Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization

by Meido Moore

Discover hidden practices, secretly transmitted in authentic Zen lineages, of using body, speech, and mind to remove obstructions to awakening.Though Zen is best known for the practices of koan introspection and "just sitting" or shikantaza, there are in fact many other practices transmitted in Zen lineages. In modern practice settings, students will find that Bodhidharma's words "direct pointing at the human mind" are little mentioned, or else taken to be simply a general descriptor of Zen rather than a crucial activity within Zen practice. Reversing this trend toward homogeneous and superficial understandings of Zen technique, Hidden Zen presents a diverse collection of practice instructions that are transmitted orally from teacher to student, unlocking a comprehensive path of awakening.This book reveals and details, for the first time, a treasury of "direct pointing" and internal energy cultivation practices preserved in the Rinzai Zen tradition. The twenty-eight practices of direct pointing offered here illuminate one's innate clarity and, ultimately, the nature of mind itself. Over a dozen practices of internal energetic cultivation galvanize dramatic effects on the depth of one's meditative attainment. Hidden Zen affords a small taste of the richness of authentic Zen, helping readers grow beyond the bounds of introspection and sitting to find awakening itself.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Nonfiction, Spirituality

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2020

About the author

MEIDO MOORE (1968) is the abbot of Korinji Rinzai Zen monastery near Madison, Wisconsin, and guiding teacher of the Korinji Rinzai Zen Community.

Meido Roshi grew up in New Jersey, attending Rutgers University and the Antioch Buddhist studies program in Bodh Gaya, India. He began Zen training in 1988, and after graduating with a degree in religious studies practiced under three Rinzai Zen teachers in the line of the great master Omori Sogen Roshi: the late Tenzan Toyoda Rokoji (dharma heir of Tenshin Tanouye Roshi of Chozen-ji) in whose training hall he resided for seven years while also enduring a severe training in traditional martial arts; Dogen Hosokawa Roshi (former abbot of Chozen-ji and the primary dharma heir of Omori Roshi) with whom he trained for fifteen years; and So'zan Miller Roshi (Hosokawa Roshi's heir and abbot of Daiyuzeni in Chicago) with whom he trained for three years. He has completed the koan curriculum of this lineage, and in 2008 received inka shomei or "mind seal": recognition as a lineage holder able to transmit the full range of Rinzai Zen practices. He is one of few Westerners so certified.

Aside from Zen, Meido Roshi is also ordained in the Mt. Koshikidake tradition of Shugendo. Before his ordination he was for many years a professional martial art teacher.

Meido Roshi is the author of The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice (Shambhala Publications, 2018) and Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization (Shambhala Publications, 2020).

Korinji TV, a collection of online instructional videos and dharma talks featuring Meido Roshi, can be accessed at www.patreon.com/korinji

Reviews

[TRior · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its always best to read Buddhist books that are at least a few hundred years old and have stood the test of time. Don't even think about wanting something more...accessible. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, Mud and Water by Master Bassui and the Zen teaching of Huang-Po are three of the best. Branches get more attention because they are lively and visible...but we must always seek the roots.

[Kc · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rubbish

[Jim Tabor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful resource for practices other than zazen and chanting to bring samadhi alive in your practice. Meido Roshi's book is full of easy to digest instructions along with pictures to help readers understand and practice the "hidden" methods found within the rich Rinzai Zen forms. A must have book for anyone wanting to bring their practice to life within every waking moment of the day.

[Matthias Grimm]

Is the any oppotunity to get this book (Hidden Zen) both kindle and print? / KDP kindle direct publishing / Wound be nice / Regards Mat Grimm, Berlin