Zen Enlightenment: Origins and Meaning Paperback – 1 May 2008
by Heinrich Dumoulin (Author)
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The renowned scholar Heinrich Dumoulin traces the development of Zen and the concept of enlightenment from its origins in India through its development in China to its fruition in Japan
Enlightenment, the cosmic experience of universal unity, is a notoriously elusive concept in Zen. Here, the renowned scholar Heinrich Dumoulin traces the development of Zen and the concept of enlightenment from its origins in India through its development in China to its fruition in Japan. Delineating the Buddhist origins, as well as the Taoist and yogic influences, he traces the historical path Zen has followed, with special emphasis given to the development of koan practice and the writings of the great Japanese Zen master Dogen (1200-1253). He then brings the experience to life by presenting, in his own words, the enlightenment experiences of a number of contemporary practitioners of Zen.
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Print length
192 pages
ZEN Buddhism, Volume 1: A History (India & China)
Heinrich Dumoulin
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Product description
Book Description
The renowned scholar Heinrich Dumoulin traces the development of Zen and the concept of enlightenment from its origins in India through its development in China to its fruition in Japan
About the Author
Heinrich Dumoulin (1905-1995) was one of the world's leading scholars of Zen and the author of several books on Zen and Buddhism, including A History of Zen Buddhism, Buddhism in the Modern World, and Christianity Meets Buddhism. He was for many years Professor of Philosophy and History of Religions at Sophia University in Japan.
Publisher : SHAMBHALA - TRADE; 1st edition (1 May 2008)
Language : English
Paperback : 192 pages
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John C. Marshell Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding introduction, not to be missedReviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 2 August 2009
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Without a doubt, this book is one of the best introductions to Zen available. For those who may not want to work through Father Dumoulin's two volume history of Zen Buddhism, this short book provides an excellent overview of the subject while not neglecting important and decisive historical details in Zen's development. Dumoulin's writing is clear and understandable with terms well defined, and anyone with a casual or nascent understanding of Buddhism would benefit from the erudition on its pages.
Personally, I did not find the book to be all that "academic." Dumoulin's efforts to define Zen's development in a systematic and historically contextualized manner around the theme of "Zen enlightenment" would address, I think, an important mainstream interest in the pithy center of Zen practice. What is Zen about? While it is true that Zen practice requires its adherents to engage in a sort of mental iconoclasm applied to discursive and rationalizing thinking, nobody says that to have a satori experience you must have the intellect akin to vegetation. There are plenty of smart guys who have been enlightened--Dogen comes to mind. To draw a distinction between "this knowledge and that knowledge" is to invite a dualism that most Zen masters, I think, would eschew. Dumoulin addresses the issue on page sixty two citing that "Lin-chi did not at all discard the wealth of learning he had acquired as a youth when he turned to Zen, but rather integrated it into a transformed spiritual experience." Integration is the key to a spiritual life. This book is a worthy addition to anyone's library. Read it without fear.
Dumoulin's efforts to write about Dogen in a book I consider "introductory" are laudable. Certainly not the easiest thinking to wrap your mind around in only a few pages. However, for those who want to learn more, Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist, Revised, Third Edition , by Hee-Jin Kim, is still considered a "classic" in Buddhist publications. It would complement this purchase nicely.
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claudioarismendi
5.0 out of 5 stars So goodReviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 18 September 2013
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Excelente book, from a very serius writer.
Very recomendable for anyone, researchers or interested people in christian prayer and zen
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Brian Akpan
4.0 out of 5 stars Four StarsReviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 5 November 2014
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smoother than nirvana
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