The Spirit of Zen, Sam van Schaik
The Spirit of Zen, Sam van Schaik
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The Spirit of Zen

Author: Sam van Schaik

Narrator: Fred Stella

Unabridged: 7 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/08/2019

Synopsis

An engaging introduction to Zen Buddhism, featuring a new English translation of one of the earliest Zen textsLeading Buddhist scholar Sam van Schaik explores the history and essence of Zen, based on a new translation of one of the earliest surviving collections of teachings by Zen masters. These teachings, titled The Masters and Students of the Lanka, were discovered in a sealed cave on the old Silk Road, in modern Gansu, China, in the early twentieth century. All more than a thousand years old, the manuscripts have sometimes been called the Buddhist Dead Sea Scrolls, and their translation has opened a new window onto the history of Buddhism.Both accessible and illuminating, this book explores the continuities between the ways in which Zen was practiced in ancient times, and how it is practiced today in East Asian countries such as Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as in the emerging Western Zen tradition.

About Sam van Schaik

Sam van Schaik is a specialist in the history of Buddhism in Tibet and on the Silk Road at the British Library in London where he is research manager of the International Dunhuang Project.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Gabrielle

Sam Van Schaik approaches the topic of Zen from a historic perspective in "The Spirit of Zen", and maybe I am nerd, but I found it to be a very interesting read. I really appreciate that he makes clear distinctions between the various uses of the word "enlightenment", because it is a confusing word,......more

Goodreads review by Amer

Still reading it, but so far it seems like a good book. The part I read is about history of Zen and it has a somewhat critical approach to it, which is always a plus. There are things mentioned related to the history of Zen that I didn't know before, thought I could say that I read a fair amount of......more

Goodreads review by Mark

I really enjoyed Sam Van Schaik's Spirit of Zen. It's grounded in sound and recent scholarship, and by way of introducing the fascinating texts in The Masters and Students of Lanka, recovered from the Dunhuang caves on the Silk Road, provides probably the best introduction to Zen Buddhism I have read......more

Goodreads review by Casey

This book was a bit disappointing. I didn’t get a lot out of it. I feel like the title is misleading as well as the back of it which advertises it as an “engaging introduction to Zen Buddhism.” Sure the start of it gives a good introduction of Zen Buddhism, however the bulk of the book is about the......more

Goodreads review by Will

A somewhat odd book. "The Spirit of Chan" would be a more appropriate title for it focuses almost exclusively on Chinese Chan Buddhism, with virtually nothing on the titular Japanese Zen. The first half provides a very useful academic overview of the nature and history of the much misunderstood and......more

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