- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Revised edition edition (31 Dec 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0804832404
- ISBN-13: 978-0804832403
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
120,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Poetry
- #44 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Zen Philosophy
- #85 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Zen
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Synopsis
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 Zen writings. This revised translation of Hongzhi's poetry treats the reader to his profound wisdom and beautiful literary gift. In addition to dozens of poems, translator Daniel Leighton offers an introduction that places the master's work in a historical context, as well as charts and other information.
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First Sentence
The silent illumination that Zen Master Hongzhi expounds is both a form of sitting meditation practice and an orientation to spiritual way of life. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The silent illumination that Zen Master Hongzhi expounds is both a form of sitting meditation practice and an orientation to spiritual way of life. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hongzhi's writings - from back in 14th century China - are strikingly lucid, inspiring and incisive; "Cultivating the Empty Field" is a collection which every keen meditator in the Zen and Chan traditions (or indeed Dzogchen Semde or Nyingthig) should have sitting on their shelf, so that it can be taken down from time to time, a few verses read, and the subtly enriched and sharpened perspective it affords can be enjoyed. The Chinese master was, as I understand it, pivotal and influential in the development of what is now the Caodong/Soto schools' heart practice - Mo Zhao Chan ("Silent Illumination"), or Shikantaza ("Just Sitting"), as it is presented in Japan. The verses are very direct, in some ways providing a pleasant balance to elliptical writings such as Dogen's. With the help of Leighton's excellent introduction I found a deepened appreciation of what Hongzhi seems to be about; the verses are thoroughly experiential, evoking a spacious, playful and dynamic state of balance; and much beyond that, for those who have eyes to see, no doubt... recommended to anyone who loves Zen - essential, even...
Format:Paperback
Poetry is a lovely aspect of spiritual practice and I have never read more beautiful work on the descriptions of emptiness anywhere else. However - this book does not touch everyone in the way it did me.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Poetic Classic of Silent Illumination
2 Oct 2008
Format:Paperback
At first I balked at paying the asking price for this very slim book. It's good to have the poems (though Chinese Buddhist verse, telegraphic and full of technical terms, is notoriously hard to translate.) The Introduction and Notes are also helpful, but you mainly buy the book for Master Hung-chih's "Practice Instructions," a mere 28 pages!
Having bought the book and read it a number of times I realise that it would be a bargain at any price. This book is a jewel.
It's said that the elegance of the original Chinese can't be conveyed in translation. If this is the case it must be truly sublime, because even in English the prose reads like translucent poetry. I can't think of any other spiritual writing outside of the world of Sufism that combines profundity with beauty of style to quite the same degree.
A classic of koan Zen like the "Blue Cliff Record" is a fabulous mine of wisdom, but its extreme difficulty makes it all but inaccessible outside of the context of institutional Zen monasticism.
But this book comes from the other stream of Zen, the school of Silent Illumination, and it has something to offer everyone from the most advanced practitioner to the newest beginner who can only bathe in its atmosphere of beauty and wonder. Poetry is able somehow to express the inexpressible, and the boundless silent truth of Zen is conveyed more clearly by these luminous phrases than by anything else I've ever read.
I can't overpraise this book. I wish I had more than five stars to award. If you're interested in Zen, or Buddhism, or meditation, and you don't own this book, buy it immediately. If I could keep only one book on Zen, this would be the book. One of Master Hung-chih's crammed, poetic, evocative paragraphs is worth several dozen books by lesser writers.
Having bought the book and read it a number of times I realise that it would be a bargain at any price. This book is a jewel.
It's said that the elegance of the original Chinese can't be conveyed in translation. If this is the case it must be truly sublime, because even in English the prose reads like translucent poetry. I can't think of any other spiritual writing outside of the world of Sufism that combines profundity with beauty of style to quite the same degree.
A classic of koan Zen like the "Blue Cliff Record" is a fabulous mine of wisdom, but its extreme difficulty makes it all but inaccessible outside of the context of institutional Zen monasticism.
But this book comes from the other stream of Zen, the school of Silent Illumination, and it has something to offer everyone from the most advanced practitioner to the newest beginner who can only bathe in its atmosphere of beauty and wonder. Poetry is able somehow to express the inexpressible, and the boundless silent truth of Zen is conveyed more clearly by these luminous phrases than by anything else I've ever read.
I can't overpraise this book. I wish I had more than five stars to award. If you're interested in Zen, or Buddhism, or meditation, and you don't own this book, buy it immediately. If I could keep only one book on Zen, this would be the book. One of Master Hung-chih's crammed, poetic, evocative paragraphs is worth several dozen books by lesser writers.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Great early Chan writings
13 Oct 2001
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this shortly after it first came out. It seemed OK and I put it aside. Several years ago --and after more sitting practice and retreats-- I reread it and now I think it is a treasure. In the translated passages/poems, Hongzhi is speaking consistently from a deeply enlightened experience.
Someone new to Zen may find this collection of talks from a twelfth century Chinese master fuzzy and not very helpful. But for someone with experience sitting, it is profound. Dogen also gave Hongzhi "five stars" in Shobogenzo.
Hongzhi's words have become my favorite sitting companion.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Inspiring and Insightful
15 Nov 2000
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best books I've ever read -- on Zen, Buddhism or Spirituality in general. Hongzhi was obviously as clear as they get, and his subtle and powerful language and insight is an inspiration to any practicioner, from any tradition. This book is a must read for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of Reality.
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