Original Teachings of Ch'an Buddhism: Selected from The Transmission of the Lamp

This unique and masterfully translated collection is an essential text for those interested in the authentic teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, the discipline that emerged in seventh-century China and flourished there until the thirteenth century. Known in the West as “Zen”, it is widely practiced in Japan today. This book includes the teachings of the great Ch’an Masters selected from the earliest Ch’an text, The Transmission of the Lamp, and also the author’s own interpretations derived from over twenty years of study and experience in Ch’an, primarily with Dr. D. T. Suzuki and other leading Japanese Zen masters. The teachings are made up of kung-an (koan in Japanese), which are the expressions of the inner experience and illuminations of enlightened human beings, an inner experience that is transmitted from generation to generation and which represents the essential characteristic of the teachings of Ch’an.