The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts

This volume examines a rich variety of texts in various genres that are crucial to an understanding of the history and thought of the Zen (C. Chan) Buddhist tradition in East Asia. These texts form a major part of the Zen canon, the acknowledged core of Zen Buddhist sacred literature.Zen represents one of the high points in Chinese and Buddhist literary culture, producing by far the most voluminous and important canon of sacred texts in East Asia. Beginning in the late Tang dynasty and continuing for centuries in China, as well as in Kamakura through Tokugawa Japan, Zen writers have produced an unparalleled volume of texts in a wide variety of genres. These sacred texts define the tradition of Zen in such a way that understanding them is fundamental to any acquaintance with this form of Buddhism.

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Chinese Mythology

Myths contain strong influences from Chinese folk religion, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Chinese folk religion, the oldest of the four, pays homage to ancestors who watch from afar and guide the lives of those still living on earth.

* In the fifth century B.C., the philosopher Confucius introduced his ideas, which stressed fulfilling obligations and maintaining proper conduct. Although Confucianism is not a religion, its influence is deeply ingrained in Chinese ideas about behavior and government.
* Between 600–300 B.C. Taoism emerged. At first, it was a philosophy that encouraged people to seek harmony with the Tao, or the Way, a nature force. Later, it evolved into a religious system involving many gods, goddesses, spirits, ghosts, demons, magical powers, and the quest for immortality.
* In A.D. 67 Buddhism was introduced to China from India. It contributed two powerful religious and mythical figures: the Buddha, a real, historical person who later became a divinity, and Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy. It also introduced the concept of reincarnation, the idea that a person may be reborn into another life.

Irene Dea Collier, Chinese Mythology
Enslow Publishers | ISBN 0766014126 | 2001 | PDF | 2.7 MB | 129 pages

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Classic Asian Philosophy: A Guide to the Essential Texts

Classic Asian Philosophy: A Guide to the Essential Texts
In recent years, Asian philosophies have captured increasing attention in the West, setting off a profusion of new translations of classic Asian philosophical texts like the Analects and the Tao te Ching. Yet these texts are often inaccessible to Western readers because of subtleties of the concepts and other difficulties inherent in reading across cultures.
Classic Asian Philosophy is designed to give someone new to Asian philosophy a clear sense of its most foundational and widely available texts, ranging from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita through Confucius to Zen. It presents philosophies that are at the roots of the cultures of India, China, Korea, and Japan, as well as other countries of south and east Asia. Each chapter brings a classic text to life, conveying the vitality and appeal of the work, while at the same time explaining its philosophical roots and the reasons for the positions it takes. The only book of its kind, Classic Asian Philosophy is an highly accessible guide to philosophy and culture, as well as a guide to further reading.

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Empty Mind

My Thanks to Shan for this Interesting Documentary.

Empty Mind
Two years in the making - a small dedicated film crew, all black belt martial artists themselves, traveled throughout Japan and China to film today's great masters of the martial arts. We are invited into never before seen training halls and dojos to film unrestricted while the master teaches his students. In-depth interviews reveal the mind-set of a master who has spent over 50 years perfecting his art. This is not the mind that we know in the West - in the East it The Empty Mind or No Mind. Includes Shaolin KungFu, Beijing WuShu, Wudang TaiChi, Shotokan Karate, Aikido, Kyudo and Kendo... and more.

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