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The Record of Transmitting the Light: Zen Master Keizan's Denkoroku
The Record of Transmitting the Light traces the inheritance of the Buddha's enlightenment through successive Buddhist masters. Written by a seminal figure in the Japanese Zen tradition, its significance as an historical and religious document is unquestionable. And ultimately, The Record of Transmitting the Light serves as a testament to our own capacity to awaken to a life of freedom, wisdom, and compassion.
Readers of Zen will also find the introduction and translation by Francis Dojun Cook, the scholar whose insights brought Zen Master Dogen to life in How to Raise an Ox , of great value.
Readers of Zen will also find the introduction and translation by Francis Dojun Cook, the scholar whose insights brought Zen Master Dogen to life in How to Raise an Ox , of great value.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1991
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May 12, 2023
An amazing and engaging book. All the more so because I knew nothing about it before it was assigned. Keizan's Denkoroku was studied only in Soto-Zen temples up until the mid-19th Century.
Keizan was the 4th Japanese Soto-Zen ancestor. His Denkoroku is a record of the first 52 ancestors, from Shakyamui to the 2d Japanese ancestor, following the spread of Buddhism and the development of Zen practice from India to China to Japan. Keizan is regarded as second only to Dogen among the Japanese ancestors, and he is credited with reorganizing and strengthening Soto-Zen after Dogen's death.
Originally given as dharma talks to monks at Soji-ji begining in 1300, the Denkoroku covers each ancestor in chapters that are broken into four parts:
- Case: A paragraph that recounts the master's awakening. These are often examined as koans.
- Circumstances: A longer section on the history, or legends, surrounding the master. The records for the earlier Indian masters can be quite fantastical. But, the later Chinese records, and particularly the two Japanese records, are more historically based.
- Teisho: This is Keizan's commentary on the case and the master. Each of these is extraordinarily insightful.
- Verse: A poem that reflects on the Case and Teisho.
Cook's translation includes annotations and interpolations that aid modern readers, even if there were times I wished that he had done more. Some of the sections can be difficult to parse, particularly when a master has multiple names, when one is referred to as master when two are present, and for ambiguous pronouns. But, I found that this just encouraged a closer reading as I went back over a section to determine who was who and what "It" referred to (even if I occasionally went to Wikipedia for more context).
Keizan was the 4th Japanese Soto-Zen ancestor. His Denkoroku is a record of the first 52 ancestors, from Shakyamui to the 2d Japanese ancestor, following the spread of Buddhism and the development of Zen practice from India to China to Japan. Keizan is regarded as second only to Dogen among the Japanese ancestors, and he is credited with reorganizing and strengthening Soto-Zen after Dogen's death.
Originally given as dharma talks to monks at Soji-ji begining in 1300, the Denkoroku covers each ancestor in chapters that are broken into four parts:
- Case: A paragraph that recounts the master's awakening. These are often examined as koans.
- Circumstances: A longer section on the history, or legends, surrounding the master. The records for the earlier Indian masters can be quite fantastical. But, the later Chinese records, and particularly the two Japanese records, are more historically based.
- Teisho: This is Keizan's commentary on the case and the master. Each of these is extraordinarily insightful.
- Verse: A poem that reflects on the Case and Teisho.
Cook's translation includes annotations and interpolations that aid modern readers, even if there were times I wished that he had done more. Some of the sections can be difficult to parse, particularly when a master has multiple names, when one is referred to as master when two are present, and for ambiguous pronouns. But, I found that this just encouraged a closer reading as I went back over a section to determine who was who and what "It" referred to (even if I occasionally went to Wikipedia for more context).
Displaying 1 of 1 review