Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Records [Paperback]

Katsuki Sekida (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2005

The strange verbal paradoxes called koans have been used traditionally in Zen training to help students attain a direct realization of truths inexpressible in words. The two works translated in this book, Mumonkan (The Gateless Gate ) and Hekiganroku (The Blue Cliff Record), both compiled during the Song dynasty in China, are the best known and most frequently studied koan collections, and are classics of Zen literature. They are still used today in a variety of practice lineages, from traditional zendos to modern Zen centers. In a completely new translation, together with original commentaries, the well-known Zen teacher Katsuki Sekida brings to these works the same fresh and pragmatic approach that made his Zen Training so successful. The insights of a lifetime of Zen practice and his familiarity with both Eastern and Western ways of thinking make him an ideal interpreter of these texts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Katsuki Sekida brings to these works the same fresh and pragmatic approach that made his Zen Training so popular. The insights of a lifetime of Zen practice and his familiarity with Western as well as Eastern ways of thinking make him an ideal interpreter of the texts for the people of today."—Asahi Evening News

 "These notes are the fullest and most intelligent that have so far appeared in English."—Japan Times

"Two Zen Classics is a product of Herculean labors, wrought with dedication and understanding."—Philip Kapleau

Product Details

• Paperback: 418 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st Shambhala Ed edition (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590302826
• ISBN-13: 978-1590302828
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent study of two of the greatest zen works, January 19, 2006

By 

james "hank" (Toronto, ON, CAN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Records (Paperback)

Two Zen Classics contains the texts of the two most important koan collections: The Gateless Gate and the Blue Cliff Record. Together with the Book of Serenity, the Transmission of the Light, and the Lin-chi-lu, form the basis of koan study in Zen. For beginners and those unfamiliar with Zen, koans will seem illogical gibberish, and the commentaries on them even more so. Yet for the serious student who wishes to train with koans, this book is an excellent resource. For those who don't know, a koan is a unique piece of writing which expresses the nature of reality in words transcending words. A koan cannot be solved by logic, thus it is not a riddle. Rather, a koan is meditated upon until the intellectual mind reaches its limit, and the desire for understanding forces the mind into a higher level of intuitive realization. The first koan in the Gateless Gate, Joshu's Mu, is still the most commonly used first koan for a student. Koans are tools for meditation, designed to bring about realization. Mr. Sekida provides superb notes for each of 148 koans, giving background information, history, and significance of each koan. Yet, despite the excellence of this volume, it falls short in the same place that all koan translations do. That is, that, though a translator may have a superb understanding of Japanese, the essence of a koan can be lost in the translation. Thus, koan translation is one of the most difficult tasks any translator can undertake. To truly be successful, one would have to be a Zen master of incomparable realization, since it is only with realization that one can thoroughly express the essence of the koan in another language. However, this is still one of the best translations of these two collections, with far more hits than misses. Sometimes, however, I find that Mr. Sekida's thorough notation hinders the study of the koan by expressing his own understanding of it. Thus, while one may read his words and understand the koan intellectually, that intellectual knowledge will hinder one in one's own study of that particular case.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to Koan Study, July 22, 2009

By 

C. D. White "Just Looking" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Records (Paperback)

I use The Blue Cliff Record by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary for koan study encounters with my zen teacher. But, when I had special difficulty understanding one of the cases, he recommended Sekida's translation of the case and verse. He was right, Sekida's translation was far clearer, easier to understand. I now refer to both translations for each Koan pointer, case, and verse. I rarely ever find them openly conflicting, but their flavors are very different. Sometimes one is clearest and sometimes the other,

What makes Sekida's translation so good? I think it is that he translates from the point of view of a zen student and teacher. Koan study is personal, active, intimate. Sekida's translation most often does it. However, he does tend to paraphrase the original commentary rather than strictly translate it. This can be helpful to understanding the context or background of some cases.

The Cleary's do a wonderful job as academics. I have virtually all of their works. All English speaking zen students owe them a great debt of gratitude. But, Sekida often turns a case's verse into an English version of the personal, intimate language of a zen teacher. And the ancient authors were all zen teachers.

I recommend a koan student use both books. Often, it is the difference between them that is most instructive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but use it correctly, May 29, 2011

By 

thepete8 (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Records (Paperback)

It's fantastic to have these two collections of koans in one volume. For the last year, I have been working through the Mumonkan (The Gateless Gate) as part of my zazen sessions. I can't comment on the quality of the translation, but I would argue that as long as Sekida does a decent job - and there's no reason to think he hasn't - that the exactness of the translation is beside the point. Koans are not literary devices but Zen tools, and I believe many koans can be solved in different ways depending on what a student brings to the table. Koans are designed to provoke us. Just exactly how that happens can vary from person to person, so the precision of the translation is irrelevant.

Sekida presents the koans, followed by notes from Mumon (in the Mumonkan) and then notes from Sekida himself with helpful explanatory notes. I would recommend that any serious student not read anything but the koan, and then spend quite a bit of time with it on their own. My approach is not to necessarily try to 'solve' the koan, but to let it resonate in my mind both during zazen and in everyday life. Slowly but surely I usually find that it has something to say to me (the 'solution'). I keep a journal about this and only after I write my 'solution' do I allow myself to read Mumon's or Sekida's comments or notes. Often I find myself in agreement with what's there, sometimes I've found a facet of the koan that I missed, and sometimes I have a different solution than Sekida. And that's fine.

Koans are useful tools in Zen study, but again I would recommend going at each koan yourself for a good long time (take weeks if you need to, after all this isn't a race) before reading what someone else has written about it. Zen is a personal experience and you can't be 'taught' it by reading books or notes. You have to allow yourself time to let the answers come to you. In fact, if you can't solve a koan, the worst thing to do is to 'peek' at the notes because having someone 'tell' you the answer is a waste of time and it won't help you. Instead, just move on to the next koan. Someday when you come back to the koan maybe you will have learned what you need to solve it yourself.

This is a wonderful book and I've really enjoyed using it. I've learned a lot.