World a Gateway:  Commentaries on the Mumonkan (Tuttle Library of Enlightenment)
The two most important collections of Zen koans are the Blue Cliff Record and this collection, known also as the Gateless Gate, prepared by the Chinese Zen master Mumon Ekai (the Japanese form of his name) and published in A.D. 1229. It is composed of 48 koans followed by Mumon's commentary and a verse by him as an additional form of commentary. Low, director and teacher at the Montreal Zen Center, has provided a modern translation of the koans and the commentary and verse of Mumon, and has added his own insightful commentary; modern readers are thus given a wealth of further Zen thought. He has also written an insightful introduction to koans, helping readers understand what koans are and are not, how they should be experienced, and how they function in Zen Buddhism. The appendixes include excerpts from the Diamond Sutra and the Heart of Perfect Wisdom (other important Buddhist texts) to provide background to the koans. Highly recommended for any library needing a modern translation of and commentary on this foundational Zen text.?David Bourquin, California State Univ., San BernardinoCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.