Journal of Buddhist Ethics
ISSN 1076-9005
http://www.buddhistethics.org/Zen Sand: The Book ofCapping Phrases for Kōan Practive
Reviewed by Jiang Wu
The University of Arizona
Email: jiangwu@email.arizona.edu

Copyright Notice: Digital copies of this work may be made anddistributed provided no change is made and no alteration ismade to the content. Reproduction in any other format, withthe exception of a single copy for private study, requires thewritten permission of the author. All enquiries to:d.keown@gold.ac.uk

Review of Zen Sand: The Book ofCapping Phrases for Kōan PracticeJiang Wu*

Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Kōan Practice.
Compiled, translated, and annotated by Victor Sōgen Hori.
Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2003, 764 pages, ISBN:
0-8248-2284-6 (cloth)Contemporary Rinzai Zen practice is characterized by kōan study, which
originated in Song China. Little is known, however, of the use of so-called
capping phrases (jakugo or agyo)—phrases used to induce an enlightenment
experience within a rigorous curriculum of kōan studies. Since thethirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Japanese Zen monks have collectedmany such phrases and compiled them into various notebooks to aid
students searching for appropriate capping phrases in response to theirmaster's questions. Such phrase books remain popular in Rinzai training
and have been frequently updated.

*Department of East Asian Studies, The University of Arizona.
Email: jiangwu@email.arizona.edu

Wu, Review of Zen Sand2

Victor Sōgen Hori's Zen Sand is a recent attempt to introduce thecontemporary Japanese Rinzai kōan tradition to a Western audience. In thismonumental work, Hori creates the most comprehensive handbook ofcapping phrases existent in English. Not only does he provide elegant
translations for hundreds of phrases, he also offers a thorough introduction
to the history of the kōan tradition. In addition, he proposes a new
hypothesis about the origins of kōan practice in China. To give Hori's work afair evaluation, I will examine three aspects of Zen Sand: first, theintroductory material that focuses on historical issues surrounding kōan
practice; second, the translations; third, the potential uses of this handbookin both academia and faith communities.
Hori begins his project with a lengthy introduction, which includes sixsections. Topics range from the discussion of the nature of capping phrases
to the procedure and history of the practice. No doubt, this part provides
much needed information for students who are not familiar with thetradition. My impression is that Hori actually creates two layers ofdiscourse: one a normative definition of the nature of capping phrases basedon his personal experience as a Zen monk; the other an academic discussionthat offers insights about the origin of kōan practice.
From the perspective of a Zen practitioner who studied in Rinzai
monasteries for many years, Hori emphasizes the religious nature of thispractice. As he claims, "Koan is not a text to be studied for its meaning as
one would study an essay or a poem, but rather an existential explosive
device with language merely serving as the fuse." (p. 8) In so doing, heopposes a scholarly opinion that regards kōan as a kind of "scripturalexegesis." (According to Hori, Robert Sharf represents this view inparticular.) In addition, for Hori, to argue that a religious practice like kōan
study was manufactured or manipulated for ideological purposes does notnegate the fact that deep personal experience in the practice determines its
meaning. Such kind of private experience defies linguistic expression. (Thisis why this book is titled Zen Sand, meaning that the ineffable truth of Zen
has to be "mixed with the sand of language.") In the first section, Hori

