About this Event
Gerry Shishin Wick will speak about and sign his new book, The Five Ranks of Zen: Tozan's Path of Being, Nonbeing, and Compassion, on Thursday, January 23rd at 6:30pm, at Boulder Bookstore.
About the Book:
The great Japanese Zen master Hakuin exclaimed, “How priceless is the merit gained through the step-by-step practice of the Five Ranks of Master Tozan!” Hakuin here refers to a teaching created by the Chinese Buddhist master Dongshan, known in Japanese as Zen Master Tozan, which is honored and studied in both Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen and is a gem of the classical Zen tradition. The ranks—pithy, provocative titles followed by Tozan’s brief poetic commentaries—serve as guides to a radical exploration of the experience of relative and absolute reality, the interpenetrating “Two Truths” of Mahayana Buddhism.
In The Five Ranks of Zen, American Zen teacher Shishin Wick offers an accessible entry point to each of the ranks, which Tozan created in two formulations: the first and better-known is the Five Ranks of the Relative and the Absolute; while the second set, called the Sequence of Merit, is an abbreviated form of the Ten Oxherding Pictures, a traditional formulation of the Zen spiritual journey. Wick presents multiple translations and offers commentary on the ranks’ titles and on Tozan’s renowned verses, as well as offering guidance on these teachings’ application in contemporary life and Zen practice. He emphasizes that, to truly plumb the depths of Tozan’s teachings, you must treat these teachings as Zen koans and make a thorough investigation using your entire body.
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IMPORTANT TICKETING AND EVENT INFORMATION
*Tickets are $5 (plus a small processing fee).
*A coupon good for $5 off a copy of The Five Ranks of Zen, or a purchase on the day of the event is included with your ticket. You will receive this coupon at the event.
*Please note: our events are held on the second floor. To request a reasonable accommodation or discuss your needs, contact [email protected].
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, United States
USD 6.24