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Way of Ch’an: Essential Texts of the Original Tradition

The Way of Ch’an: Essential Texts of the Original Tradition

$29.95 USD
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Book description

This landmark anthology illuminates the true story of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism’s historical development in China. Here we have the essential source material in its own native understanding, free of the mistranslation and misrepresentation that has characterized it in the modern West. As such, The Way of Ch’an offers a revolutionary understanding of Ch’an as a Buddhist-inflected form of Taoism, China’s native system of spiritual philosophy. This authentic Ch’an was a radical and wild practice cultivating a deeply ecological form of liberation: the integration of mind and landscape/earth/Cosmos. Hinton’s accessible introductions guide us through texts that build from seminal Taoism through all stages of classical Ch’an—a tradition of zany and profound sages revealing Ch’an’s original form of awakening each in their own way. It’s a roller-coaster of voices and insights across thousands of years: The Way of Ch’an is a thrilling ride.
David Hinton

David Hinton

Author Bio

David Hinton has published numerous books of poetry and essays, and many translations of ancient Chinese poetry and philosophy—all informed by an abiding interest in deep ecological thinking. This widely-acclaimed work has earned Hinton a Guggenheim Fellowship, numerous fellowships from NEA and NEH, and both of the major awards given for poetry translation in the United States: the Landon Translation Award (Academy of American Poets) and the PEN American Translation Award. Most recently, Hinton received a lifetime achievement award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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Praise for the book

Henry Shukman Roshi (on China Root)

“Hinton’s deep understanding of the Taoist roots of Ch’an shine a light on the Zen practice of today, taking us back in a thrilling way beyond the Japanese rigor and aesthetics, beyond the mythical T’ang Dynasty flourishing of Ch’an’s great ancestors, back to its Taoist roots in the first millennium BCE—and even beyond them, into the mists of its Paleolithic origins.”

New York Review of Books (on Awakened Cosmos)

“Hinton is after . . . depth and boundlessness.”

Joan Halifax Roshi (on No-Gate Gateway)

“I love this book! . . . unique and powerful . . . opens doors to the heart of Zen.”

John Tarrant Roshi (on No-Gate Gateway)

“David Hinton is a fabulous translator. This book is luminous and transparent. You can see the light of the original Chinese masters shining through.”

Lion's Roar

“A national treasure . . . Hinton cracks open the cosmos and takes you into the depths of the mind.”
Way of Ch’an: Essential Texts of the Original Tradition

David Hinton

The Way of Ch’an: Essential Texts of the Original Tradition

$20.99 USD