What do you think?
Rate this book
Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693
In 1633, at age eleven, Bankei Yotaku was banished from his family's home because of his consuming engagement with the Confucian texts that all schoolboys were required to copy and recite. Using a hut in the nearby hills, he wrote the word Shugyo-an, or "practice hermitage," on a plank of wood, propped it up beside the entrance, and settled down to devote himself to his own clarification of "bright virtue." He finally turned to Zen and, after fourteen years of incredible hardship, achieved a decisive enlightenment, whereupon the Rinzai priest traveled unceasingly to the temples and monasteries of Japan, sharing what he'd learned. "What I teach in these talks of mine is the Unborn Buddha-mind of illuminative wisdom, nothing else. Everyone is endowed with this Buddha-mind, only they don't know it." Casting aside the traditional aristocratic style of his contemporaries, he offered his teachings in the common language of the people. His style recalls the genius and simplicity of the great Chinese Zen masters of the T'ang dynasty. This revised and expanded edition contains many talks and dialogues not included in the original 1984 volume.
156 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2000
33 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 16, 2015
One of the greatest books on Zen. It is the teaching of the unborn mind. The master has gone through many hardships because he had been a foolhardy, and a very stubborn man. One day, while he was suffering from a severe lung disease, he thrown a black lump of size more than his two hands combined and suddenly he felt at ease, and then it dawned on him that what he was seeking was already been there always, within him. The Unborn. And thus began his teachings of the Unborn Mind.
The master was a very ordinary man, and in fact the book is very ordinary, and a real ordinary book is hard to find. This book is a gem!
P.S. The master was against 'to write a book'. He never wrote. Its the teachings noted down by his disciples (fortunately) that has been transferred to us.
The master was a very ordinary man, and in fact the book is very ordinary, and a real ordinary book is hard to find. This book is a gem!
P.S. The master was against 'to write a book'. He never wrote. Its the teachings noted down by his disciples (fortunately) that has been transferred to us.
December 11, 2017
When I read the anthology, /Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader/ it was plain as day that Bankei was the master I needed to seek out first. This book is the best collection of his teachings I’ve able to find. “All things are perfectly resolved in the Unborn” he declares and that mind, the Buddha-mind, is the ordinary mind we have right now and keep overlooking. Although Bankei himself endured years of grueling practice, he swears up and down he was wrong all along, that the truth is right here, if we would only listen and believe. He insists on using only the plainest language, no koans, no esoteric references, no blows with the stick -- and what results, even in translation, even 400 years later, is surely the most laid back and chatty book on Zen ever.
From page 92: “Basically, there’s not a thing wrong with you; it’s only that you let slight, inadvertent mistakes change the Buddha-mind into thought. A thief, for example, begins by pilfering only trifles. He find it a wonderfully convenient way of acquiring things. It doesn’t even require any capital. And so he advances beyond petty theft and becomes a highly accomplished robber. But finally, it becomes impossible to keep from being found out. He’s discovered, arrested, trussed up, and dealt with by the law. When this happens, and he’s brought out for punishment, he often forgets all about the offenses he has committed and becomes indignant and resentful toward the blameless officers of the law, reproaching them bitterly for being so hard on him. I’m sure you’ll agree that he’s greatly mistaken. What he has done is to turn his valuable Buddha-mind into the way of hungry ghosts or animals because of a small mistake.”
The humor! The warmth! It floors me. The fact that these teachings are all contraband somehow adds to the pleasure, at least for this reprobate. Because Bankei forbid that his teachings be transcribed or preserved. The teachings were only for that moment, those people, in a way that was entirely right, right then and there. Each moment deserves and requires a fresh response. As beautiful and true as that is, one can’t help but be grateful that there were a few disobedient monastic Max Brods in the audience! They were not wrong to regard these teachings as a treasure, though they were apparently almost forgotten for a century or more before being trumpeted by the great DT Suzuki.
