The Institute For Zen Studies

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Publications, etc.

English Books

  • Zen Master Hakuin's Song of Zazen

    Zen Master Hakuin's Song of Zazen

    This book is an English translation of the famous book "Zazen Wasan Kowa (坐禅和讃講話)" (1962, published by Shunjusha Publishing Co., Ltd.) by Mumon Yamada.
  • The Rinzai Zen Handbook

    The Rinzai Zen Handbook

    The Rinzai Zen Handbook is a translation of the Japanese Rinzai Zen Handobukku 臨済禅ハンドブック (2018), a short textbook on the Japanese Rinzai School of Zen Buddhism intended for use by the Myōshin-ji clergy.
  • Entangling Vines -Zen Koans of the Shūmon Kattōshū-

    Entangling Vines -Zen Koans of the Shūmon Kattōshū

    Entangling Vines is the English translation of the Shūmon Kattōshū, one of the four major koan texts used in Japanese Rinzai Zen monasteries. Containing 282 koans with extensive annotation, the collection is indispensable for anyone engaged in traditional Rinzai koan training.
  • The Faces and Infinite Presence of D T Suzuki:  An Album of Photographs from His Final Years

    The Faces and Infinite Presence of D. T. Suzuki: An Album of Photographs from His Final Years

    A collection of photographs of D.T. Suzuki during his final fifteen years, from the ages of 81 to 96. Most are cherished snapshots taken by Mihoko Okamura, Suzuki’s personal secretary during that period. Ueda Shizuteru, professor emeritus of philosophy at Kyoto University, provides commentary and introductory material. The book is the first published album of Suzuki photographs. English captions.
  • Dialogues in a Dream  -Muchū Mondō

    Dialogues in a Dream -Muchū Mondō

    The first complete English translation of the Muchū Mondō, by the Japanese Zen master Musō Soseki. Ninety-three relatively short chapters written for lay believers discuss a variety of topics, ranging from the meaning of ritual, compassion, and enlightenment to the significance of landscape gardens in the practice of the Way.
  • How to do ZAZEN

    How to do ZAZEN

    A detailed introduction to the practice of Rinzai Zen meditation, by Harada Shōdō Roshi, master of Sōgen-ji in Okayama.
  • DVD Ginkaku-ji: At the Foot of “Moon-Waiting Mountain”

    DVD Ginkaku-ji: At the Foot of “Moon-Waiting Mountain”

    Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavillion) was built by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa after his retirement to a life of peaceful seclusion, following the example of his grandfather Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, founder of the Golden Pavillion. The Silver Pavillion displays the elegant simplicity representative of the Zen-inspired culture known as Higashiyama bunka (East Mountain culture).
  • DVD Tofuku-ji:  “A Path across the Heavens”

    DVD Tofuku-ji: “A Path across the Heavens”

    Tofuku-ji, a major temple complex associated with Rinzai Zen Buddhism, is located at the foot of the East Mountains on the southeast outskirts of Kyoto. It is renowned for its majestic wooden architecture, fresh spring foliage, and spectacular autumn colors. During the late fall months the area of the Tsutenkyo (Crossing to Heaven Bridge) is especially popular with sightseers.
  • DVD Tenryu-ji:

    DVD Tenryu-ji: "In gardens there is neither gain nor loss"

    The Tenryu-ji garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the oldest strolling-style pond garden in Japan. Centering on the Sogen-chi Pond and using the surrounding Arashiyama mountains as “borrowed scenery,” the garden harmoniously combines the Zen-influenced landscaping of Muso Soseki with elements of the original Heian-era palace garden.
  • DVD Kinkaku-ji:

    DVD Kinkaku-ji: "The golden phoenix dances through the seasons"

    The garden of Kinkaku-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, centers on Kyoko-chi Pond, with its scenic design featuring pine-clad islands and picturesque rocks (many of them gifts from feudal lords in other parts of Japan). With Mount Igasa providing “borrowed scenery” in the background, the Kinkaku-ji garden represents one of the finest examples of Muromachi landscape design.
  • ZEN GUIDE

    ZEN GUIDE

    Provides information on over 150 Japanese Zen temples and Zen training centers, with the authors’ descriptions and evaluations.
  • The Record of LIN-CHI

    The Record of LIN-CHI

    Ruth Fuller Sasaki’s complete English translation of the central classic of Rinzai Zen.

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