Zen Antics

Zen Antics, Thomas Cleary Zen Antics, by drawing on a wide range of sources to serve up the truth of reality, is itself a manifestation of the archetypal Zen message. "Seeing your nature is Zen." Say the great Zen masters, and here, Thomas Cleary offers all of us an opportunity to do just that by gazing into the mirror of the Zen wisdom illustrated in these wonderful stories. Cleary has collected and translated dozens of many important stories attributed to the great characters of Zen history. All Zen students would do well to familiarize themselves with these most time-tested, stories illustrating the authentic teachings of Zen. These stories highlight the truth of Zen, sometimes shaking up the entire Buddhist establishment, always shaking up our own personal biases.

Zen Antics are 100 short stories about famous Zen Masters such as Hakuin, Bankei, and Shosan and the tricks and pranks they use to point directly at their students minds so that they might realize enlightenment. Also includes stories of wandering monks and the adventures they encountered on their journeys. With stories like "The Drunken Buudha" and "Wiping a Buddha's Ass", these stories are anything but orthodox. Highly recommended.