Description: The sixth book in the tremendously successful Zen Speaks series of cartoon-illustrated adaptations of Chinese thought and philosophy (125,000 copies in print) by world-renowned author Tsai Chih Chung, Wisdom of the Zen Masters combines selections from the most important and famous Zen texts into a single volume.

Zen Buddhism is more of an attitude toward life than a system of strict religious belief. Only one Chinese Buddhist work ever attained the status of an official scripture, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. Wisdom of the Zen Masters illustrates the key narrative of this text and follows the orthodox line of Zen transmission in a loosely chronological format from patriarch to patriarch, master to master. The result is a charming journey through the history of forty or so illustrious and irreverent Zen masters, complete with enlightening anecdotes and disarming wisdom.

In addition to the Platform Sutra, the cartoons are taken from many other key premodern Zen texts, including the Transmission of the Lamp, the Gateless Gate (Mumonkan), and the Blue Cliff Record. All of these are recognized as rich sources of the infamous Zen koan.

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