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Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin
by
Hakuin Ekaku
Hakuin Zenji (1689-1769) is a towering figure in Japanese Zen. A fiery and dynamic teacher and renowned artist, he reformed the Zen Rinzai tradition, which had fallen into stagnation and decline in his time, revitalizing it and ensuring its survival even to our own day. Hakuin emphasized the importance of zazen, or sitting meditation, and is also known for his skillful use
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Hardcover
,
177 pages
Published
March 16th 1999
by David R. Godine Publisher
(first published January 1999)
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Community Reviews
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Can you see the entire sky in a rain drop? Hakuin introduced me to the Zen koan. Thanks Hakuin.
I was intrigued as to why there were so many people saying this book was a bore. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gave a great insight into the life of a Zen Master in the 17th Century (I think it was 17th...). It isn't a book on Zen, say like Charlotte Joko Beck's Everyday Zen (which is superb, by the way), so don't expect to have many satoris whilst reading it... but it definitely shone a light on an area for me that up until now had been left in the dark.
I am reading excerpts this book with my meditation group. Sorry, but this is a real snoozer, unless you are a diehard Zennie with a sense of value for historical Japanese Buddhism. So far, I have only read a number of the auto-biographical segments. Hopefully when I get to other sections, my outlook on the book will improve.
Had to read this for school and while there is a lot of thought-provoking ideas in this book, I just couldn't muster up the interest. It was rather boring and Zen is not my thing.
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Hakuin Ekaku (白隠 慧鶴), also known as Hakuin Zenji, was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is regarded as the reviver of the Rinzai school from a moribund period of stagnation, refocusing it on its traditionally rigorous training methods integrating meditation and koan practice.
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