Another example. Master Bankei says that giving up thinking is like giving up drinking. “It’s like a sake lover who has contracted an illness that forces him to give up drinking. He still thinks about it. Thoughts about having a few drinks still enter his mind whenever he has a chance to get his hands on some sake. But since he abstains from drinking it, his illness isn’t affected and he doesn’t get drunk. He stays away from it despite the thoughts that arise in his mind, and eventually he becomes a healthy man, cured of his illness. Illusory thoughts are no different. If you just let them come and let them go away, and don’t put them to work or try to avoid them, then one day you’ll discover that they’ve vanished completely into the inborn mind.”
Please excuse the following cynical note. We live in a time when teachings like these are being commoditized and monetized to an unimaginable degree. It is remarkable, the degree to which these teachings are in the vein, and even the style, of Eckhart Tolle set, et al. And I’m not saying all those folks are bad, only that this is much more wonderful and free of dross. And so I am waiting, with trepidation, for the neo-Advaitins, the Jeff Foster, Mooji, Gangaji crowd, to seize on this book, that is, if they still read books. It’s gonna happen, I swear to you. These teachings will be harder to hear and harder to love, once they are being quoted incessantly by hucksters. Quick! Get to Bankei before they do! Remain in the Unborn!
From page 92: “Basically, there’s not a thing wrong with you; it’s only that you let slight, inadvertent mistakes change the Buddha-mind into thought. A thief, for example, begins by pilfering only trifles. He find it a wonderfully convenient way of acquiring things. It doesn’t even require any capital. And so he advances beyond petty theft and becomes a highly accomplished robber. But finally, it becomes impossible to keep from being found out. He’s discovered, arrested, trussed up, and dealt with by the law. When this happens, and he’s brought out for punishment, he often forgets all about the offenses he has committed and becomes indignant and resentful toward the blameless officers of the law, reproaching them bitterly for being so hard on him. I’m sure you’ll agree that he’s greatly mistaken. What he has done is to turn his valuable Buddha-mind into the way of hungry ghosts or animals because of a small mistake.”
The humor! The warmth! It floors me. The fact that these teachings are all contraband somehow adds to the pleasure, at least for this reprobate. Because Bankei forbid that his teachings be transcribed or preserved. The teachings were only for that moment, those people, in a way that was entirely right, right then and there. Each moment deserves and requires a fresh response. As beautiful and true as that is, one can’t help but be grateful that there were a few disobedient monastic Max Brods in the audience! They were not wrong to regard these teachings as a treasure, though they were apparently almost forgotten for a century or more before being trumpeted by the great DT Suzuki.
Another example. Master Bankei says that giving up thinking is like giving up drinking. “It’s like a sake lover who has contracted an illness that forces him to give up drinking. He still thinks about it. Thoughts about having a few drinks still enter his mind whenever he has a chance to get his hands on some sake. But since he abstains from drinking it, his illness isn’t affected and he doesn’t get drunk. He stays away from it despite the thoughts that arise in his mind, and eventually he becomes a healthy man, cured of his illness. Illusory thoughts are no different. If you just let them come and let them go away, and don’t put them to work or try to avoid them, then one day you’ll discover that they’ve vanished completely into the inborn mind.”
Please excuse the following cynical note. We live in a time when teachings like these are being commoditized and monetized to an unimaginable degree. It is remarkable, the degree to which these teachings are in the vein, and even the style, of Eckhart Tolle set, et al. And I’m not saying all those folks are bad, only that this is much more wonderful and free of dross. And so I am waiting, with trepidation, for the neo-Advaitins, the Jeff Foster, Mooji, Gangaji crowd, to seize on this book, that is, if they still read books. It’s gonna happen, I swear to you. These teachings will be harder to hear and harder to love, once they are being quoted incessantly by hucksters. Quick! Get to Bankei before they do! Remain in the Unborn!
