Showing posts with label "contemplative life". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "contemplative life". Show all posts

2020/09/26

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by Thomas Keating | Goodreads

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by Thomas Keating | Goodreads





Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

 Want to Read

Rate this book

1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

by Thomas Keating

 4.03  ·   Rating details ·  2,283 ratings  ·  92 reviews

First published in 1986 and in print--and immensely popular--ever since, Open Mind, Open Heart, by the Trappist Monk Thomas Keating, remains one of the best introductions to a specifically Christian form of meditation. Father Keating gives the reader an overview of what contemplative prayer both is and isn't; he discusses the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition and then explores step by step the process of Centering Prayer, briefly exploring its origins in the ancient church and then demonstrating its use as "a sign of one's intention" to surrender to God. Each chapter concludes with questions and answers that provide useful information in an informal context. Here in particular we get a sense of Keating's clarity--and his sense of humor. For example, in response to a question about the sudden experience of happiness in prayer, Keating responds, "You should not take prayer too seriously. There is something playful about God. You only have to look at a penguin ... to realize that He likes to play little jokes on creatures." --Doug Thorpe (less)

GET A COPY

KoboOnline Stores ▾Book Links ▾

Paperback

Published June 1st 1994 by Continuum (first published December 1988)

Original TitleOpen Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

ISBN0826406963 (ISBN13: 9780826406965)

Edition LanguageEnglish

Other Editions (12)

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

Open Mind, Open Heart

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

All Editions | Add a New Edition | Combine

...Less DetailEdit Details

EditMY ACTIVITY

Review of ISBN 9780826406965

Rating

1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

Shelves to-read edit

( 582nd )

Format Paperback edit

Status

September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read

September 25, 2020 – Shelved

Review Write a review

 

comment

FRIEND REVIEWS

Recommend This Book None of your friends have reviewed this book yet.

READER Q&A

Ask the Goodreads community a question about Open Mind, Open Heart

54355902. uy100 cr1,0,100,100

Ask anything about the book

Recent Questions

looking for page where this is stated "I seek to open my heart and allow God's love and grace to flow through me to each person I encounter?"

Like  2 Years Ago  Add Your Answer

Is this available in kindle?

Like  3 Years Ago  Add Your Answer

See all 3 questions about Open Mind, Open Heart…

LISTS WITH THIS BOOK

Siddhartha by Hermann HesseGilead by Marilynne RobinsonDakota by Kathleen NorrisThe Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas MertonNew Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton

Books for the Contemplative Life

341 books — 187 voters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. RowlingThe Diary of a Young Girl by Anne FrankThe Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerThe Fault in Our Stars by John GreenThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Books that Touched My Heart

1,103 books — 657 voters





More lists with this book...

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Showing 1-30

 Average rating4.03  ·  Rating details ·  2,284 ratings  ·  92 reviews



Search review text





English ‎(87)

More filters | Sort order

Sejin,

Sejin, start your review of Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel



Write a review

Lance Eads

Aug 02, 2013Lance Eads rated it it was amazing

I read this book back around 1997-98 when I was looking to deepen my relationship with Christ. I was disillusioned with a lot of the mainstream dogma of Christianity at the time and I began reading a lot of books on prayer and on the workings of the Holy Spirit, written by authors of different denominations and with different approaches. This book, along with some by Matthew Fox, really struck a chord with me. The idea that prayer could be listening as well as talking was something that hadn't occurred to me before, and it led me to read more books on contemplative prayer from authors both modern and ancient. I realize that contemplative prayer is very controversial these days, but it has a history that goes back at least to the Desert Fathers, and depending on your understanding of certain Bible passages, possibly back to the Apostles and to Jesus himself. In any case, I find contemplative prayer very enriching to my spiritual life and I would recommend it, and this book, to anyone. (less)

flag17 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Jim George

Jul 22, 2012Jim George rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

The author uses a Centering Prayer technique for aligning our hearts and minds to the Lord. His contemplative methods were used the 1st fifteen centuries and then lost. The techniques have similarities to Eastern philosophy and meditation, except you are centering on the Lord. You must 1st pick a sacred word - a holy word seems the most appropriate. You get comfortable, close your eyes, and gently speak your sacred word. The goal is to find divine union with the Lord, by letting go of internal noises of thoughts and feelings, and joining God in the secret place of our hearts. Hopefully you will receive vibrations from a world you did not previously perceive. If you wait God will manifest Himself - of course you might have a long wait! Centering prayer is consenting and surrendering to God. Finding God's presence within us. Great book! (less)

flag9 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Charles Dean

Feb 15, 2017Charles Dean rated it it was amazing

It's funny - I read this book almost 5 years ago and gave it two stars. It just didn't scratch where I itched at the time.



But I read this book slowly - alongside my regular practice of contemplative prayer - and it was just so good.



Just goes to show, that especially with spiritual reading, rating isn't objective or static, but rather is a subjective endeavor, largely based on where I - the read - am in my own journey.

flag8 likes · Like  · comment · see review

EunSung

Mar 06, 2015EunSung rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

This book started a movement in which contemplative prayer was made accessible to people outside of the walls of the Christian monastery. Also, it was an attempt by Fr. Keating and John Main to share meditative practice within the Christian tradition at a time when a lot of people walked away from Christianity, and to Eastern traditions because it spoke to a thirst for a tangible experience that transformed their life.



A great book to not just read, but to apply and to read with a centering prayer group. If you actually start practicing centering prayer and start on the journey of a contemplative life, then the book will become more rich and speak to your own experience and awakenings to the Divine Presence. (less)

flag5 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Edward Kimble

Oct 22, 2016Edward Kimble rated it it was amazing

Father's Keating's presents a timeless, no-frills, multicultural meditation process with a special brilliance that finds the common ground of Christian faith, Zen dharma, and agnostic, humanist psychology. He strikes just the right balance to make contemporary intellectuals and charismatic Catholics equally at ease. This is a really magical little book.

flag3 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Laura

Jul 07, 2008Laura rated it it was amazing

This book is very interesting and isn't meant to be rushed through. I read a couple pages and put it down for the day. I spend the rest of the time thinking through and processing what I read. I am taking my time to analyze the information and evaluate my feelings about what I have just read.

flag3 likes · Like  · 6 comments · see review

Chris Hyde

Aug 23, 2014Chris Hyde rated it liked it

Shelves: christianity

This book is a great "beginners" book to introduce contemplative or "centering" prayer. Think meditation from a Christian perspective. This book will set you on your journey. BUT, I will say that this book is highly repetitive. At only 150 pages, it probably could have been half as long.

flag3 likes · Like  · comment · see review

danielp

Jul 30, 2015danielp rated it it was amazing

Very probably the most important book I've read and will ever read.

flag3 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Ian

Jun 30, 2019Ian rated it really liked it

Very helpful introduction to centering prayer for beginners. Technique, potential problems, and vision for its purpose were all clearly explained. Lectio divina is touched on but not really delved into much.

flag2 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Katie  Jones

Aug 13, 2015Katie Jones rated it really liked it

A complete manual on Contemplative prayer. One I will refer back to I'm sure. As my meditation has been based in Eastern methods I am still confused about what I am not supposed to be thinking or feeling or am supposed to be releasing or experiencing during this type Of prayer. Since it is set apart from pure "emptying of the mind" but also similar to it.. I am not sure of the main point. The book was a bit to loosely philosophical about this. I suppose "doing" the practice is the only way to find the connection. (less)

flag2 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Monica

Jul 08, 2008Monica rated it really liked it

Shelves: fleshiebooks

this is a thorough, informative, genuine look at history and practice of the contemplative life and specifically focuses on centering prayer. its straightforward and just what i needed to start wrapping my mind around silence, stillness, & just being before God. (less)

flag2 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Floyd

Apr 05, 2014Floyd rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

Excellent book on centering prayer. I felt like I was gently persuaded/encouraged to go deeper with God and know Christ more intimately. I'm seeking to enjoy being in the Father's presence via contemplative prayer.

flag2 likes · Like  · 1 comment · see review

Edward

Nov 18, 2019Edward rated it really liked it

Keating’s book on contemplative prayer is informative and low key. He emphasizes that contemplative prayer is a matter of disposing the mind to “receive” God. God is seen, not as a separate entity but as more of a experience in which a person achieves a sense of unity with everything that exists. “Being”, it could be called, a concept which is separate from our usual perception of reality as made up of separate sense impressions, whether they be of people or animals or inanimate objects, and the many abstractions we make from them.



True contemplation means an independence from this ordinary psychological world. Of course, the ordinary world crowds in on us, and so, as with many other writers on the subject Keating suggests that a certain length of time (his suggestion is 20 minutes, twice a day) is about the limit of what most people can handle. Ordinary thoughts crowd in; all we can do is accept that this is natural and move on from them as b est we can. We can try to see them as objects in a river of consciousness and let them flow on past.



One important point that Keating makes is that contemplation should have outward ramifications. An outgoing result of contemplation would be a greater sense of love and commitment to others. Maybe not a direct observable connection, but one that is present, however subtle.



He speaks of Christ's mother, Mary, as a model for contemplation. “She brought the World of God into the world, or rather let him come into the world through her. It is not so much what we do but what we are that allows Christ to live in the world.” For Keating, then, as a Christian, the goal of contemplation is to become more "Christlike" and that is the connection with the Gospels.



Keating has a good chapter on the history of contemplative prayer, and how from the Renaissance onward, prayer has tended to be seen as verbal and discursive. He doesn’t deny that these are elements of prayer, but stresses that they are complements to silent prayer, and do not displace it. To practice contemplative prayer has been viewed with suspicion as if it were an act of arrogance, of presumption. This loops back to the idea of humbly “receiving” God, not of any method of absolute gaining some kind of “union”. Contemplation may be practiced for many years s before there is any discernible sense of union with reality, of simply “being.” Or such union or connection may never happen. Self-satisfaction is not the goal. (less)

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

John Klooster

Jul 31, 2020John Klooster rated it really liked it

This is a great book on the concept of centering prayer. Within each chapter Keating will answer FAQs which give a broader perspective of the practice.

I appreciated Father Keating’s concise directives as well as his encouragement that the practice is a journey and that the fruits are experienced in daily life thru increased awareness, patience, and peace.

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Sheryl Valentine

Aug 15, 2013Sheryl Valentine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013-non-fiction, spirituality

I was introduced in "centering prayer" several months ago, and actually the practice is similar to a form of meditation I used to practice and had got away from. Returning to it over the last few months as a Self-Abidance practice has made and is making a major difference for me! This practice has truly introduced me to the blissful, Present, peaceful Self that is here now and that is What I AM!



