Zen Sand

The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

Victor Sogen Hori author Victor Sogen Hori translator Victor Sogen Hori editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of Hawai'i Press

Published:28th Feb '03

Should be back in stock very soon

Zen Sand cover

Zen Sand is a classic collection of verses aimed at aiding practitioners of kôan meditation to negotiate the difficult relationship between insight and language. As such it represents a major contribution to both Western Zen practice and English-language Zen scholarship.

In Japan the traditional Rinzai Zen kôan curriculum includes the use of jakugo, or ""capping phrases."" Once a monk has successfully replied to a kôan, the Zen master orders the search for a classical verse to express the monk’s insight into the kôan. Special collections of these jakugo were compiled as handbooks to aid in that search. Until now, Zen students in the West, lacking this important resource, have been severely limited in carrying out this practice. Zen Sand combines and translates two standard jakugo handbooks and opens the way for incorporating this important tradition fully into Western Zen practice.

For the scholar, Zen Sand provides a detailed description of the jakugo practice and its place in the overall kôan curriculum, as well as a brief history of the Zen phrase book. This volume also contributes to the understanding of East Asian culture in a broader sense.

ISBN: 9780824822842

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

778 pages