection forever. It's a priceless concentration of thoughts that move and inspire you, both to touch suffering and not to despair when faced with challenges.

A very fine autobiography
This is the autobiography of a Vietnamese Buddhist nun who spent her life trying to help people whose lives were devastated by the wars. Because of her close association with Thich Nhat Hanh, it is to some degree an informal history of his activities as well. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is her frustration with the American peace movement. Her life (and his) are both quite inspiring, so this is a challenging and uplifting book. I would happily recommend this book to anyone interested in Vietnamese Buddhism, the war and the peace movements, or Vietnam in general.

Moving
This book presents a side of the Vietnam War that few know about.Most people have seen the horrifying films of the Buddhist monks burning themselves alive in protest to the war.This is but one of the powerful stories that this book tells in depth.It is filled with incredible stories of devotion, resilience, and love.

beautiful and inspiring
This book was so inspiring to me.It is the life story of a woman that has stood in the face of the storm and has emerged with clarity, compassion, and hope.It teaches every one of us who is seeking to build abetter world how to give everything we have, and if our work is destroyedtomorrow to begin to rebuild with faith, again and again. ... Read more

Book Description
Revered by Buddhists in the United States and China, Master Sheng-yen shares his wisdom and teachings in this first comprehensive English primer of Chan, the Chinese tradition of Buddhism that inspired Japanese Zen.Often misunderstood as a system of mind games, the Chan path leads to enlightenment through apparent contradiction.While demanding the mental and physical discipline of traditional Buddhist doctrine, it asserts that wisdom (Buddha-nature) is innate and immediate in all living beings, and thus not to be achieved through devotion to the strictures of religious practice.You arrive without departing.Master Sheng-yen provides an unprecedented understanding of Chan, its precepts, and its practice.Beginning with a basic overview of Buddhism and meditation, Hoofprint of the Ox details the progressive mental exercises traditionally followed by all Buddhists. Known as the Three Disciplines, these procedures develop moral purity, meditative concentration, and enlightening insight through the "stilling" of the mind.Master Sheng-yen then expounds Chan Buddhism, recounting its centuries-old history in China and illuminating its fundamental tenets. He contemplates the nature of Buddhahood, specifies the physical and mental prerequisites for beginning Chan practice, and humbly considers what it means to be an enlightened Chan master. Drawing its title from a famous series of pictures that symbolizes the Chan path as the search of an ox-herd for his wayward ox, Hoofprint of the Ox is an inspirational guide to self-discovery through mental transformation. A profound contribution to Western understanding of Chan and Zen, this book is intended for practicing Buddhists as well as anyone interested in learning about the Buddhist path. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Everything you wanted to know about Chan meditation .. and more
This is a book I believe will help me with my Chan meditation practice. I've found a few lately which seem like they do or will help: I need to stop reading now so much and start meditating more.

It is fortunate that there are some books on Chan meditation which seem helpful. This is the most thorough. Others I have found recently are:
1) Attaining the Way: A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism, also by Sheng Yen. Not as thorough but arguably sufficient and better focused.
2) The Chan Handbook: Talks About Meditation by Hsuan Hua, also not as thorough but also arguably sufficient and seemed more intimate than "Attaining the Way"
3) Chan Buddhism (Dimensions of Asian Spirituality) by Peter Hershock, which covers both Chan history and the spirit of Chan meditation but not technical details.

Reading all these books may risk "overdosing", as I may have done, but probably can't hurt. If I had to pick only one to learn the practice of Chan meditation, I'd pick this book ("Hoofprint of the Ox"). If I had to pick only one to learn either the history or spirit of Chan Buddhism, I'd pick Herchock "Chan Buddhism". At the moment, all these books seem relatively affordable so you may be able to "avoid picking and choosing!"

Besides teachings of substance to be found in this book, a few relatively minor lessons from this book that helped me are:

1) even if not ideal, it is okay to sit in a chair when doing silent illumination.
2) to minimize distractions, restraining oneself from much talking and socializing helps at all times. Is that obvious?
3) modern life being as complex as it is will, almost certainly, make it more difficult to quiet oneself. Sheng Yen details methods for calming oneself.
4) exercises and self-massage before meditation can help. For exercise, I'm considering doing chi gong again regularly for which I recommend Master Lam Kam-Chuen's The Way of Energy: A Gaia Original
5) Chan Buddhism historically was actually associated with the production of much literature and the many of early Chan masters were well-versed in Buddhist and non-Buddhist texts
6) Sheng Yen recognizes the difficulty in finding and identifying a suitable Chan teacher, as well how difficult it can be to trust any teacher one may consider.
7) practice with a huatou (meditation subject) may be more suitable than silent illumination practice, one needs to try and find out. Silent illumination is recommends to try first.

I suspect I will not find a more thorough guide to Chan meditation. Nevertheless, I did not feel lost in the details although I will certainly need to reread this book, in whole or parts, in order to truly benefit from it. Given all the reading I've done lately on Chan meditation, I am well overdue for such rereading and to focus more on my meditation practice itself.

The Ultimate Ch'an Overview?
Master Sheng Yen has spent a lifetime devoted to understanding, mastering and teaching Ch'an. This book explicates as much as it outlines. Any Sheng Yen book tends to be an absolute find. I'd have to say that this book has impressed me most thus far, out of all the Ch'an books I own...(I own a LOT).

