Zen Flesh Zen Bones

"It has stayed with me for the last 30 years, a classic portraying Zen mind to our linear thinking." --Phil Jackson, Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls and author of Sacred Hoops Zen Flesh, Zen Bones offers a collection of accessible, primary Zen sources so that readers can contemplate the meaning of Zen for themselves. Within the pages, readers will find: 101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries The Gateless Gate, the famous thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans Ten Bulls, a twelfth century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment Centering, a 4,000 year-old teaching from India that some consider to be the roots of Zen. When Zen Flesh, Zen Bones was published in 1957, it became an instant sensation with an entire generation of readers who were just beginning to experiment with Zen. Over the years it has inspired leading American Zen teachers, students, and practitioners. Its popularity is as high today as ever.

There was an old woman in China who had supported a monk for over twenty years. She had built a little hut for him and fed him while he was meditating. Finally she wondered just what progress he had made in all this time. To find out, she obtained the help of a girl rich in desire. “Go and embrace him,” she told her, “and then ask him suddenly: ‘What now?’” The girl called upon the monk and without much ado caressed him, asking him what he was going to do about it. “An old tree grows on a cold rock in winter,” replied the monk somewhat poetically. “Nowhere is there any warmth.” The girl returned and related what he had said. “To think I fed that fellow for twenty years!” exclaimed the old woman in anger. “He showed no consideration for your need, no disposition to explain your condition. He need not have responded to passion, but at least he could have evidenced some compassion.” She at once went to the hut of the monk and burned it down. This Zen classic includes the following stories: 1. A Cup of Tea 2. Finding a Diamond on a Muddy Road 3. Is That So? 4. Obedience 5. If You Love, Love Openly 6. No Loving-Kindness 7. Annoucement 8. Great Waves 9. The Moon Cannot Be Stolen 10. The Last Poem of Hoshin 11. The Story of Shunkai 12. Happy Chinaman 13. A Buddha 14. Muddy Road 15. Shoan and His Mother 16. Not Far From Buddhahood 17. Stingy in Teaching 18. A Parable 19. The First Principle 20. A Mother’s Advice 21. The Sound of One Hand 22. My Heart Burns Like Fire 23. Eshun’s Departure 24. Reciting Sutras 25. Three Days More 26. Trading Dialogue For Lodging 27. The Voice of Happiness 28. Open Your Own Treasure House 29. No Water, No Moon 30. Calling Card 31. Everything is Best 32. Inch Time Foot Gem 33. Mokusen’s Hand 34. A Smile in His Lifetime 35. Every-Minute Zen 36. Flower Shower 37. Publishing the Sutras 38. Gisho’s Work 39. Sleeping in the Daytime 40. In Dreamland 41. Joshu’s Zen 42. The Dead Man’s Answer 43. Zen in a Beggar’s Life 44. The Thief Who Became a Disciple 45. Right and Wrong 46. How Grass and Trees Become Enlightened 47. The Stingy Artist 48. Accurate Proportion 49. Black-Nosed Buddha 50. Ryonen’s Clear Realization 51. Sour Miso 52. Your Light May Go Out 53. The Giver Should Be Thankful 54. The Last Will and Testament 55. The Tea-Master and The Assassin 56. The True Path 57. The Gates of Paradise 58. Arresting the Stone Buddha 59. Soldiers of Humanity 60. The Tunnel 61. Gudo and the Emperor 62. In the Hands of Destiny 63. Killing 64. Kasan Sweat 65. The Subjugation of a Ghost 66. Children of His Majesty 67. What Are You Doing! What Are You Saying! 68. One Note of Zen 69. Eating the Blame 70. The Most Valuable Thing in the World 71. Learning to Be Silent 72. The Blockhead Lord 73. Ten Successors 74. True Reformation 75. Temper 76. The Stone Mind 77. No Attachment to Dust 78. Real Prosperity 79. Incense Burner 80. The Real Miracle 81. Just Go to Sleep 82. Nothing Exists 83. No Work, No Food 84. True Friends 85. Time to Die 86. The Living Buddha and the Tubmaker 87. Three Kinds of Disciples 88. How to Write a Chinese Poem 89. Zen Dialogue 90. The Last Rap 91. The Taste of Banzo’s Sword 92. Fire-Poker Zen 93. Storyteller’s Zen 94. Midnight Excursion 95. A Letter to a Dying Man 96. A Drop of Water 97. Teaching the Ultimate 98. Non-Attachment 99. Tosui’s Vinegar 100. The Silent Temple 101. Buddha’s Zen

By dipping into this little book of simple Zen Buddhist sayings, you can calm your anxiety and return serenity to your soul. Are you feeling stress and anxiety from the demands of daily life? Do you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list and the constant deluge of information from all quarters? Are you unhappy with your life and envious of those around you? At times like these it's important to step back and take a breath. Zen meditation may conjure up images of sitting in silence for long hours, but according to Buddhist monk and author Shinsuke Hosokawa, Zen can be summed up as "the knowledge needed for a person to live life with a positive outlook." With this in mind, he has produced this charmingly illustrated collection of thoughts and sayings to help you live life with less stress and anxiety. The sayings include: Pay attention to what is right in front of your eyes Nothing happens by chance. Every encounter has its meaning Be careful not to confuse the means and the purpose Keep flowing just like water Nothing will control you Even a bad day is a good day Check the ground beneath your feet when you're in trouble You'll never walk alone These 52 mindful sayings mirror the 52 steps traditionally taken to achieve Buddhist enlightenment, and they also coincide with the 52 weeks of the year--passing through the seasons, both in the natural world and our lives. Each page has an illustration and a simple, meditative reflection to help you see into your own heart, accept your current state of being, reduce anxiety and find peace. Whatever the time of year, whatever your time of life, by browsing the pages of this book you are sure to quickly find a piece of universal wisdom that will resonate with your soul.