Zen Koans, Paradoxical Awakening

Zen Koans, Paradoxical Awakening

Author: Norman McClelland

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Published: 2021-04-25

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 1977238084

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What comes to mind when you hear the word “koan”? You probably know koans as paradoxes, and you may believe that they are therefore illogical or intellectually inscrutable—and therefore not useful to the average person. Zen Koans: Paradoxical Awakenings is the tool you need to correct your perceptions of koans and become aware of the benefits of koan practice. Embracing the paradox of the koan can give deeper meaning to life, as well as leading to the Buddhist awakening to your real, non-dual nature. With an experienced Zen teacher as your guide, you can enter more deeply into the three essentials of Zen: great faith, great doubt, and great determination.


The Koan

The Koan

Author: Steven Heine

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2000-04-20

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 019802780X

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Koans are enigmatic spiritual formulas used for religious training in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Arguing that our understanding of the koan tradition has been severely limited, contributors to this collection examine previously unrecognized factors in the formation of this tradition, and highlight the rich complexity and diversity of koan practice and literature.


Bring Me the Rhinoceros

Bring Me the Rhinoceros

Author: John Tarrant

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2008-11-11

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 159030618X

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A provocative and playful exploration of the Zen koan tradition that reveals how everyday paradoxes are an integral part of our spiritual journey Bring Me the Rhinoceros is an unusual guide to happiness and a can opener for your thinking. For fifteen hundred years, Zen koans have been passed down through generations of masters, usually in private encounters between teacher and student. This book deftly retells more than a dozen traditional koans, which are partly paradoxical questions dangerous to your beliefs and partly treasure boxes of ancient wisdom. Koans show that you don’t have to impress people or change into an improved, more polished version of yourself. Instead you can find happiness by unbuilding, unmaking, throwing overboard, and generally subverting unhappiness. Author and Zen teacher John Tarrant brings the heart of the koan tradition out into the open, reminding us that the old wisdom remains as vital as ever, a deep resource available to anyone in any place or time.


Zen and the Brain

Zen and the Brain

Author: James H. Austin

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 1999-06-04

Total Pages: 876

ISBN-13: 9780262260350

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A neuroscientist and Zen practitioner interweaves the latest research on the brain with his personal narrative of Zen. Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth the "perennial philosophy." In the view of James Austin, the trend implies a "perennial psychophysiology"—because awakening, or enlightenment, occurs only when the human brain undergoes substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could these states profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain presents the latest evidence. In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment.


Awakening

Awakening

Author: Patrick S. Bresnan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-09-16

Total Pages: 639

ISBN-13: 1315507439

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Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought engages students with anecdotes, primary and secondary sources, an accessible writing style, and a clear historical approach. The text focuses on India, China, and Japan, while showing the relationships that exist between Eastern and Western traditions. Patrick Bresnan consistently links the past to the present, so students may see that Eastern traditions, however ancient their origins, are living traditions and relevant to modern times.


The Gateless Gate

The Gateless Gate

Author: Koun Yamada

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2005-06-10

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0861719719

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In The Gateless Gate, one of modern Zen Buddhism's uniquely influential masters offers classic commentaries on the Mumonkan, one of Zen's greatest collections of teaching stories. This translation was compiled with the Western reader in mind, and includes Koan Yamada's clear and penetrating comments on each case. Yamada played a seminal role in bringing Zen Buddhism to the West from Japan, going on to be the head of the Sanbo Kyodan Zen Community. The Gateless Gate would be invaluable if only for the translation and commentary alone, yet it's loaded with extra material and is a fantastic resource to keep close by: An in-depth Introduction to the History of Zen Practice Lineage charts Japanese-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-Japanese conversion charts for personal names, place names, and names of writings Plus front- and back-matter from ancient and modern figures: Mumon, Shuan, Kubota Ji'un, Taizan Maezumi, Hugo Enomiya-Lasalle, and Yamada Roshi's son, Masamichi Yamada. A wonderful inspiration for the koan practitioner, and for those with a general interest in Zen Buddhism.


The Sabbath, Aaron to Zohar

The Sabbath, Aaron to Zohar

Author: Norman McClelland

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Published: 2021-10-30

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1977246087

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This book not only argues for the sanctity of the seventh-day Sabbath. It is this author’s view that Christians have ample justification for observing Sunday as a holy day, but not to claim that it has the same blessed and made holy power to it that the seventh-day Sabbath has. Moreover, it is here pointed out that even the Quran, if read carefully, can support the seventh-day Sabbath.


Meditating with Koans

Meditating with Koans

Author: Zhuhong

Publisher: Jain Publishing Company

Published: 2001-04

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 0875730795

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Translation of a work known in Chinese as Chan Guan Ze Jin (Impetus for Advancing in the Zen Gate), put together in China around 1600 A.D. by Zhuhong of Yunqui temple. It is a compendium of practical lessons on meditating with koans, which are often used as focal points in Zen meditations.


Discover Zen

Discover Zen

Author: David Fontana

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2001-03

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 9780811831963

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This illustrated and inspiring guide to Asian philosophy has straightforward text and 30 step-by-step exercises through classic Zen practices such as meditation, koans and rock gardens. Illustrations.