No Barrier: Unlocking the Zen Koan

This translation of and commentary on the well-known Wumenguan/Mumonkan is one of Thomas Cleary's finest works. (I also think well of his _Dhammapada_.) As reviewer David Johnston has noted in his excellent and accurate review, it will clear up plenty of the misconceptions about Zen encouraged by people who (deliberately or otherwise) profit from obfuscation. And Cleary's commentary -- based on some thirty years of experience with the koans themselves -- will provide valuable guidance that those professional obfuscators would probably prefer that you not have.There are plenty of books out there that purport to be about Zen, but as far as I can tell, only a handful of them are genuinely helpful over the long haul -- Reps's _Zen Flesh, Zen Bones_, Kapleau's _Three Pillars_, Suzuki's _Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind_, the other Suzuki's _Introduction to Zen Buddhism_, maybe Alan Watts's _The Way of Zen_ and Stephen Mitchell's _Dropping Ashes on the Buddha_. Cleary's Wumenguan belongs on the shelf next to these.Cleary insists (correctly) that Zen is not anti-intellectual or anti-reason ("not blind to causality"), and it doesn't encourage the practitioner to dissolve one's mind (or the world) into undifferentiated mush. On that basis alone, quite a few of the trendy "Zen" books currently in print can be tossed directly into the trash.One fact of which the reader/buyer should be aware: this is the very same book that was previously published as _No Barrier_ (which the back cover of this volume incorrectly calls _No Boundary_). I've had the earlier book since it was first published and I'm glad I didn't buy this one.

Readers/buyers may want to know that this book has been republished as _Unlocking the Zen Koan_. Here's what I said about it in a review under its new title:This translation of and commentary on the well-known Wumenguan/Mumonkan is one of Thomas Cleary's finest works. (I also think highly of his _Dhammapada_.) As reviewer David Johnston has noted in his excellent and accurate review [under the other title], it will clear up plenty of the misconceptions about Zen encouraged by people who (deliberately or otherwise) profit from obfuscation. And Cleary's commentary -- based on some thirty years of experience with the koans themselves -- will provide valuable guidance that those professional obfuscators would probably prefer that you not have.There are plenty of books out there that purport to be about Zen, but as far as I can tell, only a handful of them are genuinely helpful over the long haul -- Reps's _Zen Flesh, Zen Bones_, Kapleau's _Three Pillars_, Suzuki's _Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind_, the other Suzuki's _Introduction to Zen Buddhism_, maybe Alan Watts's _The Way of Zen_ and Stephen Mitchell's _Dropping Ashes on the Buddha_. Cleary's Wumenguan belongs on the shelf next to these.Cleary insists (correctly) that Zen is not anti-intellectual or anti-reason ("not blind to causality"), and it doesn't encourage the practitioner to dissolve one's mind (or the world) into undifferentiated mush. On that basis alone, probably half the "Zen" books currently in print can be tossed directly into the trash.

A wonderful book on Zen koans. There are a few other books on Zen koans but this is the only one with such commentaries written in simple language. Cleary is a great translator and excellent at explaining what these koans and koans in general are all about. Any body interested in Zen MUST own this book. It is perhaps my favorite book period. I have read so much hog-wash about Zen by people who don't understand it. I wish they would read this book before they speak. Zen is notgibberish, Zen is not anti-thinking, Zen is not nihilistic. Cleary explains this perfectly through his commetaries on these koans. By the way, the koans themseleves are masterpieces but this book is especially good because of what Cleary has done. I do like to read others translations of the Wumenguan and so I recommend other books like Zen Flesh Zen Bone as well.

Thomas Cleary is a master. This book is marvelous, as are all of the books I have read of his. I am greatly indebted to Thomas Cleary for helping to clear away delusions, his analyses of these koans are remarkable for their insight.

A superb explanation of Zen introduces a brilliant translation of the Wumenguan, the most famous book of Zen riddle-lessons. Thomas Cleary has a rare ability to explain Eastern thought to the Western mind, not by dumbing it down, but by wising us up. Highly, highly recommended. --Richard Brodie, author, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme