The Ways of Zen
From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully illustrated collection of classic Zen Buddhist stories that enlighten as they entertain

C. C. Tsai is one of Asia’s most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. In The Ways of Zen, he has created an entertaining and enlightening masterpiece from the rich collections of the Zen Buddhist tradition, bringing classic stories to life in delightful language and vividly detailed comic illustrations. Combining all the stories previously published in Tsai’s Wisdom of the Zen Masters and Zen Speaks, this is the artist’s largest collection of selections from the most important and famous Zen texts.

The story of the illiterate wood-peddler Huineng, who improbably rises to become the most famous Zen patriarch, is joined by others that trace the development of the five major sects of Zen Buddhism through other masters such as Mazu, Linji, and Yunmen. A shattered antique, a blind man carrying a lantern, sutras set on fire, a cow jumping through a window—each story leads the reader to reflect on fundamental Buddhist ideas.

The Ways of Zen also features the original Chinese text in side columns on each page, enriching the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the English-language cartoons.

Filled with memorable anecdotes and disarming wisdom, The Ways of Zen is a perfect introduction to Zen Buddhism and an essential addition to any Zen collection.

1137899449
The Ways of Zen
From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully illustrated collection of classic Zen Buddhist stories that enlighten as they entertain

C. C. Tsai is one of Asia’s most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. In The Ways of Zen, he has created an entertaining and enlightening masterpiece from the rich collections of the Zen Buddhist tradition, bringing classic stories to life in delightful language and vividly detailed comic illustrations. Combining all the stories previously published in Tsai’s Wisdom of the Zen Masters and Zen Speaks, this is the artist’s largest collection of selections from the most important and famous Zen texts.

The story of the illiterate wood-peddler Huineng, who improbably rises to become the most famous Zen patriarch, is joined by others that trace the development of the five major sects of Zen Buddhism through other masters such as Mazu, Linji, and Yunmen. A shattered antique, a blind man carrying a lantern, sutras set on fire, a cow jumping through a window—each story leads the reader to reflect on fundamental Buddhist ideas.

The Ways of Zen also features the original Chinese text in side columns on each page, enriching the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the English-language cartoons.

Filled with memorable anecdotes and disarming wisdom, The Ways of Zen is a perfect introduction to Zen Buddhism and an essential addition to any Zen collection.

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The Ways of Zen

The Ways of Zen

The Ways of Zen

The Ways of Zen

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Overview

From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully illustrated collection of classic Zen Buddhist stories that enlighten as they entertain

C. C. Tsai is one of Asia’s most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. In The Ways of Zen, he has created an entertaining and enlightening masterpiece from the rich collections of the Zen Buddhist tradition, bringing classic stories to life in delightful language and vividly detailed comic illustrations. Combining all the stories previously published in Tsai’s Wisdom of the Zen Masters and Zen Speaks, this is the artist’s largest collection of selections from the most important and famous Zen texts.

The story of the illiterate wood-peddler Huineng, who improbably rises to become the most famous Zen patriarch, is joined by others that trace the development of the five major sects of Zen Buddhism through other masters such as Mazu, Linji, and Yunmen. A shattered antique, a blind man carrying a lantern, sutras set on fire, a cow jumping through a window—each story leads the reader to reflect on fundamental Buddhist ideas.

The Ways of Zen also features the original Chinese text in side columns on each page, enriching the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the English-language cartoons.

Filled with memorable anecdotes and disarming wisdom, The Ways of Zen is a perfect introduction to Zen Buddhism and an essential addition to any Zen collection.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691179766
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 07/27/2021
Series: The Illustrated Library of Chinese Classics , #21
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 8.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

C. C. Tsai is one of Asia’s most beloved illustrators. His work has been featured in the New York Times Magazine and his bestselling editions of the Chinese classics have introduced generations of readers to the wisdom of such luminaries as Confucius, Sunzi, and Zhuangzi. Born in Taiwan, Tsai now lives in Hangzhou, China. Brian Bruya is professor of philosophy at Eastern Michigan University, where he teaches Chinese and comparative philosophy. He has translated many of Tsai's books into English. Martine Batchelor spent ten years as a Zen nun in a Korean monastery. She teaches meditation retreats worldwide, and her books include Let Go and Principles of Zen.

