The Gate to Entering Zen

Author: Jinghui (Author)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: This book is a significant work in Buddhist studies by the Venerable Jinghui. The Venerable Jinghui, originally from Xinzhou, Hubei, was born in 1933. At the age of one and a half, he was sent by his parents to be raised in a nunnery. At fourteen, he studied scriptures at Wuhan Sanfo Temple, where he developed a religious character suited for transcending worldly life and dedicated himself to Buddhism. In 1951, at the age of eighteen, he received his bhikkhu ordination at Yunmen Temple in Guangdong and had the opportunity to personally serve the modern Zen master, the Venerable Xuyun. Due to his exceptional wisdom, he was highly regarded and became a disciple of the Venerable Xuyun in 1952. From 1956 to 1963, he studied at the Chinese Buddhist Academy in Beijing, becoming one of the first Buddhist graduate students in New China. From 1963, he was wrongfully labeled a "rightist" and underwent labor reformation in Beijing, Guangdong, and Hubei. In 1979, after the implementation of corrective policies, he returned to Beijing and engaged in Buddhist cultural promotion with the Chinese Buddhist Association, participating in the founding of the Fayin magazine and serving as its editor-in-chief. In 1984, he began serving as the editor-in-chief of Fayin and was elected as a standing committee member of the Chinese Buddhist Association. In 1993, he was elected as the vice president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, a position he still holds.
Regarding the circumstances behind the compilation of this small book, I have already explained them in the preface I wrote for it last year and will not elaborate further here. The two lecture transcripts included in this book were delivered ten and five years ago, respectively. Personally, I feel that over these ten years—or perhaps these five years—there has been some progress in both learning and practice each year. As a result, I increasingly feel that the content of this small book lacks sufficient weight—specifically, the depth of Zen and the practical methods for entering Zen are not detailed enough, and the gateway to Zen is not opened wide enough. In particular, the profound connections between life Zen and traditional Tathagatagarbha Zen and (Zen of the ancestors) are not thoroughly introduced. Despite these shortcomings, I have decided to publish this book, hoping to use this opportunity for exchange with the Buddhist community and academia, and to seek advice from the virtuous ones. The publication of this book was made possible in large part by the assistance of my disciple Mingshun and Mr. Lu Hailong of Shanghai Cishu Publishing House. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to them. This is the preface.