Thomas Keating has written many books on the subject and this one is great for an introduction and contains loads of inspirational material.



He writes: "Contemplative prayer is a process on interior transformation, a conversation initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. ...WE let go of own idea of ourselves and resting in the Divine Indwelling that is already present within us and waiting to reveal itself to us. Regular periods of silence and solitude can dispose us to extend our consent to God's presence to every moment of our waking lives and thus reduce the influences of the false self [ego]." (less)

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Amos Smith

May 08, 2015Amos Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-books-mysticism

I was amazed that this book sold over 500,000 copies. That shows how Keating has revolutionized and popularized Centering Prayer and Contemplative Christianity. I read the original printing in 2001. Now I'm reading this 20th Anniversary Edition. The questions presented in the book are questions that I have asked about centering prayer. They are FAQs of centering prayer. And Keating does a masterful job at answering the questions and bringing clarity, This is the all-time classic book on Centering Prayer written by the master!

-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots) (less)

flag2 likes · Like  · comment · see review

Myra

Jan 03, 2009Myra rated it really liked it

I never considered meditation a Christian discipline. This details how it was very much a practice in the early Church. I'm eager to try this form of "prayer"/mediation that I hope will fulfill this statement: "Be still and know that I am there"

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Malinda

Apr 05, 2014Malinda rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: contemplative-christianity

This is Thomas Keating's classic introduction to centering prayer, an ancient Christian practice. Keating delves into Christian psychology as he outlines the basic practice of quieting the mind and listening to God.

flag2 likes · Like  · comment · see review

George

Feb 12, 2019George rated it really liked it

Shelves: theology

I am new to this practice of contemplative prayer and literature about it, so I don’t have much of a context for comparison but I found this was very helpful, insightful, and truthful about experience. I feel equipped to implement needed changes into my practice of prayer.

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Adam Shaeffer

Sep 12, 2009Adam Shaeffer rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

An easy to read introduction to the Christian tradition of Contemplative Prayer, with practical suggestions on how to integrate it into your life.

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

C

Dec 15, 2014C rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, spirituality-religion, non-fiction

The starting point for a practice of Centering Prayer.

flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review

Alisa Wilhelm

May 13, 2018Alisa Wilhelm added it  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: religion, christianity, minimalism, read-it-again, the-grace-list, 2018

This is a fantastic introduction to practicing contemplative prayer and Christian mysticism. I must say that some of those old Christian mystics are hard to understand, but as this is a contemporary book, it is quite easy and practical.



I think as meditation is growing more popular in western circles (search for "meditation" in the app store to get an idea) because of all of its significant impacts on health and creativity, Christians might also be interested in practicing meditation. But we should be aware that Christianity has a long and well-documented history of practicing meditation that is based on entering in communion with God's Spirit and resting in God's Presence. So if you are curious about that, this book is a great place to start.



This book can be found online with a quick search, and I have listed the chapter order below because it is not quite clear on the website.



Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Introduction

What Contemplation Is Not

Dimensions of Contemplative Prayer

The History of Contemplative Prayer in the Christian Tradition

First steps in Centering Prayer

The Sacred Word as Symbol

The Ordinary Kinds of Thoughts

Birth of Spiritual Attentiveness

The More Subtle Kinds of Thoughts

The Unloading of the Unconscious

Summary of the Centering Prayer Method

The Intensive Centering Prayer Experience

Methods of Extending the Effects of Contemplative Prayer into Daily Life (less)

flagLike  · comment · see review

Colette

Nov 01, 2017Colette rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: philosphical, christian, 2017, nonfiction, spirituality

Probably 2.5 stars.

This is a hard one for me to rate. Some sections I knew I would want to come back to and really ponder, and some were just plain boring. I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about either centering prayer or contemplative prayer. I also know very little of the Catholic vocabulary. This seems to be a good introduction to the practices mentioned above, but I did find the vocabulary to be a detriment to me really grasping what Fr. Keating was saying. I still have no idea what the end purpose of contemplation is. He skirts around saying it is not something that can be described in words. I did like the instructions and the discussions on different types of thoughts that arise. Part II was definitely not as interesting as Part I, but then that could be because I don’t subscribe to all of the same doctrine. This book had the same tone as an Eckhart Tolle book.



And here ends the book review. The following are some thoughts on the practice.



I know I could benefit from more inner silence and more mastery over the bombardment of my thoughts. I see how the benefit of this type of prayer is manifest in our daily life — allowing room for peace and charity to fill us. Unfortunately, the only way to know what Keating is talking about is to do it over an extended period and see the benefits for myself. I’ve started, but I’m not so sure this is the best type of

meditation or prayer to bring me closer to God. He’s my Father, not some ethereal matter I sit with. This isn’t my favorite way to invite the Holy Spirit into my life. In fact, this seems to be a super long way to find union with God. I’d like to see what Keating is talking about, though, so I’ll probably give it a try for awhile longer. (less)

flagLike  · comment · see review






Quaker Theology Group | Manifesting GOD By Thomas Keating

(1) Quaker Theology Group | Facebook



Elliott Robertson

2 h  ·

I'm interspiritual. And I'm always interested in going deep into the mysticis within each religion. Thomas Keating goes deep. And my sense is that George Fox and Keating understand Divinity is very similar ways. Do you think so? If you see differences, I'm interested.



Manifesting  GOD

By Thomas Keating

CHAPTER Eight

The Divine Indwelling

Pp. 54



The skillful expression of our dance with Divine Love is rooted in the practice of Contemplative Prayer.

Contemplative Prayer in turn is rooted in the grace of Baptism.  It is the growth of the faith received in Baptism.  The doctrine of the Divine Indwelling affirms that the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is present in us all the time – morning, noon, and night – and present in everywhere else in the universe in virtue of the fact that other things exist.  Wherever anything is, God who is “Is-ness” must be present; otherwise, there is nothing to hold any particular expression of “Is-ness” in existence.



Through the practice of Contemplative Prayer, faith keeps growing.  The sense of the divine presence becomes a kind of second nature or fourth dimension to the time/space continuum.  It also manifests itself in everyone else and in every creature. What is important about us is not us, therefore, but the divine presence in us; in other words, God in us relating to God in everything else. 





---



Manifesting God: Keating, Thomas: 9781590560853: Amazon.com: Books

Manifesting God Paperback – April 1, 2005
by Thomas Keating  (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars    52 ratings
 See all formats and editions
Kindle
$4.93


Manifesting God is about the principles of contemplative prayer―the retreat into the "inner room" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 6:6, where the individual is able to meet God. In the inner room, the silent space in which God unloads the burdens and false selves that govern our individuality and our daily lives, God acts as a divine therapist, healing us and forcing us to recognize how many barriers we put up between ourselves and an authentic relationship with God. The process whereby this happens is the foundation of centering prayer―a technique of prayer that Keating and other contemporary mystics have revived out of the ancient mystical traditions of the Desert Fathers and the medieval mystics.

Abbot Keating explores in this book what it means to enter the inner room and the transformation that takes place there. It explains the guidelines of centering prayer and offers advice on how to develop the relationship more deeply.

Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Thomas Keating is a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach. He has served on Contemplative Outreach's Board of Trustees since the organization's beginning and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board. Fr. Keating is one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement. He is the author of many books, including Open Mind, Open Heart; Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit; Manifesting God; and Invitation to Love. He lives at St. Benedict’s Monastery, Snowmass, Colorado.
Product details
Item Weight : 6.2 ounces
Paperback : 144 pages
ISBN-10 : 159056085X
ISBN-13 : 978-1590560853
Product Dimensions : 5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Publisher : Lantern Publishing & Media (April 1, 2005)
Language: : English
Best Sellers Rank: #872,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#1,144 in Ritual Religious Practices
#1,523 in Spiritual Meditations (Books)
#2,058 in Prayer (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars    52 ratings
Related video shorts (0)Upload your video

Be the first video
Your name here
More about the author
› Visit Amazon's Thomas Keating Page
Thomas Keating
 Follow
Follow on Amazon
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations and more coming soon.

Learn More

Biography
Thomas Keating, founder of the centering prayer movement, is an author, teacher, and monk who has worked for many years to foster understanding among the world's religions. A member of the Cistercian Order in the Benedictine tradition, Father Keating has served at monasteries in Colorado and Massachusetts. He currently directs retreats in the practice of Centering Prayer, a cornerstone of contemporary Christian contemplative practice. He is the author of the best-selling Open Mind, Open Heart, Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit, St. Therese of Lisieux, Manifesting God, and The Transformation of Suffering, Divine Therapy and Addiction, among many other books. He lives at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado.

Sponsored
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
52 global ratings
5 star 
 79%
4 star 
 12%
3 star 
 7%
2 star 
 1%
1 star 
 1%
How are ratings calculated?
Review this product
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Sponsored

Sponsored
Read reviews that mention
centering prayer thomas keating relationship with god manifesting god experience god father keating contemplative prayer god within god by thomas spiritual truth heart meditation words deeper level profound simply technique christ

Top reviews
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
Rich Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars What happens in our inner room?
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
I have been a practitioner of centering prayer for just over 4 years. Let me share 5 key insights that I gained as I read this wonderful book.

Present Moment

“Part of the discipline of Centering Prayer is that, at least during the time of our prayer, we stay in the present moment.”

Centering Prayer teaches us to be present to life. We enjoy our meals and our discussion with friends, family or co workers. We are present and fully focused on our daily tasks. We actually listen to the person who talks to us and not plan what we will say next.

We watch and listen to our child show us how proud they are when they ride a bike for the first time. We notice when someone needs help and we stop what we do to assist them. We read a book or watch a movie, not plan our day or ruminate on the past.

We drink a cup of coffee on our deck and look out at the trees and blue sky. We feel the ground on the base of our feet as we stroll through the neighborhood, smell the barbecue aromas from the neighbors’ grills, look at the new shrubs and flowers in the neighbor’s front beds or listen to the children laugh and play. To be present is a wonderful gift. Don’t let it pass by you unnoticed!

God As Abba

“This is one of the precious gifts that the discipline of Contemplative Prayer communicates. It transmits Christ’s experience of God as Abba. The Aramaic word Abba roughly means “daddy”—an affectionate and intimate term of endearment that a child invents for a tenderly loving father.”

My Centering Prayer practice is a silent sit with God who unconditionally loves me. It is a love that I will spend a life time to grasp and understand its great depths and riches. Twice a day I sit silently with God who simply wishes to refresh and rejuvenate me to the depths of my innermost soul.

