John Daido Loori (1931–2009)

'We have needed this book for a long, long time.'-Professor Francis Dojun Cook, author of How to Raise an Ox: Zen Practice as Taught in Master Dogen's Shobogenzo.

'The single most comprehensive treasure on the subject in English. This book will prove indispensable. A rare treasure.'-John Daishin Buksbazen, author of Zen Meditation in Plain English.

Shikantaza-or 'just sitting'-is one of the simplest yet most subtle forms of meditation, and one of the most easily misunderstood. This peerlelss volume brings together a wealth of writing, from the Buddha himself to Bodhidharma and Dogen and many of modern Zen Buddhism's most influential masters, all pointing directly to the heart of this powerful practice. Edited by one of America's preeminent Zen teachers, this book is a rich resource for wisdom seekers and scholars alike.

'Taken togehter, the writing in The Art of Just Sitting spans 1,500 years, all ponting to the practice of 'just sitting,' whereby no object is used as a meditation focus. There are specific instructions here for location, posture, and mental state, which willl be helpful to beginners. Advanced practitioners can benefit from the more esoteric thoughts about 'non-thinking.' A useful guide.'-Publishers Weekly

' A jewel of a book.'-Joan Halifax Roshi, Upaya Zen Center

' A cool book that takes the risk of going deep.'-Roshi John Tarrant in Buddhadharma

John Daido Loori was the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery and the founder of the Mountains and River Order. A Dharma heir to Taizan Maezumi, he is trained in the rigorous school of koan Zen and in the subtle teachings of Master Dogen. He is the author of many books, including The Eight Gates of Zen, Riding the Ox Home, and The Heart of Being. He died in 2009.

Taigen Dan Leighton is a Zen priest and Dharma heir in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, as well as a scholar teaching at Berkeley Graduate Theological Union. He is te suthor, and translator of numerous works including Dogen's Extensive Record: A translation of the Eihei Koroku.

Contents

Editor's preface by John Daido Loori
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Hongzhi, Dogen, and the bacckground of Shikantaza by Taigen Dan Leighton
Editor's note
Guidepost of silent illlumination by Hongzhi Zhengjue
Cultivationg the empty field by Hoongshi Zhengjue
Zazengi: Rules for Zazen by Eiei Dogen
Zazenshin: Lancet of seated meditation by Eihei Dogen
Zazen Yojinki: What to be aware of in Zazen by Keizan Jokin
Shikantaza by Hakuun Yasutani
The Tenzo Kyokun and Shikantaza by Koshio Uchiyama
The Wholehearted way by Eihei Dogen
No dualism by Shunryu Suzuki
Commentary on Fukanzazengi by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi
How to sit by P.T.N.H. Jiu-Kennett
To live is just to live by Dainin Katagiri
To study the self by Shohaku Okumura
On 'Silent illumination' by Sheng-yen
Nanyue polishes a tile by John Daidao Loori
Yaoshan's non-thinking by John Daido Loori
Suzuki Roshi's practice of shikantazaby Sojun Mel Weitsman
A coin lost in the river is found in the river by Zoketsu Norman Fischer
Just sitting by Tenshin Reb Anderson
Will you sit with me? by Bonnie Myotai Treace
Yangshan's state of mind by Geoffrey Shugen Arnold
Appendix: Foundational texts
Satipatthana Sutta: The foundations of mindfulness by Shakyamuni Buddha
Bloodstream sermon by Bodhidharma
The fundamental expedient teachings for calming the mind that attains enlilghtenment by Dayi Daoxin
Treatise on the essentials of cultivating the mind by Daman Hongran
The platform sutra by Dajian Huineng
Jewel mirror of Samadhi by Dongshan Liangije
Who's wo
Permissions credits
Index… (mer)

'The sincere practitioner of zazen will absorb much atmosphere and insight from this fine collection of astonishing observations and exchange, which will water the ground where a true perception of reality may flourish.'-From the Preface by Peter Muryo Matthiessen

Through a comprehensive introduction and twenty-one chapters centered on koans from classic collections, western literary sources, and modern encounters, this book explains the relevance of koan study to Zen training today. It illuminates the value of koans in the practice of self-realization and their aliveness within the teacher-student relationship. Most importantly, the uniqueness of the koan as a means of studying the self is clearly shown in the context of the Buddhadarma-not as an archaic curiosity but as a vibrant opportunity to fully appreciate this life.

Two Arrows Meeting in Mid Air is one of the few commentaries on Zen koans by an American Zen master. John Daido Loori draws on his many dharma discourses to provide a detailed examination of each koan, connecting the contemporary reader to the traditional zen lineages. This collection will prove an invaluable reference on koan study for those pursuing a greater understanding of Zen Buddhism.

John Daido Loori is the spiritual leader an abbot of the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, New York, and the founder and director of the Mountains and Rivers Order. Trained in koan zen as well as in the subtle school of Master Dogen's Zen, he is a dharma heir of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi. He is the author of Mountain Record of Zen Talks and The Eight Gates of Zen.

Contents

Foreword by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi
Preface by Peter Muryo Matthiessen
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Original source
2 Perils, pearls, and the path
3 The time and season fo great peace
4 Declaration of interdependence
5 Chao-chou's Mu
6 Chao-chou's dog
7 Ordinary mind is tao
8 Lin-chi's great enlightenment
9 Striking the mortar, shaking the sieve
10 Nan-ch'uan's peony
11 Yun-men's two sicknesses
12 Yun-yen's great compassion
13 Advice of the caterpillar
14 The stone lion
15 The thirteenth daughter's dharma
16 Tao-wu tends the sick
17 Pai-chang and the fox
18 Teachings of the insentient
19 Born as the earth
20 Secred wildness
21 The last work
Notes
Questions and answers
Ancestral lineage
Glossary
About Zen Mountain Monastery… (mer)