The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi
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Book Summary Information
Translator: Burton WatsonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-04-15
ISBN: 0231114850
Number of pages: 180
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Book Reviews of The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi
Book Review: Simply a Classic of World Religious Literature
Summary: 5 Stars
Nishida Kitaro, famous modern Japanese philosopher, founder of the influential Kyoto School, and expert on Mahayana Buddhism, once made the remark that if he were stranded on some remote island (Gilligan's Island? Where's the Skipper?) with only a couple books in his possession, one of them would be the Rinzai Roku (Chinese: Linji Lu).
High praise indeed. And a sentiment shared by me, a lesser thinker than Nishida. There is simply something special in this book's extraordinary insight and power that comes shining through in these discourses (I grant here recent scholarship's insights into the formation of the Linji Lu legend during the Song Period, but undoubtably Linji was an important figure himself). Presenting such a powerful message, it is no wonder the Linji school became the leading Zen sect in Japan down through history. If you, dear reader, have no knowledge of Mahayana insights, just start here. Never mind the colorful anecdotes in the book where Linji is slapping or yelling at everybody, just concentrate on the sermons. The Linji Lu will literally turn you into a Mahayana powerhouse yourself if you ponder the discourses long enough. It can well serve as a "primer" on Mahayana doctrines...
Anyway, back to this translation. There have been several other translations into English, one by Irmgard Schloegl and another by Ruth Fuller Sasaki's team in Japan (both of which are hard to get nowdays). And also a current one by Zen teacher Eido Shimano, and one by JC Cleary...there may be more. I've got all these versions, but I still like Burton Watson's translation the best. To me, Watson has done a masterful job rendering the Linji Lu into coherent English, no easy feat with this type of literature. He is simply a great translator.
As for the Linji Lu's place in world religious literature, I personally think it belongs up there near the top as far as a clear presentation of Mahayana doctrines. I realize mostly zen practitioners, scholars, and Buddhist fans will be the only ones interested in wading through these old Chinese works, but that is really a shame in a lot of ways. If scriptures like the Bible, Koran, and other familiar texts belong to classic world literature, and they do, so do powerful works less-familiar to the Western public, such as the Linji Lu, Dogen's Shobogenzo, the Hua-Yen Sutra, etc.
It is my feeling that anyone interested in expanding one's perceptual horizons needs to come to terms with the great Yu-Lu ("recorded sayings") literature from the T'ang/Song Periods in China, of which this book is representative. In particular, the Hong-Zhou line of Mazu, to which Linji belonged, became quite (in)famous for their emphasis on zen "functioning" in daily life. There is an old Chan saying which reminds us, "what comes in through the gates is not the family treasure...". In other words, your circumstances, and the constant bombardment of external stimuli from your environment, shouldn't be allowed to bind you (as they invariably do) from being a free human being. As Linji himself might have demanded, where is the "true human of no conditions"? Alas, we're all guilty these days, too bad Linji isn't around to slap us. Here- I'll do it for him (slaps lazy Amazon reader, who is nodding off reading this review...
Summary of The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi
Among the most important texts of Zen literature, the Lin-Chi lu details the insights and exploits of the great ninth century Chinese Zen master Lin-chi, one of the most highly regarded of the T'ang period masters. PEN Translation Prize-winner Burton Watson presents here an eloquent translation -- the first in the English language -- of this seminal classic, The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-chi. The work is an exacting depiction of Lin-chi's words and actions, describing the Zen master's life and teaching, and includes a number of his sermons. Because Lin-chi's school outlasted other forms of early Chinese Zen to become dominant throughout China to this day, this translation bears unique significance within the literature of this great Asian nation. With Watson's lucid introduction to the work, a glossary of terms, and notes to the text, The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-chi is a generously constructed and accessible model of translation that will stand as the definitive primary material on Lin-chi for many years to come.
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