|
“It doesn’t matter whether you are intelligent or stupid.
There’s no difference between a dull or smart person.
Sincere concentrated effort is, in itself, the Way.” –Dogen
No diluted, dumbed-down or sugarcoated version of Zen teaching and practice will be found here! Contemporary Zen teacher Philippe Coupey offers readers a clear, strong and useful commentary
on the Fukanzazengi –– the short basic classic on how to practice zazen, written by the Master Dogen in 1227. Coupey’s approach to this timeless teaching
is based in the work of his own distinguished master, Taisen Deshimaru, the Japanese Soto Zen teacher who brought Zen to Europe. What’s new here is that the text has been put
into everyday English, and given a contemporary context by the author.
Based on Buddha’s teachings and venerated in the Zen tradition, this text is regularly recited in Zen temples. Though brief,
it remains a source of inspiration and guidance for both beginners and advanced students as it has for centuries. Dogen invites the practitioner to give up intellectual understanding
and simply direct light inward.
■ Fukan means recommended for everyone, so this is not an esoteric work limited to priests and monks
■ Zazen is the practice of sitting meditation
■ Gi is law or principles
OUTSTANDING REVIEWS FOR ZEN Simply Sitting
Zen, Simply Sitting is a delightful look at Eihei Dogen’s 13 th-century manual/manifesto on zen meditation. Taking the backward step to examine the
mind that is present right now. The deceptively simple text is both thorough and clear. A valuable resource for those who seek to understand zen meditation, it includes
a glossary of terms and an index of stories used in the text and commentary.
— Michael Dairyu Wenger
San Francisco Zen Center
Distilling over thirty years of Zen practice, Phillipe Coupey skillfully comments on living the awakened life. Coupey pokes and prods at us to awaken to the reality of life
as it reveals itself. Through his clear and concise commentary of Master Dogen’s Fukanzazengi, we feel the long reach of Master Dogen and the Zen ancestors, encouraging
us to live the awakened life, here, now!
—Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao
Abbot, Zen Center of Los Angeles
|