Expect to learn very nearly everything you ever wanted to know about Ch'an and the subtleties of samadhi and practice. American Ch'an/Zen practictioners, you simply have to have this book. If you're shikantaza'd out, welcome to an intelligent Ch'an book to set you straight again and make sense of non-sectarian Ch'an. It's a worthwhile meditation, even if you intellectually "know" everything contained (Which would likely mean you are already ordained or well on the way or the equivalent). Sheng Yen is a great teacher, and sometimes it's not what's said, but how the teacher says it that makes the overwhelming difference. Sheng Yen has much to say on emphases and overlooked aspects in Rinzai and Soto differentiated Zen practice, illustrating how Zen is not intellectualism, not cold "emptiness," not "just sitting," but rather a full sweeping life-transforming experience that entails everything one does, and is not owned by any one practice, faith, school, sect or tradition. This is also perhaps something of a cure for those who are brainwashed into thinking that there is no such thing as bad/wrong zen or that one spiritual path is automatically equivalent to another.

The quality of attention and straightforwardness that Sheng Yen puts into every chapter and subject in this book is somewhat impressive. Historical and schematic overview lends great depth of understanding to whatever one already knows of any of the various forms of Buddhist and Ch'an practices.

What if we all bowed to each other when we passed on the street, instead of playing games relating to our appearance and presumed cultural cache or gender roles? What if we all looked on each other with the warm glow of enlightenment, rather than cool, smug competitiveness as the auto-default style of interaction nowadays? If you have ever asked yourself this question in a sincere state of mind, then Sheng Yen's Ch'an is also yours. This is a skillfully-written technical manual of sorts on how the engine of Ch'an practice really works, written by a trained and aged monk who has entirely devoted his life to perfecting, teaching and articulating Ch'an practice.

This is a book I think I will probably come back to again and again.

Compendium of Chinese Chan Buddhist Practice!
Hoofprint of the Ox is by far the best-written and presented systematic book on Chinese, especially Chan, Buddhism out there. Master Sheng-yen's words are so clear and specific. His voice combines the insight of an experienced Chan meditation retreat master and a knowledgeable Buddhist scholar.

This book stands out as a rare jewel in the mountain of books on Buddhism. For example, master Sheng-yen's presentation of meditation techniques from "five points of stilling the mind" (shamata) and contemplative meditation (vipashyana) to gong'an and silent illumination is the best that I have ever read. This book is for the serious practitioner of Chan or Buddhism in general.

Most of the books out there present Buddhism as a "packaged product." For example, most books on Zen or Chan presents it as some isolated, idealized spiritual practice free from religiosity (rituals, faith, and so on), as if it can be adapted to anything. Most times these books are watered down. Hoofprint of the Ox presents Buddhism as it is, without being apologetic or "fundamentalist."

The book covers issue of: buddhist doctrine (clarifying the misconception of buddhist emptiness, selflessness, correct views, etc), path (Chan and classical path: precepts, different types of meditation methods, etc.), and various levels and types of experience (experiences of enlightenment and delusion). Most importantly, master Sheng-yen also delineates what it means to be a Chan master. This is a revealing chapter of the book. It dispels many romantic ideas we may have as a practitioner in the West.

Enjoy the book! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Priceless, practical teachings!
I discovered Chan & Zen Teachings nearly forty years ago, and- despite the proliferation of books on Ch'an (Zen) since then - Chan & Zen teachings remains the clearest account I have seen, detailing what Chan practice is about. Hsu-yun's (1840-1959) teaching is particularly outstanding.Although a Chan(Zen) monk (for a century - surely ample experience!),the teachings Hsu-yun delivered at the 'Chan Weeks' session - recorded in Luk's text, were for the benefit of monks and lay followers alike. His teaching on hua-t'ou practice can be put into effect anywhere, regardless of surroundings etc. What Hsu Yun says about taking the 'host' position, the 'feeling of doubt' etc.-is very lucid, without the artificial 'stress and strain' - found in some contemporary accounts. This provides an excellent preliminary to the Ch'an anecdotes in the following chapters, and helps to explain the strange seeming gestures and idioms often employed by Ch'an masters. The final chapter of this book is invaluable, because it contains master Han-shan's commentary on the Heart Sutra, also stressing the 'host' position - as hinted at by master Hsu-yun. The Second Series of Ch'an and Zen Teachings outlines the teaching methods employed by the origin- al 'Wu-chia' or Five Ch'an schools. These will be found to be highly complementary, something of a relief, after the stark divisions read into them in the present day. The Third Series contains Hui-neng's teachings, Yung chia's Cheng Tao Keh or 'Song of Enlightenment' - along with the Sutra of Complete Enlightenment. All of Luk's texts are provided with helpful but unobtrusive footnotes, informative glossaries. If you wanted a 'portable roshi' - this collection is a pretty good bet! Master Hsu-yun was the most eminent Chinese master in the last century - and Hsu-yun encouraged Lu Kuan Yu (Charles Luk) to undertake these translations.

Excellent Teachings of a 20th Century Chinese Patriarch
For the Zen student, this is a book of great value.The practice of working with the koan is clarified greatly by the Chinese master Hsu-Yun who, in a two-week retreat, gives daily Dharma-talks which detail the practice of the "Hua-Tou" or the "word-head,"essentially "before-thought," in which a phrase or word such as"Mu" from a koan is used to trace each arising thought to themoment it arises, to the ground of no-thought.When this can be done inone's meditation, this is the gateway to the great freedom!Also valuableis the translation and commentary on the Diamond Cutter of Doubts Sutra. This is a good book to read after one has already been introduced and haspersonally begun a meditation practice in the Zen tradition.Highlyrecommended! ... Read more