Gu Syu on Zen: The Hidden Master

Author: Gu Su
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: To the general public, Gu Su's name may be quite unfamiliar, but this does not hinder his thoughts from being widely known among many lovers of literature and history. Many of Gu Su's disciples have already become renowned experts and scholars both at home and abroad, with Zhou Ruchang, Ye Jiaying, Shi Shuqing, Deng Yunxiang, Gu Yuheng, Yan Yixian, Huang Zongjiang, and Wu Xiaoru being prominent examples. In recent years, Professor Ye Jiaying established the "Ye Family Tu'an Scholarship" at Nankai University, named after her teacher's late title "Tu'an," to reward outstanding students. The famous redologist Zhou Ruchang once said, "He was a true poet, at the same time a profound scholar, and an outstanding master-level philosopher and master." This book, Gu Su on Zen, encompasses Chuai Yue Lu as well as many well-known Buddhist scriptures and Zen teachings, which Gu Su explains in his concise and elegant language. The renowned prose master Zhang Zhongxing wrote in the preface to this book, "Although Gu Master was a layman, he lectured on Zen while sitting within the Zen hall. His writing seems to be addressed to the wise, lightly touching upon the subject, hoping readers can infer more from what is said. Gu Master's pen truly works wonders; he uses prose, essays, and casual conversations to explain difficult principles and unseen realms. When we read Zen Buddhist discourses, we often feel that these monks all have their own personalities—Zhao Zhou is Zhao Zhou, and Ma Zu is Ma Zu. Reading Gu Master's great work, this impression is particularly vivid—just a sentence or two is enough to know it is the words of Master Kuishui, and not those of anyone else."