{"product_id":"the-garden-of-flowers-and-weeds-a-new-translation-and-commentary-on-the-blue-cliff-record-9781948626491","title":"The Garden of Flowers and Weeds: A New Translation and Commentary on the Blue Cliff Record","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eInternational Book Awards--Religion: Eastern Top Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmericanBookFest's Best Book Awards Winner Religion: Eastern\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eNautilus Award Gold\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBenjamin Franklin Award Silver\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndependent Book Publisher's Award Bronze\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed One of the Best Books of 2021 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e-- \u003ci\u003eSpirituality and Practice\u003c\/i\u003e Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"An intriguing, challenging crash course in Zen Buddhism.\" -- \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A generation-defining rendering of one of the great Zen Buddhist scriptures.\" -- \u003ci\u003eSpirituality and Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor centuries, The Blue Cliff Record has stood as one of the preeminent scriptures of the Zen Buddhist tradition in China, Japan, and Korea. However, until now there has been no published commentary by a contemporary Zen Master to assist readers in understanding its counterintuitive and sometimes baffling teachings. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Garden of Flowers and Weeds\u003c\/i\u003e draws on contemporary scholarship and the author's extensive experience with Zen in order to offer new insights for sophisticated students who are hoping to uncover the secrets of the koan tradition. At the same time, \u003ci\u003eThe Garden\u003c\/i\u003e is jargon-free and uses personal stories to appeal to readers who are new to Buddhism. The theme of the book is simple: \u003ci\u003eAccepting the unenlightened self with all its flaws is the most profound form of enlightenment.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven with this clarity, finding a path into these old Zen stories is a challenge. They are designed to be roadblocks to intellectual understanding. Using personal memoire, the oral teachings of Zen, and meditation instruction, \u003ci\u003eThe Garden\u003c\/i\u003e assists the reader in approaching the dialogues as spiritual exercises. The Blue Cliff Record contains an explosive power, but you can only access it by integrating its wisdom into your everyday experiences. As Zen Master Nanquan said, \"Ordinary mind is the Way.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSullivan, Matthew Juksan:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eMatthew Juksan Sullivan was ordained at the Nine Mountains Zen Gate Society as a Dharma Teacher in 2006 and a Zen Master in 2013. He is a dharma heir of Hwasun Yangil Sunim, who was a dharma heir of Wol Ha Sunim, a Grand Zen Master and the former Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Monkfish Book Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50525597663506,"sku":"9781948626491","price":43.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_33e632ff-ee44-404b-99f2-a4873247e020.jpg?v=1731227604","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-garden-of-flowers-and-weeds-a-new-translation-and-commentary-on-the-blue-cliff-record-9781948626491","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}