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largely engages in refuting this kind of scholarly argument. He also explains
the five-fold division of kōan practice in contemporary Rinzai monasteries,
which follow either Inzan Ien's or Takujū Kosen's tradition. (see pp. 16-30)
The rest of the introduction offers a much more rigorous academic
analysis. As Hori correctly points out, kōan practice as it is today contains asignificant component of literary study based on Chinese cultural heritage.
Capping phrases are largely gleaned from various Chinese literary classics,
Buddhist scriptures, or even colloquial expressions such as street songs(occasionally Japanese verses). To ensure understanding of an assigned kōan,
students are often required to compose "written analysis" (kakiwake) or"written rationale" to expound the meaning of the kōan. In addition, astudent should compose the so-called "deft play" (nenrō) in short verses todemonstrate that he is capable of handling the kōan "playfully." In thissense, kōan practice is more like a rigorous curriculum of Chinese literary
study. Obviously, it behooves us to explain such an intensive concentration
on literary skills in kōan practice. Up to now, scholars have not yet figuredout the historical specifics of how this literary tradition was brought intoZen training.
Here Hori offers a seminal hypothesis that merits further explorationfrom the perspective of Chinese literature. He notices that kōan practice
shares a great deal of family resemblance with certain Chinese literarygames, which involve elements such as competition, spontaneity, and evenmind-to-mind transmission. All these elements, according to Hori, can befound in kōan practice. For example, in a typical game, the first playercomposes the first line or simply singles out a line from a famous poem. Thesecond player is required to come up with the second line with the same
rhythm and a parallel structure. A successful couplet or poem generated insuch a game must not only follow the strict structural rules of poetrymaking, the imagery or deeper meaning of each line must also form a unityand correspond to the others perfectly. In kōan practice, similar
characteristics can be identified.

Wu, Review of Zen Sand

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The crucial link Hori considers is the analogical thinking prevalent in
Chinese literature. In a similar way, Zen kōan use particular allusions todraw analogies with ultimate Zen teachings. To solve a kōan, a student
should be able to identify the analogy contained in the kōan. Of course, forHori, to make the kōan intelligible by analogy is not the ultimate
understanding because as a religious practice, the awakening experiencemust be involved.
In sum, Hori does an admirable job introducing readers to the practiceof capping phrases. While Hori's personal experience as a Zen monk adds a
special dimension to the subject, it does feel at times as though the twolayers of discourse do not merge very well. For instance, while emphasizing
the religious nature of kōan practice, Hori appears to undermine thisassertion when he later hypothesizes on the connection between cappingphrases and literary games giving readers an impression that kōan practice
is more secular than otherwise.
Let us now turn to the section that forms the bulk of this book, thetranslations. Before Hori, there have been sporadic efforts to translate thesecapping phrases, for instance, Ruth Fuller Sasaki's Zen Dust (210 phrases),
Shigematsu Sōku's A Zen Forest (1,234 verses), and Robert E. Lewis's The Bookof the Zen Grove (631 verses). Hori's translation, while assimilating the meritsof the previous translations, definitely surpasses the previous efforts inmany ways. First, the scope of the selection is amazingly large. Based on thecollections of capping phrases contained in two modern Japanese editions:Shibayama Zenkei's Zenrin Kushū and Tsuchiya Etsudō's Shinsan zengoshū,Hori translates a total of 4,022 phrases—making this work by far and away
the most comprehensive capping phrase collection in English. Second, thearrangement and the format make for easy access. Following traditional
phrase books in Japanese, all phrases are arranged according to the number
sequence of Chinese characters. Moreover, each entry has been given an
identification number for easy search. Both Chinese characters and Japanesereadings are provided and followed by English translations. Special terms
appearing in the glossary are marked. (The glossary contains useful5

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explanations of Chinese allusions and people’s names.) Each entry is also
cross-referenced with similar ones in popular Japanese phrase books anddictionaries. The author has done his best to help readers overcome thelanguage barrier while providing adequate references for scholars andadvanced students. Third, the quality of Hori's translation makes the book a
joyful reading. Hori's translations are thoughtful, straightforward, andelegant.
Finally, I would like to briefly discuss the potential use of Zen Sand in
Buddhist communities and the academic world. Obviously, as a Zen
practitioner, Hori intends his book to be helpful in spiritual exercise.
Although I may not be the right person to evaluate its potential for use inZen meditation halls in America, I do have some reservations due to the fact
that, as Hori hints, the use of capping phrases has been deeply influenced by
Chinese literary tradition. The cultural barrier between China and Japan in
the early centuries was already huge. This new translation into English isthus a third-hand cultural repackaging. Having said that, its actual use infaith communities awaits further study. For those in academia, this book isdefinitely the most important English-language work on the history ofcapping phrases and contemporary Rinzai practice. It is also useful in that itallows students to acquaint themselves with numerous Chinese allusions
and classical stories. Even for general readers, this book offers unique
opportunities to ruminate on each beautiful phrase, especially while sipping
a cup of green tea.