Table of Contents

Foreword Martine Batchelor ix

Introduction Brian Bruya xiii

Map xxi

Zen Lineage Chart 1 xxii

Zen Lineage Chart 2 xxiii

Zen Lineage Chart 3 xxiv

Zen Lineage Chart 4 xxv

What Is Zen? 2

Enlightenment Of The Wave 3

A Cup Of Zen 4

The Outcome Of Enlightenment 5

Transmission Of The Lamp 8

Passing On The Mind 9

Seize The Moment 11

Kashyapa And The Flagpole 12

Zen's Origin Story 14

Huineng, Sixth Ancestor 26

A Special Transmission Separate From The Scriptures 40

Not Reliant On The Written Word 41

Direct Pointing At One's Mind 42

Seeing One's Nature, Becoming A Buddha 43

Non-Abiding 44

Pointing At The Moon 45

Sudden In The South, Gradual In The North 46

Shenhui Of Heze 49

Huizhong Of Nanyang 51

Xuanjue Of Yongjia 53

Huairang Of Nanyue 56

Xingsi Of Qingyuan 58

Mazu Daoyi, Ancestor Ma 60

Riding A Mule In Search Of A Mule 63

The Hunter's Marksmanship 64

Self-Nature 66

How Could It Have Flown Away? 68

Buddha Of The Sun, Buddha Of The Moon 69

Baizhang's Rules 70

A Day Without Work Is A Day Without Food 72

Zen Of The Fox 73

The Great Suppression 75

No Self, No Other 77

Because I'm Here 78

Fire In The Embers 79

Xiangyan Hits Bamboo 80

The Mind Is The Buddha 82

The Devil Of Language 83

Eating And Sleeping 85

Self And Other 86

Giving And Receiving 87

Six In One 88

Xiangyan Up A Tree 89

Follow The Flow 90

Juzhi's One-Finger Zen 91

Juzhi Severs A Finger 95

Grasping Emptiness 96

Being And Nothingness 97

A Mountain In A Mustard Seed 98

What's Not A Prime Cut? 99

Nanquan Kills A Cat 100

Looking But Not Seeing 101

Congshen Of Zhaozhou 102

Kicked By A Donkey 104

Not A Stitch On 106

The Dao Is In Dung 107

If The Mind Is Pure, Everything Is Pure 108

The Buddha-Nature Of A Dog 109

Dust 110

Zhen Prefecture's Big White Radishes 111

Zhaozhou's Stone Bridge 112

Go Wash Your Bowl 113

What Is Self-Cultivation? 114

A Cypress Tree Becomes A Buddha 115

The Many Return To The One 116

What Is Zhaozhou? 117

Zhaozhou Asks The Way To Zhaozhou 118

The Cypress Tree Out Front 119

There Is No Substitute 120

Dropping Everything 121

Have Some Tea 122

If I Don't Go To Hell, Who Will? 123

Yixuan Of Linji 124

Cracking A Whip To Stop The Flow 126

No Crutches, No Desires 127

The Sweet Smell Of Osmanthus 128

Mind Like The Surroundings 129

No Better Than A Clown 130

A Water Buffalo Through A Window 132

With A Slight Fanning, The Fire Returns 133

A Morning Of Moon And Wind 134

Easier Known Than Done 136

What Isn't The Buddha-Dharma? 137

The Ordinary Mind 138

Returning Empty-Handed 139

Daowu Of Tianhuang 140

Chongxin Of Longtan 142

A Nun Becomes A Monk 144

Xuanjian Of Deshan 145

Jingqing And The Sound Of Raindrops 149

Not Recognizing The True Self 150

The Sound Of The Stream 151

Laughing With Heaven And Earth 152

Zen Can't Be Spoken 153

Clouds In The Blue Sky, Water In A Bottle 154

Snowflakes Fall Where They Should 155

What Are Life And Death? 156

Liangjie Of Dongshan 158

Cold When Cold, Hot When Hot 162

The Road Begins Here 163

Fayan Wenyi 164

A Drop Of Water From The Cao River 166

Emptiness 167

The Lamp Boy Comes Looking For A Flame 168

Wenyan Of Yunmen 170

Every Day Is A Good Day 172

One Word Gate 173

Yunmen's Three Lines 174

Same Destination, Different Paths 176

Three Pounds Of Flax 177

The Mute And The Parrot 179

Master Of Thy Self 180

Alpine Flowers Blossom Like Brocade 181

Danxia Burns The Buddha 182

Changing With The Surroundings 183

The Bodhisattva Shanhui 184

Standing For The Emperor 185

Three Traditions In One 186

Shanhui's Poem 187

Being Your Own Master 188

Carrying A Woman Across A River 189

The Gates Of Heaven 190

The Lamebrain Official 191

Black Bamboo, Red Bamboo 192

The Order Of Life And Death 193

Vow Of Silence 194

Everything Is Empty 195

The Buddha Is In The Home 196

The Lost Student 197

Enlightenment Of The Thief 198

Can't Say It 199

Zen In A Cup 200

Disregarding Titles 201

Self And Other 202

Words Exceeding Actions 204

Fate Is In Your Own Hands 205

The Faster, The Slower 207

The General's Antique 208

The Close Friend 209

A Blind Man Carrying A Lantern 210

Something Valuable 211

A Blade Of Grass, A Drop Of Dew 212

For No Reason 213

Past, Present, Future 214

The Great Wave 215

Because I'm Here 218

Matter Is Empty 219

The Weeping Lady 220

Mind Like A Mirror 221

Mountain Paths Don't Change 222

Torn 223

Where Do We Go After Death? 224

The Swordless Sword 225

The Spider And The Monk 226

Rich And Poor 227

Do Not Grasp Either Extreme 228

Not Changing To Meet The Changes 229

Withered Tree Zen 231

Walking In The Rain 232

Difficult To Advance Or Retreat 233

The Snake's Two Heads 234

Rhapsody Of The Frogs 236

The Spider's Silk 238

Rashomon 242

Pronunciation Index 247

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In this book, C. C. Tsai’s relaxed language and extraordinary drawings reveal a wisdom that points directly at the mind. You could say that Tsai is himself a practitioner of Zen thinking. In his carefree and unrestrained spirit, in his profound thinking, in his childlike innocence, he uses his own life to manifest Zen. Although the stories in this book happened to others, they can shed light on the dark clouds of our own transient lives.”—Shi Yongxin, abbot of Shaolin Monastery

Praise for C. C. Tsai

"Tsai’s characters are drawn to entertain."—John Ismay, New York Times Magazine

"Tsai's books are awe-inspiring. His line is elegant; his characters are sharply drawn; his humor is sly and appropriate; and his subject is profound. This is cartooning of the highest order."—Larry Gonick, author of The Cartoon History of the Universe

"C. C. Tsai's introductions to the world of Chinese thought and spirituality are masterpieces. His drawings are charming, clever, and engaging; his texts are clear and faithful to the spirit of the originals; and Brian Bruya's translations are fluid and accurate."—Stephen C. Angle, Wesleyan University

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