Zen Flesh, Zen Bones - BCF #32

eldergill (52)in #bookclub • 6 years ago

About Paul Reps

Paul Reps was a phenomenon. Born in Iowa, he went to the Orient as a young man in the early 1900's and studied with the teachers of Asia. Gradually he assimilated the wisdom of the east and began to distribute it to the west in a most unique fashion. He published Zen Flesh, Zen Bones in 1939, then went on to develop his ideas about self-expression, believing that there were too many words. He would toss off picture-poems; simple childlike line drawings and penetrating haiku-like epigrams. He was a wanderer, with no fixed roots and strongly regarded the planet as his home.

A little bit about the book!

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones includes four books:

101 Zen Stories which was first published in 1939 by Rider and Company, London. These 101 Zen stories recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of 5 centuries.

The Gateless Gate which was first published by John Murray, Los Angeles. It is a collection of koan (problems) that Zen teachers use in guiding their students towards release. The first was recorded by a Chinese master in the year 1228.

10 Bulls was first published in 1935 by DeVorss Company, Los Angeles. It is a translation from the Chinese of a famous 12th-century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment and is here illustrated by one of Japan's best contemporary woodblock artists. (In images along with the writing)

Centering is a transcription of ancient Sanskrit manuscripts which first appeared in the Spring 1955 issue of Gentry magazine, New York. It presents an ancient teaching, still alive in Kashmir and parts of India after more than four thousand years, that may well be the roots of Zen.

This book is one that (along with a few others) I will always carry with me on travels. It is so insightful and allows you to formulate your own takeaways on the content, yet each story, each commentary and each manuscript seems to speak to you when you need it most. It is suitable for somebody just getting into spirituality and Zen and I cannot recommend it enough!