Description
Book SynopsisAn account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. In discussing the activities of the postulants, the meditation monks, the teachers and administrators, and the support monks of the monastery of Songgwang-sa, it reveals a religious tradition that differs radically from the stereotype prevalent in the West.
Trade Review"A myth-shattering foray behind the walls of a Korean Zen Buddhist monastery... Less the sound of one hand clapping than of hands, mind and heart working together to lead a sanctified life--and, as such, a sound corrective to Western misunderstandings about Zen."--Kirkus Reviews "[This book] is ... forged from [Buswell's] own experience and practice... He enlivens his study with a detailed personal account of his daily life at Songgwang-sa, one of Korea's main monasteries, and with wry humor... This book should be read by anyone interested in the daily life of Zen training."--Martine Batchelor, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
Table of ContentsList of PlatesPrefaceConventions UsedIntroduction: Zen Monasticism and the Context of Belief3Ch. 1Buddhism in Contemporary Korea21Ch. 2Daily and Annual Schedules37Ch. 3Songgwang-Sa and Master Kusan49Ch. 4A Monk's Early Career69Ch. 5The Support Division of the Monastery107Ch. 6Relations with the Laity135Chronology of the Puril Hoe147Ch. 7The Practice of Zen Meditation in Korea149Ch. 8Training in the Meditation Hall161Ch. 9The Officers of the Meditation Compound203Conclusion: Toward a Reappraisal of Zen Religious Experience217Epilogue: Songgwang-sa after Kusan224Appendix: Principal Chants Used in Korean Monasteries229Glossary of Sinitic Logographs243Works Cited253Index265
