Words on
the way of Zen
Reflections on practice, tradition, and the everyday path of Zen.
The Constable Searches for "Me"
There was once a constable escorting a prisoner to the capital. The prisoner was a monk who had broken monastic rules. The journey was long, and every morning upon waking, the dutiful constable would take stock of the few things beside h...
ReadThe Eight-Year-Old Dragon Girl Attains Buddhahood in This Very Body
The Devadatta Chapter of the Lotus Sutra recounts the story of the eight-year-old Dragon Girl attaining Buddhahood in this very body. Sagara the Dragon King, whose might shakes the four seas, had a youngest princess who was bright, cleve...
ReadRabbit Horns, Ox Horns
I'm not asking about the teaching that this very mind is Buddha. But what is the teaching that is neither mind nor Buddha?
ReadThe Whole and the Part
There was once a destitute woman who offered her only two coins to the Three Jewels. The abbot himself dedicated the merit on her behalf.
ReadChanting at a Discount
A son who had lost his father went to the temple to ask Chan Master Foguang to chant sutras for his father’s liberation. The Master prepared offerings of incense, flowers, and vegetarian fruits, then began chanting sutras for the departed.
ReadOther Masters: Buddhist Views on Women (Master Yongming)
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ReadProfessor Lin Chong'an: The Bodhisattva Path in the Āgamas — with a Discussion on the Emergence of the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras
Selected Essays in Buddhist Studies
ReadProfessor Lin Chong'an: A Preliminary Study on the Emendation of the *Saṃyuktāgama* Sūtra Texts
A Preliminary Study on the Emendation of the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra Texts
ReadAnthology of Gongans
A monk asked Chan Master Zhijian of Binshan, "What is the original body?" The master replied, "Nowhere in the world is there a match for it." --
ReadLoving Openly
Su Dongpo visited Jinshan Temple to sit in meditation and practice Chan with Chan Master Foyin. Feeling clear and open in body and mind, he asked the master, "Master! What do you think of my sitting posture?"
ReadWhat Is a Koan (Part 2)
files for cases with no prior precedent. In the Chan (Zen) tradition, by contrast, the term refers to the individual awakening cases of ancient Chan masters. They are stories of exchanges between Chan lineage patriarchs and their discipl...
ReadWhat Is a Gong'an?
Originally, gong'an meant case files handled by public offices — legal matters with no precedent to guide them. In Chan, however, the word refers to individual accounts of ancient Chan masters' awakenings. These are stories of encounters...
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