It is like a reverse prayer. No words are exchanged. I am silently prayed in by God. Yes, God prays in me, silently beyond words, thoughts and emotions.

Attachment

“Attachment to our roles in life hinders us actually fulfilling them.”

It is when we let go that we open ourselves to fulfillment. What? Yes you heard that right! We need to let go of our preconceived notions of how things aught to be. When we open to the myriad of possibilities that is when true fulfillment begins. We become more open to a new path that God wishes to journey upon with us.

True Self

“The tyranny of over-identification with what is going on at the surface of our awareness prevents us from experiencing the intuitive level that of its very nature tends to be more peaceful, calm, and open to the presence and guidance of the Divine Indwelling.”

Silent prayer is powerful! We connect to ourselves at a deep level. Deep within us is our true self: the person God intends us to be. A daily silent prayer practice connects us to our true self. A daily silent prayer practice helps us remove the many masks we wear: our false selves.

Our false self is who we think we need to be as told by family, friends, other people, our culture, our societies or our places of employment. We arise from our silent sit ready to let the world see our true self. Our silent sit is the place from which our true self spawns. That is why we return each day to our silent sits.

Inner Room

“Two things take place in the inner room. The first is the affirmation of our basic goodness; the second is the purification of the unconscious.”

God loves me. The deeper my interior silence and rest during centering prayer the greater becomes my ability to affirm my basic goodness. I am made in the image of God. God is within me. I come from original blessing. I think we often forget this or do not believe it but it is true.

The purification of the unconsciousness is what Keating refers to as “unloading”. Our repressed emotional material of a lifetime that has been stored in the body is slowly evacuated. All of this negative material has influenced our behavior and decisions.

“God’s desire to heal the depths of our unconscious motivation that is the chief obstacle to divine love.” As I continue to sit in the silence of centering prayer, I am healed and God will rush in to fill the space left empty by the evacuation of my emotional baggage. That is exciting!

I encourage you to read Manifesting God by Thomas Keating. This was my third read of this wonderful book. I am sure I will continue to peek back into this powerful book.

Rich Lewis
SilenceTeaches.com
Read less
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
Antony Dayal
5.0 out of 5 stars Closer to God
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
Thomas Keating has a highly readable way of writing. The book is aimed at contemplative prayer. Something that has been lost to us in the west for sometime. He gives a history of this type of prayer then easy steps for you to start using it in your own life and practice.

Thomas Keating sadly recently passed away. All thoughts and love with you Thomas.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
Gratia Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars No other book like this
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
It speaks to my heart, so I just know that he is telling the truth. It resets my mind set up, and everything in my life is made sense in a way. Every knots that is weaved in my lfe seems to fade away. Reading this book itself is a healing process. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to reach out to Catholic beliefs.
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
Maya
5.0 out of 5 stars A Master Present-Day Contempletive
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
Thomas Keating is a wise man; any of his books are worth reading. He gets to truth, love, even intimacy with God. He uses scripture. He uses great analogies, sometimes with dry humor to make his point. He's a master who inspires us to slow down for just a few minutes a day to be with he/she who lives within us. This small book is heavy with inspiration, light on words.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
Sarah R. W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
Thomas Keatings views of the gospel and what it means to have intimacy with God have been life changing and this book puts complicated ideas in accessible language. I have to keep extra copies because I recommend it to anyone and everyone looking to experience God on a deeply personal level.
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Father Keating is Amazing!
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Father Keating is amazing at getting right to the heart of the matter and therefore into our hearts too. His works are life-changing and you will enjoy this book so very much. You will want to read it over and over again!
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
James Cremin, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Finding GOD Within
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2006
Verified Purchase
Thomas Keating's Mainfesting God became a "Lectio Divina" for me. It was being at prayer. As he so beautifully writes, "We believe that God is already present. Hence, there is no place to go to find him and no need to run away from ourselves."

Keating helps with the translation of the word Jesus uses for Father, ABBA, meaning "daddy". That helped confirm what has always been in my heart, God loves me and everyone UNCONDITIONALLY. All we have to do is sit in silence to hear his voice.
36 people found this helpful
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Want God? Read this!
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
Revelatory for those of us who want to experience God. Keating breaks down the how and the why of "be still and know that I am God" in practical ways, and brilliantly shows the psychological benefits of centering prayer.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Comment Report abuse
See all reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Maria
5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
BRILLIANT
Report abuse
Marianne
5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
Thomas Keating is an inspired writer of spiritual books and always a joy to read.
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
LUCIA VITO
4.0 out of 5 stars SOUL ENRICHING
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
as much as expected in physical presentation as priced.tis the content that counts, no doubt rev keating is admired for his spiritual joiurney experience sharing.
thank you for prompt serivce.
Report abuse
Raymondo
5.0 out of 5 stars A Theological book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is a good read for all Christians who wants to think about meditation. More importantly it helped me to think about how and when I pray.
4 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
Profound and filled with Spirit
One person found this helpful
Report abuse


---
Goodreads
Manifesting God

Manifesting God
 Want to Read
Rate this book
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

Read eBook
Manifesting God
by Thomas Keating
 4.44  ·   Rating details ·  137 ratings  ·  13 reviews
Manifesting God is about the principles of contemplative prayer—the retreat into the "inner room" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 6:6, where the individual is able to meet God. In the inner room, the silent space in which God unloads the burdens and false selves that govern our individuality and our daily lives, God acts as a divine therapist, healing us and forcing us to recognize how many barriers we put up between ourselves and an authentic relationship with God. The process whereby this happens is the foundation of centering prayer—a technique of prayer that Keating and other contemporary mystics have revived out of the ancient mystical traditions of the Desert Fathers and the medieval mystics.
Abbot Keating explores in this book what it means to enter the inner room and the transformation that takes place there. It explains the guidelines of centering prayer and offers advice on how to develop the relationship more deeply. (less)
GET A COPY
KoboOnline Stores ▾Book Links ▾ Download eBook
Paperback, 144 pages
Published October 1st 2005 by Lantern Publishing Media (first published 2005)
Original TitleManifesting God
ISBN159056085X (ISBN13: 9781590560853)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Other Editions (2)
Manifesting God 
111x148
All Editions | Add a New Edition | Combine
...Less DetailEdit Details
FRIEND REVIEWS
Recommend This Book None of your friends have reviewed this book yet.
READER Q&A
Ask the Goodreads community a question about Manifesting God
54355902. uy100 cr1,0,100,100 
Ask anything about the book
Be the first to ask a question about Manifesting God

LISTS WITH THIS BOOK
This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
Showing 1-12
 Average rating4.44  ·  Rating details ·  137 ratings  ·  13 reviews

Search review text


English ‎(12)
More filters | Sort order
Sejin,
Sejin, start your review of Manifesting God

Write a review
Sean
Dec 03, 2017Sean rated it really liked it
Shelves: theology, prayer
I was a bit reluctant to read it, since the term "centering prayer" leaves a bit of a taste in my mouth, but I am very glad I opened this book. It is actually one of the better presentations of what the Good News is all about. I want to give a copy to all my friends, Christian or otherwise. Keating understands the mind-blowing bigness of God's mercy.
flag1 like · Like  · comment · see review
Rich Lewis
Aug 19, 2018Rich Lewis rated it really liked it
I have been a practitioner of centering prayer for just over 4 years. Let me share 5 key insights that I gained as I read this wonderful book.

Present Moment

“Part of the discipline of Centering Prayer is that, at least during the time of our prayer, we stay in the present moment.”

Centering Prayer teaches us to be present to life. We enjoy our meals and our discussion with friends, family or co workers. We are present and fully focused on our daily tasks. We actually listen to the person who talks to us and not plan what we will say next.

We watch and listen to our child show us how proud they are when they ride a bike for the first time. We notice when someone needs help and we stop what we do to assist them. We read a book or watch a movie, not plan our day or ruminate on the past.

We drink a cup of coffee on our deck and look out at the trees and blue sky. We feel the ground on the base of our feet as we stroll through the neighborhood, smell the barbecue aromas from the neighbors’ grills, look at the new shrubs and flowers in the neighbor’s front beds or listen to the children laugh and play. To be present is a wonderful gift. Don’t let it pass by you unnoticed!

God As Abba

“This is one of the precious gifts that the discipline of Contemplative Prayer communicates. It transmits Christ’s experience of God as Abba. The Aramaic word Abba roughly means “daddy”—an affectionate and intimate term of endearment that a child invents for a tenderly loving father.”

My Centering Prayer practice is a silent sit with God who unconditionally loves me. It is a love that I will spend a life time to grasp and understand its great depths and riches. Twice a day I sit silently with God who simply wishes to refresh and rejuvenate me to the depths of my innermost soul.

It is like a reverse prayer. No words are exchanged. I am silently prayed in by God. Yes, God prays in me, silently beyond words, thoughts and emotions.

Attachment

“Attachment to our roles in life hinders us actually fulfilling them.”

It is when we let go that we open ourselves to fulfillment. What? Yes you heard that right! We need to let go of our preconceived notions of how things aught to be. When we open to the myriad of possibilities that is when true fulfillment begins. We become more open to a new path that God wishes to journey upon with us.

True Self

“The tyranny of over-identification with what is going on at the surface of our awareness prevents us from experiencing the intuitive level that of its very nature tends to be more peaceful, calm, and open to the presence and guidance of the Divine Indwelling.”

Silent prayer is powerful! We connect to ourselves at a deep level. Deep within us is our true self: the person God intends us to be. A daily silent prayer practice connects us to our true self. A daily silent prayer practice helps us remove the many masks we wear: our false selves.

Our false self is who we think we need to be as told by family, friends, other people, our culture, our societies or our places of employment. We arise from our silent sit ready to let the world see our true self. Our silent sit is the place from which our true self spawns. That is why we return each day to our silent sits.

Inner Room

“Two things take place in the inner room. The first is the affirmation of our basic goodness; the second is the purification of the unconscious.”

God loves me. The deeper my interior silence and rest during centering prayer the greater becomes my ability to affirm my basic goodness. I am made in the image of God. God is within me. I come from original blessing. I think we often forget this or do not believe it but it is true.

The purification of the unconsciousness is what Keating refers to as “unloading”. Our repressed emotional material of a lifetime that has been stored in the body is slowly evacuated. All of this negative material has influenced our behavior and decisions.

“God’s desire to heal the depths of our unconscious motivation that is the chief obstacle to divine love.” As I continue to sit in the silence of centering prayer, I am healed and God will rush in to fill the space left empty by the evacuation of my emotional baggage. That is exciting!

I encourage you to read Manifesting God by Thomas Keating. This was my third read of this wonderful book. I am sure I will continue to peek back into this powerful book.

