Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Priceless, practical teachings!, April 25, 2005
I'm astonished that nobody has reviewed this excellent book, giving selected translations from Ta-hui's letters of encouragement to lay Buddhists. Ta-hui was one of the most noted Zen masters of Sung dynasty, a disciple of the equally well known master - Yuan Wu.
I recommend this book most highly, for while a 'patch-robed' monk himself, Ta-hui put his heart and soul into guiding lay-Buddhists, without a trace of arrogance in that respect. Ta-hui lived in troubled times (we often over-estimate the gulf between ourselves - and Chinese Buddhists of yore), and even when exiled for a time, Ta-hui continued to guide such lay-followers - by post! (Sung China actually had a fairly sophisticed mail service).
Ta-hui's words of advice centre around the 'hua-tou' practice which he devised as a 'short-cut' method, although it wouldn't do to take that too literally, as in 'instant coffee' or the 'fast-fix.' It is evident from the 'drift' of the letters that Ta-hui expected his lay followers to exert themselves. The inspiring - and surprising thing, about Ta-hui's instruction, is that far from bemoaning the limitations of lay-life, he even makes the practice of the commited lay-Buddhist seem advantageous.As Ta Hui put it, the Buddhist monk has to 'break through' from the outside-in, whereas the lay-Buddhist has to 'break through' from the inside-out.
With scrupulous honesty, Ta-hui conceded that the monastic life lacks pressure, and in that sense, the motivation to see the practice through, can be weak. Conversely, lay-Buddhists or 'gentlemen of affairs' - as calls them, encounter all sorts of pressures and obstacles. However, seen aright, such pressures can be a spur to practice. For the lay-Buddhist, there is no monastic 'limbo' to permit slackening. As Ta-hui reiterates, again and again, it is precisely amid all the hustle and bustle of lay-life that one can build up the head of steam required for a real break-through. In short, he is saying that if we really make the 'hua tou' effective - in lay practice, it can generate a highly dynamic breakthrough (wu/satori).
This is a refreshing break from the obssession with institutionalised Zen, as if it had to be conducted in a Zendo, or some idealised environment.@Still, what Ta-hui has to say in this respect is perfectly 'orthodox' Buddhism. The title Cleary chose for his book (Swampland Flowers) alludes to the Vimalakirti Sutra, in which it is stated that the lotus grows in the mud, which is to say, the highest truth must be born amid the afflictions and delusions - elsewhere stating that 'when the mind is pure, the realm is pure. "
Ta-hui was a real bodhisattva, who lived 'engaged Buddhism' - as so many of our contemporaries now hope to re-state the case for it. Ta-hui was banished to a plague infested region of China, but far from shrinking in horror, he seems to have performed as a bodhisattva that way, too. According to Chinese history books, Ta-hui criticised the administration of his day, and refused to curry favour with corrupt officials.His loyalties to the just were rewarded, and was later reinstated as Abbot of an eminent temple.
As a final remark, it is worth noting that Ta-hui objected to the over-blown literary tendencies of some of his peers, and actually destroyed the wood blocks for printing the Pi-Yen Lu (Jpn. Hekiganroku) or 'Blue Cliff Record,' feeling that it was attracting an inordinate and artificial 'zen taste.' Again, we see Ta-hui's integrity, because his own master - Yuan-wu, had appended the final verse commentaries to this text. No doubt, Ta-hui saw the relevance of those commentaries - as his master had written them. But, feeling that this material was being put to harmful uses - Ta-hui adopted a corrective, out of concern for his fellow Buddhists.
If Nobel prizes could be awarded retrospectively, I'd place Ta-hui at the top of the list. If authentic 'self-hood' means anything - in Buddhism (which it surely must, on the empirical level), Ta-hui certainly found it - and lived it.The 'hua-tou' method will not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you feel an affinity with Zen, don't overlook this book - and Ta-Hui. The honest, practical advice of Ta-hui, transcends the boundaries of time and space, all the clap-trap about adapting Buddhism to different needs. What he has to say is too vital and real, to be bothered by any of that.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
It goes everywhere with me, November 8, 2008
I first bought this book back in the late seventies. It is becoming fairly well worn now. I take it everywhere with me, such as doctor's offices, vacations etc. It seems to have many different levels of appreciation within it. It is one of those books that as other books are finished and get added to the library shelf, this one stays handy within short reach. The author Christopher Cleary and brother Thomas Cleary are such excellent translators and I think highly of them because they have strived for the highest quality work as an end in itself.
The review by Mr. Hakuyu Ikeda is very accurate. The book is that good.
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