Kensho: The Heart of Zen

Thomas Cleary is a prolific translator of Buddhist texts. In this slim volume he gathers key texts relating to Kensho (the initial awakening encountered in the course of Zen practice) from three sources. The first section has fifteen short chapters from Chinul, a Korean Son Master, with a short introduction from Cleary for each. Most deal with the nature of mind; only the later ones address Kensho. While not easy reading, with a bit of effort you'll get a sense of how Zen/Son/Ch'an contextualizes the process of awakening. The texts in the second section come from Hakuin, an 18th century Japanese Zen Master. I noted that Cleary translated one text's title as "The Four Cognitions", where Albert Low in his book "Hakuin on Kensho" translated it as "Four Ways of Knowing." The two books complement each other well. The third section are extracts from a collection of Chinese koans, each intended to provide some insight into Kensho. In the final analysis, what Cleary's sources make clear is that if you're interested in learning about Kensho, all the words in the world won't give you even a taste of what the actual experience is. So what's left to do? Put away the books...

KENSHO, The Heart of Zen, is a concise articulation of Enlightenment and its method of realization. Summed up in a single quotation from the book: "What knows without knowledge is the true mind." (pg. 30)

There are few zen books that detail the enlightenment experience to the degree this one does. It carefully and expertly points out that there are stages to the enlightenment experience and does an excellent job in translating seemingly abtruse Buddhist terms and phrases into more understandable language. Referring these terms to more popular and "Western" depictions of Buddhist thought and tradition. Once again, it's not a book for the beginner and requires a foundation of "practice" to help the reader understand many of the more salient points. So, if you've been practicing zen for a while and are searching for something to help deepen your practice and experience, try this book. After a chapter or two, you'll want to just "sit."