Rich Lewis
www.SilenceTeaches.com (less)
flagLike  · comment · see review
Antony Dayal
Jun 16, 2019Antony Dayal rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Closer to God

Thomas Keating has a highly readable way of writing. The book is aimed at contemplative prayer. Something that has been lost to us in the west for sometime. He gives a history of this type of prayer then easy steps for you to start using it in your own life and practice.

Thomas Keating sadly recently passed away. All thoughts and love with you Thomas.
flagLike  · comment · see review
Johnny Ortiz
Mar 28, 2019Johnny Ortiz rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
After 43 years of searching for that intimate relationship and oneness with God, I have finally found the way to find that fullness of grace and rest .
flagLike  · comment · see review
Peter
Jan 01, 2020Peter rated it it was amazing
Shelves: spirituality, 2020
Thomas Keating, to me, is unsurpassed in leading one to a deeper union with God. It is challenging and gentle at the same time.
flagLike  · comment · see review
Wylie
Jun 12, 2020Wylie rated it it was amazing
The second Keating book of six I’m going through on the Contemplative life. This one is full of hope and clear suggestions to deepen ones practice
flagLike  · comment · see review
Kindra
Sep 15, 2012Kindra rated it really liked it
Shelves: christian-motivational
Gives a great introduction to contemplative prayer in historical, practical, and theological terms. Got to be fairly repetitive by the end, but I supposed I do remember a lot of it as a result of that. Not amazing-I prefer Basking in His Presence-but an excellent foundation for the practice.

I would recommend it to someone generally interested in contemplative prayer and what it's about, not looking for deeper applications and experiences of it.
flagLike  · comment · see review
T R
Nov 29, 2009T R rated it liked it
Shelves: just-curious
This would my first time to read a book written by a modern day monk. Thomas Keating had been actively teaching people the value of contemplative prayer which was started by the desert Christians in the 4th century AD. This method of contemplation was practiced even before the more formalized religion had emerged.
flagLike  · see review
Ron Willoughby
Aug 11, 2012Ron Willoughby rated it it was amazing
Shelves: spiritual-formation
Excellent book. Classic Keating. Great exegesis and hermeneutic in the early chapters. As always, helpful, practical instruction for Contemplative prayer. Especially liked the Divine Therapist metaphor and the elaboration of it.

Recommend not plowing through it, but taking your time and giving space for engagement.
flagLike  · comment · see review
Tricia Culp
Sep 14, 2016Tricia Culp rated it really liked it
The title sounds very "woo-woo" but this is simply a book on the contemplative prayer tradition. I found it very helpful. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Christian teachings on meditation.



2020/09/10

Kenshō (見性) Wikipedia

 Kenshō - Wikipedia


Kenshō

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Kenshō[note 1] (見性) is a Japanese term from the Zen traditionKen means "seeing", shō means "nature, essence".[4][2] It is usually translated as "seeing one's (true) nature", that is, the Buddha-nature or nature of mind.
Kenshō is an initial insight or awakening, not full Buddhahood.[5] It is to be followed by further training to deepen this insight, and learn to express it in daily life.[6][7][8]
The term kenshō is often used interchangeably with satori, which is derived from the verb satoru,[9] and means "comprehension; understanding".[web 1][note 2][note 3]

Terminology[edit]

The Chinese Buddhist term jianxing (simplified Chinese见性traditional Chinese見性pinyinjiànxìngWade–Gileschien-hsingcompounds:
  • jian  "see, observe, meet with, perceive";
  • xing  "(inborn) nature, character, personality, disposition, property, quality, gender".

History[edit]

Buddhist monks who produced Sanskrit-Chinese translations of sutras faced many linguistic difficulties:
Thus, jianxing was the translation for dṛṣṭi-svabhāva, "view one's essential nature".
The (c. 8th century) Chinese Platform Sutra (2, Prajñā "wisdom, understanding") first records jianxing.[13]

Pronunciations[edit]

The Standard Chinese pronunciation jianxing historically derives from (c. 7th century CE) Middle Chinese kienCsjäŋC.[citation needed] Sino-Xenic pronunciations of this term exist:

Meanings of kenshō[edit]

Translating kenshō into English is semantically complex.

Encyclopedic and dictionary definitions[edit]

Some encyclopedia and dictionary definitions are:
  • Soothill (1934): "To behold the Buddha-nature within oneself, a common saying of the Chan (Zen) or Intuitive School."[15]
  • Fischer-Schreiber (1991): Lit. "seeing nature"; Zen expression for the experience of awakening (enlightenment). Since the meaning is "seeing one's own true nature," kenshō is usually translated "self-realization." Like all words that try to reduce the conceptually ungraspable experience of enlightenment to a concept, this one is also not entirely accurate and is even misleading, since the experience contains no duality of "seer" and "seen" because there is no "nature of self' as an object that is seen by a subject separate from it.[10]
  • Baroni (2002): "Seeing one's nature," that is, realizing one's own original Buddha Nature. In the Rinzai school, it most often refers more specifically to one's initial enlightenment attained through kōan practice.[1]
  • Muller (year unknown): To see one's own originally enlightened mind. To behold the Buddha-nature within oneself, a common saying of the Chan school, as seen for example, in the phrase 'seeing one's nature, becoming Buddha' 見性成佛.[14]

Definitions by Buddhist scholars[edit]

Buddhist scholars have defined kenshō as:
  • D.T. Suzuki: "Looking into one's nature or the opening of satori";[16] "This acquiring of a new point of view in our dealings with life and the world is popularly called by Japanese Zen students 'satori' (wu in Chinese). It is really another name for Enlightenment (Annuttara-samyak-sambodhi)".[17][note 4]
  • Dumoulin (1988/2005): "Enlightenment is described here as an insight into the identity of one's own nature with all of reality in an eternal now, as a vision that removes all distinctions. This enlightenment is the center and the goal of the Zen way. Hakuin prefers the term "seeing into one's nature", which for him means ultimate reality. The Buddha nature and the cosmic Buddha body, wisdom (prajna), and emptiness (sunyata), the original countenance one had before one was born, and other expressions from the rich palette of Mahayana terms were all familiar to him from his continued study of the sutras and Zen literature."[19]
  • Peter Harvey (1990): "It is a blissful realization where a person's inner nature, the originally pure mind, is directly known as an illuminating emptiness, a thusness which is dynamic and immanent in the world."[20]
  • G. Victor Sogen Hori (2000): "The term consists of two characters: ken, which means "see" or "seeing", and sho, which means "nature", "character", "quality." To "see one's nature" is the usual translation for kensho".[2]

Definitions by Buddhist teachers and practitioners[edit]

Buddhist teachers and practitioners have defined kenshō as:
  • Jiyu-Kennett: "To see into one's own nature. The experience of enlightenment, satori."[21]
  • Myodo Ni Satomi, a student of Hakuun Yasutani (1993): "Seeing the-self, that is, the true self or Buddha nature."[22]

Further notions[edit]

According to Hori, the term kenshō refers to the realization of non-duality of subject and object in general,[23] but the term kenshō may also be applied in other contexts:[24] "How do you kenshō this?"[23]
Kenshō is not a single experience, but refers to a whole series of realizations from a beginner's shallow glimpse of the nature of mind, up to a vision of emptiness equivalent to the 'Path of Seeing' or to Buddhahood itself. In all of these, the same 'thing' is known, but in different degrees of clarity and profundity.[20][25]
"Kenshō" is commonly translated as enlightenment, a word that is also used to translate bodhiprajnasatori and buddhahood. Western discourse tends to use these terms interchangeably, but there is a distinction between a first insight and the further development toward Buddhahood.

Insight versus experience[edit]

Kensho is insight, an understanding of our essential nature[26][20][19][23] as Buddha-nature, or the nature of mind, the perceiving subject itself, which was equated with Buddha-nature by the East Mountain school.[27]
Contemporary understanding also describes kensho as an experience, as in "enlightenment experience"; the term "enlightenment experience" is itself a tautology: "Kensho (enlightenment) is an enlightenment (kensho)-experience". The notion of "experience" fits in a popular set of dichotomies: pure (unmediated) versus mediated, noncognitive versus cognitive, experiential versus intellectual, intuitive versus intellectual, nonrational versus rational, nondiscursive versus discursive, nonpropositional versus propositional.[28]
The notion of pure experience (junsui kuiken) to interpret and understand kensho was introduced by Nishida Kitaro in his An Inquiry into the Good (1911), under influence of "his somewhat idiosyncratic reading of western philosophy",[29] especially William James, who wrote The Varieties of Religious Experience.[note 5] Wayne Proudfoot traces the roots of the notion of "religious experience" to the German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), who argued that religion is based on a feeling of the infinite. The notion of "religious experience" was used by Schleiermacher to defend religion against the growing scientific and secular critique. It was adopted by many scholars of religion, of which William James was the most influential.[31][note 6] D.T. Suzuki, who introduced Nishida Kitaro to western philosophy, took over this notion of pure experience, describing it as the essence of all religions,[29] but best represented in the superior Japanese culture and religion.[36][37]
The influence of western psychology and philosophy on Japanese Buddhism was due to the persecution of Buddhism at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, and the subsequent efforts to construct a New Buddhism (shin bukkyo), adapted to the modern times.[38][39][35] It was this New Buddhism which has shaped the understanding of Zen in the west,[40] especially through the writings of D.T. Suzuki[41][42][35] and the Sanbo Kyodan, an exponent of the Meiji-era opening of Zen-training for lay-followers.[43]
The notion of "experience" has been criticised.[40][44][45] Robert Sharf points out that "experience" is a typical western term, which has found its way into Asian religiosity via western influences.[40][note 7] The notion of "experience" introduces a false notion of duality between "experiencer" and "experienced", where-as the essence of kensho is the realisation of the "non-duality" of observer and observed.[23][26] "Pure experience" does not exist; all experience is mediated by intellectual and cognitive activity.[28][47] The specific teachings and practices of a specific tradition may even determine what "experience" someone has, which means that this "experience" is not the proof of the teaching, but a result of the teaching.[48] A pure consciousness without concepts, reached by "cleaning the doors of perception"[note 8], would be an overwhelming chaos of sensory input without coherence.[50] The notion of "experience" also over-emphasises kensho, as if it were the single goal of Zen-training, where-as the Zen-tradition clearly states that "the stink of Zen"[51] has to be removed and the "experience" of kensho has to be integrated into daily life.[52][4][8] In the Rinzai-school this post-satori training includes the study and mastering of great amounts of classical Chinese poetry, which is far from "universal" and culture-transcending. On the contrary, it demands an education in culture-specific language and behaviour, which is measured by specific and strict cultural norms.[53] Emphasising "experience" "reduces the sophisticated dialectic of Ch'an/Zen doctrine and praxis to a mere "means" or set of techniques intended to inculcate such experiences".[54]