December 12, 2021
if you like this review i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com
180614: beautiful, concise, this work shows the practice of zen. there are no koans, no zazen, no sutras, no wisdom of patriarchs. there are no sticks, no discrimination by sex, by morals, by history of acts, there is only unborn/undying, only direct pointing to the Buddha-mind with which we are all born. there is truth of being unborn-undying. this is very zen, certainly shows the influence of daoism, of vernacular, of skillful means, of how something 220 years old is still worth reading. not the best first place to read on Buddhism, as with zen, there is much unsaid, much local, much historical and cultural, most westerners do not live. i know a bit of Buddhism, have read a few primary and secondary texts, but i do not claim enlightenment...
180614: beautiful, concise, this work shows the practice of zen. there are no koans, no zazen, no sutras, no wisdom of patriarchs. there are no sticks, no discrimination by sex, by morals, by history of acts, there is only unborn/undying, only direct pointing to the Buddha-mind with which we are all born. there is truth of being unborn-undying. this is very zen, certainly shows the influence of daoism, of vernacular, of skillful means, of how something 220 years old is still worth reading. not the best first place to read on Buddhism, as with zen, there is much unsaid, much local, much historical and cultural, most westerners do not live. i know a bit of Buddhism, have read a few primary and secondary texts, but i do not claim enlightenment...
August 24, 2008
Ahhh. To wait four hundred years to be opened. Alas, I wasn't in a hurry until now.
September 5, 2008
there is little to say except to look to the Unborn
December 30, 2024
A good reference on the straightforward Zen teachings of Bankei.
Bankei endured severe hardships, eventually damaging to his health, before arriving at his own understanding of Zen. He then taught others, achieving a massive congregation of followers, despite offering what seems to have been a very simple message: just live in the "Unborn". Although Bankei discouraged transcription of his teachings, some of his talks and conversations were recorded by his contemporaries. These have been translated and compiled for this volume by Norman Waddell.
Interesting extracts
On Zen teachers using formulaic "old tools" (p.65):
"What's worse, they tell practicers that unless they can raise a "great ball of doubt" and then break through it, there can't be any progress in Zen. Instead of teaching them to live by the unborn Buddha-mind, they start forcing them to raise this ball of doubt any way they can. People who don't have a doubt are now saddled with one. They've turned their Buddha-minds into "balls of doubt". It's absolutely wrong." (Teachings on Great Doubt go back to the Chinese Chan tradition, especially Nanyue (677-744), but also the more contemporary Boshan (1575-1630), translated in Great Doubt: Practicing Zen in the World. In Japan, teachings on Great Doubt are often associated with Hakuin (1686-1769).)
On the approach to achieving Buddha-mind (p.90):
"...I came to realize my Buddha-mind only after great hardship. But you can grasp your Buddha-minds very easily, right where you sit, without that long, punishing practice. That shows the relation that links you to Buddhahood is stronger then mine was. You're all very fortunate indeed.
A rather tolerant approach to violence (p.108-109):
"Sometimes, while spearheading an attack, a samurai will cut down an adversary by rushing in front of his master to shield him from danger. When it's done by a samurai, we don't regard such an act as murder. It would be if her were to kill someone from a selfish personal motive. In that case, his Buddha-mind is turned into a fighting spirit. Again, if they don't die for their lord when their duty calls for it, if they flee or retreat or show even a hint of what may be construed as cowardice, then their Buddha-mind is transformed into an animal. Now, birds and animals don't have human intelligence and can't tell right from wrong, so they have no conception of a sense of duty or doing what is right. They don't even think about such things. They only run from danger when it approaches and do their best to preserve their lives. So, for a samurai to forget his sense of duty and run shamefully from the midst of his comrades, instead of attacking the enemy, would make him no different from an animal."
On the benefits of practice (p.116);
"If the Buddha-mind is clearly realized, that is enough. You need do nothing else - no practice, no precepts, no zazen or koan study. Nothing like that. You'll be free from care, everything will be taken care of, just by being as you are."
At the same time, responding to a monk's question (p.144):
"A visiting monk: Is there any merit in doing zazen?
Bankei: You shouldn't have a dislike for zazen, just as you shouldn't avoid chanting sutras, bowing, or anything else of that kind. Tokusan wielded a staff. Rinzai shouted Khat! Gutei held up one finger. Bodhidharma sat facing a wall. Each was different, and yet all were measures used in response to an occasion present at a certain time."
