Zen Sand is a classic collection of verses aimed at aiding practitioners of kôan meditation to negotiate the difficult relationship between insight and language. As such it represents a major contribution to both Western Zen practice and English-language Zen scholarship. In Japan the traditional Rinzai Zen kôan curriculum includes the use of jakugo, or "capping phrases." Once a monk has successfully replied to a kôan, the Zen master orders the search for a classical verse to express the monk’s insight into the kôan. Special collections of these jakugo were compiled as handbooks to aid in that search. Until now, Zen students in the West, lacking this important resource, have been severely limited in carrying out this practice. Zen Sand combines and translates two standard jakugo handbooks and opens the way for incorporating this important tradition fully into Western Zen practice. For the scholar, Zen Sand provides a detailed description of the jakugo practice and its place in the overall kôan curriculum, as well as a brief history of the Zen phrase book. This volume also contributes to the understanding of East Asian culture in a broader sense.

Zen gardens are havens for contemplation, reflecting the beauty of nature and the aesthetic sense of the gardener. Some represent vast landscapes in a small area, some use raked gravel to represent rushing water, while others feature natural stones signifying symbolic animals such as turtles and cranes. Zen Gardening also provide an ecofriendly alternative to the old-fashioned lawn -- they require little or no water, while the use of fertilizers and pesticides is anathema to the spirit of the Zen garden.With its practical advice on plant selection, and numerous examples of how modern gardens are transformed into beautiful, harmonious refuges, Zen Gardening places every aspect of creating a Zen garden at the hands of today's gardeners. This unique book simplifies the complex principes adopted centuries ago by Buddhist monks, explores their aims in creating outdoor spaces along Zen principles, and reveals the meaning of the different elements and their juxtaposition. Gardeners will learn to create a controlled and harmonious environment -- and, in the process, to nourish the spirit and allow anxiety to gently subside, making room for quiet reflection.

Traces the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan, and discusses beliefs, rituals, texts, and major individuals and schools.

"With a new introduction by the author"--Jacket.