Kenshō accounts[edit]

Classical accounts[edit]

Classical Zen texts, such as the Kao-seng-chuan (Biographies of Eminent Monks) and the transmission lists, called "Transmission of the Lamp"[note 9] the yü-lü genre[58] (the recorded sayings of the masters, such as the Linji yü lü); and the various koan-collections,[note 10] contain accounts of "enlightenment experiences". These accounts are not verbatim recordings of such "experiences", but well-edited texts, written down decades or even decennia after the supposed sayings and meetings.[59]
The Denkōroku, "The Record of the Transmission of the Light", written by Keizan Jōkin 瑩山紹瑾 (1268–1325), is an example of the "Transmission of the Lamp" genre. It contains literary accounts of the patriarchs of the Soto-lineage, from Shakyamuni Buddha to Koun Ejō, in which kensho plays a central role. They are not to be taken as literal accounts of awakening, but as stories underpinning the legitimacy of the Dogen-shu, which in its early history had seen a fierce internal conflict over the correct lineage during the Sandai sōron.[60][61][note 11]
Dōgen Zenji's awakening is recalled in the Denkoroku:
Once, during late-night zazen, Rujing told the monks, "Studying Zen is the dropping off of body and mind." Hearing this, the master was suddenly greatly awakened. He went at once to the Abbott's room and burned incense. Rujing asked him, "Why are you burning incense?" The master answered, "Body and mind have dropped off." Rujing said, "Body and mind have dropped off, the dropped-off body and mind." The master said, "This is a temporarily ability; you must not approve me without reason." Rujing replied, "I am not approving you without reason." The master asked, "Why are you not approving me without reason?" Rujing said, "You dropped off body and mind." The master bowed. Rujing said, "You have dropped off dropping off."[63]
Hakuin gives this description of his first kensho, when he was 21:[64]
At around midnight on the seventh and final night of my practice, the boom of a bell from a distant temple reached my ears: suddenly, my body and mind dropped completely away. I rose clear of even the finest dust. Overwhelmed with joy, I hollered out at the tops of my lungs, "Old Yen-t'ou is alive and well! [...] After that, however, I became extremely proud and arrogant".[65]
Hakuin's kensho was not approved by Shoju Rojin, who subjected Hakuin to more koan-training. This resulted in a second kensho, where-after Hakuin left Shoju Rojin. It was only when he was 41 that he attained "his final great enlightenment":[64]
[W]hen Shoju had asked his reason for becoming a monk, his reply – that he had done it because he was afraid of falling into hell – had brought the scornful retort: "You're a self-centered rascal, aren't you!" Not until eighteen years later, upon attainment of his final great enlightenment at the age of forty-one, would Hakuin fully grasp the significance of Shoju's reproach and with it the true meaning of "post-satori" practice. Years later, when Hakuin asked his student Tōrei the same question, Tōrei's answer – "To work for the salvation of my fellow beings" – brought a laugh from Hakuin. "A much better reason than mine", he said.[64]

Contemporary accounts[edit]

Although the Zen tradition is reluctant to speak openly about the 'experience' of kensho,[66] personal accounts can be found in Zen texts.[note 12] Keido Fukushima, a 20th-century Rinzai abbott, gives the following description:
At Nanzenji there is a small hill. I used to walk near there, look at it, and often smile at the high school students who walked by there as well. One day as I walked by, I looked at the hill and it was truly amazing. i was totally lost as if there was no 'me'. I stood gazing at the hill. Some students walked by and one of them said something like 'look at that crazy monk'. Finally I came out of it. Life was never the same for me. I was free.[66][note 13]

Spontaneous kenshō[edit]

Kenshō may be attained without the aid of a teacher. For example, Richard Clarke (1933), who studied with Philip Kapleau, states that he had a spontaneous kensho when he was 13.[web 2] Dennis Genpo Merzel states he had what he described as an "awakening experience" in 1971:[web 3]
It was in February of that year, and I was 26 years old. My second serious relationship was ending, and I was feeling very confined and conflicted. I needed to get some space, so I went out to the Mojave desert for a three-day camping weekend with two friends. On the Friday, I hiked up a mountain alone. I knew nothing about meditation or spiritual practice. I was just sitting there, thinking about my life and the things going on. I felt I had gotten pretty screwed up for such a young age.
I could see my VW camper, my home for the weekend, parked a few miles away, . But at the same time, I was aware that my home was back in Long Beach, California. And a natural koan came to me: Where is home? All of a sudden, I had a kind of breakthrough. I felt myself fall away, and I became one with the cosmos, one with the universe, one with all things. I knew in that moment that wherever I am, that is home; home is everywhere. I also knew who I was, beyond description, but let’s call it Big Mind.
That experience completely changed my life.[web 3]
More descriptions of "spontaneous kensho" can be found throughout the Zen-literature,[note 14]

Alternate accounts[edit]

Houn Jiyu-Kennett, a 20th-century Soto Zen Oshō,[75] i.e. "priest" or "teacher," and the first Western female Zen priest, had a prolonged religious experience[76] in the 1970s, including a series of visions and recalling past lives, when she was severely ill. She regarded these experiences as "a profound kensho (enlightenment) experience,"[77][78] constituting a third kensho,[76] and published an account of these visions, and an elaborate scheme of stages of awakening,[78] in How to Grow a Lotus Blossom.[76][79] Her interpretations, which parallel Christian mysticism,[80] were controversial,[78][81][76] and rejected by some as makyo ("illusion").[77][81] According to Jiyu-Kennett, such experiences are not uncommon,[note 15] but are rarely spoken of; she regarded publishing her own experiences as a way to acknowledge the existence and validity of such experiences, which, according to her, may contribute to further insight after initial awakening.[79][87] She acknowledged the risks and potential for controversy in publishing her account, but felt that the benefits of releasing such information outweighed the risks.[79]

Training towards kenshō[edit]

According to Harris, working towards kensho is usually a lengthy process stretched out over years or even decades.[88] Contrary to this, Victor Hori notes that with koan-study kensho may appear within six months. [89][note 16]
Sōtō tends towards a gradual approach, preferring to let the experiences happen on their own. Rinzai tends toward the use of Koans as a technique to unroot the habitual workings of the mind.[92]
During intensive zazen various hallucinations and psychological disturbances may arise. These are referred to as makyo. Distinguishing these delusions from actual kensho is the primary function of the teacher, as the student may be erroneously convinced they have realized kensho.

Rinzai[edit]

In the Rinzai school, kensho is seen as indispensable:
At some point in time we pass from imprisonment in ignorance and delusion to a true vision of Zen realization: "Our enlightenment is timeless, yet our realization of it occurs in time." According to this belief experiencing a moment of awakening in this life is of central importance.[93]
In the Rinzai-training, the student is expected to pour oneself totally into both koan-study and daily activities 'to become one' with it.[24] Kenshō is used to describe the first breakthrough in kōan study.[1][note 17]

Sōtō[edit]

Contemporary Japanese Sōtō downplays the importance of kenshō, due to the sectarian rivalry with Rinzai, which emphasizes kenshō. Nevertheless, kenshō also has its role in Sōtō. The "genjo-koan", or the "koan of everyday life" which "appears naturally in daily life",[94] is emphasized. Students are not encouraged to actively seek out kenshō experiences. In Sōtō practice kenshōs "are allowed to occur naturally, as a by-product of practice. Meditative training is seen as the unfolding of one great kenshō:[20]
According to the tradition of Soto Zen, although working on a koan is one way of attaining kensho, the best way is zazen. Indeed, Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen, expounded that zazen itself is enlightenment, and as long as the adept maintains a pure state of non-thinking in Zen, he is a Buddha.[95]
According to Brad Warner, in the Sōtō school there are two kinds of awakening.[96] One is the practice of shikantaza, which is the "actual enlightened activity of the Buddha".[96] The other is the accumulation of little bits of understanding, which come together, giving way to a deeper intuitive knowledge.[97]

Sanbō Kyōdan[edit]

Kenshō also plays a central in the Sanbō Kyōdan, a Japanese Zen organisation which played a decisive role in the transmission of Zen to the United States.[43] Yasutani, the founder of the Sanbo Kyodan, was disappointed about the lack of interest in kensho in the Soto school. Yasutani's emphasis on koan training and the importance of kensho was transmitted to his American students:[43]
He was especially vocal concerning the point of kenshō, seeing one's true nature. He spoke more openly about it then anyone of his times, going so far as to have a public acknowledgement of those who had experienced kensho in a post-sesshin ceremony of bowing in gratitude to the three treasures.[98]
It is also reflected in the inclusion of a relative great amount of kensho stories in "The Three Pillars of Zen", written by Philip Kapleau, a student of Yasutani.[4]

Training after kenshō[edit]

After kensho, further practice is needed to attain a natural, effortless, down-to-earth state of being, the "ultimate liberation", "knowing without any kind of defilement".[99]

Further practice[edit]

Zen Buddhist training does not end with kenshō. Practice is to be continued to deepen the insight and to express it in daily life.[52][4][8][100] According to the contemporary Chan Master Sheng Yen:
Ch'an expressions refer to enlightenment as "seeing your self-nature". But even this is not enough. After seeing your self-nature, you need to deepen your experience even further and bring it into maturation. You should have enlightenment experience again and again and support them with continuous practice. Even though Ch'an says that at the time of enlightenment, your outlook is the same as of the Buddha, you are not yet a full Buddha.[7]
And the Soto Zen Master Jiyu-Kennett:
One can easily get the impression that realization, kenshō, an experience of enlightenment, or however you wish to phrase it, is the end of Zen training. It is not. It is, rather, a new beginning, an entrance into a more mature phase of Buddhist training. To take it as an ending, and to "dine out" on such an experience without doing the training that will deepen and extend it, is one of the greatest tragedies of which I know. There must be continuous development, otherwise you will be as a wooden statue sitting upon a plinth to be dusted, and the life of Buddha will not increase.[101]
To deepen the initial insight of kensho, shikantaza and kōan-study are necessary. This trajectory of initial insight followed by a gradual deepening and ripening is expressed by Linji Yixuan in his Three mysterious Gates, the Four Ways of Knowing of Hakuin,[102] and the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures[103] which detail the steps on the Path.

