Zen Master Yueh Shan & Thinking’s Bad Rap by Seiso Paul Cooper (.ePUB)
File Size: 17.6 MB
Zen Master Yueh Shan & Thinking’s Bad Rap by Seiso Paul Cooper
Requirements: .ePUB reader, 17.6 mb
Overview: What does it mean to truly “think of not thinking”?
>This timeless question, posed in a brief yet profound dialogue between the Chinese Chan master Yüeh Shan and a nameless monk, opens the doorway to one of Zen’s most important and misunderstood teachings: shikantaza, or “just sitting.”
>Thinking’s Bad Rap invites readers into the radical non-dual vision of Eihei Dōgen (1200–1253), the brilliant Japanese Zen master and founder of the Soto school. Drawing on Dōgen’s writings, koans, and practice instructions, this book re-examines the delicate interplay of thinking, not-thinking, and “non-thinking” (hishiryo), a state that transcends but does not negate thought. Rather than demonizing the mind or idealizing silence, Dōgen shows us how true practice harmonizes body, breath, and mind—allowing realization to unfold naturally in each moment.
>Through a close reading of the famous koan “Yüeh Shan’s Thinking and Not Thinking,” the author unpacks centuries of commentary, translation, and misinterpretation, offering a corrective to the modern tendency to undervalue thought in Zen practice. In doing so, the book highlights Dōgen’s radical insistence that authentic practice is not about escaping our humanity, but embracing it fully. Thinking and not-thinking, presence and absence, silence and expression—all are mutually reinforcing when approached through the lens of non-duality.
Genre: Non-Fiction > Faith, Beliefs & Philosophy
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