Unborn
The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693
Farrar Straus & Giroux · Print & ebook · July 31, 2000
In 1633, at age eleven, Bankei Yotaku was banished from his family's home because of his consuming engagement with the Confucian texts that all schoolboys were required to copy and recite.
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- Who it’s for
- Readers interested in Zen teachings and Bankei's life.
- Themes
- Zen Buddhism, Enlightenment, Buddha-mind
- Genres
- Zen Buddhism, Zen, Buddhist Thought
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In 1633, at age eleven, Bankei Yotaku was banished from his family's home because of his consuming engagement with the Confucian texts that all schoolboys were required to copy and recite. Using a hut in the nearby hills, he wrote the word Shugyo-an, or "practice hermitage," on a plank of wood, propped it up beside the entrance, and settled down to devote himself to his own clarification of "bright virtue."
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He finally turned to Zen and, after fourteen years of incredible hardship, achieved a decisive enlightenment, whereupon the Rinzai priest traveled unceasingly to the temples and monasteries of Japan, sharing what he'd learned. "What I teach in these talks of mine is the Unborn Buddha-mind of illuminative wisdom, nothing else. Everyone is endowed with this Buddha-mind, only they don't know it." Casting aside the traditional aristocratic style of his contemporaries, he offered his teachings in the common language of the people. His style recalls the genius and simplicity of the great Chinese Zen masters of the T'ang dynasty. This revised and expanded edition contains many talks and dialogues not included in the original 1984 volume.
Who it’s for
- Readers interested in Zen teachings and Bankei's life.
- Readers interested in Zen teachings presented in common language.
Where it sits
| Zen Buddhism | 98% |
|---|---|
| Buddhist Thought | 31% |
| Zen | 23% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Buddhism - General
- Buddhist History
- Buddhist Sacred Writings
- Authors
- Bankei
- Publisher
- Farrar Straus & Giroux
- Published
- July 31, 2000
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Zen Buddhism · Enlightenment · Buddha-mind
- Reading lane
- Buddhism - General