J. C. Cleary

The Blue Cliff Records is a translation of the Pi Yen Lu, a collection of one hundred zen koans accompainied by commentaries and appreciatory verses from the teachings of the Chinese Zen masters. Compiled in the twelfth century, it is considered to be one of the great treasures of Zen literature and an essential study manual for students of Zen. 'The cases comprising (this volume) are meticulously yet gracefully rendered, and should make this classic welcome to both scholars and Zen students, and even casual readers. A nice addition is the inclusion of biographical information about the Chinese masters.'-Library Journal Thomas Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and civilizations from Harvard University. Among his many translations are The Art of War and Zen Lessons. J.C. Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations form Harvard University. He has translated several books of Zen literature, including Zen Dawn. 'The Blue Cliff Record reveals to us what enlightenment is, what the enlightened life is, how the patriarchs and masters of old struggled with it, attained it, actualized it, and accomplished it....I firmly believe this translation is a milestone and will immmensely benefit those who are sincerely engaged in practice and the enlightenment of the Buddha-way.'-from the foreword by Taizan Maezumi Roshi Contents Foreword by Taizan Maezumi Roshi Preface Introduction Guide to Chinese pronunciation Original preface to the Blue Cliff Record The Blue Cliff Record 1 The highest meaning of the holy truths 2 The ultimate path is without difficulty 3 Master Ma is unwell 4 Te shan carrying his bundle 5 Hsueh Feng's grain of rice 6 Yun Men's every day is a good day 7 Hui Ch'ao asks about buddha 8 Ts'ui Yen's eyebrows 9 Chao Chou's four gates 10 Mu Chou's thieving phoney 11 Huang Po's gobblers of dregs 12 Tung Shan's three pounds of hemp 13 Pa Ling's snow in a silver bowl 14 Yun Men's appropriate statement 15 Yun Men's unside-down statement 16 Ching Ch'ing's man in the weeds 17 Hsiang Lin's meaning of the coming from the West 18 National teacher Chung's seamless monument 19 Chu Ti's one-finger Ch'an 20 Lung Ya's meaning of the coming form the West 21 Chih Men's lotus flower, lotus leaves 22 Hsueh Feng's turtle-nosed snake 23 Pao Fu's summit of the mystic peak 24 Kuei Shan and iron grindstone Liu 25 The hermit f lotus flower peak holds up his staff 26 Pai chang's sitting alone on Ta Hsiung mountain 27 Yun Men's the body exposed, the golden wind 28 Nan Ch'uan's truth that's never been spoken 29 Ta Sui's it goes along with it 30 Chao Chou's big turnips 31 Ma Ku carrying his ring-staff 32 Elder Ting stands motionless 33 Ministry President Ch'en sees Tzu Fu 34 Yang Shan asks 'Where have you come from?' 35 The dialogue of Manjusri and Wu Cho 36 Ch'ang Sha wandering in the mountains 37 P'an Shan's there is nothing in the world 38 Feng Hsueh's workings of the iron ox 39 Yun Men's flowering hedge 40 Nan Ch'uan's it's like a dream 41 Chao Chou's man who has died the great death 42 Layman P'an's good snowflakes 43 Tung Shan's no cold or heat 44 Ho Shan's knowing how to beat the drum 45 Chao Chou's seven-pound cloth shirt 46 Ching Ch'ing's sund of raindrops 47 Yun Men's six do not take it in 48 Turning over the tea kettle at Chao Ch'ing 49 San Sheng's golden fish who has passed through the net 50 Yun Men's every atom samadhi 51 Hsueh Feng's what is it? 52 Chao Chou lets asses cross, lets horses cross 53 Pai Chang's wild ducks 54 Yun Men extends both hands 55 Tao Wu's condoloence call 56 Ch'in Shan's one arrowpoint smashes three barriers 57 Chao Chou's stupid oaf 58 Chao Chou can't explain 59 Chao Chou's why not quote it fully? 60 Yun Men's within there is a jewel 61 Feng Hsueh's one atom of dust 62 Yun Men's staff changes into a dragon 63 Nan Ch'uan kills a cat 64 Nan Ch'uan questions Chao Chou 65 An outsider questions the buddha 66 Yen T'ou's getting Huang Ch'ao's sword 67 Mahasattva Fu expounds the scripture 68 Yang Shan's what's your name? 69 Nan Ch'uan's circle 70 Kuei Shan attends on Pai Chang 71 Wu Feng's shut up, teacher 72 Pai Chang questins Yun Yen 73 Ma Tsu's permutations of assertion and denial 74 Chin Niu's rice pail 75 Wu Chiu's unjust beating 76 Tan Hsia's have you eaten yet? 77 Yun Men's cake 78 Sixteen bodhisattvas go in to bathe 79 T'ou Tzu's all sounds 80 Chao Chou's newborn baby 81 Yao Shan's shooting the elk of elks 82 Ta Lung's ard and fast body of reality 83 Yun Men's ancient buddhas and the pillar 84 Vimalakirti's gate of nonduality 85 the hermit of T'ung Feng makes a tiger's roar 86 Yun Men's kitchen pantry and main gate 87 Medicine and disease subdue each other 88 Hsuan Sha's guiding and aiding living beings 89 The hands and eyes of the bodhisattva of great compassion 90 Chih Men's body of wisdom 91 Yen Kuan's rhinoceros 92 The world honored one ascends the seat 93 Ta Kuang does a dance 94 The surangama scripture's not seeing 95 Ch'ang Ch'ing's three turning poisons 96 Chao Chou's three turning words 97 The diamond cutter scripture's scornful revilement 98 T'ien P'ing's travels on foot 99 Su Tsung's ten-body controller 100 Pa Ling's blown hair sword Biographical supplement Traditonal teaching devices Select glossary of names and terms Bibliography… (altro)

The writings of the twelfth-century Chinese Zen master Ta Hui are as immediately accessible as those of any contemporary teacher, and this book, which introduced them to the English-speaking world in the 1970s, has become a modern classic—a regular feature of recommended reading lists for Zen centers across America, even though the book has become difficult to find. We are happy to make the book available again after more than a decade of scarcity.

J. C. Cleary's translation is as noteworthy for its elegant simplicity as for its accuracy. He has culled from the voluminous writings of Ta Hui Tsung Kao in the Chi Yeuh Lu this selection of letters, sermons, and lectures, some running no longer than a page, which cover a variety of subjects ranging from concern over the illness of a friend's son to the tending of an ox. Ta Hui addresses his remarks mainly to people in lay life and not to his fellow monks. Thus the emphasis throughout is on ways in which those immersed in worldly occupations can nevertheless learn Zen and achieve the liberation promised by the Buddha. These texts, available in English only in this translation, come as a revelation for their lucid thinking and startling wisdom. The translator's essay on Chan (Chinese Zen) Buddhism and his short biography of Ta Hui place the texts in their proper historical perspective.… (altro)