Zen Flesh, Zen Bones is the best-selling collection of the most popular enlightenment stories, anecdotes, and koans of Zen literature, which introduced a generation of Americans to Zen. Included here are four Zen and pre-Zen classics: 101 Zen Stories —anecdotes and enlightenment stories of the great masters The Gateless Gate —forty-eight Zen koans to awaken the enlightened mind The 10 Bulls, or "Ox-Herding Pictures," depicting the ten stages of awareness Centering—a four-thousand-year-old Sanskrit text that may well be one of the roots of Zen thought
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Clear and entertaining...paradoxical or mixed up in that still clear Zen way." -- Chicago Review
"Wraps up Zen as neatly as is possible." -- The Japan Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"Wraps up Zen as neatly as is possible." -- The Japan Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From the Publisher
Here, in one volume are four original sources for Zen 101: Zen Stories, The Gateless Gate, Bulls, and Centering Together serve as a desirable volume of source readings for one already familiar with Zen. For the reader not familiar with Zen, this is an ideal introduction.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Of all books about Zen, this is most unassuming I've seen. There is no theory or abridged version of zen philosophy. The stories are carefully chosen and gracefully translated. They leave the reader in a state of wonder, curiosity and puzzlement. What I liked in this book is that it is not trying to educate the reader by teaching him a doctrine. It seems to me that it is true to the zen spirit in this respect. A little literary gem.
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This may be the most beloved of all Zen books in English. It is a little volume to treasure, to reread and to ponder, to take delight in and to laugh at and laugh with. It is a compilation of four smaller books:
First there are 101 Zen stories. These are the best and most classic of the stories, many of them so familiar that they are now part of American culture as well as Zen culture. The stories constitute lessons in life, insights into our nature and ways to enlightenment or how one has wandered off the path--or better yet, how there is no path and no wandering. Unlike many Zen tales, which can be deeply mystifying to non-initiates, most of the ones presented here are luminous.
Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, who are the transcribers, begin with the famous tale of Zen master Nan-in overflowing a visiting professor's tea cup to illustrate how filled the professor is with himself, so filled he cannot learn anything new. Included are two of my favorites, (1) that of Tanzan and Ekido, the former a monk who carried a pretty girl across a muddy road and his monastic friend who could not let go of her in his mind; and (2) the parable attributed to the Buddha about a man hanging over a cliff holding onto a vine being gnawed on by two mice (one black and one white--yin and yang, perhaps), with a tiger above and another below, and a luscious strawberry. How sweet it tasted indeed! By the way I have recently learned that a variant of this story comes from the Mahabharata as reported by Georg Feuerstein in The Essence of Yoga (1974). There the mice are rats (still black and white) and the man is hanging from a tree over a pit in which waits a giant serpent. He is drinking honey.
Next there is a presentation of the Buddhist classic about koans, their answers, and a commentary called "The Gateless Gate" by the Chinese master Ekai (also known as Mu-mon,1183-1260 c.e.). The spirit of The Gateless Gate" is irreverent and mischievous. The central idea is that the truth lies somewhere beyond the thesis and the antithesis--or, that which can be said and that which cannot be said do not include the whole of it. Most of Mu-mon's comments are deliberately non-rational, but here is one in the form of a poem that expresses the essence of Zen in a nutshell:
It is too clear and so it is hard to see.
A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,
He could have cooked his rice much sooner.
The third book is the famous search for the bull from Taoism which ends in no bull, no search-all transcended, which is an allegory of life and a symbolic representation of learning to meditate. Zen has added here two extra frames which I will not comment on.
The fourth book is something Reps calls "Centering" from an ancient Sanskrit manuscript. It is said to be four thousand years old and purports to be Shiva guiding Devi in enlightenment. There are 112 ways. Its yoga-becoming-Zen feel is really startling. Here are three examples:
8. Attention between eyebrows, let mind be before thought. Let form fill with breath-essence to the top of the head, and there <shower as light>.
15. Intone a sound, as a-u-m, slowly. As sound enters soundfulness, <so do you>.
26. Unminding mind, keep in the middle--<until>.
The book title comes from a story about the first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma, who rewarded a couple of his disciples for their apperception by saying the one has his flesh and the other had his bones. A third monk won the "contest" by remaining silent. About him, Bodhidharma said, "you have my marrow."
All four books are wonderful, and there is not a speck of dust on any page.
--Dennis Littrell, author of "Yoga: Sacred and Profane (Beyond Hatha Yoga)"
First there are 101 Zen stories. These are the best and most classic of the stories, many of them so familiar that they are now part of American culture as well as Zen culture. The stories constitute lessons in life, insights into our nature and ways to enlightenment or how one has wandered off the path--or better yet, how there is no path and no wandering. Unlike many Zen tales, which can be deeply mystifying to non-initiates, most of the ones presented here are luminous.
Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, who are the transcribers, begin with the famous tale of Zen master Nan-in overflowing a visiting professor's tea cup to illustrate how filled the professor is with himself, so filled he cannot learn anything new. Included are two of my favorites, (1) that of Tanzan and Ekido, the former a monk who carried a pretty girl across a muddy road and his monastic friend who could not let go of her in his mind; and (2) the parable attributed to the Buddha about a man hanging over a cliff holding onto a vine being gnawed on by two mice (one black and one white--yin and yang, perhaps), with a tiger above and another below, and a luscious strawberry. How sweet it tasted indeed! By the way I have recently learned that a variant of this story comes from the Mahabharata as reported by Georg Feuerstein in The Essence of Yoga (1974). There the mice are rats (still black and white) and the man is hanging from a tree over a pit in which waits a giant serpent. He is drinking honey.
Next there is a presentation of the Buddhist classic about koans, their answers, and a commentary called "The Gateless Gate" by the Chinese master Ekai (also known as Mu-mon,1183-1260 c.e.). The spirit of The Gateless Gate" is irreverent and mischievous. The central idea is that the truth lies somewhere beyond the thesis and the antithesis--or, that which can be said and that which cannot be said do not include the whole of it. Most of Mu-mon's comments are deliberately non-rational, but here is one in the form of a poem that expresses the essence of Zen in a nutshell:
It is too clear and so it is hard to see.
A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,
He could have cooked his rice much sooner.
The third book is the famous search for the bull from Taoism which ends in no bull, no search-all transcended, which is an allegory of life and a symbolic representation of learning to meditate. Zen has added here two extra frames which I will not comment on.
The fourth book is something Reps calls "Centering" from an ancient Sanskrit manuscript. It is said to be four thousand years old and purports to be Shiva guiding Devi in enlightenment. There are 112 ways. Its yoga-becoming-Zen feel is really startling. Here are three examples:
8. Attention between eyebrows, let mind be before thought. Let form fill with breath-essence to the top of the head, and there <shower as light>.
15. Intone a sound, as a-u-m, slowly. As sound enters soundfulness, <so do you>.
26. Unminding mind, keep in the middle--<until>.
The book title comes from a story about the first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma, who rewarded a couple of his disciples for their apperception by saying the one has his flesh and the other had his bones. A third monk won the "contest" by remaining silent. About him, Bodhidharma said, "you have my marrow."
All four books are wonderful, and there is not a speck of dust on any page.
--Dennis Littrell, author of "Yoga: Sacred and Profane (Beyond Hatha Yoga)"
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am sure the Zen masters of this book, would give me a whack on the side of my head, for writing a review, but here goes. The book brings together 4 original Zen sources. The first, 101 Zen stories, presents koans and parables. These can be confusing and amusing, such as the Sound of One Hand Clapping, and One-finger Zen. The Gateless Gate, by Mumonkan, further adds to the syncopation, by offering seemingly random arguments about some of the koans, and then concludes with a Zen students criticism of the rascal Mumonkan. So, the first two sections may be a multiple layered koan ... and one is left mildly uneasy about the use of words for teaching Zen. The 10 Bulls section and the Woodblock illustrations are beautiful poetry, more accessible, and metaphors for the stages of enlightenment. Finally, Centering, is a transcript of a pre-Zen document, 4000 years old from Kashmir. It is surprising Zen like, for example a favorite: "When in worldly activity, keep attentive between the two breaths, and so practicing, in a few days be born anew" . A great source book, without interpretation.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zen Flesh
Had to purchase this book for a class, havent gotten around to reading it yet, but it came in perfect condition.
Published 1 month ago by Erika Estrada
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
This book was exactly what I was hoping for. I lost my first copy, along with the rest of my library, in a divorce and have been slowly replacong it. I am thrilled.
Published 2 months ago by revrndssg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
I've read this book so many times I wore out a previous copy and had to replace it. It also makes a nice gift to anyone delving into Zen and or Buddhism. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ramon Santiago
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect collection of short zen stories
If you are looking for a collection of zen stories this is the book for you. This book does not have an in depth explanation of what zen is and how to read it- it just gives you... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Second Year Law Student
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great collection of classic stories.
If you enjoyed this one, you might want to try FOR THE LOVE OF SOPHIA, a collection of wisdom tales from various cultures tied together in one femaile character, Sophia. Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books of wisdom tradition available
I first picked this book off the shelf of my girlfriend's mother when I was 19 years old. That's 40 years ago now. The stories in it have stayed with me all these years. Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. Clifford
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heals the mind
The concepts in the writings helps you understand and deal with real life. This book will broaden the scope of your life.
Published 3 months ago by Tony
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE IT
I bought this book because I was curious about the Zens beliefs. My Zen teacher told me that if a Zen principal can be stated and explained, then it isn't really Zen. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Hannah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
I bought this book to replace a copy I had in the 80's and am glad I did. I forgot how powerful the koans can be - and helpful on the path...
Published 6 months ago by emjay
5.0 out of 5 stars
What are you saying?
Forget Alan Watts, D.T. Suzuki, and Philip Kapleau. Forget Shunryu Suzuki and C. J. Beck. And maybe even forget Thich Nhat Hanh (okay, that last one is painful to type; but I... Read more
Published 6 months ago by bmbower
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