Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teaching of Zen Master Seung Sahn

Zen Master Seung Sahn Stephen Mitchell

ISBN 10: 0802130526 / ISBN 13: 9780802130525

Published by Grove Pr, 1994

reissue edition. 256 pages. 8.25x5.50x0.75 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # 0802130526

Synopsis:

“Somebody comes into the Zen center with a lighted cigarette, walks up to the Buddha statue, blows smoke in its face, and drops ashes on its lap. You are standing there. What can you do?” This is a problem that Zen Master Seung Sahn is fond of posing to his American students who attend his Zen centers. Dropping Ashes on the Buddha is a delightful, irreverent, and often hilariously funny living record of the dialogue between Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn and his American students. Consisting of dialogues, stories, formal Zen interviews, Dharma speeches, and letters using the Zen Master’s actual words in spontaneous, living interaction with his students, this book is a fresh presentation of the Zen teaching method of “instant dialogue” between Master and student which, through the use of astonishment and paradox, leads to an understanding of ultimate reality.

From the Back Cover: Consisting of dialogues, stories, formal Zen interviews, Dharma speeches, and letters using the Zen Master's actual words in spontaneous, living interaction with his students, Dropping Ashes onthe Buddha is a fresh presentation of the Zen teaching method of 'instant dialogue' between Master and student that, through the use of astonishment and paradox, leads to an understanding of ultimate reality.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teaching ...
Publisher: Grove Pr
Publication Date: 1994
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Brand New