Great doubt
Subtitle: practicing Zen in the world
By: Boshan ; translated and introduced by Jeff Shore
Contributors: Shore, Jeff, translator, writer of added commentary; Yuanlai, 1575-1630; Yuanlai, 1575-1630
Publisher: Wisdom
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 108
ISBN-13: 9781614292302
Subjects: Spiritual life; Zen Buddhism
Other titles: Practicing Zen in the world
Work titles: Prose works
Description: "Learn to face and overcome the pitfalls of Zen practice--self-indulgence, suppression, speculation, asceticism--with this first complete translation of a Zen classic. "In Zen practice, the essential point is to arouse doubt. What is this doubt? When you are born, for example, where do you come from? You cannot help but remain in doubt about this. When you die, where do you go? Again, you cannot help but remain in doubt. Since you cannot pierce this barrier of life and death, suddenly doubt will coalesce right before your eyes. Try to put it down, you cannot; try to push it away, you cannot. Eventually you will break through this doubt block and realize what a worthless notion life and death is -- ha! As the old worthies said: 'Great doubt, great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.'"--Boshan. There are many ways in which we may delude ourselves in practice. Doubt, Boshan argues, can be a powerful tool that rouses us from the complacency that comes with intellectual musing, ascetic striving, emotional suppression and quiet meditation. Great Doubt presents for the first time complete translations of Boshan's key works on working with doubt: "Exhortations for Those Who Don't Arouse Doubt" and "Exhortations for Those Who Do Arouse Doubt." This little book contains the most powerful medicine for the diseases that plague spiritual practice."--
Notes: Translation from the Chinese of: Shi yi qing fa bu qi jing yu and Shi yi qing fa de qi jing yu.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 99-100) and index.
Table of contents: title: Translation. Exhortations for Those Who Don't Arouse Doubt; title: Exhortations for Those Who Rouse Doubt; title: Commentary on Exhortations for Those Who Don't Arouse Doubt; title: Commentary on Exhortations for Those Who Rouse Doubt.