The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training

by John Daido Loori

Overview

This accessible introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism includes a program of study that encompasses practically every aspect of life. The American Zen teacher John Daido Loori shows us that Zen practice should include not only meditation, the study of Zen literature and liturgy, and moral and ethical action, but should also manifest in work, artistic, and everyday activities. The Eight Gates are:

   1.  Zazen, a type of meditation described as "sitting Zen"
   2.  Face-to-face meetings between teacher and student
   3.  Academic study of the sutras related to Zen training, other schools of Buddhism, Buddhist history, psychology, and philosophy
   4.  Zen rites and rituals and their meaning
   5.  The moral and ethical requirements set in the Buddhist Precepts
   6.  Art practice as an extension of Zen practice
   7.  Body practice as an extension of Zen practice
   8.  Work as an active function of zazen


Beautifully illustrated with Loori's own photographs, this edition also includes a new introduction and an updated reading list.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570629525
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	09/10/2002
Edition description:	1ST SHAMBH
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	269,226
Product dimensions:	5.53(w) x 8.52(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

John Daido Loori (1931–2009) was one of the West's leading Zen masters. He was the founder and spiritual leader of the Mountains and Rivers Order and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. His work has been most noted for its unique adaptation of traditional Asian Buddhism into an American context, particularly with regard to the arts, the environment, social action, and the use of modern media as a vehicle of spiritual training and social change. Loori was an award-winning photographer and videographer. His art and wildlife photography formed the core of a unique teaching program that integrated art and wilderness training by cultivating a deep appreciation of the relationship of Zen to our natural environment. He was a dharma heir of the influential Japanese Zen master Taizan Maezumi Roshi and he authored many books.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Editor's Preface	xv
	Acknowledgments	xix
	Introduction	xxi
	Mountains and Rivers Order
	The Teachings of Mountains and Rivers	3
	Shakyamuni's Flower	13
	The Seat of Enlightenment	27
	Ten Stages	39
	The Eight Gates
1.	The Still Point: Zazen	81
2.	Mountain Light: Zen Study	93
3.	Oceanic Storehouse: Academic Study	109
4.	Making Visible the Invisible: Liturgy	115
5.	The Life of a Buddha: Right Action	133
6.	Painting Spring: Art Practice	147
7.	Miracle of Aliveness: Body Practice	157
8.	Sacred Activity: Work Practice	167
	Two Paths
	Clouds and Water	177
	Lotus in the Fire	193
	Homeleaving	209
	Appendices
	The Mountains and Rivers Sutra	221
	Zazen Checklist	233
	Introduction to the Zendo	235
	Jukai: Taking the Precepts	239
	Daily Liturgy	243
	Recommended Reading	249
	Glossary	261
	About Zen Mountain Monastery	273

Editorial Reviews

"This book is living testimony that the flower of the Buddha's enlightenment has crossed the Pacific Ocean unsullied and taken root in American soil."— Tricycle



"Sufficiently deep, yet clear and easy to read, this has the potential to become a fundamental handbook broadening practice in this country."— Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Loori (Riding the Ox Home: Stages on the Path of Enlightenment) is the abbot of the Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskills, a former photographer and a writer for mainstream Buddhist publications such as Tricycle and Shambhala Sun. As such he is perfectly suited to produce this in-depth Zen training text specifically tailored to the needs of Americans. This volume part map, part manual and part philosophical essay is especially useful for those within a Buddhist community, though a special chapter, "Lotus in the Fire," extends insights toward solo practitioners. Sensitive to Western needs for progress measurement, Loori delineates 10 stages of practice, moving from novice to teacher. The eight "gates" of the title are sitting meditation (zazen); face-to-face meetings between teacher and student; academic study; rituals; morality and ethics as reflected in the Buddhist precepts of behavior; art; the body; and work all extensions and functions of Zen practice. Sufficiently deep, yet clear and easy to read, this has the potential to become a fundamental handbook broadening practice in this country beyond basic zazen and sutra study. It has illustrations, a practical appendix, glossary and a solid reading list geared to the various stages of practice. Ultimately and rightly, Loori paraphrases Gary Snyder, concluding, "Zen is not Japanese and it's not Chinese. It is American. It didn't come from Asia; it has always been here. It is a way of using your mind and living your life and doing it with other people." (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Originally published by Dharma Publications in 1992 as the Zen Mountain Monastery's training manual, this republication introduces a broader audience to the order's eight areas of concentration Zazen, Zen study, academic study, liturgy, right action, art practice, body practice, and work practice. At Zen Mountain, both lay and monk students focus on these spheres through ten stages corresponding to Master K'uo-an's classic Ox-Herding Pictures. Loori, author of the popular Heart of Being and Riding the Ox Home: Stages on the Path of Enlightenment, offers readers still seeking a spiritual way a foretaste of practice devoted to rigorously preserving the core values of Zen while adapting to the realities of its Western expression. Those already following Zen will benefit from many new insights, as well as a translation of Dogen's Mountains and Rivers Sutra, the monastery's daily ritual, a checklist for Zazen, and recommended readings. Recommended for public and academic libraries. James R. Kuhlman, Univ. of North Carolina at Asheville Lib. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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