Overview

The great Japanese Zen master Hakuin exclaimed, ""How priceless is the merit gained through the step-by-step practice of the Five Ranks of Master Tozan!"" Hakuin here refers to a teaching created by the Chinese Buddhist master Dongshan, known in Japanese as Zen Master Tozan, which is honored and studied in both Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen and is a gem of the classical Zen tradition. The ranks serve as guides to a radical exploration of the experience of relative and absolute reality, the interpenetrating ""Two Truths"" of Mahayana Buddhism. In The Five Ranks of Zen, American Zen teacher Shishin Wick offers an accessible entry point to each of the ranks, which Tozan created in two formulations: the first and better-known is the Five Ranks of the Relative and the Absolute; while the second set, called the Sequence of Merit, is an abbreviated form of the Ten Oxherding Pictures, a traditional formulation of the Zen spiritual journey. Wick presents multiple translations and offers commentary on the ranks' titles and on Tozan's renowned verses, as well as offering guidance on these teachings' application in contemporary life and Zen practice. He emphasizes that, to truly plumb the depths of Tozan's teachings, you must treat these teachings as Zen koans and make a thorough investigation using your entire body.

Full Product Details

9798228639379

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Gerry Shishin Wick Roshi is a Dharma Successor of Taizan Maezumi Roshi. A student of both major lineages of Zen, Wick received transmission from Maezumi Roshi in 1990 after twenty-four years of Zen training under Maezumi, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and Sochu Suzuki Roshi. Shishin Roshi received a PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1967, and has worked as a university professor, science writer, journalist, oceanographer, software developer, and technical manager. He is the author of The Book of Equanimity, My American Zen Life, and coauthor of The Great Heart Way with Ilia Shinko Perez. Norman Fischer has been a Zen Buddhist priest for nearly thirty years, serving as abbot for the San Francisco Zen Center from 1995 to 2000. Founder and teacher of the Everyday Zen Foundation, he is one of the most highly respected Zen teachers in America, regularly leading Zen Buddhist retreats and events. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner for 47 Ronin by John Allyn, David Shih narrated the History Channel documentary China's First Emperor and the Discovery Networks series Royal Inquest. He is the voice of Eddie Toh in the hit video game Grand Theft Auto V. In addition to his role as Isiah on the Hulu original series The Path, he has appeared in the TV shows The Blacklist, Mozart in the Jungle, Unforgettable, Golden Boy, Blue Bloods, Are We There Yet?, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, All My Children, and As the World Turns, as well as the feature films The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Respect the Jux, Old 37, Fan Girl, and Saving Face. His theater credits include the National Asian American Theater Company's acclaimed production of Awake and Sing! at the Public Theater, The World of Extreme Happiness (Manhattan Theatre Club), Bike America (Ma-Yi Theater Company), and Crane Story (The Playwrights Realm). Dave also works with Only Make Believe performing interactive theater for children in hospitals and care facilities.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available