Comments to a disciple who had experienced satori (p.154):
"It is easy to reach the place where you are now. To be free of doubt. To have no more questions. But the Dharma is unfathomably profound. The further you penetrate, the deeper it is. It's for that reason I have never in my life been able to bring myself to speak a few words and confirm great enlightenment in someone. I think about their future and the path that lies before them."
To another such disciple, Sonin (p.183)
Sonin: "You have always taught me that illusion and enlightenment do not exist. But viewing matters from where I stand today, I believe that even the great Zen masters of the past must have reached a time when they penetrated to enlightenment."
Bankei: "What this old priest tells you expresses the great matter just as it is itself, without defiling it, without smearing it with mud. There is a time and place when each person grasps it. That is the way it has always been, throughout the past and the present..."
Bankei endured severe hardships, eventually damaging to his health, before arriving at his own understanding of Zen. He then taught others, achieving a massive congregation of followers, despite offering what seems to have been a very simple message: just live in the "Unborn". Although Bankei discouraged transcription of his teachings, some of his talks and conversations were recorded by his contemporaries. These have been translated and compiled for this volume by Norman Waddell.
Interesting extracts
On Zen teachers using formulaic "old tools" (p.65):
"What's worse, they tell practicers that unless they can raise a "great ball of doubt" and then break through it, there can't be any progress in Zen. Instead of teaching them to live by the unborn Buddha-mind, they start forcing them to raise this ball of doubt any way they can. People who don't have a doubt are now saddled with one. They've turned their Buddha-minds into "balls of doubt". It's absolutely wrong." (Teachings on Great Doubt go back to the Chinese Chan tradition, especially Nanyue (677-744), but also the more contemporary Boshan (1575-1630), translated in Great Doubt: Practicing Zen in the World. In Japan, teachings on Great Doubt are often associated with Hakuin (1686-1769).)
On the approach to achieving Buddha-mind (p.90):
"...I came to realize my Buddha-mind only after great hardship. But you can grasp your Buddha-minds very easily, right where you sit, without that long, punishing practice. That shows the relation that links you to Buddhahood is stronger then mine was. You're all very fortunate indeed.
A rather tolerant approach to violence (p.108-109):
"Sometimes, while spearheading an attack, a samurai will cut down an adversary by rushing in front of his master to shield him from danger. When it's done by a samurai, we don't regard such an act as murder. It would be if her were to kill someone from a selfish personal motive. In that case, his Buddha-mind is turned into a fighting spirit. Again, if they don't die for their lord when their duty calls for it, if they flee or retreat or show even a hint of what may be construed as cowardice, then their Buddha-mind is transformed into an animal. Now, birds and animals don't have human intelligence and can't tell right from wrong, so they have no conception of a sense of duty or doing what is right. They don't even think about such things. They only run from danger when it approaches and do their best to preserve their lives. So, for a samurai to forget his sense of duty and run shamefully from the midst of his comrades, instead of attacking the enemy, would make him no different from an animal."
On the benefits of practice (p.116);
"If the Buddha-mind is clearly realized, that is enough. You need do nothing else - no practice, no precepts, no zazen or koan study. Nothing like that. You'll be free from care, everything will be taken care of, just by being as you are."
At the same time, responding to a monk's question (p.144):
"A visiting monk: Is there any merit in doing zazen?
Bankei: You shouldn't have a dislike for zazen, just as you shouldn't avoid chanting sutras, bowing, or anything else of that kind. Tokusan wielded a staff. Rinzai shouted Khat! Gutei held up one finger. Bodhidharma sat facing a wall. Each was different, and yet all were measures used in response to an occasion present at a certain time."
Comments to a disciple who had experienced satori (p.154):
"It is easy to reach the place where you are now. To be free of doubt. To have no more questions. But the Dharma is unfathomably profound. The further you penetrate, the deeper it is. It's for that reason I have never in my life been able to bring myself to speak a few words and confirm great enlightenment in someone. I think about their future and the path that lies before them."