Seitai choyo[edit]

Post-awakening practice is called seitai choyo, the "long nurturing of the sacred fetus".[104][note 18] According to Spiegelberg,
[I]t means a return to the purely secular life, a complete submersion in work and in the changing events of the world. Thus, for decades, many Zenists, after their awakening, went among the people, living among beggars and leading an existence of hard physical labor. Thus it was proved whether or not the truth received was of permanent value, or whether it would vanish among mundane affairs.[106]
During the T'ang-era, the term became associated with the ideal of the recluse who leaves the world.[107] An ideal period of "twenty years" was taken for it, echoing a story from the Lotus Sutra about a prodigal son who wandered in poverty for twenty years before returning home.[108] References to these twenty years are found throughout the Chán-tradition, for example Linji, who is reported to have studied under Huang-po for twenty years,[108] and Daito, the founder of Daitoku-ji, who famously spent twenty years living under a bridge with beggars.[108]

Cultivating bodhicitta[edit]

According to Hakuin, the main aim of "post-satori practice"[109][110][111] (gogo no shugyo[104] or kojo, "going beyond"[112]) is to cultivate the "Mind of Enlightenment",[113][114] "benefiting others by giving them the gift of the Dharma teaching".[115][note 19] According to Yamada Koun, "if you cannot weep with a person who is crying, there is no kensho".[117] According to Kay,
The intuitive realisation of Buddhahood requires an attitude of selflessness and faith in one’s inherent enlightenment. Meditative awakening, or wisdom, forms only part of this realisation that must also manifest itself through acts of compassion and love.[118]
According to Barry, regarding Hakuin's practice after awakening,
Post-satori practice for Hakuin meant finally ceasing to be preoccupied with his own personal condition and attainment and to devote himself and his practice to helping and teaching others. Finally, at long last, he realized that true enlightenment is a matter of endless practice and compassionate functioning, not something that occurs once and for all in one great moment on the cushion.[web 4][note 20]

Self-purification and intellectual understanding[edit]

One also has to purify oneself by ongoing practice,[120][121] since
Kensho does not eradicate our unhealthy habits [...] There is a sudden awakening to the fact of "no-self" and then this insight has to be integrated into one's life which means that it has to be embodied and not just be a memory.[web 5]
And "experience" has to be supplemented by intellectual understanding and study of the Buddhist teachings;[122][123][124] otherwise one remains a zen temma, a "Zen devil".[125]

Sudden insight[edit]

Kenshō is described as appearing suddenly, upon an interaction with someone else, at hearing or reading some significant phrase, or at the perceiving of an unexpected sound or sight.[126] The idea of "sudden insight" has been hotly debated in the history of Zen. It became part of the Traditional Zen Narrative in the 8th century.[127]
Chinul, a 12th-century Korean Seon master, emphasized that insight into our true nature is sudden, but is to be followed by practice to ripen the insight and attain full Buddhahood. The contemporary Korean Seon master Seongcheol opposed this, emphasizing "sudden enlightenment, sudden cultivation". But Jiyu-Kennett, a contemporary western teacher, warns that attaining kenshō does not mean that a person is free from morality, the laws of karma, or the consequences of ones actions.[128] This warning is reflected in the Wild fox koan.

Mushi-dokugo and mushi-dokkaku[edit]

Kenshō may be attained without the aid of a teacher,[71] as in the case of mushi-dokugo[129] or (mushi-)dokkaku, a self-awakened pratyeka-buddha.[web 6]
Though the literal meaning is self-awakened or awakened on one's own, the emphasis in Zen, when using these terms, lies in the ultimate reliance on one's own insight, instead of the authority of a teacher:
It is awakening that is one's true master. With Shakyamuni, the awakening was his master. In other words, the awakened self is one's master. Apart from getting awakened to that master, there is no awakening. Here practitioner and master are of one body, not two. Instead of having another verify or confirm one's awakening, one does so for oneself. Of course in this case the self that is verified and the master who does verification are undivided. In their being completely identical is the autonomous, independent, or ultimate nature of the authenticity.[web 7]

Similarities with other traditions[edit]

While the Japanese term "kenshō" is generally used by practitioners of Zen Buddhism, the insight it refers to is not limited to Japanese Zen Buddhism, or even to Buddhism in general.[130][131]

Theravada[edit]

The Theravada tradition, which is best known in the west through the modern Vipassana movement, discerns four stages of enlightenment, in which Nirvana is being reached in four succeeding sudden steps of insight.

Dzogchen[edit]

An analogy given by Dzogchen masters is that one's nature is like a mirror which reflects with complete openness, but is not affected by the reflections. Rigpa is the knowledge that ensues from recognizing this mirror-like clarity,[132] which cannot be found by searching nor identified.[133] One knows that there is a primordial freedom from grasping his or her mind.[134]

Advaita Vedanta[edit]

In Advaita Vedanta moksha is attained by jnana, insight-knowledge. In Shankara's philosophical synthesis insight samadhi is used as a subsidiary to this goal. Swami Vivekananda emphasized the experience of nirvikalpa samadhi as a means to validate religious, transcendental knowledge.[135]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ traditional Chinese and Japanese: 見性; ; "see [one's] nature[1][2][3]"
  2. ^ According to Fischer-Schreiber, kenshō and satori are nearly synonymous, with a customary distinction of using kenshō for an initial enlightenment experience that still requires deepening, and satori for the Buddhahood enlightenment of a Buddha or Zen patriarch.[10] Hakuin uses the word "satori" for initial insight, synonymous with kensho.[11]
  3. ^ The Japanese Zen-tradition has a rich vocabulaire of terms related to "enlightenment": awakenening (kaku), true awakening (shōgaku), perfect awakening (engaku), insight (sei), attaining the Way (jōdō), becoming Buddha (jōbutsu), opening the eye (kaigen), liberation (gedatsu), aythetication (shō), the great death (daishi), self-enlightenment without a teacher (mushi dokugo), great satori with full penetration (taigo tettei), and peerless perfect enlightenment (anokutara sanmyaku sanbodai).[12] The list is not exhausted with these terms.[12] Another term for deep awakening is daigo.
  4. ^ D.T. Suzuki has been criticized for his highly idealized and inaccurate picture of Japanese Zen.[18] Annuttara-samyak-sambodhiis the highest state of realization and awakening. Satori, or kensho, is a first glimpse into "nature", to be followed by further training.
  5. ^ Victor Sogen Hori notes that Nishida Kitaro, although using a western terminology, tried to express basic Mahayana Teachings: "He borrowed, for example, the term, junsui keiken, "pure experience", from William James, but then went on to say that, while for James the individual preceded pure experience, for him, pure experience preceded the individual. That reversal makes Nishida’s notion of pure experience resemble less the psychology of William James and more the Mahayana notion of sunyata.[30]
  6. ^ James also gives descriptions of conversion experiences. The Christian model of dramatic conversions, based on the role-model of Paul's conversion, may also have served as a model for western interpretations and expectations regarding kensho, similar to Protestant influences on Theravada Buddhism, as described by Carrithers: "It rests upon the notion of the primacy of religious experiences, preferably spectacular ones, as the origin and legitimization of religious action. But this presupposition has a natural home, not in Buddhism, but in Christian and especially Protestant Christian movements which prescribe a radical conversion."[32] See Sekida for an example of this influence of William James and Christian conversion stories, mentioning Luther[33] and St. Paul.[34] See also McMahan for the influence of Christian thought on Buddhism.[35]
  7. ^ Robert Sharf: "[T]he role of experience in the history of Buddhism has been greatly exaggerated in contemporary scholarship. Both historical and ethnographic evidence suggests that the privileging of experience may well be traced to certain twentieth-century reform movements, notably those that urge a return to zazen or vipassanameditation, and these reforms were profoundly influenced by religious developments in the west [...] While some adepts may indeed experience "altered states" in the course of their training, critical analysis shows that such states do not constitute the reference pont for the elaborate Buddhist discourse pertaining to the "path".[46]
  8. ^ William Blake: "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thru' narrow chinks of his cavern."[49]
  9. ^ A literary device to establish a lineage. Both T'ien Tai and Chán took over this literary device, to lend authority to those developing traditions, and guarantee its authenticity.[55][56] Notable examples are the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952) and the Jingde Records of the Transmission of the Lamp (published 1004). McRae considers Dumoulin's A History of Zen to be a modern example of this genre, disguished as scientific history;[57]
  10. ^ The two best known koan-collections (in the west) are the "Gateless Gate" and the "Blue Cliff Record". The Gateless Gate(Chinese: 無門關 Wumenguan; Japanese: Mumonkan) is a collection of 48 kōans and commentaries published in 1228 by Chinese monk Wumen (無門) (1183–1260). The title may be more accurately rendered as Gateless Barrier or Gateless Checkpoint. The Blue Cliff Record (Chinese: 碧巖錄 Bìyán Lù; Japanese: Hekiganroku) is a collection of 100 kōans compiled in 1125 by Yuanwu Keqin (圜悟克勤 1063–1135).
  11. ^ Cook: "It is probably safe to say that few if any reputable modern scholars, and probably not many even within the Soto priesthood itself, believe that many of the central events and characters in the Denkoroku are based on historical fact [...] The origins and early developments of Chinese Zen are just now becoming clearer, and the gradually emerging picture is very different from the traditional Zen history found in such works as Keizan's record".[62]
  12. ^ Kapleau gives ten different accounts of contemporary practitioners, including his own kensho under the initials "KP".[4]Sekida gives an elaborate account of his own kenshos,[67] and gives various accounts of others.[68] Satomi gives an account of becoming one with the mu-koan, the classical aimed kensho of the Sanbo Kyodan.[69] Maura O'Halloran also gives an account of herself becoming mu.[70]
  13. ^ Harris: "After this experience Gensho still had two more years of koan study".[66]
  14. ^ Sekida gives the example of a woman, who's "strong internal pressure (gidan) never stopped knocking from within at the door of her mind, demanding to be resolved [...] One day, when she was about to take a bath, a certain change occurred in her. Although this was later confirmed as kensho by a teacher, she had no idea what it was.[71] Philip Kapleau describes a man who had kensho, which was explained as a "conversion experience" by psychiatrists.[72]Flora Courtois gives an extensive account of her spontaneous kensho,[73] on which Yasutani comments.[74]
  15. ^ According to Kay, "Kennett’s visionary experiences – and also her ambivalence about the status of their content – are not unprecedented within the Zen tradition."[82] Soto literature includes numerous accounts,[82] as noted especially by Faure (2001) Visions of powere.[82][83] described by the founders of Soto Zen, Dogen and Keizan.[61] See also Williams (2005)[84] and Bodiford (2008).[85] Yet, Dogen and Keizan "also both warned against seeing visions or unusual spiritual experiences as the goal of practice."[86]
  16. ^ Houn Jiyu-Kennett, a western sei-kyoshi[90] or soto-priest, also is reported to have attained kensho after six months of training in a Soto-monastery.[91]
  17. ^ See [69] for a description of 'becoming one with'.
  18. ^ According to Kraft, one of the earliest expressions of this term is found in a 5th-century Chinese translation of the Prajnaparamitra Sutra on Benevolent Kings Protecting Their Countries.[105] In Chán-texts the term is first used by Mazu (709-788), and in Japan it was introduced by Dogen who learned it from his teacher T'ien t'ung Ju-ching (1163-1228).[105] See also Muso Soseki, Dialogues in a Dream translation, translated by Thomas Yuho Kirchner, for its meaning and application.
  19. ^ Shinkichi Takahashi: "After satori, teach."[116]
  20. ^ See also Katsuhiro Yoshizawa, The Religious Art of Zen Master Hakuin, pp.41-45, "Constant practice of the Four Universal Vows".[119]

