<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A pearl without price
Review: There seems to be unanimous agreement that this deceptively compact text repays careful digestion, a mine of wisdom compressed within its pages -for those prepared to dig it out. Huang Po's discourses (and the Wan Ling record) remain some the most lucid expositions of Zen. They were delivered when the Zen tradition was still fresh. Huang po's 'sermons' were addressed to practising Buddhists. They presuppose that you are 'looking' into the meaning hinted at - the 'MIND' - which is neither 'yours' nor 'mine' - and in that sense 'VOID' - yet
embraces everything in the phenomenal universe.
Zen is sometimes regarded as an 'obscure' doctrine, but Huang P'o sermons have a refreshing sense of focus. Skirting the boundaries of what is virtually indescribable, he necessarily ends up uttering paradoxes - sometimes paradox -within-paradox, within paradox - and yet, in such a way that it actually brings focus, 'jiggling' the mind out of its habitual tendency to cling to dualities and contraries. In short, it resumes its inherent condition. We don't 'do' it - 'IT' does itself. All we have to do - is to get out of the way.
Thus, Huang P'o's 'direct pointing to the Mind.'This is Zen as it was originally taught, before all the wrangling about 'fixed koans' and answers - or getting stuck with 'just sitting.'Huang P'o speaks with unshakeable conviction that we can AWAKEN RIGHT NOW - if we look into what he is saying. He doesn't want to tie anyone up. It has to be 'your own thing' - nobody else can do it for you. This is squeaky clean Dharma!
Rating:
Summary: A small but powerful book.
Review: Of the hundreds of books on Zen out there, this one does a classy job in communicating the wordless/mindless Zen. Although it is not an introductory book, one may wish to read it anyway later, after one has had an introduction to Zen. A once in lifetime/s book :-) and don't be deceived by the small size !
Rating:
Summary: If You Must Buy A Book On Zen -- Here It Is
Review: Once again a deceptively small book furnishes us with uncontainable amounts of wisdom for us lucky readers! Of all the ancient Zen masters - Huang Po, Lin Chi, and Joshu are mandatory as far as studying goes. Huang Po was in actual fact Lin Chi's teacher. In this book you will hear the famous 'One Mind' discourses, which are to say the very least mind-blowing. On the whole, he discusses how there are two types of people practicing Buddhism at one point in this work. Those taking the route of cognition, and those relying on their innate nature. Now, let's not place significance of one method over the other, but needless to say the latter is in the minority. This, in essence, is Zen Buddhism. Asking the questions for yourself while not simply being a gobbling fish. Get the book. It's a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Saying the unsayable
Review: There may be no way to "say" the unsayable, and Huang Po's most celebrated student went on to not say it masterfully, beginning what became the Rinzai school. But if you want to experience perhaps the clearest, most accessible attempt at saying it, try John Blofield and Huang Po. The book is so disarmingly clear that one may believe one has "gotten it." Maybe it was just this (misleading) clarity that pushed Lin Chi into his famous antics.
Rating:
Summary: Saying the unsayable
Review: There may be no way to "say" the unsayable, and Huang Po's most celebrated student went on to not say it masterfully, beginning what became the Rinzai school. But if you want to experience perhaps the clearest, most accessible attempt at saying it, try John Blofield and Huang Po. The book is so disarmingly clear that one may believe one has "gotten it." Maybe it was just this (misleading) clarity that pushed Lin Chi into his famous antics.
Rating: 
Summary: the words of a Chan master
Review: This little book has a lot of wisdom. Sometimes it's a bit hard to grasp at first but it's nothing a little zazen wont fix. It's well worth the read if you're interested in Chan especially from the Rinzai sect as Huang Po was Lin-chi's (Rinzai)teacher.
<< 1 >>
| 