To another such disciple, Sonin (p.183)
Sonin: "You have always taught me that illusion and enlightenment do not exist. But viewing matters from where I stand today, I believe that even the great Zen masters of the past must have reached a time when they penetrated to enlightenment."
Bankei: "What this old priest tells you expresses the great matter just as it is itself, without defiling it, without smearing it with mud. There is a time and place when each person grasps it. That is the way it has always been, throughout the past and the present..."
February 21, 2020
All the things are resolved in the Unborn” ~~Master Bankei
I am a fan of Buddhism and a bigger fan of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism has helped me connect with myself. In the process, I have evolved and grown as a person. Or rather, I should say that I am evolving each day, each minute and with each breath.
The Unborn – this book introduced me to an entirely new concept of Zen Buddhism. The Zen Master Bankei(1622-1693) preached about the concept of the Unborn. As you can make out, it is connected to the state before the birth. According to him, the human mind is enlightened when it is ‘unborn’. The Unborn is the origin of all the beginning of all. There is no source apart from the Unborn and no beginning that is before the Unborn. So being Unborn means dwelling at the very source of the Buddhas.
He came to this realisation and attained enlightenment when he was at the age of 26 years. He had to undergo great difficulties to attain it. He had put his body and mind through long years of struggle which had weakened him both mentally and physically. He stayed in hermitage for years together to find answers to the questions about life. And after fourteen years of incredible hardship, he had achieved a decisive enlightenment.
He also introduced the concept of ‘the undying’ along with the Unborn. In the words of Master Bankei, ‘there can be no death for what was never born, so if it is unborn, it is obviously undying.’ He urges the people to stay in the Unborn and not add to illusions. When the mind has illusions, it leaves the enlightened state.
A few more teachings of the Zen Master…
‘The Unborn Buddha-mind is where the Buddhas of the past all attained their realization and where future Buddhas will attain theirs.’
‘Not a single one of you people at this meeting is an enlightened. Right now you are all sitting before me as both of us. Each of you received the Buddha mind from your mothers when you were born and nothing else. This inherited Buddha mind is beyond any doubt unborn, with a marvellously bright illuminative wisdom.’
‘Your self-partiality is at the root of all your illusions. There aren’t any illusions when you don’t have this preference for yourself.’
The narration of the book is slow paced and that helps the reader to introspect and contemplate. If the reader chooses to, he/she gets enough time to soak in the teachings.
The translation is rather crude. It could have been better had the writer had in-depth knowledge about the Eastern religions and philosophies. As a result, there are places where the Zen Master comes across as boastful and self-centered. This goes against the essence of Buddhism. I have read many books translated by the people from the west on these topics and do justice to the content. It would have made the teachings far more impactful, had the translation been any better.
I am a fan of Buddhism and a bigger fan of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism has helped me connect with myself. In the process, I have evolved and grown as a person. Or rather, I should say that I am evolving each day, each minute and with each breath.
The Unborn – this book introduced me to an entirely new concept of Zen Buddhism. The Zen Master Bankei(1622-1693) preached about the concept of the Unborn. As you can make out, it is connected to the state before the birth. According to him, the human mind is enlightened when it is ‘unborn’. The Unborn is the origin of all the beginning of all. There is no source apart from the Unborn and no beginning that is before the Unborn. So being Unborn means dwelling at the very source of the Buddhas.
He came to this realisation and attained enlightenment when he was at the age of 26 years. He had to undergo great difficulties to attain it. He had put his body and mind through long years of struggle which had weakened him both mentally and physically. He stayed in hermitage for years together to find answers to the questions about life. And after fourteen years of incredible hardship, he had achieved a decisive enlightenment.
He also introduced the concept of ‘the undying’ along with the Unborn. In the words of Master Bankei, ‘there can be no death for what was never born, so if it is unborn, it is obviously undying.’ He urges the people to stay in the Unborn and not add to illusions. When the mind has illusions, it leaves the enlightened state.
A few more teachings of the Zen Master…
‘The Unborn Buddha-mind is where the Buddhas of the past all attained their realization and where future Buddhas will attain theirs.’