References[edit]

  1. Jump up to:a b c Baroni 2002, p. 188.
  2. Jump up to:a b c Hori 2000, p. 287.
  3. ^ Fowler 2005, p. 115.
  4. Jump up to:a b c d e Kapleau 1989.
  5. ^ Sekida 1985, p. 226.
  6. ^ Sekida (translator) 1996.
  7. Jump up to:a b Yen 1996, p. 54.
  8. Jump up to:a b c Kraft 1997, p. 91.
  9. ^ Suzuki & 1994-A, p. 88.
  10. Jump up to:a b Fischer-Schreiber 1991, p. 115.
  11. ^ Hakuin 2010.
  12. Jump up to:a b Kraft 1997, p. 90.
  13. ^ Hanyu Da Cidian 汉语大词典, vol. 10, p. 314.
  14. Jump up to:a b Muller & year unknown.
  15. ^ Soothill 1934, p. 244.
  16. ^ Suzuki & 1994-B, p. 259.
  17. ^ Suzuki-1994-B, p. 229.
  18. ^ MacRae 2003.
  19. Jump up to:a b Dumoulin 2005b, p. 380.
  20. Jump up to:a b c d Harvey 1990, p. 275-276.
  21. ^ Jiyu-Kennett 2005b, p. 263.
  22. ^ Satomi 1993, p. 203.
  23. Jump up to:a b c d Hori 1994, p. 30.
  24. Jump up to:a b Hori 2000, p. 290.
  25. ^ Hori 1994, p. 31.
  26. Jump up to:a b Samy 1998, p. 82.
  27. ^ Sharf 2014, p. 939.
  28. Jump up to:a b Mohr 2000, p. 282.
  29. Jump up to:a b Sharf 1995b, p. 248.
  30. ^ Hori 1999, p. 47.
  31. ^ Sharf 2000, p. 271.
  32. ^ Carrithers 1983, p. 18.
  33. ^ Sekida 1985, p. 196-197.
  34. ^ Sekida 1985, p. 251.
  35. Jump up to:a b c McMahan 2008.
  36. ^ Sharf 1993.
  37. ^ Sharf 1995a.
  38. ^ Sharf 1995b, p. 246-248.
  39. ^ Victoria 2006.
  40. Jump up to:a b c Sharf 1995b.
  41. ^ Sharf 1995b, p. 247-248.
  42. ^ Borup & Year unknown.
  43. Jump up to:a b c Sharf 1995c.
  44. ^ Mohr 2000, p. 282-286.
  45. ^ Low 2006, p. 12.
  46. ^ Sharf 1995c, p. 1.
  47. ^ Samy 1998, p. 80-82.
  48. ^ Samy 1998, p. 80.
  49. ^ Quote DB
  50. ^ Mohr 2000, p. 284.
  51. ^ Hori 2006, p. 143.
  52. Jump up to:a b Sekida 1996.
  53. ^ Hori 1999, p. 50-53.
  54. ^ Sharf 1995b, p. 266.
  55. ^ Chappell 1993, p. 181.
  56. ^ McRae, p. 2-9.
  57. ^ McRae 2005.
  58. ^ Chappell 1993, p. 192.
  59. ^ Welter & year unknown.
  60. ^ Cook 2003, p. xi-xii.
  61. Jump up to:a b Faure 2000.
  62. ^ Cook 2003, p. 15.
  63. ^ Cook 2003, p. 255.
  64. Jump up to:a b c Waddell 2004, p. xxii.
  65. ^ Hakuin 2010, p. 23.
  66. Jump up to:a b c Harris 2004, p. 17.
  67. ^ Sekiad 1985, p. 207-222.
  68. ^ Sekida, 1985 & 194-206.
  69. Jump up to:a b Satomi 1993, p. 106.
  70. ^ O'Halloran 2007, p. 78.
  71. Jump up to:a b Sekida 1985, p. 138-139.
  72. ^ Kapleau 1980, p. 52.
  73. ^ Maezumi 2007, p. 111-136.
  74. ^ Maezumi 2007, p. 137-140.
  75. ^ Seikai Luebke, Why Are Roshi Jiyu Kennett’s Disciples So Reclusive? Archived 2018-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
  76. Jump up to:a b c d Kay 2007, p. 145.
  77. Jump up to:a b Osto 2016, p. 65.
  78. Jump up to:a b c Ford 2006, p. 143-144.
  79. Jump up to:a b c Kennett 1993.
  80. ^ Kay 2007, p. 155.
  81. Jump up to:a b Morgan 2004, p. 2014.
  82. Jump up to:a b c Kay 2007, p. 149.
  83. ^ Faure 2001.
  84. ^ Williams 2005.
  85. ^ Bodiford 2008.
  86. ^ Watson 0000, p. 14.
  87. ^ Greenwell 2002, p. 52-53.
  88. ^ Harris 2004.
  89. ^ Hori 1994, p. 29.
  90. ^ Bluck 2006, p. 66.
  91. ^ Bluck 2006, p. 65.
  92. ^ Kasulis 2003.
  93. ^ Lachs 2012, p. 4.
  94. ^ Dogen & year unknown.
  95. ^ Kit 2002, p. 145.
  96. Jump up to:a b Warner 2009, p. 28.
  97. ^ Warner 2009, p. 28-29.
  98. ^ Jaffe 1979.
  99. ^ Low 2006, p. 37-39.
  100. ^ Maezumi 2007, p. 54, 140.
  101. ^ Jiyu-Kennett 2005, p. 225.
  102. ^ Low 2006.
  103. ^ Mumon 2004.
  104. Jump up to:a b Hori 2006, p. 145.
  105. Jump up to:a b Kraft 1997, p. 41.
  106. ^ Spiegelberg 1957.
  107. ^ Kraft 1997, p. 41-42.
  108. Jump up to:a b c Kraft 1997, p. 42.
  109. ^ Waddell 2004, p. xxv-xxvii.
  110. ^ Hakuin 2004, p. 33-34.
  111. ^ Hisamatsu 2002, p. 22.
  112. ^ Hori 2006, p. 144.
  113. ^ Hakuin 2004, p. 33.
  114. ^ Yoshizawa 2009, p. 41.
  115. ^ Hakuin 2004, p. 34.
  116. ^ Takahashi 2000, p. 165.
  117. ^ MacInnes 2007, p. 75.
  118. ^ Kay 2007, p. 129.
  119. ^ Yoshizawa 2009, p. 41-45.
  120. ^ Low 2006, p. 33-34.
  121. ^ Glassman 2007, p. 54.
  122. ^ Hori 2000, p. 295-297.
  123. ^ Low 2006, p. 35-37.
  124. ^ Kim 2007, p. 115.
  125. ^ Hori 2000, p. 297.
  126. ^ Dumoulin 2005b.
  127. ^ McRae 2003.
  128. ^ Jiyu-Kennett 1979, p. 51.
  129. ^ Faure 2000, p. 48.
  130. ^ Lathouwers 2000.
  131. ^ Grimstone 1985, p. 13.
  132. ^ Namdak 2006, p. 97.
  133. ^ Third Dzogchen Rinpoche 2008, p. 152.
  134. ^ Namdak 2006, p. 144-145.
  135. ^ Comans 1993.

Sources[edit]

Printed sources[edit]

