Zen Flesh Zen Bones A Collection and Pre-Zen Writings

Creative and imaginative recollections and stories from Zen and pre-Zen literature

„It has stayed with me for the last 30 years, a classic portraying Zen mind to our linear thinking.“ –Phil Jackson, Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls and author of Sacred Hoops

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones offers a collection of accessible, primary Zen sources so that readers can contemplate the meaning of Zen for themselves. Within the pages, readers will find:

101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries
The Gateless Gate, the famous thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans
Ten Bulls, a twelfth century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment
Centering, a 4,000 year-old teaching from India that some consider to be the roots of Zen.

When Zen Flesh, Zen Bones was published in 1957, it became an instant sensation with an entire generation of readers who were just beginning to experiment with Zen. Over the years it has inspired leading American Zen teachers, students, and practitioners. Its popularity is as high today as ever.