‘Not a single one of you people at this meeting is an enlightened. Right now you are all sitting before me as both of us. Each of you received the Buddha mind from your mothers when you were born and nothing else. This inherited Buddha mind is beyond any doubt unborn, with a marvellously bright illuminative wisdom.’
‘Your self-partiality is at the root of all your illusions. There aren’t any illusions when you don’t have this preference for yourself.’
The narration of the book is slow paced and that helps the reader to introspect and contemplate. If the reader chooses to, he/she gets enough time to soak in the teachings.
The translation is rather crude. It could have been better had the writer had in-depth knowledge about the Eastern religions and philosophies. As a result, there are places where the Zen Master comes across as boastful and self-centered. This goes against the essence of Buddhism. I have read many books translated by the people from the west on these topics and do justice to the content. It would have made the teachings far more impactful, had the translation been any better.
June 14, 2021
Bankei is a key teacher in the Rinzai Zen tradition.
This book is basically divided into these parts, all by different authors:
- Intro, life story
- Dharma Talks (Sermons)
- Dialogs, Q&A
- Unnecessary Words
I wasn't terribly impressed with the Dharma talks. It seemed like Bankei hectored his audiences. And his explanation of the Unborn would not seem too impressive to modern audiences versed in psychology who would probably want a more subtle explanation of the Unborn.
But things picked up in the Dialogs, where a more sensitive teacher is revealed. His insights are striking and the concept of the Unborn becomes rich indeed.
With "Unnecessary Words", Bankei becomes almost a magical figure with powers to know peoples background and destiny. A single sentence from Bankei changes the life course of those who speak to him.
So it got better as it went along.
This book is basically divided into these parts, all by different authors:
- Intro, life story
- Dharma Talks (Sermons)
- Dialogs, Q&A
- Unnecessary Words
I wasn't terribly impressed with the Dharma talks. It seemed like Bankei hectored his audiences. And his explanation of the Unborn would not seem too impressive to modern audiences versed in psychology who would probably want a more subtle explanation of the Unborn.
But things picked up in the Dialogs, where a more sensitive teacher is revealed. His insights are striking and the concept of the Unborn becomes rich indeed.
With "Unnecessary Words", Bankei becomes almost a magical figure with powers to know peoples background and destiny. A single sentence from Bankei changes the life course of those who speak to him.
So it got better as it went along.
September 11, 2021
This may be my own cynicism regarding religion / spirituality, but I could not stomach this work. Zen Master Bankei is the epitome of a pretentious preacher, almost at cult-level. Most of his “teachings” are cryptic, with particular emphasis on why one should listen to him. He is incredibly narcissistic, using multiple anecdotes from his past as reason for his supposed enlightenment (and why people should trust him).
Unless you want to buy in to the ramblings of a man so obsessed with himself that he believed everyone enlightened (which, in itself, is not a terrible message, but spoiler: he speaks this in circles for ~200 pages), save yourself the trouble and do not read this.
Unless you want to buy in to the ramblings of a man so obsessed with himself that he believed everyone enlightened (which, in itself, is not a terrible message, but spoiler: he speaks this in circles for ~200 pages), save yourself the trouble and do not read this.
January 1, 2021
Referred by Alan Watts.
Bankei is an important chester in Zen history and his style is very unique.
Unborn mind, buddha mind it is.
The book has three sections: (1) Bankei's sermons. This is where you really learn about unborn mind. However it gets s little repetitive because Bankei uses the same way and metaphors to explain it.
(2) The Dialogues and (3) Unnecessary Words: I liked these a lot because most of them are like little stories.
Bankei is an important chester in Zen history and his style is very unique.
Unborn mind, buddha mind it is.
The book has three sections: (1) Bankei's sermons. This is where you really learn about unborn mind. However it gets s little repetitive because Bankei uses the same way and metaphors to explain it.
(2) The Dialogues and (3) Unnecessary Words: I liked these a lot because most of them are like little stories.
