Zen is a flower

Author: Hu Lancheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Represents Hu Lancheng's academic thought more authentically, making it the best read to gain an in-depth understanding of him. This book is Hu Lancheng's elucidation of one hundred cases from the Miraculous Records of the Blue Cliff, a seminal work on Chan Buddhism, during his stay in Taiwan in the late 1970s. For over eight hundred years, Chinese literary and philosophical figures had attempted to interpret the Blue Cliff Records of the Song Dynasty, but it was Hu Lancheng who finally achieved this. The book has played a significant role in the understanding of Chinese Chan Buddhist thought and can be regarded as a major event in Chinese Chan studies. The characters such as "older brother," "younger brother," and "sister" in the book are actually manifestations of Hu Lancheng himself, like scattered blossoms in a field of full moon. Chan is the wisdom practice of those with aspirations in turbulent times. I hope the thoughts expressed in this book on Chan Buddhism also convey a sense of refreshing clarity. The book consists of one hundred cases, including discussions on Chan thought such as "Liang Emperor asking Da Mo," "Zhao Zhou's 'The Way is Not Difficult,' and 'Ma Zu faces the Buddha as the sun and faces the moon as the moon.'"