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ZEN Battles: Modern Commentary on the Teachings of Master Linji Paperback – 26 Mar. 2014
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One of the key tenets of the Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism is that each one of us is already a Buddha--our enlightenment is inherent within us, and the practice of mindfulness is the tool to bring this truth to our full awareness. While it can bring much relief, this simple statement does not preclude the need for practice. We must strive to always be aware of our Buddha nature, rather than waiting until times of emotional upheaval when it is more difficult to practice.
Thich Nhat Hanh uses the teachings of 9th-century Zen Master Linji to elaborate on this simple truth and to give readers tools that can help awaken them to their true inner nature. Linji's recorded teachings are the most significant we have from the Ch'an school.
One of the unique aspects of Linji's teaching, is the need to "wake ourselves up," not only by means of sitting meditation and listening to enlightened teachings, but also through unique techniques such as the shout, the stick, and the empty fist. Master Linji emphasized direct experience of our true nature over intellectual explorations of the teachings, and he encouraged his students to not "become lost in the knowledge or the concepts of the teaching."
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherParallax Press
- Publication date26 Mar. 2014
- Dimensions15.57 x 1.5 x 23.34 cm
- ISBN-101937006530
- ISBN-13978-1937006532
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--Plum Village
From the Back Cover
With humor, skill, and compassion, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how we can each get closer to the ideals within us, and the person who simply is, with nothing to achieve and nowhere to be.
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
We all carry the seeds of happiness, of enlightenment, of no-birth, no-death, and no-fear in ourselves. What we search for is already there. A teacher's role is simply to remind us that we are the Buddha, we are already what we search for. If you only search on the outside or in the teachings of the Buddha and the Zen Masters it's not enough. This idea repeats itself several times in the teaching of Master Linji. It is as if Linji himself is standing in front of you shouting, Don't try to search for me. Happiness is in you already. Enlightenment is in you already. The depth, the beauty, the greatness, the light is in you. Don't search after me, don't run after me, and don't run after the Buddha. Stop running. The Buddha is you!" That is a very revolutionary sentence.
"Why is it that some of you who study nowadays cannot succeed? It is because you have no self-confidence. If you think that you need to worship and put all your devotion in the sacred texts, than you don't have enough self-confidence in you, and you will not get very far, you will not find the Buddha. Because you don't have self-confidence, you run after the ten thousand objects of your mind. These objects pull you away and you lose all your liberty. Only if you stop all this thinking, this running after and craving of the objects of your mind, then you will see that you and the Buddha are not different-they are one. Do you want to know who is the Buddha? The Buddha is you."
Master Linji has shown us that we have to come back to ourselves, that we have to have confidence in ourselves. Don't feel that you have nothing, that you are only suffering, that you have no value, and that you have to bow to the Buddha and bodhisattvas. You don't need that; you only have to stop to follow your cravings. Then you are Buddha, you are a bodhisattva. Don't wait to put it into practice, do it right away.
Product details
- Publisher : Parallax Press; Reprint edition (26 Mar. 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1937006530
- ISBN-13 : 978-1937006532
- Dimensions : 15.57 x 1.5 x 23.34 cm
- Customer reviews:
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) was a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, and peace activist and one of the most revered and influential spiritual teachers in the world. Born in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. His work for peace and reconciliation during the war in Vietnam moved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. In Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh founded Van Hanh Buddhist University and the School of Youth for Social Service, a corps of Buddhist peace workers. Exiled as a result of his work for peace, he continued his humanitarian efforts, rescuing boat people and helping to resettle refugees. In 1982 he established Plum Village France, the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the hub of the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Over seven decades of teaching, he published a hundred books, which have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2021Wow what a great book. If you come from the PV tradition you might find Linji a bit confrontational and think ‘How is this like Thay?’ Keep going and one is transformed into the other. Great discourse and another view of practice. Well worth the read.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2019A delightful insight in to some of Master Linji's teachings, also a wonderful connection to the ancestral stream of the Plum Village Buddhist lineage. Thay's commentary allows for insightful contemplation of the teachings.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2018Brilliant condition at a very reasonable price.
Top reviews from other countries
- Jeff NReviewed in Canada on 11 May 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Good product
Great book and shipped fast
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FelipeReviewed in Brazil on 24 January 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Como todos os livros que li de Thich Nhat Hanh, fantástico. Ótimos comentários de seleções de algumas falas de Linji. Esclarecedor, claro, direto. Recomendado.
- James S. AyersReviewed in the United States on 9 April 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
This book is both well written and a good read. After a short introduction it gives a direct translation of the teachings of Master Linji. For the most part these are transcriptions of exchanges between he and his students. Thich Nhat Hanh then goes back through these and hits the "highlights" providing clear and insightful commentary on the majority of the transcriptions. Finally he closes the book with some tips on daily practice in modern life and give useful examples (and Gathas) for staying mindful and present.
Overall this is a great read for content regarding classic Zen teaching and the principles of being mindful and present in order to see the true nature of "you". I would highly recommend it to anyone from a beginner (although some previous exposure to Zen teachings and principles would be beneficial) to someone who has years of experience and is just looking to learn at bit more about Master Linji or just read a good Zen book.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 26 September 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring book
This is an exciting book to read to inspire you on the path to freedom. Full of wisdom and kindness, Thich Nhat Hanh helps us to understand and incorporate this ancient teaching into our lives. It is a wonderful gift.
- JWWReviewed in Canada on 9 September 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars I like it
Great content but infouns it repetitive as I was wanting more variety and diversity.