May 30, 2021
Simply a confounding book that screams for you to read it again if you did not understand. If you don't read this book again forthwith, it will hit you with a staff. Then again, if you do read it again, the book might still hit you with a staff.
December 27, 2021
Hard book to review. You can see Bankei as pompous I-know-it-all type character or you can enjoy some good stuff which can be found from here and there. I leaned more to the latter but did roll my eyes every now and then. Some sections of the book were definitely more interesting than the others.
July 11, 2018
If one comments on this, who is there to hear it? Self-explanatory as the wind or the sun. If there is one teaching on awakening to be read, this would be it.
August 30, 2021
Įdomus Zen kampas ir pačio Bankei biografinės detalės. Trumpai, glaustai.
March 10, 2022
How might Bankei review this book of Dharma?
I think he'd leave it blank
0
I think he'd leave it blank
0
February 27, 2024
Inspiring 👏🌟
March 10, 2024
So you won’t find me saying anything about either the “Buddha Dharma” or the “Zen Dharma.” I don’t have to, when I can clear everything up for you by commenting directly on you and your personal concerns right here and now. I’ve no reason to preach about “Buddhism” or “Zen.”
This book provides us with a taste of Bankei's style. While many Zen masters are well-versed in the sutras and quote or allude to them in their teachings, Bankei eschews the sutras entirely and favors direct comments in common and informal speech, using everyday Japanese rather than the more formal Chinese. This is a bit refreshing relative to the indirection and metaphor often seen.
However, while the dialogues speak much about the Unborn, little is recorded on the transmission of the Unborn. The essence of Zen lies in the transmission of Buddha-mind. In this book, we get the style of Bankei, but not his essence.
Bankei: You don’t know yet about your unborn Buddha-mind and its illuminative wisdom, so I’ll tell you about it. That will take care of everything. Pay careful attention.
Bankei then taught him about the Unborn. The monk was completely convinced. He is said to have developed into an exceptional priest.
March 31, 2025
Well, it's good to hear we can cross the river now, and that the river never was there in the first place. Seems guys like the Buddha and Jesus taught this same kinda stuff way back when. So, rather than struggle in the samsara rapids for millions of years and, maybe, just maybe, never get over to the other shore at all, we can give our rafts away and just let our eyes open here? Hooray! What a relief!
Still, dust seems to cling to our eyes. But that doesn't mean that is how it has to be, says Bankei. Maybe his approach does not sell very well - not complicated-sounding... esoteric-sounding... .
Highly recommend! But if one is looking for a course in spiritual gymnastics, Bankei is not that kinda teacher. His teaching is a deflation to any aspiration to get a spiritual high or get caught in scriptures and rituals and sit down-shut up-and-don't-move meditation. Enjoy!
Still, dust seems to cling to our eyes. But that doesn't mean that is how it has to be, says Bankei. Maybe his approach does not sell very well - not complicated-sounding... esoteric-sounding... .
Highly recommend! But if one is looking for a course in spiritual gymnastics, Bankei is not that kinda teacher. His teaching is a deflation to any aspiration to get a spiritual high or get caught in scriptures and rituals and sit down-shut up-and-don't-move meditation. Enjoy!
September 2, 2013
Literally the first book of Zen I've found that I HATE. Sure, the meditations on the Unborn have something going for them, but Bankei is uncannily reminiscent of every other religious hack and charlatan I've had the displeasure to interact with. A few simple noun substitutions and he'd be right at home among the conservative preachers of my youth. Really, really awful. Perfectly harmless mediocre religious preacher, I guess; but it is a certain kind of nauseating to read the hagiography of a hack.
May 12, 2013
The root of the beautiful lotus flower is hidden deep into the mud. Just follow the stalk down to it's source and you will see the bright jewel, shining there unstained.
November 2, 2024
Bankei is my fave Zen master, a radical rebellious rascal.
Can I consider him my teacher? At times I think this all one needs. And it's all in only 2 books (this & Haskell's).
Can I consider him my teacher? At times I think this all one needs. And it's all in only 2 books (this & Haskell's).
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews