Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization

Description

Discover hidden practices, secretly transmitted in authentic Zen lineages, of using body, speech, and mind to remove obstructions to awakening. Though Zen is best known for the practices of koan introspection and "just sitting" or shikantaza, there are in fact many other practices transmitted in Zen lineages. In modern practice settings, students will find that Bodhidharma's words "direct pointing at the human mind" are little mentioned, or else taken to be simply a general descriptor of Zen rather than a crucial activity within Zen practice. Reversing this trend toward homogeneous and superficial understandings of Zen technique, Hidden Zen presents a diverse collection of practice instructions that are transmitted orally from teacher to student, unlocking a comprehensive path of awakening. This book reveals, for the first time, a treasury of "direct pointing" and internal energy cultivation practices preserved in the Rinzai Zen tradition, along with detailed instructions for their use. Examined are 28 practices of direct pointing- methods that reveal one's natural clarity and, ultimately, the nature of mind itself. Over a dozen practices of internal energetic cultivation are also detailed to provide dramatic effects on the depth of one's meditative attainment. By sharing these practices, Hidden Zen provides a small taste of the richness of the hidden practice life to help readers grow beyond the bounds of introspection and sitting to find awakening itself.

MEIDO MOORE began his Zen training in 1988. Practicing in a lineage that preserves an approach called Zen-ken-sho, or unified training in Zen, physical culture, and the arts, he became a master martial arts teacher and was given Dharma transmission in 2008. In addition to serving as abbot of Korinji monastery outside of Madison, Wisconsin, Meido is guiding teacher of the international Korinji Rinzai Zen Community organization. He teaches and leads retreats throughout the United States and Europe.

"A powerful and spirited offering of embodied methods for entering the dharma gates of absorption and awakening available to you in this very life. Meido Roshi shares some of his Rinzai Zen lineage's tools with masterful skill."-Dosho Port, author of Keep Me in Your Heart a While and translator of The Record of Empty Hall "Hidden Zen is an outstanding offering with a unique integration of body practice and ways to cultivate the energy required to sharpen our awareness. Drawing deeply on Rinzai teachings, this book offers a missing link in Zen approaches, encouraging readers to develop a truly embodied practice in addition to sitting zazen. With practical application of esoteric Rinzai body techniques, readers of Meido Roshi's book will find a valuable vehicle for liberation and awakening."-Jules Shuzen Harris, author of Zen beyond Mindfulness "The practices in this book carry the scent of pickled radish, incense, and indigo dye-they are soaked in the authenticity of Rinzai Zen's orally transmitted inner teachings. This practical and clear manual points to the essence of Zen as a full-bodied, cellular process to be investigated in all twenty-four hours of the day."-Corey Ichigen Hess, author of the Zen Embodiment blog