Shumon Mujintoron

Post Reply
Meido
Posts: 671
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:50 am
Contact:

Shumon Mujintoron

Post by Meido »

As many folks know, an important text in Rinzai practice is Torei Enji's Shumon Mujintoron, which lays out from beginning to end the rationale and course of Zen practice. It has for a long time been a standard work taken up in Rinzai monasteries. I think it's been mentioned here in a few threads.

The text has been translated into English as The Discourse on the Inexhaustible Lamp of the Zen School in 1989 by the Zen Centre of London. An edition of this had been put out by Tuttle, now out of print. More recently T. Clearly translated it as "The Undying Lamp of Zen". However, the Zen Centre edition is particularly good because it includes a paragraph-by-paragraph teisho commentary by Daibi if Unkan. This extra text essentially amounts to a basic primer of Mahayana Buddhism, clarifying Torei's explanation of Zen as an expression of the One Vehicle encompassing and transcending the 3 Vehicles and distinctions of exoteric vs. esoteric, Zen's view of other traditions, and more. Not bad for one book.

I've just discovered that the Zen Centre still sells their original edition: £15 plus shipping, and no problem to mail overseas. This is great, since copies of the Tuttle edition have become rare and sometimes quite expensive. It's also nice to support the Zen Centre...they are owed tremendous gratitude for making this available in the first place.

Here's a link to the Zen Centre's publications page:

http://www.rinzaizencentre.org.uk/books.php

~ Meido
tingdzin
Posts: 1933
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:19 am

Re: Shumon Mujintoron

Post by tingdzin »

Thanks
zengen
Posts: 233
Joined: Tue May 05, 2015 1:38 am
Location: Canada

Re: Shumon Mujintoron

Post by zengen »

Meido wrote:As many folks know, an important text in Rinzai practice is Torei Enji's Shumon Mujintoron, which lays out from beginning to end the rationale and course of Zen practice.
Thank you for introducing this text: "Shumon Mujintoron"

I've been looking for a practical text (apart from the Shurangama Sutra) that lays out stages of practice in Zen. I think this text is what I'm looking for. I just found out this text is available in my local university library and I plan to borrow the text. Thank you for mentioning the "Shumon Mujintoron" :namaste:
There is no meaning to cyclic existence.
tingdzin
Posts: 1933
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:19 am

Re: Shumon Mujintoron

Post by tingdzin »

Well, I sent them an e-mail about purchasing the book, but never got a reply.
zengen
Posts: 233
Joined: Tue May 05, 2015 1:38 am
Location: Canada

Re: Shumon Mujintoron

Post by zengen »

tingdzin wrote:Well, I sent them an e-mail about purchasing the book, but never got a reply.
Wow, really? I was planning to send them an e-mail about how I can pay for the book and how much the shipping/handling would cost. I don't live in UK :( , how do I get the book for low cost? Amazon and other websites sell this book for almost $300. INSANE, must be out of print and not a very well known book. I was able to borrow the book from my local university library and I'm reading it, and am shocked by the useful information in the book. I don't think you can find information like this in other books in the world. But I would like to have a copy of my own. There's a version translated by Cleary, you can find it on Amazon, but this version has no commentary. Worst thing, I may just get the version by Cleary.
There is no meaning to cyclic existence.
Meido
Posts: 671
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:50 am
Contact:

Re: Shumon Mujintoron

Post by Meido »

I'm guessing the folks there are not professional booksellers, just a Zen center...so maybe give them a try again. I know a few people who have been able to get the text from them without any issues. It may just be that with volunteer staff things are not as consistent and quick as we might like. Or it could be that they're in the middle of a retreat, etc.

The Cleary book is worth getting, you just have to watch out for some idiosyncratic translation. It's nice to have both to compare.

~ Meido
Post Reply

Return to “Rinzai”