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Tibetan Zen: Discovering a Lost Tradition
A groundbreaking study of the lost tradition of Tibetan Zen containing the first translations of key texts from one thousand years ago.
Banned in Tibet, forgotten in China, the Tibetan tradition of Zen was almost completely lost to us. According to Tibetan histories, Zen teachers were invited to Tibet from China in the 8th century, at the height of the Tibetan Empire. When doctrinal disagreements developed between Indian and Chinese Buddhists at the Tibetan court, the Tibetan emperor called for a formal debate. When the debate resulted in a decisive win by the Indian side, the Zen teachers were sent back to China, and Zen was gradually forgotten in Tibet. This picture changed at the beginning of the 20th century with the discovery in Dunhuang (in Chinese Central Asia) of a sealed cave full of manuscripts in various languages dating from the first millennium CE. The Tibetan manuscripts, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, are the earliest surviving examples of Tibetan Buddhism. Among them are around 40 manuscripts containing original Tibetan Zen teachings.
This book translates the key texts of Tibetan Zen preserved in Dunhuang. The book is divided into ten sections, each containing a translation of a Zen text illuminating a different aspect of the tradition, with brief introductions discussing the roles of ritual, debate, lineage, and meditation in the early Zen tradition. Van Schaik not only presents the texts but also explains how they were embedded in actual practices by those who used them.
Banned in Tibet, forgotten in China, the Tibetan tradition of Zen was almost completely lost to us. According to Tibetan histories, Zen teachers were invited to Tibet from China in the 8th century, at the height of the Tibetan Empire. When doctrinal disagreements developed between Indian and Chinese Buddhists at the Tibetan court, the Tibetan emperor called for a formal debate. When the debate resulted in a decisive win by the Indian side, the Zen teachers were sent back to China, and Zen was gradually forgotten in Tibet. This picture changed at the beginning of the 20th century with the discovery in Dunhuang (in Chinese Central Asia) of a sealed cave full of manuscripts in various languages dating from the first millennium CE. The Tibetan manuscripts, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, are the earliest surviving examples of Tibetan Buddhism. Among them are around 40 manuscripts containing original Tibetan Zen teachings.
This book translates the key texts of Tibetan Zen preserved in Dunhuang. The book is divided into ten sections, each containing a translation of a Zen text illuminating a different aspect of the tradition, with brief introductions discussing the roles of ritual, debate, lineage, and meditation in the early Zen tradition. Van Schaik not only presents the texts but also explains how they were embedded in actual practices by those who used them.
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 27, 2016
This was a fascinating book. I love the format, the read-ability, and the informative feel to it. I am pleased to own this book and really have a sense that I understand more about Tibetan Zen and its tradition.
January 4, 2025
Interesting book that translates some of the ‘hidden scrolls’ that give examples of the history of Buddhism in Tibet. The commentary is long winded, boring, and overly academic.
The translated texts are interesting but not ground breaking. Some of the authors assumptions seem incorrect to me in a historical context, others are interesting and expanded by knowledge of the history of Buddhism as well as Tibet.
Would not recommend.
The translated texts are interesting but not ground breaking. Some of the authors assumptions seem incorrect to me in a historical context, others are interesting and expanded by knowledge of the history of Buddhism as well as Tibet.
Would not recommend.
October 20, 2018
It seemed masterful.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews