A Paragon of Zen House: Translated and Commented by O'Hyun Park

The ultimate wisdom of Asia, brought to a focus in Zen House, is the realization that truth and reality must never be sought on the plane of opposition. It is the essence of idolatry to accord with what is less than the whole. Zen keeps humans away from the idolatry inherent in every form of partisanship. This sixteenth-century Chanjia Guijian (A Paragon of Zen House) has this distinct Zen spirit, which has been revealed in the eighth-century Liuzu Tanjing (The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch), the tenth-century Chuan Deng Lu (The Transmission of the Lamp), the eleventh-century Biyanji (The Blue Cliff Record), and the thirteenth-century Mumenguan (The Gateless Gate).