Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record: With Explanations by Zen Master Tenkei

to me there was one comment made in this book, i believe it was by Tenkei Denson... "the eyebrows are horizontal, the nose is vertical, but unless you can see that the eyebrows are vertical and the nose horizontal, you have missed enlightenment" (paraphrase) the kind of enlightenment he referrs to is philosophical enlightenment, not emotional enlightenment. one follows the other. quite a lot of water is spilt in this book (it gives leading answers to mysteries, without speaking too plainly.) i also find in this book the cintamani pearl in the statement: "whatever comes is it". (the subtle/profound) obvious truth is pinpointed by the jade needle, yes my nose is vertical and my eyebrows horizontal. (what you see is what you get/the obvious) subtle truth is alluded to by the mani pearl, yes my nose is horizontal and my eyebrows vertical. this may sound like nonsense to some, surely only the needle is true. afterall, Dogen first returning from his zen training in china did say "i return with eyebrows horizontal and nose vertical (obvious/needle) carrying with me nothing". dogen returned with awareness of the obvious. in order to attain the truth one must also be aware of the subtle. (the cintamani pearl). looking at the geometry of the human face and relating it to truth, the models that emerge can all be seen as equally important, or as superior over inferior. the low and high truths being that "everything that can be said or seen is true" "everything that can be said or seen is false". inter mediary truth (middling, but not central truth) is that "certain things that can be said and seen are true", "certain things that can be said and seen are false". the high and central truth however is that "ultimately there is only one truth" (i am beginning to see this as the transcendent void, which contains the four opposing mundane elements, fire, air, water and gold. the highest percievable element is fire/love) the void is referred to as the deep darkness of mystery, the womb that gives birth to all. that emptiness that becomes full and then empty again. you can draw the homologon (geometrical representation of the human face) very simply by drawing a circle, then within that a square and then within the sqare a triangle. cut the triangle midway with a horizontal line, put two dots for the eyes (sun and moon). the homologon shows the underlying geometry of the human face... female above male. the needle points to one specific truth, the pearl reflects truth from all angles and sees the truth/falsehood in all things. normal wisdom is the balance between both of these, that 'certain' things are true, certain things are false. if you keep an open mind you will value knowledge that you consider truth, and yet the ultimate apprehendable truth is true love, void, the highest truth is transcendent, possibly apprehendable, but i am not wise enough to know about this, nor the manner of its apprehension. this is the point of the needle. thank you Jesus for th

While it would be unfair to generalise - not everyone views Zen practice as something set in wood, according to lineage etc. (Yasutani Roshi, for instance, embraced a joint Rinzai-Soto fusion), centuries of tradition have left their mark. In some quarters at least, there is a tendency for Rinzai and Soto followers to define their schools by their differences (e.g. use of the koan, jakugo, koan-colections etc. as against 'shikantza' etc). As against such hybrid narrowness, it is fascinating to read these parallel commentaries on the Blue Cliff Record - one, by the eminent Soto master - Tenkei Denson (1648-1735) - the other by Hakuin Zenji (1685-1768), the renowned Rinzai reformer of the Tokugawa. These commentaries reveal a breadth of insight which transcends all conditioned boundaries.

Once again Thomas Cleary has delivered a masterpiece!! Hakuin and Tenkei comment on THE Zen text of the ages. All one-hundred cases are represented (many of them revised from Thomas Cleary's earlier translations with J.C Cleary in The Blue Cliff Record). Cleary also offers an in-depth overview of the history of this text, and its influence on Zen in Japan. With comments by two great Zen masters from opposites sides of the lineage chart (Hakuin from the Rinzai sect; Tenkei from the Soto sect). One is struck by the harmonious commentaries by two Masters representing sects that supposedly are diametrically opposed on their views and teachings of Zen Buddhism. Cleary once again finds the "Universal Elements" of Zen that transcend all schools and sects. An excellent guide to the most influential Zen Text of all time.

Thomas Cleary translated The Blue Cliff Record many years ago.In this new book Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record he makes available commentaries by Rizai master Hakuin and Soto master Tenkei. This book will be welcomed by those who have read,re-read and studied The Blue Cliff Record in detail. I recommend this books to students of The Blue Cliff Record everywhere!