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Five Houses of Zen
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Five Houses of Zen Paperback - 1997

by Thomas F. Cleary (Translator)

For all its emphasis on the direct experience of insight without reliance on the products of the intellect, the Zen tradition has created a huge body of writings. Of this vast literature, the writings associated with the so-called Five Houses of Zen are widely considered to be preeminent. This collection presents writings from the Golden Age of Zen in China, written by some of the best known and most influential of the Zen masters.


From the publisher

For all its emphasis on the direct experience on insight without reliance on the products of the intellect, the Zen tradition has created a huge body of writings. Of this cast literature, the writings associated with the so-called Five Houses of Zen are widely considered to be preeminent. These Five Houses--which arose in China during the ninth and tenth centuries, often referred to as the Golden Age of Zen--were not schools or sects but styles of Zen teaching represented by some of the most outstanding masters in Zen history. The writing of these great Zen teachers are presented here, many translated for the first time.

Details

  • Title Five Houses of Zen
  • Author Thomas F. Cleary (Translator)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 192
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Shambhala, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
  • Date 1997-04-15
  • Features Bibliography
  • ISBN 9781570622922 / 1570622922
  • Weight 0.65 lbs (0.29 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.06 x 6.06 x 0.49 in (23.01 x 15.39 x 1.24 cm)
  • Themes
    • Ethnic Orientation: Asian - General
    • Religious Orientation: Buddhist
  • Library of Congress subjects Zen Buddhism - Quotations, maxims, etc, Zen Buddhism - China
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 96044399
  • Dewey Decimal Code 294.392

Media reviews

One of the foremost contemporary translators of classical Buddhist and Taoist literature, Cleary has made another valuable body of work available to Western readers with this collection of writings and teachings of some of the great Zen masters of China from the ninth and tenth centuries. The five houses of Zen that arose at that time were not actually separate schools or branches but instead represented distinctive styles of teaching carried out by certain Chinese Zen masters and perpetuated by their students. Cleary's introduction provides useful historical information on the development of Zen in China during the T'ang Dynasty (619-906). His translations shine with clarity and express the insights of these great teachers with beauty and understanding.—Elizabeth Salt, Library Journal.

Citations

  • Library Journal, 03/15/1997, Page 66

About the author

Thomas Cleary holds a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. He is the translator of over fifty volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, and Arabic.
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Five Houses of Zen

by Cleary, Thomas F, PH.D. (Translated by)

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The Five Houses of Zen
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The Five Houses of Zen

by Cleary, Thomas

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  • Paperback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781570622922 / 1570622922
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Boston: Shambhala, 1997 A Shambhala Dragon Edition. The five houses of Zen, which arose in China during the ninth and tenth centuries, were not schools or sects but styles of Zen teaching represented by some of the most outstanding masters in Zen history. These writings are presented here, many translated for the first time. Light wear to cover corners, including diagonal crease to lower rear. Otherwise clean and tight.
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