The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a 14th-Century Chinese Hermit

About this book

One of the classic texts of Zen essential for anyone interested in Zen practice and tradition. Stonehouse has been called "the greatest of all Zen monks who made poetry their medium of instruction." Until now his works have rarely been available in English. Now all of the hermit monks poetry including the major poetic works "Mountain Poems" and "Gathas " as well as his most illuminating instructional talks can be read in Pines superb translations. According to Nelson Foster and Jack Shoemaker in The Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader "The ancient Taoist themes of simplicity naturalness and ease resound in Shih-wus Stonehouses writing ringing out clearly within the Chan Zen setting. Everything in his mountain life that might seem a hardship to others-very plain food crude and cramped quarters dearth of human contact-Shih-wu celebrates as an outright virtue or at least preferable to what a city dweller can know.... Shih-wu packed his verses with practice pointers and encouragements enticements and goads allusions to sutras and Chan stories." With Red Pines personal discovery in 1991 of the site of Stonehouses former hut this edition provides rare first-hand understanding of the spiritual and physical realm of Stonehouses era. "Every Zen student will wish to own a copy."-Jim Harrison "An admirable achievement!"-Burton Watson Red Pine is the pen name of Bill Porter. Translator of numerous classical Chinese texts he lives in Port Townsend Washington.