Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi [Paperback]

Honghzhi Zhengue (Author), Taigen Dan Leighton (Translator), Yi Wu (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

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 of Zen literature. This translation of HongzhiÆs poetry, the only such volume available in English, treats readers to his profound wisdom and beautiful literary gift. In addition to dozens of HongshiÆs religious poems, translator Daniel Leighton offers an extended introduction, placing the masterÆs work in its historical context , as well as lineage charts and other information about the Chinese influence on Japanese Soto Zen.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hongzhi Zenji is one of those few Chinese masters who have had a profound influence on the Japanese Soto Zen tradition. The 'Silent Illumination' expounded in his Extensive Record is that the tongueless one prescribes (with wordless sparklings) a medicine of the nondual existence for the bodiless ones. The mouthless ones take it and rejoice in lives free from illness. When we appreciate the effect of this medicine, we know that Master Hongzhi's 834-year-old relics are still fresh and warm, and vitally universal." -- Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi, Abbot, Zen Center of Los Angeles

"Whenever men and women have dedicated their lives to the radical pursuit of mindfulness, quietism and activism have threatened to polarize their quest. Teachers who can turn this destructive polarity into creative tension will bring light not only to their own tradition but to all. Zen Master Hongzhi is a teacher of that magnitude." -- Brother David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 119 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Rev Exp edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804832404
• ISBN-13: 978-0804832403
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic Classic of Silent Illumination, October 1, 2008

By 

Lawrence (Christchurch NZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi (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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great early Chan writings, October 13, 2001

By 

Mark Cassidy (Naugatuck, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi (Paperback)

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.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Insightful, November 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi (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.