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The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a Fourteenth-Century Chinese Hermit

Average customer rating:

Great Book, misleading delivery by Amazon
The book that started my infatuation with the Ch'an poets of old
Careful, Carefee & Paradoxical
Very nice book of poems.
not a review but a correction request

The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a Fourteenth-Century Chinese Hermit
Stonehouse
Manufacturer: Mercury House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156279101X

Book Description

One of the classic texts of Zen, essential for anyone interested in Zen practice and tradition.

Stonehouse has been called "the greatest of all Zen monks who made poetry their medium of instruction." Until now his works have rarely been available in English. Now all of the hermit monk's poetry, including the major poetic works, "Mountain Poems" and "Gathas," as well as his most illuminating instructional talks, can be read in Pine's superb translations.

According to Nelson Foster and Jack Shoemaker in The Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader, "The ancient Taoist themes of simplicity, naturalness, and ease resound in Shih-wu's [Stonehouse's] writing, ringing out clearly within the Ch'an [Zen] setting. Everything in his mountain life that might seem a hardship to others-very plain food, crude and cramped quarters, dearth of human contact-Shih-wu celebrates as an outright virtue or at least preferable to what a city dweller can know.... Shih-wu packed his verses with practice pointers and encouragements, enticements and goads, allusions to sutras and Ch'an stories."

With Red Pine's personal discovery in 1991 of the site of Stonehouse's former hut, this edition provides rare first-hand understanding of the spiritual and physical realm of Stonehouse's era.

"Every Zen student will wish to own a copy."-Jim Harrison

"An admirable achievement!"-Burton Watson

Red Pine is the pen name of Bill Porter. Translator of numerous classical Chinese texts, he lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book, misleading delivery by Amazon.......2006-06-20

Each poem of Stonehouse is a meditation in itself, each seeming as lines written after a satori while sitting on his mountain-side. Here was a true Nirmanakaya of Zen, no attachment, all needs provided by chance.

Red Pine's notes can be helpful, but don't worry about them unless you have a question about what you just read. Otherwise, reading the poem then referring to the notes may cause you to be distracted from the insight Stonehouse is attempting to relay to you.

I finally have my copy of this wonderful volume. Why do I say that? I first ordered the book new on Amazon in August 2005, with a note saying 2-4 week delivery. After monthly alterations in delivery dates, Amazon unilaterally cancelled the order in January 2006. So I ordered again. Again, monthy alterations in projected delivery date. So I looked into the matter. Turns out other companies cannot supply the book. Even the publisher has no copies. This realized, I ordered a used book from an individual listing on Amazon, at a reasonable price, and finally have this valuable document in June 2006.

The book that started my infatuation with the Ch'an poets of old.......2005-07-25

I don't think I can adequately express my love for this book, so I will just tell a little about the contents. Stonehouse is the English translated name of the Chinese Ch'an (Zen) poet Ch'ing-hung who retired early from being a temple abbot (he pleaded old age) so he could return to his beloved mountain retreat and live a peaceful, reflective life in nature. This great Zen monk whose medium of instruction was poetry also gave brief but potent Zen talks which are included here. Burton Watson's commendation on the back cover is correct about Pine's translation of the poems, noting that "...Red Pine has devised and unusual translation style that not only captures much of the flavor of the Chinese originals, but at the same time works splendidly as English." Yes, so splendidly that in reading a few to a friend, she began weeping. As if Red Pine carries in his chest the heart of the original poet, he expresses each poem sensitively and perfectly into English for us.

Here's what else I love about Red Pine's works: he has thoughtfully accompanied every poem with notes explaining contexts, references, and doctrinal backgrounds. The poetry carries you back to a beautiful wilderness in fourteenth century China and awakening a love for simplicity, return to nature, and Zen mind. Six pages of introduction to the monk provide very good backdrop for his poems. This volume contains three parts:
Book One: Mountain Poems
Book Two: Gathas
Book Three: Zen Talks
I read excerpts of Stonehouse for an incense game called Kodo, and a Zen monk attending exclaimed, each one is like a meditation!

Careful, Carefee & Paradoxical.......2004-09-14

Another great treasure of poems translated by Bill Porter. I believe this could be the best of the lot. These poems are tough, gentle & uncomprimising. I've gone through them several times always at ease and also alert.They truly come from the void, the Tao, whatever that is or isn't. Like notes from shakuhachi: soft ,dim slow quick, sloping, climbing. This man was a teacher of many and yet also a true recluse shutting or opening his brushwood door. I wish as many people were interested in such things as the usual pop culture non-sense. Oh well this stuff is not called esoteric for nothing.

Very nice book of poems........2004-09-01

I have owned this book for about five years and I still enjoy reading from it. Stonehouse was a Buddhist hermit who lived in solitude up on a mountain. Most of the poems he wrote are simply about his day to day life;

A winding muddy trail
an immense hibiscus hedge
a paper-window bamboo hut
stove-blackened pines
a humble place free from care
quiet untroubled days
who can do as well
nothing to do or change

Stonehouse was a deeply peaceful man and it seams his contentment rubs off onto us as we read.

not a review but a correction request.......2003-08-06

This is not a review, just wanted you to know that the Editorial Review listed for this book "The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a Fourteenth-Century Chinese Hermit",
is for a completely different book... thought you'd want to know & couldn't find any other way to tell you.

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