Customer Reviews

The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a 14th-Century Chinese Hermit

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stonehouse is often entertaining and always inspiring. For an old hermit like me, he's a magnificent companion. Red Pine does his usual great job of bringing the poetry alive in English. His notes and commentary are fascinating and add immensely to the pleasure of reading the great poetic works of Stonehouse. I treasure this book and it is one of the few in my massive collection that makes the elite list of those that I will read just before going to sleep.

As a seasoned fan of Red Pine's translations of Cold Mountain, I was ready and excited to embark on a related-but-different kind of journey. Once again, I find a delicate balance of rhythm, flow and straightforwardness in the words translated by Mr. Porter. His extensive notes on cultural and historical references help to break open many of the more obscure poems to my western mind. A half hour of quietly reading Stone House's Mountain Poems, or his Zen talks, has a healthful and sobering effect on my busy mind. Friends of the Way will rejoice in this precious and instructive collection of poems and talks by a teacher living and teaching above the clouds.

Mountain Poem # 55

The path of the Buddha is too singular to copy
but a well-hidden hut comes close
I planted bamboo in front to make a screen
from the rocks I've led a spring into the kitchen
gibbons bring their young when cliff fruits are ripe
cranes move their nests when gorge pines turn brown
lots of idle thoughts occur in Zen
the deadwood I gather for my stove

Reading this book is like dessert for the soul. It should be read slowly, savored and enjoyed. Sublime in its simplicity, yet stunning in its essence. It will move you in a way like no other.

I bought the paperback version, but plan to find it in hardcover because I want it available for many years to come. Of the many poetry books I have read in my life, this is truly one of the best. If you enjoy the Japanese Zen poet Ryokan, you will find the same wonderful flavor here.

An extraordinary, vivid guide up the mountain of the mind. How can so much be conveyed in spitting out a peach pit or hoeing a row to plant yams? This is a quietly thrilling companion in cultivating a faithful Zen practice.

This book is excellent. As Red Pine himself said, Stonehouse is a much better poet than Cold Mountain, definitely one of the best, and Red Pine's translations are enlightening as always.

Red Pine's translations of Stonehouse clean the mind. I was very impressed by the native characters on the left side of the pages. While this will only provide use for those interested in linguistics; the aesthetic effect is equally pleasing. A nice read before bed after a long day, and also a wonderful way to start your morning.

The poems are just remarkable, and the superb annotation only helps! The poems are infused with a simplicity of the land "a patch of potatoes cheers a lone monk" // "in spring a garden of tea and bamboo", but there is a certain infusion of Zen for "those who follow rules in their huts / never see the Way or get past the mountains". Sometimes the poems seem to be directed to me; from on top of Chimney Top Rock in the Red River Gorge I read, "I chose high cliffs far from town", and am challenged "to "welcome old age". For a tea drinker there are many references to tea in its native country "after dinner I sip valley-mist tea". The annotation based both on translation but actually visiting the locations are so good, that I might recommend reading the book first without reading the annotation. For example in Gatha #19, Stonehouse on "Way to Worship the Patriarchs" says "Everyone has gold bones" and Red Pine annotation "When the body of one who cultivates a religious life is burned, small crystalline relics are found. I have never seen gold ones, but I have seen Shakyamuni's... and they resemble hundreds of small diamonds". Readers who enjoyed this, will probably enjoy Red Pines "The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain".