The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts

Bodhidharma, its first patriarch, reputedly said that Zen Buddhism represents "a special transmission outside the teaching / Without reliance on words and letters." This saying, along with the often perplexing use of language (and silence) by Zen masters, gave rise to the notion that Zen is a "lived religion," based strictly on nonlinguistic practice and lacking a substantial canon of sacred texts. Even those who recognize the importance of Zen texts commonly limit their focus to a few sele...