  • Baroni, Helen J. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 0-8239-2240-5.
  • Bhikkhu, Thanissaro (1997), Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life.
  • Sakka-pañha Sutta: Sakka's Questions (excerpt) (DN 21), translated by Bikkhu, Thannssaro, 1999
  • Bikkhu, Thanissaro (2012), The Truth of Rebirth: And Why it Matters for Buddhist Practice, Valley Center, CA: Metta Forest Monastery
  • Bluck, Robert (2006), British Buddhism: Teachings, Practice And Development, Taylor & Francis
  • Bodiford, William M. (1993). Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1482-7.
  • Borup, Jorn (n.d.), Zen and the Art of inverting Orientalism: religious studies and genealogical networks
  • Carrithers, Michael (1983), The Forest Monks of Sri Lanka
  • Chappell, David W. (1993), Hermeneutical Phases in Chinese Buddhism. In: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.)(1993), Buddhist Hermeneutics, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
  • Chisan, Kohō (1976), Jōsai Daishi Zenshū, Yokohama, Japan: Daihonzan Sōjiji
  • Comans, Michael (1993), The Question of the Importance of Samadhi in Modern and Classical Advaita Vedanta. In: Philosophy East and West Vol. 43, No. 1 (Jan. 1993), pp. 19-38.
  • Cook, Francis Dojun (vertaler) (2003), The Record of Transmitting the Light. Zen Master Keizan's Denkoroku, Boston: Wisdom Publications
  • DeVisser, M. W. (1923), The Arhats in China and Japan, Berlin: Oesterheld
  • Dogen (n.d.), Rules for Meditation (Fukanzazengi) (PDF)
  • Dogen, Eihei (1983). Shobogenzo. Rev. Hubert Nearman (Dr. Mark J. Nearman) (trans.). Shasta Abbey Press. ISBN 978-0-930066-27-7. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11.
  • Dōshū, Ōkubo (1969–1970), Dōgen Zenji Zenshū (2 ed.), Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō
  • Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005b), Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan, World Wisdom Books, ISBN 9780941532907
  • Eihei-ji Temple Staff (1994), Sanshō, the Magazine of Eihei-ji Temple, November, Fukui, Japan: Eihei-ji Temple Press
  • Faure, Bernard (2001), Visions of Power. Imaging Medieval Japanese Buddhism, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
  • Fischer-Schreiber, Ingrid; Ehrhard, Franz-Karl; diener, Michael S. (1991), The Shambhala dictionary of Buddhism and Zen, Translated by M. H. Kohn, Boston: Shambhala
  • Ford, John Ismael (2006), Zen Master Who?: A Guide to the People and Stories of Zen, Simon and Schuster
  • Fowler, Merv (2005), Zen Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices, Sussex Academic Press
  • Greenwell, Bonnie (2002), Energies of Transformation: A Guide to the Kundalini Process, Motilal Banarsidass
  • Grimstone, A.V. (1985), Edotor's Introduction to Skida's "Zen Training. Methods and Philosophy", New York, Tokyo: Weatherhill
  • Hakuin, Ekaku (2010), Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin, Translated by Norman Waddell, Shambhala Publications
  • Hardy, R. Spence (2002) [1st pub. 1853], A Manual of Buddhism, Aryan Books International
  • Harris, Ishwar C. (2004), The Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji: The Life of Zen Master Keidō Fukushima, Bloomington, Indiana: World Wisdom, ISBN 978-0-941532-62-4
  • Harvey, Peter (1990). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-31333-3.
  • Heine, Steven; Dale S. Wright (2000). The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511748-4.
  • Hisamatsu, Shinʼichi (2002), Critical Sermons of the Zen Tradition: Hisamatsu's Talks on Linji, University of Hawaii Press
  • Hori, Victor Sogen (1994), Teaching and Learning in the Zen Rinzai Monastery. In: Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol.20, No. 1, (Winter, 1994), 5-35 (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-10-25
  • Hori, Victor Sogen (1999), Translating the Zen Phrase Book. In: Nanzan Bulletin 23 (1999) (PDF), pp. 44–58
  • Hori, Victor Sogen (2000), Koan and Kensho in the Rinzai Zen Curriculum. In: Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)(2000): "The Koan. Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  • Hori, Victor Sogen (2006), The Steps of Koan Practice. In: John Daido Loori,Thomas Yuho Kirchner (eds), Sitting With Koans: Essential Writings on Zen Koan Introspection, Wisdom Publications
  • Ishida, M (1964), Japanese Buddhist Prints, translated by Nearman, Hubert, New York: Abrams
  • Jaffe, Paul David (1979), Yasutani Hakuun Roshi – a biographical note
  • Jiyu-Kennett (1979), The Book of Life, Shasty Abbey Press
  • Jiyu-Kennett (1993), How to Grow a Lotus Blossom: Or How a Zen Buddhist Prepares for Death, Shasta Abbey Press
  • Jiyu-Kennett (2001), Introduction to the Denkōroku. In: The Denkōroku, The Record of the Transmission of the Light, Shasta Abbey Press
  • Jiyu-Kennett, Houn (2005a), Roar of the Tigress VOLUME I. An Introduction to Zen: Religious Practice for Everyday Life (PDF), MOUNT SHASTA, CALIFORNIA: SHASTA ABBEY PRESS
  • Jiyu-Kennett, Houn (2005b), Roar of the Tigress VOLUME II. Zen for Spiritual Adults. Lectures Inspired by the Shōbōgenzō of Eihei Dōgen (PDF), MOUNT SHASTA, CALIFORNIA: SHASTA ABBEY PRESS
  • Jōkin, Zen Master Keizan (2001), The Denkōroku, The Record of the Transmission of the Light, Shasta Abbey Press, ISBN 0-930066-22-7
  • Kapleau, Philip (1980), Zen. Dawn in the West, Anchor Books
  • Kapleau, Philip (1989), The three pillars of Zen
  • Kasulis, Thomas P. (2003), Ch'an Spirituality. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Later China, Korea, Japan and the Modern World; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
  • Kato, K (1994), "The Life of Zen Master Dōgen (Illustrated)", Zen Fountains, Taishōji Sōtō Mission, Hilo, Hawaii, by permission of the Sōtōshū Shūmuchō, Tokyo
  • Kay, David N. (2007), Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation, Routldge
  • Kiew Kit, Wong (2002), The Complete Book of Zen, Tuttle Publishing, ISBN 0-8048-3441-5
  • Kim, Hee-Jin (2007), Dōgen on Meditation and Thinking: A Reflection on His View of Zen, SUNY Press
  • Kraft, Kenneth (1988). Zen: Tradition and Transition. Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-3162-X.
  • Kraft, Kenneth (1997), Eloquent Zen: Daitō and Early Japanese Zen, University of Hawaii Press
  • The Lotus Sutra of Wondrous Dharma, translated by Kuan, Cheng, Taipei,Taiwan: Neo-carefree Garden Buddhist Canon Translation Institute, 2014
  • Lathouwers, Ton (2000), Meer dan een mens kan doen. Zentoespraken, Rotterdam: Asoka
  • The Śūrangama Sūtra, translated by Luk, Charles, Singapore: Amitabha Buddhist Society, 1999 [1st pub. 1967]
  • Low, Albert (2006), Hakuin on Kensho. The Four Ways of Knowing, Boston & London: Shambhala
  • MacInnes, Elaine (2007), The Flowing Bridge: Guidance on Beginning Zen Koans, Wisdom Publications
  • MacPhillamy, Daizui; Roberson, Zenshō; Benson, Kōten; Nearman, Hubert (1997), "YUME: Visionary Experience in the Lives of Great Masters Dōgen and Keizan", The Journal of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, Shasta Abbey Press, 12 (2)
  • Maezumi, Hakuyu Taizan; Glassman, Bernie (2007), The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment: Part of the On Zen Practice Series, Wisdom Publications
  • McMahan, David L. (2008), The Making of Buddhist Modernism, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195183276
  • McRae, John (2003), Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism, The University Press Group Ltd, ISBN 9780520237988
  • McRae, John (2008), THE PLATFORM SUTRA OF THE SIXTH PATRIARCH. Translated from the Chinese of Zongbao (Taishō Volume 48, Number 2008) by John R. McRae (PDF)
  • Mohr, Michel (2000), Emerging from Nonduality. Koan Practice in the Rinzai Tradition since Hakuin. In: steven Heine & Dale S. Wright (eds.)(2000), "The Koan. texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism", Oxford: Oxford University Press
  • Morgan, Diane (2004), The Buddhist Experience in America, Greenwood Publishing Group
  • Muller, A. Charles, ed. (n.d.), Digital Dictionary of Buddhism[permanent dead link]
  • Mumon, Yamada (2004), Lectures On The Ten Oxherding Pictures, University of Hawaii Press
  • Namdak, Tenzin (2006), Bonpo Dzogchen Teachings, Vajra Publications
  • O'Halloran, Maura (2007), Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind: The Life and Letters of an Irish Zen Saint, Wisdom Publications
  • Osto, Douglas (2016), Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America, Columbia University Press
  • Samy, AMA (1998), Waarom kwam Bodhidharma naar het Westen? De ontmoeting van Zen met het Westen, Asoka: Asoka
  • Satomi, Myodo; King, Sallie B. (1993), Journey in Search of the Way: The Spiritual Autobiography of Satomi Myodo, State University of New York Press, ISBN 0-7914-1971-1
  • Sekida, Katsuki (1985), Zen Training. Methods and Philosophy, New York, Tokyo: Weatherhill
  • Sekida (translator), Katsuki (1996), Two Zen Classics. Mumonkan, The Gateless Gate. Hekiganroku, The Blue Cliff Records. Translated with commentaries by Katsuki Sekida, New York / Tokyo: Weatherhill
  • Senzaki, NyogenShimano, Eido (2005). Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy: The Zen Teachings and Translations of Nyogen Senzaki. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-280-3.
  • Sharf, Robert H. (August 1993), "The Zen of Japanese Nationalism"History of Religions33 (1): 1–43, doi:10.1086/463354
  • Sharf, Robert H. (1995a), Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited (PDF)
  • Sharf, Robert H. (1995b), "Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience" (PDF)NUMEN42 (3): 228–283, doi:10.1163/1568527952598549hdl:2027.42/43810, archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-12, retrieved 2012-09-18
  • Sharf, Robert H. (1995c), "Sanbokyodan. Zen and the Way of the New Religions" (PDF)Japanese Journal of Religious Studies22 (3–4), doi:10.18874/jjrs.22.3-4.1995.417-458
  • Sharf, Robert H. (2000), "The Rhetoric of Experience and the Study of Religion" (PDF)Journal of Consciousness Studies7 (11–12): 267–87, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-13, retrieved 2012-10-03
  • Sharf, Robert (October 2014), "Mindfullness and Mindlessness in Early Chan" (PDF)Philosophy East & West64 (4): 933–964, doi:10.1353/pew.2014.0074
  • Soothill, William Edward; Hodous, Lewis (1934), A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, Motilal Banarsidass
  • Spiegelberg, Frederic (1957), Living Religions of the World, Thames and Hudson
  • Suzuki, D.T. (1994), An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, Grove Press
  • Suzuki, D.T. (1994), Essays in Zen Buddhism, Grove Press
  • Takahashi, Shinkichi (2000), Triumph of the Sparrow: Zen Poems of Shinkichi Takahashi, Grove Press
  • Alavaka Sutta: Discourse to Alavaka, translated by Thera, Piyadassi, 1999
  • Third Dzogchen Rinpoche (2008), Great Perfection. Volume II, Snow Lion Publications
  • Victoria, Brian Daizen (2006), Zen at war (Second ed.), Lanham e.a.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
  • Waddell, Norman (2010), Introduction to Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin, Shambhala Publications
  • Warner, Brad (2009), Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce, and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharma, New World Library
  • Watson, Great Master Keizan Jōkin: His Life and Legacy (PDF), Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey
  • Williams, Duncan Ryūken (2005), The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Sōtō Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan, Princeton University Press
  • Yen, Chan Master Sheng (1996), Dharma Drum: The Life and Heart of Ch'an Practice, Boston & London: Shambhala

Web-sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Rinzai
  • Low, Albert (2006), Hakuin on Kensho. The Four Ways of Knowing, Boston & London: Shambhala
  • Hori, Victor Sogen (2006), The Steps of Koan Practice. In: John Daido Loori,Thomas Yuho Kirchner (eds), Sitting With Koans: Essential Writings on Zen Koan Introspection, Wisdom Publications
  • Mumon, Yamada (2004), Lectures On The Ten Oxherding Pictures, University of Hawaii Press
Soto
Sanbo Kyodan
  • Maezumi, Hakuyu Taizan; Glassman, Bernie (2007), The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment: Part of the On Zen Practice Series, Wisdom Publications
Critical

External links[edit]